Monday, August 29, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Reflections on RSCON3
I was at RSCON3 at the weekend and I was so inspired that I am finally going to try blogging.
I think that I signed up for my 1st blog in 2006 or 7, but of course I never wrote anything!
I did have a ning though and I wrote something there once.
I am a very private person and I don't really like being "out there". That's why I don't like facebook - it's so public.
I had such a wonderful time at the conference - awesome , inspiring presentations - my only regret is that I had to choose between presentations and couldn't attend them all.
I am looking forward to the recordings of the ones I missed.
I think its going to keep me busy for a while.
This morning (after only 4 hours of sleep) I had to attend an in-service training course on...... bringing education into the 21st century.
Wow! I thought I have spent the weekend with the foremost experts in the world, being exposed to wonderful and inspiring ideas..... this is right up my street!
I was so excited!
But my colleagues were not so excited they have real fears that becoming digital is going to harm learning ...... there won't be a learning process...... the learning process will become shallow..... there won't be any connecting between teacher and pupil..... they won't know how to write........etc. they brought up a list of negatives much much longer than the positives as they saw it.
I was reminded of some of the images we saw in Steve Wheeler's Keynote presentation.
I wish I had them here so I could show them and encourage them - I thought to myself.
I started telling them that these are only tools - what's important is the pedagogy - teaching the students to become independent learners, teaching them critical thinking skills, creativity, connectivity, collaboration, the writing process is the same - you brainstorm, write a first draft etc .... but they had no idea ....they have never seen a blog or a wiki never twittered or tweeted or blogged.......
Our Ministry of Education is expecting the teachers to be connected and teach with web2.0 tools THIS year..... I'm wondering if they are not setting us up for failure even as this nationwide policy begins..... Give the teachers time to learn ...to experience what web 2 is ..... to see it "in action". Do it gradually take a year or 2 to ease the teachers into it. Give good in-service training.
It makes more sense.
We want to succeed.
We want to become a digital nation.
Give us a chance!
I think that I signed up for my 1st blog in 2006 or 7, but of course I never wrote anything!
I did have a ning though and I wrote something there once.
I am a very private person and I don't really like being "out there". That's why I don't like facebook - it's so public.
I had such a wonderful time at the conference - awesome , inspiring presentations - my only regret is that I had to choose between presentations and couldn't attend them all.
I am looking forward to the recordings of the ones I missed.
I think its going to keep me busy for a while.
This morning (after only 4 hours of sleep) I had to attend an in-service training course on...... bringing education into the 21st century.
Wow! I thought I have spent the weekend with the foremost experts in the world, being exposed to wonderful and inspiring ideas..... this is right up my street!
I was so excited!
But my colleagues were not so excited they have real fears that becoming digital is going to harm learning ...... there won't be a learning process...... the learning process will become shallow..... there won't be any connecting between teacher and pupil..... they won't know how to write........etc. they brought up a list of negatives much much longer than the positives as they saw it.
I was reminded of some of the images we saw in Steve Wheeler's Keynote presentation.
I wish I had them here so I could show them and encourage them - I thought to myself.
I started telling them that these are only tools - what's important is the pedagogy - teaching the students to become independent learners, teaching them critical thinking skills, creativity, connectivity, collaboration, the writing process is the same - you brainstorm, write a first draft etc .... but they had no idea ....they have never seen a blog or a wiki never twittered or tweeted or blogged.......
Our Ministry of Education is expecting the teachers to be connected and teach with web2.0 tools THIS year..... I'm wondering if they are not setting us up for failure even as this nationwide policy begins..... Give the teachers time to learn ...to experience what web 2 is ..... to see it "in action". Do it gradually take a year or 2 to ease the teachers into it. Give good in-service training.
It makes more sense.
We want to succeed.
We want to become a digital nation.
Give us a chance!
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