NextGenTeachers

Search Engine is a weekly podcast hosted by Jesse Brown of the CBC . It focuses on current issues surrounding technology and social media. A few weeks back this episode was aired which revealed some interesting findings from a US wide study on the online solicitation of minors. The finding are really interesting. I have edited the podcast down to just the segment dealing with internet safety to save you time. I recommend adding this program to your regular listening list. It is always quality.

Click on the link to play the clip: The State of Internet Safety

Some interesting quotes from the show.

“Kids do encounter frequent sexual harrassment, abuse and solicitation online but it is far more likely to come from other kids.”

“We could find no cases where solicitation of minors occurred on social media sites like Facebook and myspace”

“Law reinforcement is far more successful at luring predators than predators are at luring kids”

“Some at risk teens actively seek out attention online and engage in risky behavior in unmonitored chatrooms”

What do you think?

Are we starting to come out from under a veil of conventional wisdom that has led us to believe that the internet is full of predators and is unsafe?

If our students are the ones causing most of the problems where should we be directing our energy?

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Sorry for the barage of posts, but this blog finally works again. The authors of FeedWordpress have updated their plugin to work with Wordpress 2.7.1 and now the syndication works again. I am going to be thinking about how to revive this community of wonderful bloggers.

We have been using the Flip mino cameras in our school for just over a week. Yesterday I quickly gathered some ideas together about how teachers were using them. This is what I got back from our staff.

Nursery and Foundation
Used in the role play area in classroom and for speaking and listening activities
Useful for assessment and collecting evidence for Foundation Stage Profiling
Will be taken on trips to the farm and then review the footage to support with some writing back in the class.

Year 1
Recorded Victorian Day in school and used for recount writing.
Created a set of instructions for using the Flip cameras - instructional writing in literacy.
Staff / TAs have created talking stories.

Year 2
Filmed the children making salads (DT) which was linked to literacy and science - using the films to write instructions.
Used to film animals (pets) for use in describing animals in poetry.
Further filming of children in dance/drama lessons will support the animal poetry.

Year 3
Children filmed making 3D structures from Nets - watched back to support instruction writing.
Documented trip to Perlethorpe outdoor activity centre and Viking drama workshop in school.

Year 4
Used for drama roleplay and reviewing their performances.
Used as a recording method for a science experiment on the best insulating material - “How to keep snow cold” (!!!)

Year 5
Learning interviews during maths, by children and teacher/TA asking for children to explain their methods or strategies in their work.
To support DT instructions and sequencing of skills.
Documented trip to Perlethorpe outdoor activity centre, children given cameras to interview their peers during the day - footage used in Moviemaker back in school to make recount films of the day.
Recording and review of storytelling work in class - refining the process. Children record each other and then watch back, repeat and refine.

Year 6
Shape TV children interview each other in the role of a quadrilateral.
Filmed science experiements and the childrens predictions of the results.
Timed talks in literacy on a specific subject - practice interviewing each other.

And that is just 7 days.

Along with handing out the cameras in the last staff meeting I pointed them towards the growing Pocket Video Tips presentation that is currently up to 35 ideas. I hope you have found something there to make a start yourself, I know we have. 

One last idea I have had is to arrange a Film Festival type staff meeting, perhaps on a theme such as “Learning” (I know not particularly original!) - I will be inviting staff to choose one piece of footage to show the rest of the staff and to explain about their decision to share it. I might even get some red carpet and a tux. Beyond ideas for using video, it will just be a great way to share what is going on in different classrooms.

Last week I wrote about the beginning of end for schools with the creation and launch of the University of the People that will accept its first class later this year. A University degree for free…or for very little money comparatively. Using free content on the web and a notion that learners can teach each other the university could be the beginning of the end. Maybe not this university, but this is a concept that I think we’ll see others try and build upon. It’s the idea that is interesting to me and that gets me thinking that the end is just a bit closer.

I feel the momentum of change coming. With the recent news of India trying to create a $10 laptop that would bring the Internet to a whole new group of people.

Again…..it’s the idea that this could even happen. Even if they make a laptop for $50 what have they done? Who have they given access to? And what will be created in its wake?

And then there is the cell phone:

Ten years ago, there was a mobile phone subscription for 5 percent of the planet. Today there are 3.95 billion mobile phone subscriptions (lets call it an even 4 billion, we’ll be at 4 billion in January). Even at 3.95 billion today, that means there is a mobile phone subscription for 59% of the population on the planet.

