Stanford AI MOOC Reflection - Homework 2

I'm definitely not as confident in my success on homework #2 as I was on homework #1.  The probability equations were challenging.  I guess I'm more interested in observing learner behavior.  The course confirms that most students do procrastinate.  I, like many others, popped in at the last minute on Monday to find that we had a 24 hour extension on homework.  Server crash.  Apparently, too many people trying to finish up in the final hours.  Even more interesting was doing a quick Internet search on Bayes Rule to find the first three hits were also churning.  Guess a lot of folks were searching for content support.  Still no discussion forum on the course site, but I'm getting a daily digest from http://www.reddit.com/r/aiclass .  My goal is to do a better job keeping up this week.  Time for a coffee break!

Sometimes social learning isn't the best option. Stanford AI MOOC Reflection - Unit Three

I earned a respectable grade on my first homework assignment.  Now, on to unit three.  I've already been warned in the introduction about the difficulty of the probability unit.  I'm not sure if warnings are an effective pedagogical tool for everyone, but I'm definitely paying closer attention.  All I can say about Bayes Rule is too many steps.

While I really want to connect with other students in the class, I haven't had much luck with the forums because I can't really trust the accuracy of the posts I'm reading.  With these probability challenges, I feel like I might get a better result visiting Khan Academy.  Sometimes the social network isn't the smartest choice.  Frankly, there's too much noise which only increases confusion and stress.

Stanford AI MOOC Reflection - Unit Two

The first homework assignment was posted today.  I had to finish up state spaces, sliding blocks puzzle, and problems with search before attempting homework.  Apparently, my homework answers are saved, but I can go back anytime before the due date to change answers.  I feel about 80% confident in my responses.  I think I'll sleep on them a few days, read the text, review prior lessons and take a final shot at it on Saturday.  In the meantime, I hope to explore the reddit forums and the #AICLASS hashtag on Twitter to connect with other students.

Stanford AI MOOC Reflection - Unit One

I started Stanford's Open AI Course today.  I plan to share reflections on learning in a Massively Open Online Course with over 100,000 other registrants.  We'll see how long they (and I) can hang in there.  I'm already a day behind, as the course began yesterday.  At the end of unit one, I've had an introduction to intelligent agents with vocabulary words such as deterministics, stochastic, discrete, continuous, benign, and adversarial.  A machine translation exercise using a Chinese/English menu as an example gave me a new appreciation of machine learning.  I answered 62% of my unit one quiz questions correctly, but learned from my mistakes.  Hopefully, I'll  do better than that on the tests that count.
The discussion feature is not yet working.  I look forward to the reflections of others in the course.  At the moment, it's a lonely endeavor, but I am learning.

Here you see unit 1, Welcome to AI, in which the video lecture runs on the right with progress checked off on the left.  I can check my progress on quizzes with the Progress tab across the top.

Unit 2, Problem Solving, was a bit more challenging.  I thought I understood breadth first search, but my quiz answers beg to differ.  I will go over it again, but this is a point of frustration where I would like to ask questions and/or challenge the instructor.  I'm thinking about how I would approach the learning if sitting in a classroom rather than here online.  I definitely feel the pressure to go back and review.  If sitting in the classroom, I doubt I would ask the professor to repeat himself as many times as I've gone back and reviewed the video.

Evernote is turning out to be a great learning tool.  I can take notes on the lectures and integrate screen captures throughout.  It syncs to my iPad and iPhone, as well.  Here's a shot of my full desk top, Evernote on the left with screen caps from the course and lecture on the right.  Better than being there.

Open Learning as an Avenue for Higher Quality - #PLEK12

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kb35/349762358/

Facilitating an open course gets you thinking a lot about the benefits and challenges of teaching and learning in this environment.  There are definitely challenges.  The focus of week #3 was digital responsibility.  Kristin Hokanson provided an excellent perspective on copyright amid some technical difficulties with Elluminate.  We just chalk this up to part of the learning adventure, but I personally know how frustrating it is when a presentation doesn't load correctly or the audio doesn't stream well.  In any case, Kristin handled it eloquently and we had some very positive feedback.

