Collaboration and editing...is there a difference?

I've had my grade 8 ELA students working on creating a Wiki page as their end of unit assessment project.  Part of the project incorporates student collaboration where they have to visit three other student Wiki pages and "help" them achieve at a greater level. 

What I did not expect was many of the students rushing to other pages and leaving messages like, "Way to go! Great Work".  I'm still not sure how the students equate a pat on the back and meaningful collaboration as the same thing.  Often they were going to the pages of students who were already doing a great job.  These students would be the most difficult to collaborate with due to their high level of understanding.  I had to stop the class several times to explain the difference between a "way to go!" and what is required to actually help each other with the project.  I kept asking myself why this was so difficult for many of them and I had really spend time modeling what was expected for this collaboration.

The thought finally came to me that they are often or have often been asked to "edit" each others work.  What would be easier editing a page with little or no errors or a page with a tremendous amount of errors?  These students had already found the easy way.  Asking the students to make meaningful collaborations where they could directly add content to another student page was foreign to them.

As a teacher this process was very rewarding.  Students became aware that it was much easier to collaborate and help those who were having difficulties.  It may have been more work, but I hope that they have had a chance to see the value of this process.


I look forward to spending my time and seeing the finished projects.

A Rant of sorts..

The full effect of the 90's effect to school's in Alberta that were meant to level the playing field between have and have-not schools has really been evident the last few years. The fact that the market is determining how many teachers our school has from year-to-year and the evaluation of teachers as per their government test mark has done nothing for the profession of teaching. The decision makers may say that we're not being assessed, but we are ranked and compared within our schools, between classes, between divisions and compared to the world!

This market strategy is also evident in our "association vs. gov't" where everything was about the money. We as a profession have done nothing but to do ourselves a disservice by focusing on compensation instead of actual quality.

We absolutely need a shift in thought to better education at ALL levels. I am finding it increasingly embarrassing the "Walmarting" of the education system. There HAS to be a better way.

I'm hoping that the current economic meltdown can make the average person realize that many things should not be run by 'market' forces. Some things should not be and can not be quantitatively judged! Everything has been about statistics and we have manipulated the numbers like every 'good' hedge fund manager of the last 10 years. I've been thinking that we have become our own Ponzi Scheme and the house of cards will collapse upon ourselves.

Are the indicators out there already?
Lack of respect for the profession...
Focus on 'things'...

A shift HAS to occur and it must happen soon!

photo courtesy: dhamzza

Survival

Never in a million years did I truly understand this term. Those that know me will understand the deep sorrow and that my students, peers and myself have been experiencing. Over the past 2 weeks I've drafted nearly 4 different posts, however, none really mattered....

I was in survival mode.

Through these tough, terrible and difficult times we are tested. It is easy to judge others in these times; look at what they're doing... This is part of the test, because we're all doing it. The students are looking at us and this is when teaching and what it means to be a teacher becomes so clear. The personal contact, the relationships and the mentoring, either direct or indirect, are so evident. This truly is why many of us become teachers.

The personal relationships

The curriculum may continue, but where is its priority now?

The technology may be used, but what's the goal?

The relationships continue and that's the heart of the issue...

Apologies to the vagueness of this post... Ask and I'll share.

FEAR

There is a time when one knows enough that it brings around a change. Well, maybe change is not the correct word... A desire to do greater things. The unintended consequences of my PLN has gotten me into a very reflective mood. Add to the fact I had the pleasure of finally seeing "The Bucket List" last night I now have a chance to reflect on the past and plan for tomorrow.

Teaching is truly a great job that enables teachers to constantly reflect on their careers and their choices. I've had many jobs, but only one career. In these jobs there was little need of reflecting on the quality of work and the need for change. I just needed to put one foot forward and the other was sure to follow. Teaching, I find like cooking where one is never completely satisfied with what they just accomplished. I'm someone who is always looking to improve, therefore not always the best to have over dinner(...add a little more...if I(you) took the foil off a little earlier).

This was the first week of the new semester and I'm in the mood to make changes...raise the bar! I hope my students are ready for the ride! I'm open to the challenges and am open to change. I can blame my PLN for this. These are people at school and the online network of tweeters and blogs. It is amazing what people are doing in classrooms around the world. Somehow I've got to take what others are doing and make it me (which is always the challenge).

Interesting, there is a lot of fear in this process. Will the journey and the product be worth the effort?



I guess this will bear out over time... I'll update when we get started!

photo courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/martyn/482027261/

These are the Roller Coaster Days of Our Lives...

This blog is a collaborative effort between John Ferguson and Stephen Banks

The rollercoaster of the week ends with a high!

But as with a rollercoaster we've also had a few lows.

Over the past year we've had discussions on the ineffective personal development activities associated with technology. When presenting 20 different apps and programs in 2 hours often leads to a state of overload, which then puts us into a position of making people feel they are 20 apps behind, when in reality we might actually only use 2 or 3. Why would someone ever get on the ride then they think everyone else is soooooo far ahead of them? We were asked to do a presentation (at a staff meeting of all places) on how we've used technology in our classes this year. Now, this captive.....errrrr....captivated audience now had to sit through 3 colleagues' and the division tech guru present examples apps/programs. Between the four of us we probably did at least 7 apps and at least 20 jargon words. You can imagine how we were so inspired and proud of what we accomplished after this "forced" technology presentation. I'm sure the High School p.e. teacher is going to go out and do a collaborative technology infused project with his students next week. Not sure on how or why we stooped to this low. Maybe the familiarity with this form of presentation, the setting and our own bad habits set in, but it happened and we must learn from it.

