This year at my school, we have done a lot of work with technology integration in our own professional development. We have started to look at a lot of different websites and how they can impact our school. I personally have signed up, it seems like, for EVERY website possible, just so I can get a feel for it. I sometimes never make it past 5 minutes with a service after signing up, and I never use it again. I have used everything from Foursquare (addicting but I have no idea how it could be used in education) to WordPress.com (where I started this blog in the first place). It seems to never end.
Working with my educational technology team, we discussed about limiting the resources that we worked with in our school. I would never as an administrator ask people to not try different sites in the classroom (the importance of risk taking), but we are looking at what we can support as a team. The more we look at these different sites in the classroom, the less time we are seeming to actually gain educational value from them and the more we are just “playing”. This will also help to build capacity within the school while not overwhelming staff with SO many different tools. By using the same sites, staff and students will develop a deeper learning on how to use these sites effectively for learning while building a support network within the school. Instead of focusing so much on the “How“, we will be focusing more on the “Why“.
As an administrator and one of the technology leads in our school, here are the Web 2.0 tools that I am trying to focus on using within our school for next year so that we all have a solid understanding on how they can be implemented in the upcoming year.
- Twitter – This is a great tool for connecting with other educators in the world and hopefully connecting with people in our community. I know that this is an amazing resource and I can always count on my PLN to help me out with almost anything (including hotels in Rome for my summer vacation!).
- WordPress and Buddypress – We have tried everything from Kidblog to Edublogs in our school year (which are great services), but have decided to go with hosting our own blogs using WordPress. Part of the reason for this was that there are no advertisements on the free version and that we can host it on our own server. Through WordPress MU, we have the ability of the school to open and close any blogs that are connected to our site, while also providing an easy way for students and staff to create blogs through Buddypress. Buddypress creates an online community for our school where we can not only share ideas, blog posts, and have discussion, but also have a way that we can connect with our entire school community including parents. We are excited about what these two sites can do for our school and how we will be able to connect and communicate.
- Diigo – Many at our school have been using Diigo as a way to share their favourite bookmarks with students and staff. It is a great social bookmarking site where you are able to highlight, comment, and share links. Instead of continuously sharing links, one after another on the same topic, it is easy to just send ONE link that will continuously update and house links (for example, here is a list of SmartBoard links I have created throughout the year). It is a great and easy way to bookmark sites for students and staff.
- Google Apps – Looking at how students could have email, we ended up going with Google Apps. This does not only give students email but also opens up the use of Google Docs, Google Calendar, and other services that Google Apps offers. The main reason we started with Google Apps for next year was that it provided free email, but it definitely can provide so much more in the future.
There are SO many things that we can be using and you may not agree with the services that we are using but it is important that we start moving forward. By narrowing the services down, we will help our staff and students to share their knowledge in using these sites while helping to focus on improving the learning environment of the school. This is not about new technology, but being effective with it.
I am not sure if these are the essential tools but they are just ones that we can narrow our focus on. Are there any essential sites that are missed from this list? I would love to hear your thoughts.
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Thanks George for the window into your school and the steps you and your staff are taking to purposefully and effectively integrate technology.
Twitter is a MUST. I plan on integrating Twitter into my PD this year as the new tech coach at our school. I only have one year for sure, so I need to make sure I leave them with the most "essential" tools. The collaborative piece that Twitter provides is invaluable. Heck, I'd have never met you without it (maybe that would have been a good thing for you
Kidding aside, Twitter has taken me to a higher level of collaboration and resourcefulness. For example, I am working with @Scottmpearce from Australia on developing some PD for SMART Boards in our schools. Two continents, almost completely different days, and yet it works.
This year a priority for us is SMART Board training. We have the tools, now we need to make sure that they are being used to enhance and engage–not just look pretty. So I am going to hit up your Diigo link you left above.
And lastly, but by no means least, Google Apps. I adore Google. Open and effective. I hope to introduce my staff to Docs, Sites, Gmail, Calendar, and Reader during the year. The interconnectivity is insane and it makes computing, organization, and collaboration so much easier (streamlined!).
That's where we are going (or at least that's where I think we should go–I am new to this, so I need to keep it simple for me and for them).
Great tools Jeremy. We inserviced on the SmartBoard this last year but I think that we have built so much leadership in the building that it has become more on the spot training. I think that using the tools you are, it is important that they are easy and effective. I always make the assumption that this is for a technology learner that does not have the same experience that I have. How easy will it be for them and how effective will it be? Giving them ways to improve their learning will not only improve confidence but will usually lead to more independent professional learning.
Thanks again for your comment!