You might want to read that stat again. Almost 60% of the worlds population has a cell phone. I wonder what percentage of the world has access to paper and pencil? That would be an interesting comparison.

Worried yet?

Me neither…just because you have the tools, it doesn’t mean you know how to learn with them. Good thing we dodged that bullet and bought ourselves some time!

Oh…and then there is this story from David Warlick:

One of the best stories I heard was told by a school librarian, Kathy Gallagher.  Her daughter is a senior in high school and is currently shopping for colleges.  Kathy said that all of the schools her daughter is considering have their own Facebook groups — except for one, a fairly small liberal arts school.  …So her daughter set up the the group for the school.  She said, “In just a couple of days, the group grew to over 300.”

This was very impressive — to all of us.  But hoping to learn more, I asked, “So why did she set up the group?”

Gallagher looked at me, as if I had completely missed the point.  I had completely missed the point.  She said that her daughter was visiting the Facebook groups to get answers to questions about student life at the schools from the perspective of students.  She wanted to ask the same questions about the small liberal arts school, so she created the community for the school, grew the community, and then had over 300 sources for answers to her questions.

Wait just a minute….a student…an actual student….found a way to create a network that gave her the knowledge she was looking for. You mean students might actually search for knowledge on their own..and when they can’t find it create a network that will help them find it.

Please do not let students know they have this kind of power! If they could get information, and/or create learning networks without us and learn on their own we’d be doomed for sure!

Good thing somebody hasn’t applied this to education. I mean you could end up having…say…a University that people could go to to learn from each other in a peer to peer setting.

And then there is Scott McLeod’s recent short post:

Wait a minute a University Professor is worried that our current education system might be going away….and by system I don’t think he’s singling out the US system. Most education systems around the world follow the same age based system the US has adopted.

I don’t know about you…but I see the pieces slowly moving together. It’s like looking at a map for the first time after learning about the Continental Drift Theory…and for the first time you step back and you look…..and you see it….you see how all of the pieces could fit together…and you have a moment…a moment where you go WHOA!

Related posts:

1. The beginning of the end?
2. Conversations and the Flat World cont.
3. Myspace was only the beginning

Last week the Ed Tech team here at my school held a 3 hour social networking workshop for parents. The workshop was requested by parents after we made a brief presentation to the school board back in November.

Before we began we took a quick poll of the 20 parents (all mothers):

• Non had a Facebook account but a couple of them had heard about it.
• Non had been on YouTube but they all had heard about it.
• What did they want to know: How to see what their kids were doing on the computer without them knowing about it.

In the 3 hours we covered the following:

• 20 minutes on introductions and Inside ISB our new educational portal
• 20 minutes on PantherNet (Moodle) our walled garden for learning
• 20 minute presentation on why students are so connected (this year’s seniors were born the same year the Internet was invented…they will never know a time without the Internet)
• 20 minutes on using YouTube as a life lone learning tool (parents searched for ‘how to’ videos on things they were interested in).
• 20 minutes on Internet Safety
• 20 minutes on web based library resources
• 20 minutes on Facebook
• 20 minutes on Google Search Skills
• 20 minutes on breaks, Q&A

It was an enlightening three hours for both sides I think. I didn’t realize how little our parents knew. At one point we stopped to explain tabbed browsing and the back button.

I’ve talked about this before, that for the first time in the history of education we not only have to spend time on the students in our charge, but on re-educating our community as well on what it means to learn in today’s world.

Parents were amazed with what they could find on YouTube. One mom improved her golf swing, while another looked up recipes for dinner.

What I took away from the three hours and what has me the most worried is, that it seems that up until now these parents had taken an “Ignorance is Bliss” approach to technology, and rather than learning the tools what they really wanted was to find a way to spy on their kids.

Of course this is a similar approach many schools take….if we just ignore the changes happening then maybe they will go away. The problem is the Internet and all of its content is not going anywhere anytime soon. Worse yet, by taking this approach both in the home and in our schools, the gap between what the students know and what the adults know continues to widen.

The 20 parents that showed up obviously want to learn, think it is important and are hungry to learn more. How many parents at your school would come to a three hour workshop on social networking? 20 is a start…but we have a long way to go in re-educating our communities.