My aha moment this week highlights a potential benefit.  The focus of week #3 was digital responsibility.  We posted some resources from various sites providing guidance on copyright.  Kristin, as an invited speaker, reviewed the course resources and noticed that some of our references took an outdated, highly conservative stance with regard to fair use.  She provided updated resources and we were able to revise the content immediately.  Think about the walled garden approach in the traditional classroom where one person's point of view is predominant.  The content we posted was not wrong, but it didn't provide the whole picture.  What would happen if all university courses, especially those that are offered repeatedly across the country or around the world, were open to feedback from others?  Would that have an impact on course quality?  In what other ways might quality be improved in this scenario?

Resources
#PLEK12 Week #3
#PLEK12 Resources
Kristen Hokanson's ISTE2011 Workshop on Copyright Clarity

Pulling it all together in #PLEK12

Well, we finished week one in the Personal Learning Environments for Inquiry in K12 course (#PLEK12).  I have already had conversations with students about the experience.  Organization of content is always a challenge.  Chris and I have tried to provide structure to the course to allow students to access content easily.  But, once people dive in, they are often confused about what to do next.  I try to be transparent in my teaching and learning.  In all honesty, I often feel disconnected from my online students.  I don't know how they are feeling unless they reach out to me and share.  What can we do to feel more connected to one another?

1. Don't be afraid to ask for help.  If you email me or message me in Twitter, I will respond.
2. Reach out to others in the course.  Many have already posted their blogs in the week 1 repository.
3. Set up your own RSS subscription service (Google Reader, NetVibes, Symbaloo). 
4. Use #PLEK12 on anything you post anywhere.  The RSS feeds will pick up the hashtag.

In an attempt to model personal learning management, I set up a NetVibes aggregation to help.

PLEs for Inquiry in K12 NetVibes Page

There are many ways to aggregate content on the web.  I don't advocate one over another.  Symbaloo is a great option for kids because they allow students under 13 to use the tool with parent permission.  But, ultimately you should use what works best for you.  We will look at this in further detail in week 5.  

Reflecting on the demoralization of an entire profession

Paul Bogush offers a sad and very honest view into a teacher's psyche, yet most teachers have felt this way at one point or another.  I know I have.  Teaching is by-far the hardest job you'll ever love.  Teachers are being blamed for ills that can be directly attributed to the system. We can not afford to further demoralize an already over-burdened profession.  We need more teachers to "step out of the corner", as Paul says, and speak out on what should really be done in the classrooms.  I believe most teachers know how to reach kids.  That may (and should) look different depending upon the teacher and the students in a given class.  But, teachers are being forced to conform to a system of uniformity, high stakes testing, and fear.  I wonder how many teachers struggle with shame because they follow the directives rather than do what they know is best for kids, or worse, hide in the corner with fear because they ARE doing what is best for their students.

Personal vs Personalized Learning

I was reading the Washington Post article, Bill Gates' troubling involvement in school reform,  when I came across the following excerpt that troubled me even more than the focus of the article.

What is the next experiment Gates is likely to foist on our schools? It looks to be online learning, as the new magical answer to "personalized" instruction.  This practice has been once again pioneered in NYC schools through the discredited practice of "credit recovery," in which students are encouraged to spend a few days online, cutting and pasting their answers into a software program, in order to quickly gain the credits they need to graduate, even if they have failed all their courses and/or never attended class. 

I hate to think this is anyone's vision of online learning.  Unfortunately, it is just this type of off-the-cuff statement in a mainstream news article that can turn a few words into a reader's permanent perception.  But, what actually caught my eye was the reference to "personalized" instruction.  While some use personalized and personal learning interchangeably,  I believe the distinction is important.

There is considerable discourse around personalizing the learning experience.  A few examples include Jeff Rice in California, Pearson, EdWeek, and The Training Place that defines a number of different types of personalization.  Note that these are all slightly different approaches.  Most suggest that the educational activity be customized for the learner.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  In fact, a more customized approach to learning would be a welcome change from the current prescribed curriculum offered in most schools.   But, this is not the same as personal learning.

Consider a US automobile license plate.  All states and many countries provide the option to personalize your plate.  You can create a "vanity" tag within the limits of the system (e.g. 7 letters, original, not obscene).  Whether or not you personalize your tag, you are required by the state to have one.  Personalized learning has a similar connotation to me.  Personalized learning, while customized for the student, is still controlled by the system.  A district, teacher, company, and/or computer program serve up the learning based on a formula of what the child "needs". 
 
I believe personal learning environments are different from personalized learning environments in that the learner controls the learning process.  He or she constructs the learning environment based on what will be learned and who will be invited to participate in or support the learning.

