teaching Scout

I have (literally) just introduced our class blog to my 1st years. We had a good look at Sandaig Otters to get a good feel of what our blog could maybe turn into….but of course we’ll see.

PHEW!!

For me, it was an exhilarating lesson and the class seemed to respond well. There is still a LOT to sort out with it and I’m hoping that a bit of class blogging coupled with lunchtimes on Thursdays we’ll get a largely pupil run scenario.

Unfortunately due to constraints put on me, NOTHING can be published without moderation although I am quite liking my status as ‘admin’ Although I am putting forward a large degree of trust as the pupils can all login under a common password/username (here’s hoping).

I wish our authority wasn’t so strict on blocking internet sites. I discovered that wikispaces and flickr are yet another on a long list that we can’t get access to

Wish us luck and put it in your feed-reader if you can.

I like the idea of this approach in learning. It completely highlights the child driven learning which I hope to achieve.Christian explains his strategy in practical terms:

“I’ll present them with the pros/cons to all of their decisions (assigning nightly reading, what types of assessments will give them a reasoned ‘final grade’, etc.).  I’ll present them with a ‘menu’ of elements they must accomplish (solo and in rotating small groups) before the project comes to an end and the semester exam is handed out.  I’ll offer myself as a ‘free’ consultant for a specific # of days that they can ‘hire’ when they feel that they have exhausted their own instincts/research.  And I’ll present them with a series of sink-or-swim options to allow those who are invested in learning to succeed and those who want to tread water to avoid absolute drowning along the way, all the while being a sheep dog with an eye on those that near a current they can’t escape on their own. ”  

My first years are about to start a new project making a small wooden shelf. Now to get my thinking cap on and see if I can figure out how to make it a much more child driven activity…

I have figured out (roughly) how to use Wordpress MultiUser and am about to introduce my high school to ‘blogging’. There seems a multitude of options and I know I have to focus it a little to get us started. I am interested in the notion of kids ”blogging about their “educational journey” until they graduate“  although am concerned that without careful thought, I may be in danger of “the abomination of “blogs as on-line diaries” (or)… “blogs as the new way to turn in homework” “.

My simple idea is this,  using the blog as a way to showcase pupil work and life in the Design and Technology Department/School.

Have it as ‘pupil-run’ as possible.

I like the idea of bringing other people into our learning. Stuart Meldrum posted this simple question a few months back as did Don Ledingham with his ‘Leadership Dilemas’ and both generated response related to their own learning. In a similiar way I would like to bring the learning of others into our classroom. On the otherhand, I don’t want the blog to turn into another method in which to hand out assignments.

I will leave it like that at the moment. Any bright ideas, or uses of technology would be greatly appreciated. Acceptable user policies? Best year group to start off with? What has been done to death? What becomes dull and boring? Why have you kept that blog in your feed reader? How can I engage the kids in putting their work/thoughts/learning online?

What do you like to look at when reading/interacting with a class blog?

I have just read “Birdsong” by Sebastian Faulks, and although a work of fiction, has really made me wake up and realise the absolute horror of war. 

When in fifth year at school, my English teacher introduced us to Wilfred Owen, which not only started an appreciation for poetry but quite simply a knowledge of things that are often not spoken about.  Although I may not be a History or an English teacher, I would encourage people to read this book. 

How many times have you heard ‘Aye, they did that 20 years ago, and then changed it and now they’re changing it back again”. Or “Yeh, it’s the next flavour of the month”.  I’ve only been a teacher for 10 weeks or so and I’ve heard it plenty. From a lot of different people. Different backgrounds. Different schools.

At our council CPD meetings the most people address us (the NQT’s) with the words “You are the future of teaching. You are young. You can make change happen”.

Change. It’s a big theme, and it’s not like it is new or is the flavour of the month. It is something that no-one can escape from. People 400 years ago were thinking pretty similar things to what you are thinking just now. Maybe in a different context, but essentially the same stuff. But turning to the voices of those cynics – why do it? “If its not broke, don’t fix it” Is education a series of cliches? Sometimes from my young eyes I feel that it could easily be if we let it. “Do you want a learning intention with that?” I heard that one in the staffroom. But I’m supposed to be part of something, the new blood, the teacher of the future. But how do I battle against the cynics? Why should it be a battle? Why do things seem to change so much? And why should they?

Even in this web2.0 arena which provides us with ‘tools’ that are coming out our ears, we seem to go through fads. I honestly hardly blog about all these technologies because I feel that by the time I blog it, it will be out of date and the next thing will have come along. In the same way (I am told) Education goes through fads. Does it? I seem to have started my career at the start of a God almighty changing point. AcFE, AifL, Sustainability, Citizenship, Health Promoting Schools, Enterprise. 

Could we all just not agree on something and stick to it? It would satisfy the cynics of change. But I know that this couldn’t be the case as education really is an evolutionary process. It needs to be diverse and different and suit the learner and teacher. So why, when I go to CPD, am I constantly told to incorporate a million different techniques and values into my lessons. I feel I should make up a checklist for myself: Enterprise, yes? Citizenship, yes? Use of technology, yes?