I think that you've included some amazing tools in this list, and the ones that I use most often are definitely here. I also love how you don't just make this about technology, but about using technology well, and you've narrowed the list to reflect that.
There are two other tools that I think are essential:
1) Evernote — I just started using this tool this year, but it's fantastic for assessment purposes, and it allows me to keep my notebooks private or share the link with others. You can also upload audio comments, so I've found this really useful teaching Grade 1, as I've uploaded audio feedback for my students to listen to and reflect on. My students have also used Evernote to share their thoughts, and in some cases, we've shared the public link on Twitter. This is definitely a tool worth exploring!
2) VoiceThread Educator Account — At one point, this account was free, but I think that you need to pay for it too. The cost is very reasonable though, and it does give each child his/her own account. I love VoiceThread because it's great for differentiation: students have a variety of ways to upload comments from a typed comment, to an audio one, to a video comment too. This tool is great for self-assessment (something I've used it for a lot this year), which is definitely a big focus for my Board.
You have a fantastic plan here, and I can't wait to see how you use all of these tools next year!
Fantastic approach. As an athletic coach my philosophy has always been "Do fewer things better". I have taken that approach with technology integration too, but have limited myself to the risk taking. I think your point about not asking people to try different sites is profound.
I have had admin. in the past who placed so many restrictions on what can/can't be used that it caused people (self included) to be unwilling to try new things. Until the past month I have been that way and it tool some serious personal reflection and renewal to bring me to a point where I understand thatr if I am not striving to become better I am only going to go down from there.
Thank you for your commentary and your blog. It has been a refreshing way for me to carry on and improve.
I believe in definitely supporting certain aspects, but have learned that I can not learn everything and how to use it in education. Any teacher that wants to try new things is more than welcome! I remember being told that I should not blog earlier in my career because it would make others look bad. I think that any one that wants to try new things, you let them GO FOR IT and try it out on their own.
Thanks for your comment!
Great resources! I wish Twitter and Drop.io were not blocked at school. I think you have to think of technology as a way to further the instruction, not just a tool to use. I like how you have focus, but still allow freedom to explore. Thanks for helping me focus! I have so many tools I have signed up for that I can never use all of them. I read your blog and instantly felt better! It is amazing how you can coach, guide and inspire me from so far away! Thanks so much for your thoughtful posts. You are truly amazing and your staff is so darn lucky!!!!
Kelly…it is always great to hear your thoughts on my blog and I am wondering why those sites would be blocked? By doing that, we sometimes make it the forbidden fruit. There are definite reasons for blocking some sites, but teaching responsibility is more important that shutting everything down in my opinion. I am blessed to be working in a division that promotes this risk taking hence the reason I have been able to try so many things on my staff!
Hopefully you can lead the way to inspire some change in your own school; I know you can!
Thanks again for your comment!
George
I agree! We need to teach kids how to use these not sites and not ignore them. I am trying to get these unblocked, and I keep sending your blogs to the "Big Cheese" hoping that you can get through to them. If anyone one can it's you!
Thank you seems too lame to express how grateful I am that I have your blogs to help me!
George, this post really resonates with me. This concept is applicable to so much in our lives. Thanks for the reminder!
George, your first paragraph really made me smile. I think I've signed up to just about every site/tool that's come my way, and the reality is that you just can't sustain that. I think you've narrowed it down pretty well. Twitter is also blocked by our ed dept but not quite sure how I'd use it in primary school at the moment anyway. (I just unblock it for my own use
)
I would probably add glogster as my students have really taken to that as a means of presenting their research. Haven't tried drop.io but just signed up for Dropbox which I believe is similar. However, that is having problems connecting at school too!
[...] than a week ago, I read a blog post by George Couros, a principal in Alberta, about what Web 2.0 tools he’ll be focusing on using at school next [...]
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I fully agree that it is easy to become scattered and use too many Web 2.0 tools. As the technology integrator for our district, I urge staff to focus on one or two tools that they feel will benefit their students and improve or expand learning opportunities. They have the option to choose which tools they would like to use. I find that most of our students have the capacity to handle a wider array of tools effectively and like to mentor others in their use. The students are now helping drive the use of technology district-wide with their mentoring of both staff and students.
This post really resonated with me- I sign up for everything, and then get overwhelmed with the feeling that I have to use it all. I have come to a similar conclusion that I cannot do it all. This year my focus is to get my students blogging in a meaningful way- it's one of my professional development goals. I use kidblogs and I really love how easy it is for my kids to use. I love Twitter and I'm so glad I have made so many connections with other educators across the world. Thanks for the thought-provoking post!
[...] we often go through them so quick, we lose the depth that we are looking to provide in learning. Narrowing my focus has helped to focus on depth, not necessarily [...]