I will be the first to admit that The Networked Student and Welcome to My PLE examples walk the line between personalized and personal learning.  While the students have some level of choice, the teacher retains control over subject area and some content.  These young students are networked learners in training.  Some level of scaffolding is required to facilitate greater autonomy in the long run.  In these examples, the ultimate goal is to scaffold the personal learning process so that students will assume greater control over time.  I'm not sure this is the goal of personalized learning.  I fear we are already mired in semantics.  Are we using the appropriate terminology?  I'm really interested in your thoughts.

What is the difference between personalized and personal learning environments?

Teaching HOW to learn, HOW to Multitask, HOW to Focus

Signaling by Genista

Two articles on how the use of technology changes our brain appeared in the St. Petersburg Times this morning.  Tied to technology, and paying a price (NYT version of article linked) points out our deteriorating ability to focus as a result of our extended use of "devices".  When Technology Takes a Wrong Turn (Washington Post version linked) explains how constant use of GPS devices causes our hippocampi to shrink thus decreasing our navigational sense.  These articles are intriguing to me, and not just because of my general interest in educational technology.

I left corporate eLearning management nearly six years ago to pursue a doctorate in educational technology and return to K12 teaching.  I felt strongly that the coming wave of technology would mandate a change in teaching.  First of all, I knew what would come to be expected in the future workplace because I was already there.  Seven years with IBM and AT&T Network Services led me to believe that the constant multitasking associated with my job had changed my brain.  I couldn't prove an actual physical change at the time.  At the very least, I know it changed the way I think and approach problem solving and work.

I boldly entered my program at the University of Florida stating my plan to conduct fMRI studies on learners' brains to support my hypothesis.  My colleagues did not exactly laugh at me, though they knew the practicality of obtaining the proper equipment, approvals, and cross departmental associations would definitely be a challenge.  Even so, I attended brain conferences and pursued that dream until my passion shifted (ever so slightly as it turns out) to networked learning and personal learning environments.  This was an easy shift as one of the first tasks required when I joined IBM was to set up a personal (professional) learning environment.  Accessing the right information and managing an extensive network of social contacts was critical for success in my role.  It also required constant multitasking and shifts of attention.  All calendars were public and colleagues could schedule your time unless you blocked it out.  I actually had to block out time for focused activities, times when I would power down to study networking documents, create presentations, or design instructional materials.  Nothing in my former education had prepared me for this way of working.  Sadly, very little in our current system of education prepares students for this future reality.

Emerging brain research is important to help us understand the processes necessary for a successful, productive life.  We don't yet know what all of this means for learning.  Brain scientists caution educators from responding to each new discovery with sweeping changes in pedagogy. But, I'll go out on a limb with my gut feeling that successful adults will be required to multitask effectively AND have an ability to focus when necessary.

What does this mean for our students and our teaching?  Isn't part of our job as teachers to help students learn HOW to learn?  Regardless of whether multitasking is good or bad for our brains, the momentum is not likely to reverse in the near future.  Nor is the need for rigorous thinking, problem solving, and focused attention.  We are failing our young people shamefully.  We must help them balance multitasking with focused attention by presenting opportunities for both and providing strategies for shifting between the two effectively.

Some will argue that you can't teach effective multitasking.  I'm not so sure.  As an experiment, try writing a paragraph or working on a crossword puzzle while listening to instrumental music.  Then try the same verbal task while listening to a news program or favorite podcast.  In the latter situation, you will likely find that you cannot attend to both activities effectively.  (Dzubak, 2008)  We have recently learned that different parts of the brain are associated with different activities.  Some people may also be more effective multitaskers than others.  Even with the limited research available, we can help students recognize their strengths and limitations.

Our schooling/teaching should provide a balance of digital connectedness, opportunities to multitask, and opportunities to focus when tethered to technology and untethered.  Achieving that balance should be a thoughtful goal throughout the curricula.  Providing effective strategies for managing this type of learning should also be mandatory.  I believe in both digital and traditional rigor.  While I'm a rabid proponent of effective technology integration in schools, I'm not convinced we should toss out all traditional means of learning.  Writing is thinking and there is great value in thoughtful writing beyond 140 characters.  There is value in listening to a lecture, evaluating that content, and applying it to an authentic learning activity.  There is value in working through math problems, answering document-based questions, and (drum roll please) studying for a rigorous essay test based on 30 pages in your AP History text.  The problem is we're already doing those things.  That's all we're doing and it's just not enough.  Whether we like it or not, our children are on their own in a very complex, powerful, yet potentially overwhelming environment that requires extreme responsibility and savvy to navigate effectively.  How can it be that we're not there to help them?

