Implementing 21st Century Skills

Recently, while perusing Scott Meech's blog, I found a post about Lesson Planning for 21st Century Skills where SMeech (as he's commonly known) highly recommended the International School Bangkok 21st Century Literacy wiki. The diagram on this site is a fantastic view of 21st century learning.  I was instantly impressed with the simple layout and the vocabulary used to emphasize the topic.

Looking at the three main bubbles in this diagram, (Effective Learners, Effective Collaborators and Effective Communicators and Creators) makes me realize we have a ways to go.  Currently I notice a lot of nudging in all of these areas with little movement in most cases.  I know it is tough to shift towards this goal, but working together we can do it and lucky for us, working together is one of the main goals here!  


In North Carolina, we are slowly implementing the 21st Century Skills Framework.  This is a process that started this year in my district and from the moment I saw it I was excited.  Personally, though, I see that it is not being implemented correctly.  I'm seeing the old fashioned "Powerpoint and Lecture" being used to teach these new skills to teachers.  Why aren't we using the framework to teach the framework?  No one likes to listen to a talking head-even if they have pretty powerpoint slides behind them.  


Lets use Wave, Nings, Wikis, Google Groups, Blogs, Twitter etc to teach the collaborative skills from a first hand perspective.  I think this is the only way that this new look on learning will be successful. I was thrilled to see administrators in my district incorporating a LOT of technology into their presentations and  also quite excited to see they were sharing things that were right on track.  The presentations they created were, in my opinion, very good.  I just think it should have involved more "practice what you preach" methods.

In my perfect world, I'd have started with intense training on PLC's using one or two online tools for network building.  Get the small groups on board, let them find their roles in the whole picture.  Once the small groups are formed and they're comfortable, create a whole school social network where the PLC's can share what they're discussing in their groups.  The creation and use of this should be monitored, encouraged, highlighted and celebrated.  Once this is done, you will have a good strong base from which to work.  Your staff will understand why social networking is good, they'll understand that sharing is beneficial to everyone and everybody will have a feeling that they are contributing to the success of the school.  After the staff gets a grasp on why and how to use collaborative tools, they'll sell it themselves to the kids because they'll feel comfortable teaching it.

One of the issues with this whole plan is that it doesn't happen overnight.  It doesn't happen in a one hour staff meeting, it doesn't even happen in a 1 hour hands on workshop.  This is something that takes months to foster, nurture and grow.  It took me 3 or 4 months just to get twitter to click in my brain and I'm a tech geek!  The average teacher might need a full year for this to really take a strong effect.  The good thing is that most generally, there is at least one person in every department that will take the lead and push the others to jump on board.  If you have that, the process can and most likely will, happen in the course of a semester. To perfect it, though, might take a little longer.

All this being said, it takes support, encouragement and participation from all levels-- from administration to support staff. Each and every person needs to participate in some way.  Even with social networking we have leaders and followers which is absolutely fantastic.  Each person just needs to find out where they fit in that picture and run with it.

Would love to hear more about how you're implementing 21st Century skills in your school/district/state.

The Emerald Viewer for Second Life

A few months ago I switched to the Emerald viewer for Second Life.  Since the switch many of you have asked for reasons why I continue to use it.  Figured it was about time to put it on paper, so to speak.  A few things I like about Emerald:

The Worn Tab
There is a handy little tab in your inventory for what you're wearing.  This saves you from having to type worn into your regular inventory to find out what you're wearing.  I LOVE this feature, although I can see where it might not be used by those that don't care to change their pixel clothes every day. 

Built in Radar
No attachments needed here.  Emerald has it's own radar button.  Just click on it and it will list all of the avatars in the area and even give you a few options.  For example, if you double click on an avatar, it will zoom your camera to them.  I use this a lot for checking on new avatars while on docent duty-especially if there are a lot of avatars in the vicinity and they're all wearing those dreaded pink polka dots!  

Tracking Avatars
The other nice thing in the radar button is an option to track an avatar.  I love using this while shopping (as well as the zoom to option above).  If my girlfriend is a few rows over, I have no trouble finding her.  It puts an arrow on her so I can follow it until I find her location.  I also use this during docent duty for those times when someone says "I'm here" but I dont' see them anywhere.

Fancy Green Beams
One of the first ways people notice you're using Emerald is when they notice the green beams when you click on objects.  I personally like them, but others think they're annoying.  I really started liking them when I discovered you can change the beam to different colors or even designs.  Once I had smiley face beams when i clicked on things.  Just one more option for customization and fun! 


