I think it’s time we — the edublogosphere/edutwitter community — take some “downtime” to reflect on what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what  outcomes we think may come from the work we are doing.

As a classroom teacher, I feel I am constantly questioning the technology and tools I use in class. Am I using this [particular tool] because it’s empowering students and moving their learning forward, or because it’s cool. It’s so easy to get caught up in the geekiness of it all; it is some pretty amazing stuff, after all. But to what end? And what of it is valuable? And what use of it is effective and necessary? A lot to think about, but here goes…

What?

I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about the Web tools that are now almost second nature to me: blogs, wikis, RSS and my Google Reader, del.icio.us, my Facebook. This is how I learn and what I use to access my network of teachers and my collection of resources. But I am also constantly reminding myself that many of my teaching colleagues and most of my students are not familiar with these, or at least don’t use them to the extent I do. This, of course, makes me no better than them…just a different kind of learner.

In my excitement about the direction in which education, learning and teaching is going, I find myself tempering that excitement around non-geek colleagues (for lack of a better term). I want to tell them all I’ve learned, but I fear I would simply overwhelm them in my zeal to convert them. When it comes to my students, my concern is more that I will not adequately be able to justify why I am making blogging a part of this class; instead, they may just see it as more work to do, rather than the opportunity that it is.

And so, I’m left second-guessing every inclusion and mention of technology in the classroom and every comment I make around colleagues. Don’t get me wrong; I haven’t been paralyzed by this. I had my AP English students blogging and using Google Reader last year for their research, and I am almost finished getting all my students set up with a blog for this year. My students created a study guide last year using a wiki. I believe that puts me in the brave-enough-to-just-try-it camp.

So What?

When it comes to blogging, in particular, I’ve been formulating a list in my thinking about why student blogging is worth the time and effort (and justification to others!). I need to solidify this some more, but for now..

• In English, we always talk about giving students a “genuine audience” for whom to write, but we can never really come up with one. So, we have them write for each other and for the elementary kids in the district, or we make up assignment with fictional audiences as a poor substitute. Blogging, by nature, gives student writers an immense, general audience…and an interactive one, to boot.
• It forces reflective thinking, which we don’t often give students time to do, nor do we show them the value of reflection in our fast-paced, bell-driven schedules.
• The feedback is (can be) faster, more varied, and more interactive than some red-ink comments from a teacher on a paper (that is probably not going to be revised anyway).
• Blogging gives students a voice, an opportunity to express their thinking and insight. Especially for those that may not feel comfortable opening their mouths in an intimate classroom environment (just as others may fear writing for a global audience!), a blog post may be the best way for others to ‘hear’ that student’s voice.

Aside from the pedagogical issues, blogging gets students comfortable in a region of the online environment with which they may not be familiar. The style of conversation that exists in blogging is one that many of the them will be required to use in their post-secondary education and their professional practice.

Now what?

Now, we edubloggers continue doing what we are doing. No radical change of plans, just a steady progress, a step at a time. We share our knowledge and excitement with others, slowly, a bit at a time, and give them opportunities to try these tools and let them make the connection to improved engagement and learning. We continue to pay attention to the tech world around us and learn what we can, sanely, in between our other professional responsibilties.

Most importantly, we continue to be the professional educators that we are and focus on student learning. Every new tool should be honestly analyzed for classroom use. If it doesn’t move learning forward than it shouldn’t be in class, cool or not. We continue to advocate for students, including fights to unblock sites, get laptops into their hands, make relevant technologies an integral part of the curriculum, and–if need be–speak before school boards, committees, parent groups, city councils, whomever, about why they need to be on board (if they are not already) when it comes to the realities of the new read/write web and the role it needs to play in student learning.

Technorati Tags: edublogging challenge students learning

This year, we are operating a system similar to many other districts where we have a set calendar of staff development, including monthy one-hour extension days for teachers and half-day early releases for students, leaving the afternoon for PD. To determine the subject of all this time, individuals, departments, and buildings wrote proposals based on needs and goals. Various committees supposedly review these, and a calendar for the year is constructed.