Temporary Instructor Opportunity at UF

Temporary Instructor, Educational Technology, University of Florida

The Educational Technology program within the School of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education at the University of Florida is seeking an individual to teach multiple sections of EME 4401: Integrating Technology into the Elementary (or Early Childhood) Curriculum.  This course prepares prospective elementary (or early childhood) teachers to use technology effectively in the classroom. This is a temporary position (Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters) and will involve teaching no more than 4 courses each semester. This one-year position is funded with non-recurring funds and, thus, is not renewable. Salary is approximately $40,000.

There is an established curriculum for the course but the selected person may work with Educational Technology faculty members to revise it to meet the needs of the program and the strengths of the individual.

The ideal candidate will have (1) experience teaching with technology in K-5 settings and (2) technology-related experiences with prospective and/or inservice teachers. Preferred qualification include (1) advanced coursework in Educational Technology, (2) evidence of involvement in the field, (3) substantial knowledge of free tools that allow students to create digital content and (4) knowledge of alternative assessment strategies for post-secondary learners.

Interested individuals should submit a cover letter, curriculum vita and 3 reference contacts to Dr. Kara Dawson (dawson@coe.ufl.edu). Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Personal Learning, Drive, and Autonomy

This era doesn't call for better management.  It calls for a renaissance of self-direction (Pink, 2009)

I've been listening to Daniel Pink's audio book version of Drive:  The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.  I haven't found it all that surprising, but it has me thinking about the relationship between personal learning and self-determination theory (SDT). 

Pink (2009) asserts that management isn't the solution, it's the problem.  He extends the word management beyond the common business definition to include our social structures and institutions.  (Yes, including education.)  He cites Ryan & Deci's (2000) work on self determination theory in support of autonomy for workers and learners.  (Note:  There are others who have thought about SDT in a K-12 context.  See  Reeve & Halusic (2009).  

Ryan & Deci (2002) identify three basic psychological needs:  competence, relatedness, and autonomy. The optimal social environments satisfy all three of these needs.  Human behavior is either controlled or autonomous.  Autonomy is different from independence.  It means acting with choice (Pink, 2009).


Realizing Pink's renaissance of self-direction for education will be challenging.  Centuries of institutionalized control are not easily undone.  Pink points out that humans are curious and self-directed "out of the box".  Passivity is the result of years of "management" and control.  My experience working with middle and high school students on personal learning environments supports this perspective.  It's even more challenging when we try to direct personal learning toward system-imposed content standards or the rigor required for deeper learning of these standards.

I know what you're thinking.  Directed personal learning is an oxymoron.  But, the reality of the current situation in our K-12 classrooms is that years of passive learning have undermined student autonomy.  Myths about student learning preferences further constrain our progress, especially when it comes to learning with technology.  It is common in teacher professional development sessions to hear that students want to learn with technology.  Actually, some, not all students enjoy using technology for social, entertainment, or learning purposes.  Few have had consistent, quality technology integration in school.  When asked to create artifacts based on rigorous inquiry or to use technology for rigorous study, the complaints range from "I don't like technology because it doesn't work" to "my teacher isn't teaching me" to the ever popular "just tell me what I need to do to get an A".  This does not describe every student.  Of course, there are those who embrace autonomy, especially when given curricular choice.  I offer these seemingly negative examples to encourage educators to think realistically about the consequences of a passive learning system and the hard work it will take to undo those years of indoctrination.  

I happen to believe strongly in learner empowerment and the value of technology as a means to achieve autonomy.  I'm also realistic about the steep climb it will take to get there.  I offer some suggestions for creating an atmosphere conducive to learner autonomy within a system that is not likely to change quickly.

1. Taking back control and responsibility for learning can be facilitated by teachers who scaffold the processes that support learner autonomy.  These processes include digital responsibility, digital literacy, organization of content, collaborating/socializing with others, and synthesizing/creating (Drexler, 2010)
2. Integrating those processes into early grades will ensure that personal learning environments of increased complexity can be constructed in the secondary grades and beyond with greater focus on the learning outcome rather than the processes or technology needed to support it.
3. Building a teacher and learner disposition of experimentation around technology use that recognizes the speed at which new technologies emerge and the tinkering required to adapt technologies for learning.

