Walking the talk

How many of us practice what we preach? Do you create videos to share with others? Do you podcast? Have you used Whiteboard or some other collaboration tool? Do you blog on a regular basis and have a network? Is technology a part of your life outside of school? Working with these tools is more than just using them in the classroom. As new things evolve, are we looking at ways to incorporate?

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Permalink Reply by James Dykstra on May 16, 2007 at 3:09pm
I don't know that this is an all or nothing thing. I mean the phrase "walk the walk" suggests you either do it, or you don't.

In the past couple of years I've used wikis as a review tool for my students' exams. This year I've been experiments with bigger wiki projects that I'm not yet sure as to how well they'll turn out. I've been blogging a bit, as well.

Are there plenty of other Web 2.0 tools to use? You bet. Am I using many of them? Not really. However, it's a beginning. And I think using the cool interactive tools is a continuum; we start with just a bit and then use more and more as we find ways that those tools can make our lives simpler.
Permalink Reply by Kelly Christopherson on May 16, 2007 at 4:39pm
When I think of walking the talk, I think you are doing what you say or you aren't. So if you say that using the tools is important, then you are using them to teach students. If you say you are working at incorporating tools, then you are doing that. This is where we need to see that using any tools resides along a continuum, one that has us learning some things while being proficient at others. The core part is that you are doing what you say you are doing. I list a bunch of different things that one can do without saying that you had to use them all. But, are you using them outside of school? Do you use them in your personal life as well as your professional? Do we understand the power of the tools before we dismiss them? For those who are just starting to venture into this world, of which I would consider myself having only been at this since January, I think it is vital that we practice using the tools beyond just the classroom or school. That we use them in our lives and grow more familiar with how they might be used is an integral part of the learning process. That is what I'm getting at. How much or how little is up to you but do you do it?
Permalink Reply by SusanTsairi on May 16, 2007 at 6:15pm
Using the tools in my personal life is an on off thing, depending on my need or desire to express myself. I have created videos and posted on youtube, written on hub taken part in discussions used whiteboards, messengers, tried to build a social network and kept a personal blog (none of which had anything to do with education).
At the moment all my online activity is somehow connected to work. Whether it is participating here in classroom20, or creating a cartoon on toondoo, my goal is to learn more about education and technology.

I think it is vitally important that we practice using the tools before attempting to integrate them as part of the learning process. Apart from knowing the power of the tools, we really need to know how they work and what to expect, to that end I keep a blog which is basically just a repository for my different experiments with tools.
Permalink Reply by Kim Cofino on May 16, 2007 at 11:28pm
Absolutely! Doing these type of things myself is the only way that I can truly understand how they will impact my classroom. It is time consuming, and sometimes I think I should just shut-down for a few days, but there is so much emerging every single day that I don't have time to take a break.

What has really helped me this year is to keep a personal blog. Of course, I have my professional blog, my wiki, my twitter, ning, facebook, yackpack, skype, etc accounts that I use every day on a professional basis. But, bringing these tools into my personal life has completely changed my perspective. I know how the students feel when they are asked to write a blog post for school - the pressure of writing something academic and relevant to what you're learning - the pressure of a professional blog. But, I also know the fun and excitement of experimenting with these tools for my personal enjoyment. I can honestly say that these tools have changed the way I learn, create, and communicate in every aspect of my life.
Permalink Reply by Jerry Talandis Jr. on May 17, 2007 at 2:57am
Absolutely! Doing these type of things myself is the only way that I can truly understand how they will impact my classroom. It is time consuming, and sometimes I think I should just shut-down for a few days, but there is so much emerging every single day that I don't have time to take a break.

Yes, I feel the same way. In order to get motivation up for learning Web 2.0 tech, I find myself doing personal projects, even at work (when I get the chance!). I run a video production lab at our small school in Japan, where we teach video production in English to Japanese students. There is no way I could have learned all the stuff I need to know for that course unless I had spent hours in the lab between classes working on family videos and such. It was the birth of our son Luke 5+ years ago that really brought me into the digital world. I've been making iMovies of his life ever since and sharing the resultant clips with my family back in the States. In fact, when I think about learning something new, I think of my family first and how this new thing could help me communicate and share our lives. The skills I learn from these projects are then put to use with my students. I guess in the end we need to clarify what's really important to us, then figure out how we can apply Web 2.0 towards that. From inspiration comes motivation, from motivation comes learning, from learning comes teaching. Something like that...!
Permalink Reply by M. SESHAGIRI on May 17, 2007 at 6:11am
Real question is how many are using new technologies?
To get answer about how many, I suggest
an inventory should be made in this group
inviting feedback on use of Web 2.0 techologies.
This may be combined with the idea of
Mr. Steve to conduct interviews with
users of Web 2.0 technologies.

- Seshagiri
Permalink Reply by Glenn Moses on May 17, 2007 at 9:24am
Permalink Reply by M. SESHAGIRI on June 7, 2007 at 7:11am
The web site http://mrmoses.org developed by Glenn Moses is excellent.
Congrats to Moses.
Kudos for motivating others through his work on Net.
Permalink Reply by Glenn Moses on June 8, 2007 at 11:36am
Wow! Thank you. I'm always happy to share and collaborate. I can't stress enough how wonderful and supportive the Classroom2.0 network has been. :)
Permalink Reply by James Dykstra on May 17, 2007 at 11:52am
How many are doing this? I don't think I'm doing a huge amount, but based on the conversations I've had with other teachers at various schools, I suspect I'm in the 1 or 2 percent in my province that's actively looking at ways to use the new tech for educational purposes. Most people, I think, just aren't aware of what's out there or what the various technologies can do.
Permalink Reply by Kelly Christopherson on May 17, 2007 at 4:00pm
James, I would say you are right. Most teachers just aren't aware of what is available or what can be done. The question I have is why? With all that is going on around us in all the different areas, why aren't teachers seeing it? Are teachers that "out of touch"? I just don't see how there can so much going on around us and yet it's not penetrating the walls of schools. If that is the case, shouldn't that be a sign for us? Maybe young children who are using it all the time has me more atune to technology but, for me, it's just so much easier to use it than not to use it.
Permalink Reply by Sharon Betts on May 17, 2007 at 4:48pm
I am a firm believer that you can't teach without doing. I use as many of these tools as possible in my own life - then I always have a good example when someone asks. Then, I make it a special point to use them within all my in-service sessions (much of my job is teaching teachers). I have had many teachers tell me that just seeing me use it and being forced to jump in during the training sessions was the bait that caught them.

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