It’s Friday! I am calling the first 4 days “BIG IDEAS” Days. Talking about big ideas first is a reverse order for me. I generally start small and work my way big, but this class is starting big (CONCEPTS) then going smaller (TOPICS) then small (PROJECTS). But, per a previous post, I am going to embrace the chaos and try this way of looking at and thinking about things.
1. What would you say was your key defining ICT quality when you filled out the questionnaire at the beginning of the week?
A willingness to experiment was my key defining ICT quality. I didn’t state this in the questionnaire but thinking about my week and seeing the Pearltrees, Mindmeister, trying to think differently, doing the blog, chatting with other educators has made me realize that I’m pretty open to trying anything technology wise… in fact, I think I should develop some criteria so that I can better evaluate things I’ve trie and then decide whether to use them or cull them.
2. How were your ideas about ICT in school settings influenced by Will Richardson’s book, “Why School”?
To be honest, the ideas in Will Richardson’s book were nothing ‘new’ to me, but I found his book was a very clear, cohesive way of articulated what I feel about ICT in school settings. He stated it much better than I could have, but I did not have a massive “AHA” moment reading his book. This might be because for the past 8 years I have taught in PYP schools — ones that are fully committed to inquiry-based learning and eschew testing in favour of a constructivist, discovery approach. This doesn’t mean I am doing everything Richardson suggests and advocates for in my own classroom! I wish! But certainly his six tenets are on my ‘wish list’ and his ideas are similar to my beliefs about technology and education.
3. When you think about the cognitive, cultural, and technological dimensions of our connected selves, what stands out for you as a key concept?
The interconnectedness of all 3 dimensions and their interdependence is most significant to me. I am not sure if one is more dominant in influencing the other or if they are equally important… food for thought.
4. How do you define technology and information literacy today?
Information Literacy is the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information– and today those skills need to include using technology to find, retrieve, analyze and use information. I think they both include the personal, technological, and intellectual skills that are needed to live in a digital world.
6. What issues, interest, or opportunity have you identified as a key topic for your inquiry work next week?
Narrowing down a topic is going to be tough. The MindMeister activity brought some great ideas to the forefront. I like the idea of collaborating with a group, but no one (yet) seemed too interested in exploring iPad use in the classroom to show student learning. However, there were many inquiry topics that I was interested in so I am sure I’ll be able to hook into something! I’m also interested in doing digital portfolios — and will add that to the Mind Meister.
Back to the big idea of this week. Maybe what I need is a personal Technology Vision Statement (TVS). A statement that sums up how I feel re:technology in education… and gives me a vision for where I want to be going. Hmm. I follow the blog of a great tech coordinator at Yokohama International School– Kim Cofino. Here is her take on developing a Technology Vision Statement for her school.
I do think my school needs a TVS… and in discussing this week’s concepts with classmates, it sounds like their schools and boards need one too.
Follow
I would say a key change in educational practice is the need to become adept at working in contradictory conditions with the possibility of technological glitches ever present. Your idea for a Technology Vision Statement is brilliant! There is a definite gap between policy and vision statements at the level of global non-governmental educational organizations (OECD, UNESCO, ISTE, AECT), government interpretations of these non-governmental statements, and implementation of government statements at the local level of school districts, and then individual schools. There has been a distinct absence of technology vision from teachers, a grass roots approach to identifying beliefs, missions, values, and objectives. I can’t help but wonder what it would mean, if teachers used social media to organize themselves, and began the process of discussing what it means to have a TVS, and what they would write into it.