 I'm intrigued by the possibility of a renaissance of self-direction.  I feel I've been able to build that reality in my personal learning and professional work, and I want even greater empowerment for the next generation.  More importantly, I believe those learners who are less autonomous will be at a distinct disadvantage. 
 
Deci, E. & Ryan, R. (2002).  Handbook of Self-Determination Research.  New York:  University of Rochester Press.

Pink, D. H. (2009).  Drive:  The Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us (1st ed.). Riverhead Hardcover.

Reeve, J. & Halusic, M. (2009).  How K-12 teachers can put self-determination theory principles into practice.  Theory and Research in Education. 7(2). 145-154.

Ryan, R. M. & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78.

Decision Making and Systems Thinking: Week 3 - #edfuture

I was fortunate to attend AERA in Denver over the last few days.  As a result, I did not have a chance to participate in the Ed Futures Elluminate session at the regular time on Tuesday.  But, I had plenty of time to think about the plethora of solid educational research that will never translate into educational policy.  It's an ongoing frustration for most of us in the field, yet we can't stop thinking about the possibilities.  Maybe that is the allure of a structured approach to future thinking.  

The Education Futures Elluminate recording and assigned articles prompted me to pull out a handout from the conference (one of few actual pieces of paper I kept) because the decision-making issues in Weick's (1993) article were sounding very familiar.

Relative to poor decision-making, Weick quotes Morgan, Frost, & Pondy (1983:24):

Individuals are not seen as living in, and acting out their lives in relation to, a wider reality, so much as creating and sustaining images of a wider reality, in part to rationalize what they are doing. They realize their reality, by reading into their situation patterns of significant meaning" (Morgan, Frost, and Pondy as quoted by Weick, 1993).

This immediately brought to mind J. Michael Spector's AERA presentation, Integrating a Systems-Thinking Perspective into Learning and Instruction for Complex and Challenging Tasks.  Spector quotes Dietrich Dorner's (1996) Logic of Failure.

Highly trained, well-intentioned adults often make bad decisions when reasoning about complex phenomena.

What is more complex than our system of education?

Spector goes on to explain that these bad decisions happen for a number of reasons.

• Acting on instinct
• Failure to anticipate-delayed effects
• Focus on one aspect of a complex system
• Failure to understand non-linear effects
• Less analytical & reflective thinking as a problem worsens
• Accidental reinforcement of undesired behavior
• Failure to recognize internal feedback mechanisms and change over time (Spector, 2010; Sterman, 1994)

 He advocates for a systems-thinking approach to help students learn to solve complex, ill structured problems.  It seems systems thinking can also help us with future thinking, at least as we begin to consider education futures.

Anderson and Johnson (1997) define essential characteristics of systems:

• A system's parts must all be present for a system to carry out its purpose optimally.
• A system's parts must be arranged in a specific way in order to carry out its purpose.
• Systems have specific purposes within larger systems.
• Systems maintain their stability through fluctuations and adjustments.
• Systems have feedback.  (Anderson & Johnson, 1997)

Each of us exist in silos of expertise in the field (or system) of education.  Perhaps this is why it is so difficult to affect change.  We constantly make decisions without all parts present.  Anderson & Johnson (1997) advise that we should think in terms of the big picture, balance short-term and long-term perspectives, recognize the complexity of our system, and consider patterns.  They even offer a worksheet at the end of the paper that might come in handy as we move deeper in the course.


Anderson, V., & Johnson, L. (1997) Systems Thinking Basics:  From Concepts to Causal Loops, Waltham, MA: Pegasus Communications.  Retrieved from http://www.uwex.edu/CES/cty/waupaca/cnred/documents/SystemsThinking2010.pdf

2010 Horizon Report Johnson, Laurence F., Levine, Alan, Smith, Rachel S. and Stone, Sonja. 2010 Horizon Report. Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium, 2010.

Karl E. Weick . Reprinted from The Collapse of Sensemaking in Organizations: The Mann Gulch
Disaster by Karl E. Weick published in Administrative Science Quarterly Volume 38 (1993): 628-
652 by permission of Administrative Science Quarterly. © 1993 by Cornell University 0001-
8392/93/3804-0628.