The best advice I ever give to parents is one of conversation. On more than one occasion parents have asked me where should they start. My answer is always the same. Start with your own children. Grab a pen and piece of paper and really care about these spaces. Have them walk you through their Facebook account. Try and learn and understand what they do there. If they won’t let you see their account, then you have an issue. Facebook is not a private space. If they are willing to share that information with their friends, they should be willing to share it with you. Have a conversation about what you see. See a picture that upsets you? Talk about it in an adult fashion. Ask the questions:

• What do you think this pictures says about you?
• Do you know all (number of friends) of your ‘friends?
• Can you trust everyone on your ‘friends’ list not to download that picture?
• What does that update say about you as a person?
• Is that who you want to be known as?

These are just a couple questions that parents can use when starting those conversations with their children…again be open and listen to their responses. Even better advice….have your child help you set up your own Facebook account. This has been the most powerful moment for many parents I have talked to.

Limiting access to the computer is also not a bad thing (See Will Richardson). We need to remember that students see the computer as a ‘social gateway‘. The same rules could easily apply that have always applied about visiting or chatting with friends. The conversations remain the same, just the context changes.

Mom: “You can go play with your friends, but be home in an hour.”

which is what my mom use to say….today:

Mom: “You can go on Facebook, but you need to be back here in an hour.”

It’s the same message.

Dad: “Yes, you can go to the store with your friends, just know that dinner will be served at 7 and you are expected to be here.”

which is what my dad use to say….today:

Dad: “Yes, you can go on the Internet, just know that dinner will be served at 7 and you are expected to be here…and disconnected.”

The conversations haven’t changed…or at least haven’t changed that much, we just need to update our vocabulary and understand these social spaces are the new ‘hang outs’ for students.

What is even more important I think are the after conversations….the conversations that allow both you and your child to debrief about their day. My mom use to always ask me how my friends were doing….in fact she still does.

(After time on the computer)

Mom: “How are your friends doing?”

Son: “OK”

Mom: “What is John up to?”

Son: “Not much, his mom is away again so he and his dad are going out for dinner.”

Mom:  “Oh, how about Susie?”

Son: “She updated her status from downtown somewhere….not sure where but I’m sure she’s with Chad.”

Mom: “With Chad? Are they a…..”

Son: “Yeah, happened yesterday at school….”

Kids want to talk about their friends….we just need to ask. This is the time of their life to be soical and this generation has more ways to be connected socially than any generation before it. But they still want to know we care, we just need to update our conversations…but the conversations are the same.

What I love about kids is that kids are kids. The language might have changed, the conversations might be different, but in the end they just want someone to care about them. They want to know you care enough to ask the questions, to get to know their wired world, and to be facinated by it, not scared by it.

Strike up a conversation with a kid today, learn about their world….they are the most facinating of human beings.

(Full Disclosure: I do not have kids of my own)

Related posts:

1. College students warned about social-networking sites
2. Parents want to know
3. ‘09 Bringing social learning to the masses

With the recent political crisis there in Thailand, it’s great to hear the history of where Thailand has come from to get to this point.

The first coup happened in 1932 and since then the Thai government has gone through a lot. Through out the history of Thailand the King has played a major roll. All though the King does not have real political power, he does have power of the people. Thais love their King and look to him for guidance.

The Thai monarchy has been in continuous existence since it was founded in 1238 (Wikipedia). As the country has transitioned from a monarch to a constitutional monarchy of governance, the King’s powers have been limited but he still plays a roll in matters of the people.

To quote the King:

“I will rule righteously and well for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people”

The modern King has been on the thrown since the 9th of June 1946 and has led the country to some rough times. Thailand is one of the only countries in the South-East of Asia that has never been ruled by an external force.

 The Economist ran a great article in December on Thailand, it’s King, and the crisis it faces moving forward.

“The army is a big part of the country’s predicament. Its generals believe they have a right to remove any government that incurs its, or the palace’s, displeasure—taking its cue from the monarchy that has approved so many of its coups. These two obstacles to Thailand’s democratic development are inextricably interlinked.”

Mr. Warawut Silpa-archa: Former Deputy Minister of Transport

Is Thailand ready for Democracy?

“You can’t compare democracy in Thailand to those in the US or the UK. Thailand is a democratic country, we have two houses….we have the whole system. People just have a different opinion on what democracy is.”

“Thailand….we are ready.”

Is the King held in a ‘god like’ status?

“The King is more like a father figure today.”

“The law is always the law.”

“Nobody is above the law, the court cases and investigations into what happened in November are still going on.”

Politically what do you see as Thailand’s biggest obstacle in the next 10 years?