Show Look At
There is a feature in Emerald that lets you see who is looking at you or where people are looking.  There could be many uses for such a thing, but one great use I've discovered is when working with new avatars.  I find myself saying all the time "see this, click on it".  Well, now I can tell if they're really looking at the right thing.  It gives cross hairs with the avatar name on them.  I can also see this being great for a class.  If you have one person whose cross hair never moves (especially if you're showing slides, etc.) chances are they're off doing something else!


Teleport History
In the Emerald menu, you'll find an option for teleport history.  This tracks everywhere you've been during this session.  I use this quite often while shopping.  I forget where I've been half the time or will forget to make a landmark, so this is a good way of finding those places again.

Easy TP
I LOVE the teleport button in the IM window.  Now, instead of opening a profile to teleport a friend, you just click the teleport button in the IM window.  One can also be found on the friends list page. 

One of the only problems I have with Emerald is a lot of craziness that I don't understand with encrypted chatting.  I have experienced problems with not receiving IM's, my IM's not being sent and IM"s that do get sent being all jumbled so no one can read them (which is the intent, but something is obviously not right).   I, however, find the other benefits outweigh the issues with IM, so I just inform my friends that if I don't answer them, there is probably an issue and not to take it personally.  I do know a few avatars, however, that stopped using Emerald just because of the chat feature.  I also know a few avatars that have problems with Second Life crashing a log when using Emerald.  I think it probably has a lot to do with your machine. 

1:1 A Wise Choice?

There has been a lot of talk everywhere lately about the 1:1 laptop program. Yesterday I discovered that my state actually has a 1:1 plan in place which surprised me. I was not aware that there was a plan to go this route statewide. This made me want to take a closer look and I found that there are several counties in NC that have either funded the program themselves or received direct help from funding through the state to pilot the program. The counties implementing this program into their school seem to be benefiting from it, stating more student engagement and stronger evidence of curriculum integration.

Wanting to know more, I found a study conducted at the Denver School of Science and Technology that provided some interesting data. Positively, they found that students agreed having laptops helped them to work together on projects, while teachers found that the laptops gave them more time for individualized instruction. On the flip side, teachers commented that they had to reprimand students at least once per class period for being off task on the laptops (which, in my opinion is not too bad).

All this in mind, there is one huge factor in initiating a 1:1 program that needs to be mentioned which, in my opinion could make or break your data.....quality professional development. I'm very well aware that there are schools out there with teachers that are not trained well enough to know how to implement a 1:1 program in their classroom. I'm also aware that there are schools all over that have not figured in an ongoing, quality PD program for the teachers. In our state, we have a fantastic thing going for us, the PLC model. Training can come from a specialized consultant and then filter out through the schools with individualized attention through the Professional Learning Communities in place. Regardless of how it is done, this is not something that can be overlooked and in the best case scenario, it needs to extend to every person involved from teachers to students to administration to parents.

I have taught in classes where every student has had a computer and see a definite benefit to the students and the teacher using this method. I truly believe that, if implemented effectively, the 1:1 implementation can be successful and worthwhile. I encourage you to share what your school is doing. Please let me know by leaving a comment.

Play Based Learning

Last night I had the opportunity to sit on a panel presentation hosted by Zotarah Shepherd in Second Life. (Visit Zotarah's Island!) The talk was on play based learning and other panelists included Haley Swansong, Maggie Marat Knowclue Kidd and Norma Underwood. The idea for this session came from Zotarah's masters class "The Role of Play in Development and Learning" at Sonoma State University. Her plan is to share the talk with her class.

The session started with a brief description of what Zotarah is doing to learn more about play in education, then each panelist had an opportunity to speak about how they are using play in their schools. We heard from Knowclue who is teaching her kids machinima and allowing them to create videos in virtual worlds. She showed us this really great project that a student made on her own time. I think this shows how students will really embrace an activity and take it to the next level, especially when they're having fun. Play creates a new view on learning that encourages students to continue with it long after the school bell rings.

Norma then took the stage and talked about her use of virtual worlds with students in her school where many of them live in poverty. She said that using virtual worlds with her kids allowed them to explore things they may not normally get to see in their real lives. She also mentioned they had a lot of fun with the clothing and found it interesting that the male students liked to wear tuxedos while the girls wore mostly jeans. This was an opposite reaction than what Haley shared next where the girls liked to wear ball gowns and the boys didn't care so much about their attire.

Haley gave some examples of how she is using Reaction Grid. Her students are working in there building a colonial town. I've recently had the opportunity to visit Haley's island and see her students in action. It is really neat to see them all working and feeling great about their creations. They do a lot of work which is centered around fun and play and they are all quiet excited about what they are doing.