Morgan, Gareth, Peter J. Frost, and Louis R. Pondy. 1983. "Organizational symbolism." In L. R.
Pondy, P. J. Frost, G. Morgan, and T. C. Dandridge (eds.), Organizational Symbolism: 3-35.
Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Contemplating the Future of Education: Week 1 #edfuture

I am participating in the Open Course in Education Futures facilitated by George Siemens and Dave Cormier.  I'm excited about this course for two primary reasons.  First, I like the concept of a structured approach to contemplating the future of education.  Second, I'm fascinated by the format of the course.  Having also participated and enjoyed #CCK08, this is another opportunity to learn from numerous brilliant people and get some ideas for an open course I will be offering next spring.

I recently returned to John Dewey's (1913) Interest and Effort in Education looking for a quote.  Instead, I ended up with the following quotes from the Editor's Introduction leaving a strange sinking feeling in my gut.

It's active acceptance by teachers would bring about a complete transformation of classroom methods (p. v).

Somehow our teaching has not attracted children to the school and its work (p. vi). 

Good teaching and the teaching of the future, will make school life vital to youth (p. vii).

At the present hour, we are very deeply concerned with the universal education of youth (p. viii)

The final solution is to be found in a better quality of teaching, one which will absorb children because it gives purpose and spirit to learning (p. x).

Is it just me or do these 100 year-old quotes sound hauntingly familiar?  If the teaching of the future is going to make school life vital to youth, how far in the future do we have to go?  Suddenly David Wiley's Parody doesn't seem so far fetched.

So, I'm beginning my journey into education futures by looking back at the past.  I believe this is important if we really hope to facilitate change.  Most of us like to think that the benefits of technology will help transform education, but we absolutely cannot assume that a trend in the consumer, media, or business world will necessarily translate to a trend in the education world.  That is why the structure of future thinking is so important to our field.  We have to be able to approach our administrators, districts, and policy makers with visions of the future supported by research and thoughtful consideration of trends.  IAF's Guide for Thinking about the Future suggests we set achievable goals to be reached within a reasonable amount of time based on articulation of a vision of the future we want to create.  Somehow I'm not as worried about the vision, mission, goals, and strategies as I am about the implementation.  I wonder if Dewey had those same thoughts 100 years ago?

Personal Learning Environments: Student Processes and Decisions

We in educational technology are often accused of focusing too much attention on technology and tools rather than cognitive processes. I've struggled with this myself, most often because I enjoy assessing the learning potential of new technologies. John Seeley Brown might call this tinkering. I get a charge out of playing with the tools myself and presenting them to my students to see what happens. As a teacher, I'm all about what is practical in the classroom (even if I sometimes try to push the limits of innovation). My evolution from teacher to researcher has been a long journey. All those prior years of classroom experience influence my perspective. I "know" something works with students because I feel it in my gut. There is never time to sit back and observe what happens before moving on to the next challenge.

Focused research on student construction of personal learning environments has given me the opportunity to sit back and watch learning from a process perspective. What processes do students go through when constructing personal learning environments?

(Click on the diagram to enlarge.)
The model above reflects the research findings. If you compare this version to the older Networked Student diagram, you see the shift from tools to processes.

As with a flowchart, the rectangles represent processes. The diamonds represent decisions. The student (or the student in collaboration with the teacher) decides which tools to use to support the learning processes.

Some processes in the diagram are not supported by tools, especially in the areas of learning and practicing digital literacy and responsibility. If we truly wish to empower learners and provide our students with the skills necessary to become independent networked learners, then direct instruction is critical and necessary in all five categories. I view the holes in this diagram as the teachable moments, as verification that teachers can be the facilitators of personal learning. Through direct instruction, we can teach our children how to fish, then step back and learn as much from them as they learn from us.

To ponder:

• What do you think about the relationship between direct instruction and personal learning?
• Do you see areas on the diagram that require teacher intervention?
• How many of our secondary and post secondary students are equipped to construct effective personal learning environments?
• What would you add to this diagram?

Meet one of the students who participated in this research project.

The Networked Student from a Process Perspective

I've been working on The Networked Student Model from a process perspective. Having identified the processes students go through when constructing personal learning environments, I thought it would be interesting to see how the original model fit within the processes.

Here is the original.



Look what happens when we regroup and distribute the organizational tools and contacts amongst the processes. There are some definite holes.


This was a good exercise for me for three reasons.

1. I realize the power of research, why it is important, and how detailed qualitative analysis can yield valuable insight beyond the experience gained merely in practice.
   