“Education…when people are not educated they tend to look short term, they are not educated to make educated choices in the government.”

Does religion and politics mix in Thailand?

“Not really, everyone is pretty much on the same religious level.”

Corruption in Thailand?

“Thailand has had 5 Prime Minister in the past two years.”

“I’m sure it’s a problem everywhere not just in Thailand, the problem is they corrupt things so bad that everything goes down the drain.”

“Corruption in Thailand is a big problem right now, and so many people are afraid of it that nothing gets done.”

Barriers to solving the conflicts in the south of Thailand?

“We need to get back to the old system and put our eyes and ears into the villages and listen to their wants and needs. The problem at the moment is we don’t have eyes and ears there.”

Mr. Warawut Silpa-archa was an interesting guess speaker (Full Disclosure: His two kids go to ISB). According to him Thailand already is a democrocy as it has houses and a system in place that has checks and balances. Will they ever become a “true democracy”? I’m not sure. As the Economist article points out there are some underlying issues in Thailand that need to be sorted out. With the King and the military having extreme power does the govenment ever really stand a chance to find it’s feet? 5 Prime Ministers in the past two years leaves many to question whether Thailand can or will become a stable country. Mr. Silpa-archa belives this new govenment has a better chance
of surviving then the others….but has he stated….he is a politician.

Related posts:

1. Thai Teaching Cert: Module 1 Society and Wisdom
2. Thai Teaching Cert: Module 6 Art, Drama and Music
3. Thai Teacher Cert: Module 3 Learning a 2nd language

Back in November and December I worked with a small group of grade 5 students on the Flat Classroom Project. Our group acted as a Sounding Board for the project participants, and after finishing their part of the process, were very interested in actually speaking to some of the students whose work they had peer reviewed. Thanks to the wonderful Anne Mirtschin in Australia, within days of our request to find a class to Skype with, we were chatting about the project with a few of her high school students.

In order to get ourselves prepared for the call, we determined a list of questions in advance and wrote them on the board, along with the name of the person who would ask the question (and then answer the following question from our Skypers in Australia). We set up the room so that everyone could see the Smart Board, and so that our friends in Australia could see all of us. We left one seat open at the very front of the room, in the perfect position to plop down right in front of the webcam, so that each student can walk up, one at a time, to ask and answer questions.

We spent about an hour online with Anne’s class, learning a little more about how her students created their final projects and what it was like to collaborate globally on such a challenging project. They did an excellent job answering all of our questions and they also shared a few interesting facts about life in Australia (there was some eating of Marmite on camera for proof). Next time around I think we’ll have to prep a little hands-on demo for life in Thailand as well!

After the chat, the grade 5’s shared their thoughts about being able to connect with other students around the world via Skype:

• I enjoyed meeting new students because it’s fun to connect with other people from around the world
• I liked learning about another culture from a person in that country
• I liked learning about the process of how they worked with other students around the world - we could do that too!
• It was fun to be able to talk to them “in person” and to tell them that we enjoyed the project and to see if they enjoyed it too. I like to talk with other people better than writing.
• I liked Skyping with other students, not from our class, because then you get different opinions and you get to interact with different students.
• I learned a bit about Australia
• I learned how a Skype connection works, and to be a little patient because it has to travel very far!
• I learned that the FC students worked with more people than I thought they did
• I learned that they didn’t know that much about Thailand - so it was helpful for them to talk to us too!
• I learned about their school - they have very small classes.

This is just one of the many Skype experiences these students are fortunate to have in their regular classes. Last week I was able to watch Chrissy’s class participate in Silvia’s Around the World With 80 Schools project as they Skyped with a very small school in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Our students came in a little early and the class in Canada came back after school to get to know each other. Watching their mouths drop in surprise when they find out our school has 7 fifth grade classes and they only have 11 sixth graders and that our lowest temperature is around 15 degrees C, while there’s is -50 degrees F, was priceless.

Such a simple tool, with such a powerful impact!

Even though a Skype experience certainly can’t beat a real-life visit to Australia or Canada, our students certainly have a more in-depth, personalized understanding of their peers around the world than they would have without Skype. Making these personal connections is such an easy way to give students a more global perspective - and it’s free! What are you waiting for? Get Skyping!

I’ve spend the past week doing a lot of blog reading. With 40+ students taking the grad course here at ISB and another 8 that I’m teaching for PSU makes for a lot of blog reading in a week.