A quick discussion of World of Warcraft was led by Maggie. She began by explaining how it is a great tool for play and problem solving. Players have tasks to complete and must solve problems and work together along the way to achieve their goals. She also commented that working together in a group is a great skill learned in this game.

Everyone who talked about using virtual worlds with kids had positive experiences. Each of them used the space a little different, but overall, it is a great form of play for learning. Students entering the virtual space enjoy trying new things and expanding their creativity.

I decided to branch out from the virtual world discussion and talk a little about geocaching which can be a fun way to get some energy and movement into the classroom. All too often we forget how long we ask kids to sit. Sometimes they just need movement to get their brains working again. I shared examples of how geocaching can be used for teaching math (solving problems to find caches), horticulture (using gps to locate plants and soil samples in the outdoors) and literature (finding caches depicting characters from Romeo and Juliet).

I continued my discussion by sharing how play is a part of learning in the iLab we recently opened in my school. With my teachers, I emphasize the fact that the process of learning how to use the macs, the iLife suite, the ipods, etc involves play. I tell the them to let their students "play" for a few minutes the first time or two they come into the lab. This has proven to be an effective way for both the students and teachers to learn and teach each other.

This was a great discussion and had a good audience. I encourage everyone to consider how play based learning can be used in your classroom and to remember that we are never too old to play. Although we typically think of kids playing to learn, it is a well known fact that adults learn this way as well and it is evident in the excitement I see every time I do a workshop on Second Life. The adults in the room turn into kids for a few minutes as they play with the new tool.

Finally, Norma recommended all teachers take an improv class which can help you learn to add that extra element of fun to your lessons. She said from her experience it helps to remind us that we can continue to have fun......even as adults.

Prove it BEFORE it's Approved!

I attended the ISTE Eduverse talk last night titled "All Technology Uses are NOT Created Equal: Accelerating High-Yielding Practices" with Bernajean Porter.  The information presented is near and dear to my heart and was shared in such a great way that I am excited to share it with everyone around me.  One of the things that Bernajean mentioned during her interview was that when teachers are being trained, they need to learn the new technology, then figure out how to apply it to the curriculum, and finally implement it in the classroom.  Bernajean emphasized that trainers should ask teachers to do all of this before awarding any continuing education credits (or whatever they may be called in your area). 

I thought about this for a long time.  This very topic has been in my head for a while now but hadn't really heard anyone else talk about it, specifically in a public forum.  I totally agree with her thinking in that it would promote true technology integration on behalf of the teachers.  I also believe that it would improve me as an instructor because I would have to force myself to see more things going on in the classroom.  This would be a huge time committment for me to not only work one-on-one with many teachers but to also review and approve the works they create in order to receive credit.  The benefits, however, that come from this type of training/assessment are too good to pass up.

Another thought I had was that the credit they receive could be much higher.  For example, now I give 1 hour credit for each of my sessions.  I'd be willing to award double or triple credit depending on the topic because of the work, brain power and creativity going into the workshop on behalf of the teacher. On the other hand...I can see a possible attendance decrease due to the difficulty level for many teachers. Or would I?  Quite possibly, after a few workshops like this, teachers might see an improvement in the quality of the workshops and be more likely to attend.

I will be sharing the information from this talk with my principal and district technology leaders over the next few days.  I will also be asking permission to try this method with a few of my workshops this year.  I think testing it with a few perfectly selected workshops would be a good way to implement this program. 
Please take a look at the eduverse video and share it with those around you.  There is a lot of other good content in the program besides this topic that I feel everyone could benefit from in their schools.

Unexpected Blessings of the Second Life

Upon entering Second Life, I had plans to only use it for attending workshops. I hadn't even considered the virtual world could have other things to offer, so I spent the first few months learning everything I could about education and how it is being done in Second Life. After those few months, however, I noticed something changing. I noticed that I was gaining more confidence in myself by volunteering, networking and attending the workshops on ISTE Island.

What? A virtual world helping me be a better person? How could this be? I began asking myself what else I could learn from this space.

I started talking to a lot of people, specifically veteran users, about this thought. I realized quickly that many people that have been in SL for a long time are hesitant to share their stories with just anyone, especially those fairly new to SL. Why? Well, through my own experiences, I have learned that if you talk about this too much, it raises eyebrows a bit (which, quite frankly is why I have written this blog post 3 times and trashed it before posting). Once I found a few friends that were willing to talk, I realized that I was not alone in this. Many of the avatars I spoke to had a great story about using Second Life to better themselves.