2. In order to create a model that is practical for classroom use, I need to move beyond the organizational tools and include processes such as digital literacy, digital responsibility, synthesis, and creation.
3. The development of API widgets for web applications such as NetVibes, iGoogle, PageFlakes, and Symbaloo provide organizational possibilities that offer powerful means for organizing content. This should also be incorporated in the model.
   

Next step: Revise the model to reflect the process perspective. (More to come.)

Welcome to my PLE!

I've been working with a teacher to implement networked learning in his classroom. As you can see from my previous post, we had our challenges. However, we're working through most of the technical issues and I'm proud to present "Welcome to My PLE". One of the students in the project offered her personal learning network as an example. Enjoy the tour!!!



We would love your feedback.

Construction of Personal Learning Environments is Messy

My goal was to keep a running journal of my dissertation research on the blog. I suppose I could cut and paste my field notes, but that wouldn't be very reflective. Time is definitely the enemy. This doesn't amount to a deep reflection, but I feel inspired to share. I'm learning as much as the 7th graders about student construction of personal learning environments. The project has gone quite well in spite of numerous challenges and technical difficulties. I owe this to an unbelievably gifted and flexible classroom teacher in addition to 24 "normal" 7th graders who surprise me every day. Here's a short list of our many hurdles.

• As the project began, the school network was locked down like Fort Knox.
• The computers go into deep freeze when dormant for 10 minutes.
• Deep freeze does not allow for new applications to be permanently downloaded. The process to fix this requires shutting down, turning off deep freeze, rebooting.
  
• Most Web apps require users be over 13. Students turn 13 in 7th grade.
  
• This is not a laptop school, but we managed to gather up 24 laptops - just enough. Three have gone down since the project began so some students are working on desktops in nearby rooms.
• We were using NoteFish as a web-clipper and note taking program. We upgraded to the latest version of FireFox. Guess what? Not compatible with NoteFish.
• 7th graders can be notoriously disorganized. This can be a problem when you're trying to manage numerous online accounts and passwords.
• Occasionally, key Web apps go down. The probability of this is positively correlated with the importance of the activity.
• Today as I arrived on campus, the power went out. No power, no network. At the same time 7 visitors arrived from a community leadership group made up of local business people who came to observe the class.

You would think from this list that every day was a new disaster. However, neither I nor the participating teacher see it that way. In fact, every day is a new science experiment, a new adventure, a new learning opportunity. The students are all engaged in their own unique ways... for the entire hour and 40 minute block. On the one hand, they've had to learn a whole new way of work riddled with frustrations and unknowns. On the other hand, they've embraced it with a vengeance. They work together to solve technical problems, dig deep to find answers, and share with classic 7th grade enthusiasm.

Happily, the power came back on within a few minutes. The students accessed the agenda on the teacher's blog from their Symbaloo account and plowed right to work on their individual scientific inquiries. The adults in the room were mesmerized. I didn't let on, but I was also mesmerized and smiling inside with pride for the kids. I have no regrets about the technical difficulties. There is always a work around. Sometimes the kids are the ones who figure out the best alternative plan. My only regret is that more students are not empowered to learn this way.

Welcome Guest Blogger Jennifer Roland!

The Best of L&L Giveaway
First, I’d like to thank Wendy for hosting me on my blog tour.
Wendy is one of the authors included in The Best of L&L, which is a collection of the best articles printed in ISTE’s flagship periodical Learning & Leading with Technology from 2003 through 2008. In addition to the articles, I talk a little about why I chose each, and many of the authors provide updates to place their ideas in a current context.

Her piece, “Kids Galore Helping Kids in Darfur,” was an amazing example of student-directed learning that had a huge effect on awareness of the human rights issues in the Darfur region of Sudan.

If you’d like to read her article and get a taste of the types of articles and commentary included in the book, you can read an excerpt on the ISTE website.

What about you. How have you used student interests to guide your learning choices?
Have you allowed students to design their own learning experiences?
How do you manage such an endeavor if students can’t agree on topics or the types of activities?

Answer one of these questions, ask a question of your own, or respond to Wendy’s thoughts to be entered into the random drawing to win a copy of the book.

About Jennifer Roland
Jennifer is a writer living in the Portland, Oregon, area. She holds bachelor's degrees in magazine journalism and political science from the University of Oregon. Her education also focused on history, economics, linguistics, and educational policy and management. Before embarking on her freelance career, she was a staff member at ISTE. Follow Jennifer on her blog tour at http://edtechjen.com; each tour stop includes a chance to win a copy of The Best of L&L.