I predicted this year would be about building value with these tools and that I personally was going to focus on bringing the conversation to people who are open to hearing it and are ready to hear it.

These courses are just that. Some people never before hearing the word ‘podcast’. While others have wanted to dive in but were waiting for the right opportunity.

This also extends to my approach at up coming conferences. I’ll be leaving next Saturday for Portland, Oregon where I’ll be doing a three hour workshop at the NCCE conference on how teachers and schools can communicate with their communities beyond using e-mail. We’ll talk about blogs, podcasts, and everything Google spending a good hour on each.

With trying to keep up with almost 50 new blogs, I have found myself reading much more of late and want, from time to time, to point out some great thinking that is happening as another wave of educators joins the conversation.

Becoming a Fish:

For those that find an end to their learning (which we all must know as never existing) whether it be acquiring that degree or comfort level in their profession, they have fallen short of their potential. When one stops seeking knowledge or even questioning their current knowledge and understanding, they have failed themselves.

Do Bloggers Care About Copyright Laws?:

So, I’m curious…is there a different standard for information found in blogs? I doubt it, but I have a sense that bloggers don’t care really. They’re all about sharing.

How are My Thoughts Changing?:

I’m not sure how my thinking has changed yet.  I am just sure that it is changing and I am so interested to see how these new ideas play out.  I am excited to be in a profession that has the opportunity to engage directly with these ideas with children and youth.  It is an exciting time to be in the field of education.

Connectivism:

So my questions are these:  Knowledge…is it something we construct (constructivism?)…something within us?; something always there, but masked by our own delusions (Buddhism)?; or does learning and knowledge now depend on CONNECTIVISM?  I am still not sure how constructivism and connectivism are entire different. Do we not build knowledge (constructivism) through our interactions with others and our experiences?

A little rain for the 2.0 parade:

Did anyone else read the articles on Connectivism and Messing Around and wonder “What’s the big deal?” I don’t see much novel about those discussions, just technology-specific applications of pre-existing ideas.

Addressing Truth and Bias in the Classroom:

Imagine the individual who cares deeply about a subject is dedicated to finding truth. To avoid bias, it makes sense to work with other passionate individuals with alternative points of view. Compelling arguments may win the day. Reporting the truth involves admitting the biases and reporting the truth from multiple perspectives, pointing out the gray areas and areas where further investigation is needed. Is it possible that truth is relative depending on perspective or truth is “the best information available.”

Connectivism the new constructivism?:

I guess since I entered adulthood in a pre- internet world I would attest that learning can and does take place off line and maybe, I would argue, in a more visceral way. I will never forget the first time that I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. It had to be at least 20 years ago and I remember waiting on line to see it and being surprised at how small it was and being distracted because the painting was under glass and there was glare on the glass.

These are just a couple of the posts that have me thinking this week. I’m really enjoying teaching teachers, and adults in general for that matter. Wonder if there is a way to make a living at it.

Related posts:

1. Today’s student blog postings
2. Knowing Knowledge Highlights 1-20
3. I hate writing but love to blog….why?

Yikes. How can it possibly be February 2009 already? What happened to January? And for that matter, what happened to 2008? I know “time flies” and all, but this is ridiculous!

The last five weeks have been pretty much a blur especially because I’ve been stuck with a case of never-ending bronchitis, that seems to be finally, miraculously, slowly, ending just this week. I actually had that moment of suddenly feeling better on Friday. You know the one: you stand up, blink, swallow, and then realize you suddenly feel kind of good. In fact, you remember that this is what you used to feel like all the time before you got this illness. It’s a pretty good feeling.

At any rate, along with the coughing fits, sneezing, runny nose, and general malaise, I have also been extremely busy this past month, which explains where the time has gone (and why I haven’t been posting as often as I usually do). Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Teaching the first course in ISB’s new SUNY Certificate of Educational Technology and Information Literacy

Thankfully, Jeff and I are partnering up on this course, so although we’ve been super busy getting things going, two heads have certainly been better than one! We started out with a one-hour introductory session after school in late January and had our first full-day session on the last Saturday in Jan (watch the archived uStream footage here). Thanks to Clarence and Chris whose fabulous guest appearances definitely made our 7-hour Saturday session even more engaging and practical than Jeff & I could have done on our own!