How does this happen? I have found for myself and for many others that in Second Life or any other virtual world for that matter, everyone has an opportunity to shine and it's easy to find lots of different people with the same interests as you. On those same lines, everyone is willing to listen to your strengths and help you find a way to use them. Virtual worlds are fantastic places to find a mentor. Yes, we do this in real life, but not quite at the level I see in Second Life.

If you talk to Mo Hax for any length of time, you may hear him refer to "The Disney Effect". These words couldn't explain my feelings about Second Life any better. When in the virtual world, it is very similar to being at Disney World. Most everyone welcomes everyone else with open arms. People will strike up a conversation much quicker than in the real world and the quality of helpfulness comes out in everyone. I've never met more people willing to help me learn a new skill than in Second Life. ISTE Island alone is full of docents and other avatars willing to help newbies and veterans alike on just about any topic.

Through the course of conversing, finding your way to contribute to the world and making connections with others, many find their "place". We find a connection to a group of people that have similar ideas and goals as we do which helps us to grow our knowledge in that area, in turn building our confidence.

I don't think anyone goes into a virtual world thinking it can change their life, but I can assure you it has mine. Not only do I value the friendships I have made, but the opportunities as well. Think of anything that interest you. There is SOMEONE in Second Life with that same interest and talking with them will allow you to learn more about that topic and quite possibly create a lasting friendship with a person that shares your interest.

For me, I have met my business partner, a truly wonderful educational mentor and even a few fantastic people that I now call close friends in the real world . I've met some of the most amazing educators in the world through Second Life and then had the opportunity to meet them in person at NECC 09. I've run 5Ks, had lunch and even gone dancing with Second Life friends. One of the coolest things is that I've had job offers and have helped people find jobs through Second Life. The networking alone is something no one should want to pass up and in my opinion is a more effective method of networking than the real world (inexpensive, less time consuming and you can do it in your jammies and fuzzy slippers).

The opportunities in Second Life are limitless if you are willing to open your heart and your mind to the possibilities that wait for you. Yes, it is a bit of a different way of getting the job done, but if done right, you will find that it is an effective way of accomplishing the task.

Work:Play:Work

Over the course of the last couple of days, I have had a few different conversations about how computers are used to help us in our daily lives. The first conversation started with a workshop I was doing on PLN's where we were talking about twitter and all the great things social networking has to offer. During that workshop, I had a veteran teacher say that she has a hard time seeing computers as something fun. She went on to say that when she was learning about computers, they were introduced to her as a way to do work. Because of that idea, she has never been able to grasp how they can be fun or used for enjoyment.

This idea of computers being only for work was interesting to me and made me think a bit. This was actually true for me as well. I remember one of the first things I did on a computer was type a paper and I also remember seeing images of men and women in professional clothes typing away on them. The teacher's comment also made me think about the images that often come up in clipart when you search for the word computer. Although they are changing a bit lately, there are lots of pictures that show professional people working at a computer. All that being said, it's no surprise that many adults have an image of a computer being made only for work.

Yesterday, as my students were presenting projects they made for a unit on MS Powerpoint, one of them did a presentation that focused on how play can foster learning and she made a comment about how students can be working, but because they're doing it in a fun way, they don't even notice. This brought me back to the first comment and made me think a bit more.
We started out using computers as a way to do work. Then, we found out they can be pretty cool to play with too. Now, we are looking at mixing the two. Why can't work be fun? Why can't we use a game to accomplish a task? All of this made me understand why some teachers struggle with me saying things like "let them play a bit to figure it out" and "use the technology to teach the lesson, not as an extra piece".

Then, naturally, my mind moved over to Second Life. Wow! What a prime example of this! So many look at Second Life as a game. When I tell people I use it every day, they look at me like I'm a weirdo. Yes, there is a lot of play in SL (my favorite part is the dress up) but, most nights you'll find me working. Whether I'm networking, attending workshops or hosting meetings, I use the virtual world for work.

Today, about lunch time, I got an email from that first teacher that was struggling with computers being fun. It read like this:

"My 1st period students loved the iLab. Nearly 1/2 had never been in the lab before. Just wanted you to know that we worked AND (drum roll please) we had FUN!!! "

I was so tickled to hear her response and actually got the opportunity to see her introduce to the iLab to a group of students later in the day. The excitement and enthusiasm in her voice rang throughout the room. I could tell that she had thought about her comment as much as I had.

I encourage everyone to consider this idea. I'm sure many of you reading right now have had an experience working with someone that you have trouble connecting with in the use of technology. You might just be working with a teacher such as mine. It is of no fault to them, they just need to be retrained and to find something that helps them realize that learning and using computers can be fun. Be their guiding light and help them find the excitement that we all see!