Bringing Service Learning Back into Focus

It's so interesting how certain projects take on a life of their own and events sometimes converge to confirm that you're on the right track. Such is the case with the Kids Galore Helping Kids in Darfur Project. It's been three years since my third graders cooked up this idea and followed through with their vision of how to make a difference. The following group of third graders helped organize the Many Voices for Darfur 48 hour blog project and contributed to the supporting wiki. This year, I find myself in a position to (hopefully) have some influence over new social studies teachers through a course I'm teaching at UF, EME5432 Integrating Technology in Social Studies. I view service learning as the flagship of authentic learning and hope to share this passion with my students through a number of resources including:

• How to Use Service Learning to Engage Kids (Edutopia)
• Working Together to Make a Difference Ning
  
• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
• SLICE - Service Learning Ideas and Curricular Examples
• Project Ideas from Maryland DOE
• Do Something
  
• Kids Consortium
• Learn and Serve
• Good Character Service Learning Resources
  

Ultimately, I hope the pre-service teachers will embrace service learning and recognize the value it has in their teaching practice.

All these things come back into focus as ISTE's Jennifer Roland stops by my blog on Friday for a guest visit and a chance to win The Best of Learning and Leading with Technology. Welcome Jennifer!

The College of 2020 Today

The Chronicle Research Services recently released a report, "The College of 2020", an overview of some of the demands that students will make for flexibility and technology integration. As I read the executive summary, I realized these are all conveniences available to me at the University of Florida. (BIG caveat: They would not be available in all colleges or departments. At this point, I would expect at least this much from an educational technology program.) Here is the list:

Putting more courses online
Of 26 classes taken as part of my Educational Technology Ed.S and Ph.D programs:
Total face-to-face (4)
Blended (3)
Completely online (19)
Note: This does not include doctoral qualifying and dissertation research credits.
There are now full-time online options for Masters and Ed.S students, as well as an Ed.D cohort that is conducted primarily online. At this time there is not a fully online Ph.D program.

Taking classes at multiple colleges
This took some minor navigation through administrative red tape, however I was able to take the Connectivism Course for 3 credits through the University of Manitoba (because no such course was available at UF) and 8 credits of quantitative research from nearby University of South Florida (because this was required for my degree and not offered at the time I needed it at UF)

Monitoring classes on cell phones
Every single class I took, including F2F had some online presence whether is was Moodle, Blackboard, WebCT, or a simple website. Not only did I monitor these classes on my cell phone, I continue to monitor the classes I teach with it, as well.

Starting courses at multiple times throughout the year
Online education courses at UF are conducted in 8 week mini-mesters. They are offered on a rotating basis six times during the academic year.

Sign up to take classes F2F, then opt to monitor online
This was a little trickier, but not as difficult as you might think. I took qualitative research F2F with a retired professor who returned specifically to teach this class. You might think that he was very traditional, and to some extent he was. His courses were primarily lecture format, but there was good discussion, and significant group work. He integrated technology via PowerPoint in the classroom and online submission of all assignments. I had to be out of town for two of the class sessions, so I approached him about Skyping into the class while I was away. No problem. I was able to participate fully through a classmate's computer, ask questions, and offer my points of view from 2000 miles away. I think it helped that I was already established in the class before asking to do this, but I it was a good experience for both of us.

Office hours, study groups, papers-all online
Group work in the F2F qualitative research course was conducted using a wiki in combination with Google docs. This was initially student-directed by one group. When the others realized the efficiency, everyone was on board.

With the exception of a hand written quantitative (statistics) take-home exam that had to be turned in on the day of the F2F exam in the lab, I cannot remember turning in one paper or assignment in hard copy form. Everything was either submitted to a course management system or emailed directly.

UF is the flagship university in my state. It is nearly two-and-a-half hours away from my home. Nearby USF has an excellent College of Education, but I already earned a Bachelors and Masters from that school. It was in my best interest to obtain my advanced graduate degrees at a different school. This would not have been possible without the flexibility of UF's Ed Tech program. I do not feel that I compromised quality in any part of my graduate experience. In fact, I had a very difficult time transitioning back to the traditional classes. The pace seemed exceedingly slow. We were not able to cover nearly as much content or critical thinking in the F2F format as was possible online. Some of that had to do with instructional design, some with self motivation. Those are topics for further research and discourse. But, I've been very pleased with the education I have received in the program.