 I feel if you want us to be the ‘teachers of the future’ advise yes, but don’t suffocate.

“Structure is a fundamental and sometimes intangible notion covering the recognition, observation, nature, and stability of patterns and relationships of entities. From a child’s verbal description of a snowflake, to the detailed scientific analysis of the properties of magnetic fields, the concept of structure is an essential foundation of nearly every mode of inquiry and discovery in science, philosophy, and art.”

I wonder what my S1’s will make of this?

Funny how education really is one of the most normal things in the world. Sometimes when you speak to teachers you get the impression that we should all be due some sort of royalty at the end of it. Over the past few weeks the normality of my job really has hit me. I’m not here to waltz into a classroom, produce some kind of fantastic all singing all dancing lesson that makes use of every technology under the sun and to be then congratulated by myself or others for my splendid efforts. Nope. I’ve realised that educating kids should be a largely normal process. I think the more that culture changes over the coming decades, where educators become used to the notion of simply trying new things and that change is just a natural process and shouldn’t be resisted, that there will be less people from the “I cannae dae that” camp. In the same respect, there will then be less kids from the “I cannae dae that” camp.

What I’ve learnt over the past couple of weeks is the truely humbling nature of my job. I’ve learnt that I thouroughly enjoy it! Often I am frustrated and really wish that I could manage that class better. Often, I find myself repeating discipline procedures and wondering if my actions are making a blind bit of difference to the kid who refuses to look at me when I’m talking to them A good few times I’ve thought despairingly “Oh God: This is it. Can I really do this for the rest of my life?”

But that is the point. It’s normal. And it is a reflection on the fact that education is as ordinary and essential as breathing. When I think of it this way, I feel grateful to be in a country where we have such an opportunity to make innovation  commonplace.

I hope that I can play my part!

 take a moment to reflect

I arrived in the nick of time as John Johnston was halfway through his presentation on scotedublogs. I thought it was a perfect introduction for the evening – an excellent insight.

 Terry Freedman showed us that if we want to contribute to the HUGE new “coming of age – an introduction to www” book, then head over to www.ictineducation.org. It is a print on demand project with profits going to a good cause. The first edition of this book was downloaded or read by 60,000 people. A big audience….?

Iain Stangers’ presentation really stood out. For me he showed us the COOLEST software around. dartfish allows you to edit and annote video really easily. You can do it, the kids can do it. You can create these ‘mediabooklets’ that the kids work on, annotating or editing the videoclip to their hearts content. In Technical Education, I had some immediate ideas… Iain talked about using it for internal assessment (kids can do voice over), peer assessment,  using it as record of achievment - he had the SQA approve this method of internal assessment. This would clearly be a good way of engaging those kids who hate writing out screeds of text . In the school I am in, the use of ICT in the classroom seems to be a key focus at the moment (eg HGIOS), I will defenitely be trying to persuade some people to get this used in the classrooms! I really enjoyed Iain’s presentation, although his software seemed to be playing up a bit, his enthusiasm and passion for what he was talking about, was very clear.

Next up, Ollie Bray. If I could some up Ollie’s point it was that really simple, small things can have the greatest impact on learners. I am sure he will put up his presentation on his blog if he hasn’t done already! Also if George W can use “the google” anyone can

David Gilmour talked about  replacing standard school websites with a weblog  and the effect on the parents. (in my opinion, surely as it is the parent who has the most effect on the child this was one of the most intsightful points of the evening) As David explained, the parents said: “we want to be involved in the school though we are really very busy. We will only get engaged if you can give me the information to get engaged in my kids class.” Weblogs anyone?

Out of the nanopresentations, Lee Carson made a fantastic point “You have a moral obligation to comment”. He was talking about his P7 class blog, and the simple need that the children had – to know that other people were interested in what they were doing. It struck me of the complete simplicity of all this “web2.0-ness”,  everyone, on all different levels and in all different ways, just want to be connected.

Dobee (doo be doo). These seemed cool. “Get those digital natives on board”

Nick Hood: Move over moodle and GET WITH THE WIKI! He went down the long road of using moodle and through his experience is encouraging us all to use wiki’s for collaborative learning. Will Glow stand up in comparison?

Andy Black. “I want to scare you to death” ummm – yup, he did! Andy was funny, enthusiatic, and had a clear message: “It’s not about the device, stupid”.

Alastair Thin gave an honest and interesting presentation about his “Martini media lectures” which was followed by Steve Beard who wanted to show us Second Life as an alternative learning environment.

And then it was over! I only looked at my watch once, when IslayIan said the bar was closed! I finally found out where AB is – sitting next to IslayIan I met Mr W, briefly, who gave me a ‘moo card’, very smart. I also saw John Johnston on the way out the door, though I’m sure not many people knew who I was

Hello to everyone who was there – it was a refreshing experience for someone like me who has so much to learn. I look forward to meeting and collaborating with you in the future.