So far, teaching the course has been an excellent experience. We have 50 ISB teachers participating on campus (plus 5 new ISB teachers joining us virtually) with the widest range of understanding and ability levels possible. Seeing as I’ve never taught a formal graduate-level course like this before, it has been such a steep learning curve for me. I’m so conscious of the fact that we have learners at all different levels, that we need to keep everyone engaged, but not stressed, and that we need to model best practice in all of our interactions throughout the course.

Of course the fact that all 55 participants are my colleagues makes this even more interesting… And not to mention adds quite a bit of reading to my Google Reader account.

Participating in the K12 Horizon Report Advisory Board

Along with Lucy, Judy, Julie, Westley, Alan, Karen (and quite a few other educators whose names I recognize) I have been participating in the process of creating the K12 version of the annual Horizon Report. After I got over the shock of being invited to be on the Advisory Board, I realized just how exciting (and challenging) this experience would be. As much as I love envisioning the future, I’m not sure I have a real grasp on the nitty-gritty of exactly how we’re going to get there. And that’s pretty much what this report is all about.

We started off with sharing our thoughts (via a wiki) on upcoming trends in technology and which of those would be applicable to education in the Horizon Report time-line structure.  I found myself much more easily able to envision 1 - 2 years out than the extended 5-years out, but I’m not sure why. I guess what happens in 5 years depends on what happens in the preceding 4 years… Either way, it was definitely the most authentic use of a wiki I’ve seen in a while, and it was absolutely fascinating to see what others on the Advisory Board see in our future.

Unfortunately I was not able to attend the face-to-face session in Dallas a few weeks ago (one of the few disadvantages of being an international school teacher), which sounds like it was a real highlight of the Advisory Board process. It certainly would have been interesting to meet all of those visionary educators in person. We’re now on to the voting stage, in order to select which trends will have the greatest effect on education in the next 5 years. I definitely don’t feel smart enough to continue hanging out with this bunch though!

Guest Speaker at Apple’s Think Ahead Roadshow in Bangkok

One of the perks of being an Apple Distinguished Educator is speaking at Apple events in your region. This will be my first time presenting at an official Apple event (aside from the ADE Institute) and I’m really looking forward to it. I attended a similar roadshow in KL a few years ago and remember being impressed with how many different international schools were represented in the audience.

I suppose you could say I’ve sipped the Apple Kool-Aid, but I have to say, I spent the first 5 years of my teaching experience in a Windows school, and the following 4 working with Macs. In comparison I would generally say I spent well over 50% of my teaching time troubleshooting those Windows machines - none of which I am doing in an all-Mac environment now. I can focus on the teaching and learning bit, without wasting so much time on the “making the computer do what we know it should be doing” bit. Yeah, that’s probably why they asked me to do the session next weekend…

Returning to Qatar Academy in Doha for a 3-day consultancy visit

Thanks to Julie and the administrative team at QA, I’ll be heading back to Doha next week for my second visit in two years. This time around I’ll be working with the Senior School (middle - high school) on building an understanding of 21st century learning. It looks like I’ll be delivering 3 plenary sessions to the full faculty (The 21st Century Learner, The 21st Century Educator, The 21st Century Classroom) and then working with individual departments to plan authentic units of inquiry which naturally embed technology. Thanks to all of Julie’s hard work, QA will be 1:1 next school year and this is the kick-off to the practicalities of working in a 1:1 environment.

Delivering the grade 4 Common Assessment on Influence

Last December, I worked with our grade 4 team to develop a common assessment for their first social studies unit of the year, Influence. We spent several afternoons designing an authentic assessment task that followed the Understanding by Design process and utilized technology tools (wikis and VoiceThread) that are developmentally appropriate and fit naturally into the assessment task.

After we returned from our semester break, I had the extremely stressful challenge of making sure that each class had access to the laptop carts for the duration of the final assessment (oh, how I dream of being 1:1). Juggling several classes, dealing with the bizarre slowness of our internet connection over the past month, and facilitating the delivery of this common assessment pretty much ensured that I was on fast-forward every single day.

In the end, I must admit, I’m quite happy with the assessment. The task was at the right level for the students, the technology was a natural fit for the task, and the students had a taste of a project based learning experience. I’m looking forward to getting some valuable feedback from the teachers so that we can revise and improve the assessment while the experience is still fresh in our minds.

Is that all?

Now I know that’s barely scratching the surface of what so many others manage to do on a regular basis (I’m not writing a book or earning a PhD… yet…) but it definitely kept me busy for the past few weeks.

How do you cope with being overwhelmed for an extended period of time and actually manage it all without shutting down?