Jul 23 2007
Setting Up Professional Connections via blogs and wikis
Much work needs to be done by me before Sept. 1, 2007. Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach is trying to assist me in trying to get my questions out to more educators. I am most interested in hearing from educators both within W. New York and others in the blogsphere. I have tried to identify a few hot topics in the two posts I have posted. This morning the burning issue for Erie 2@ Boces administrators is how do we ensure 180 days of instruction when our calendare is not altogether regional -ie not followed by all our component schools, we have no control over the transportation of our students and lastly supervisors/principals of the instructional programs do not make the decisions to close schools or the centers. In New York State schools haved a minimum of 180 days of student attendance and we live in the snow belt!
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The Alabama Experiment -WEB 2.0 technology
Today I read and responded to Sheryl Nausbauum-Beach work with others on the Albama experiment with schools where Principals and Teachers are involved in the devlopment and expansion of Web Based technology into classrooms. The introduction of this new way of best teaching practises is in my summation, an example of the new definition educators will give themselves of the word professionalism. Charting this new territory, changing the face of how we teach and what we choose to explore in our classrooms, learning new technology for the benefit of students in order to embrace the new tools studentswilll need in the workplace is not just a professional responsibility, but a citizenship issue. How do we expect our citizens to fare in the global ecomony if we are not teaching them how to use the tools they will need in order to be competitive in a global ecomony?. The jobs around us are changing. Hoiw many of us still refer to administrative professionals when in fact we do our own typing, dictating, note taking etc? We are of necessity our own secretaries because these positions have become eyes into the windows of all our work places. The office staff at my school let me know that they have more on the pluse of the school building than I do. Their eyes are windows into the souls of our schools. This is just one example of a changing work place. Schools are not immune and nor can we be ignorant of the conversations around us that are challenging us to think beyond the bureaucratic paradigms of our own training which if effectivie and stimulating, will challenge us to learn on our own, and force us to adapt classroom technologies that prove we are of the same world as the students we teach. We shall embrace a collaborative relationship between ourselves and our students as we expand the walls of learning and ask questions with a global perspective. The Alabama experiment in schools with WEB 2.0 classroom expansion is a good map for school leaders to follow as teachers, staff and students ask questions using technology connections with other learners and connecting classrooms to experts in particular fields of knowledge. The text book is limiting as is chalk and board, the teacher has to be a facilitator, a planner, a manager, a director of student learning and inquiry. In W. NY I will follow the Alabama experiment as I plot changes in face of the two High Schools I work with.
I have been invited to develop an inservice workshop for teachers based on resources available via Tapped In and elluminate. I plan to dispaly my wiki and blog to teachers within my organization in an attempt to generagte thoughts and ideas aimed at growth. One of the great issues I wish to raise is the notion that mistakes are to be celebrated not hushed up in education. This is a notion I have borrowed from my readings this summer about great innovators in business and industry. I will be communicating directly with others who attended New Face of High Schools in Ellicottville, NY this past July, 07. Coincidently, I have learned that planning is already underway for next years conference. Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach if you are reading this, please expect word from me in the next couple of weeks. The ambitious venture of presenting what I have learned in Web 2.0 classroom research is something I am very excited about doing.