So the high...spent Thursday in my room with two fellow staff members, one who has not been overly accepting of the change that technology can bring. Overwhelmed is the sentiment most often expressed by this teacher, and fair enough, as we all handle our life loads in our own way. But on Thursday something changed, not with bells and whistles but with small steps and shy grins of accomplishments. This person ended the day by working on her new twitter account. We then had a invigorating discussion about how we can now twitter each other during class, as we will be teaching the same section (Social Studies 10-1) during the same block. This led to an exploration how we can have the students twitter both teachers and other students in the opposite classroom...not exactly flattening the world but as they say, all journeys begin with a first step...

The journey the two of us have been on has started paying dividends in our school beyond the boundaries of our class walls. Other teachers are realizing that our collaboration is working for us and our students. It is an example for them and they're starting to want on.

It is OK to collaborate and work together. We don't have to be individuals in the school; we can truly be members of a team. (a little background...we are a k-12 school and often we are the only people teaching the subject). This is a good way to end this week and start a new semester on Monday and now we must maintain the momentum and continue to convert the others to take a "Ride".

Thanks for reading,

John and Stephen

picture courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrioux/409787374/

Moving Forward

The last few weeks of a semester are always a mad house. Teachers are stressed about deadlines and too often are reflecting on what went wrong over the semester. Students are worrying about exams and final projects. It is important that we focus first on our successes.

• What worked well?
• Was there a student we were able to connect with?
• Was there a colleague that benefited by a little collaboration?

At the same time people often learn most about themselves through our tragedy and failures. The speedbumps slow us down and should give us the opportunity to reflect.

• What didn't work? Why?
  
• Was there a student that you didn't connect with? Why?
  
• Was there a colleague that irritated you? Why

I know that I often can only see what did not work and I have to force myself to investigate and delve onto the "why". Was it the result of poor planning? Were there personality conflicts? However, one must always know they have the power to adapt and change and one must prevent making the same errors over again.

Intro Rocky inspiration....



Moving forward...
Pick ourselves up...
Dust off the dirt...
Build on our successes...
Help those on the same journey...

While I am reflecting I can take pride on my successes over the past semester. I can build on those successes. I can learn from the failures, mistakes and speed bumps.

I want to thank my PLN! You were all helpful and inspiring and you keep me moving forward.

Digital Footprint

I am blessed by a very common name with a few famous "John Ferguson's" on the list as well. The best part of this was when I had a chance to see the Stanley Cup at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and was able to get a picture of myself pointing at my name on the cup itself...Well it IS my name! A simple Google search and you'll see how irrelevant and difficult it is to find any reference to me.



Unfortunately, there was a need to "teach" some of my students about their digital footprint. It ended up being a very good discussion and by the types of questions my students were asking they took what I was saying very seriously. It was good to see that they cared about the impressions they were making. Interestingly it was surprising how little many of them had previously thought about the issue. Sometimes we, as adults and educators, assume the abilities and critical thinking skills, especially those dealing with technological issues, are greater than they are.

Sadly, these would not be issues at this level (Junior High) if it was clearly indicated in the curriculum. My hope is that some of my students consider the consequences of their "digital footprint" before they stomp over something cherished...

Excellent Collaboration

Today I had the opportunity to work with a colleague and do some collaborative marking. It was an unusually pleasant experience and has allowed me to re-think some of my future assignments.

The experience really showed the importance of clearly communicating expectations/criteria. It was interesting to see what we thought obvious in the assignment was treated with almost complete disregard by the students. The conversation that was centered around outcomes and assessment was personally fulfilling. Sometimes it seems it is not the assignment itself, but the conversation that is created where true learning and understanding occurs. When I reflect on how the two of us were able to get through the marking, while talking, asking questions was quite dynamic and engaging.

What does this mean for me? Learning takes place when students are engaged...Engaged in the assignment and engaged with each other. Hopefully my students move beyond the thought of collaboration as "copying" which too often occurs. My next task....to create an engaging project that allows good collaboration.

Good Reads

Tonight I read the following blog posts and felt compelled to share them .

Is joining a PLN bad for morale? - Teach42

Education and Technology by Steve Dembo

Steve openly wonders why it seems when educators start blogging they tend to shift their career focus.

The Myth of the Digital Native

Betchablog -- Posted by Chris

This posting made a lot of sense to me. It really railed at many assumptions we have towards youth and their technological abilities. Too often many teachers assume the capabilities of the youth exceed their own and don't have anything to "teach" them.

The New Year Begins...

Wow...

The long run will begin. Everything has been set up and its time for the students to run. It is such an exciting time! I'm reinvigorated, I have some great ideas and I've been inspired by a lot of educators on the blogosphere and Twitter.

When this journey began in early December, I thought I was so far behind the others. Over the last month I have read, then read some more. It has been one of the most personally satisfying moments of my life... This is all about me and it feels great! This might seem like an odd statement, but it is so true. I have the ability to read nearly anything I want (boy is that list long!) and I have the ability ignore whatever I want.

As in all things dealing with the ego there is danger. I have the ability to surround myself with people who generally agree with me...Oh! I can see my ego grow even more... Yes, this could have some negatives and I must be careful to temper what I take in and what I choose to ignore. I must be careful to consider the benefits to my students and the curriculum before I jump on the next "cool web2.0 app"!

Hey this is sooo cool!!!

*thinks outloud* Maybe I'll do a characterization rap on Monday....Dangerous...Dangerous...

Shoutout to the blog postings that inspired me over the last week:

What Not To Build
Downes

Twitter Deep vs. Blog Deep

Dean Shareski

21st Century Clarification
Ben Grey

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