Though we’ve now been in school for three weeks, much ambiguity still exists as to the specifics of these sessions. We only know which will be “building” and which ones “district”. Frankly, it has caused no small amount of frustration among staff. My only frustration is that our district tech coordinator submitted a proposal for some ongoing technology in-service, which apparently will not be a part of any of the sessions.

Just recently, I’ve been reflecting on this idea of Professional Development. I already have my master’s degree (and don’t plan on getting another…or my doctorate!). I have taken the maximum credits needed to max out on the salary schedule. So, it’s probably a good thing that we have a system of staff development lest I become a veteran teacher stagnated and stuck in the past, right?

It dawned on me a couple weeks back that I have a fairly elaborate, self-imposed system of professional development. I have an evolving personal learning environment through my connections and networks and reading. After 13 years of teaching, I’ve learned more in the past year than I learned in the previous dozen, plus my teacher ed. program. And I think for the first time in my adult life, I can honestly say:

I truly learn something new every day.

My more skeptical colleagues would say that I, the web geek, am learning the tools. I am learning how-to and all the new gadgets that seem to come out every day. True enough. But I am learning so much more than that:

I am learning about learning.

Through my own use of technology, though my conversations with colleagues far and near, through my own writing, blogging, recording of thoughts on my iPod (which may become a podcast one day!), I am experiencing a new way of learning, one that is much more compatible with the way our kids are learning. Because I know that the way I learned in the past is not “good enough” for kids these days, I have chosen to immerse myself into the type of learning environment that best suits the digital natives.

So what does my PLE look like? I connect and think through…

• My blog, which gives me a chance to reflect on what and how I am learning
• Classroom 2.0, a social/professional network (kind of a Facebook for educators) where conversations take place on a wide range of topics (both technological and non-tech). This network also includes my own page and separate networks (for professional development, for example)
• Google Docs, where I have collaborated on documents with other educators
• Chat: I just recently started using the chat function in Gmail for conversations
• Twitter: Ok, this is just a little fun. Sort of an ongoing IM, pops up when someone in the “twitterverse” adds a thought. Can be used for quick survey for ideas, tech help, quick sending of links, etc.
• del.icio.us: a “social bookmarking” site that allows me to tag and categorize sites that I find. Others can see my list, or find my links when doing a general search. I can also network with other users, creating an even larger “database” of sites.
• A number of blogs written by other teachers and technology coordinators. I learn much about the latest tools and uses of technology, what others are doing in class, and what others are writing about learning. Here, I find links, people, organizations, and ideas that I might not otherwise have found.
• Google Reader, which helps me keep up-to-date with many of the conversations above by subscribing to RSS feeds and bringing the new content to me, in one place.

I know I’m missing some elements. I’m not even including personal connections, like my Facebook account–where I may not learn much about teaching, but I learn plenty about how communication and social relationships are changing.

And I don’t plan on quitting. Lifelong learning doesn’t allow you to say: “Well, that’s about enough learning. I guess I’ve arrived.” So, I hope to facilitate some tech workshops throughout the year, I’m applying to be a STAR teacher through the Discovery Education Network, and I hope to attend an English education conference and NECC in San Antonio next summer.

And I feel like I’m just beginning…

Technorati Tags: lifelong_learning, PLE

Dad: Just remember, Zachary, even though you are helping and you know a lot of things, you still have a lot of things you need to learn, too.

Zachary: (distracted) Yeah.

Dad: You know, even I have things I don’t know. I’m still learning stuff, too.

Zachary: (surprised) You are?!?

Dad: Sure.

Zachary: But you’re the teacher!

Dad: You think that because I’m the teacher, I know everything?

Zachary: Yeah!

Dad: Nope, even I have teachers.

Zachary: Who are your teachers?

Dad: Well, I learn from a lot of people. I learn a lot from other teacher friends that I talk with on the internet. I also learn from things I read, and things I do. I even learn quite a bit from my own students.

Zachary: (long confused pause)

Dad: What do you think of that?

Zachary: Cool.

Yeah, cool.