I have commented on Creative Commons in an early post. Here is a guest post from my teacher partner with some more insight.
The Creative Commons was developed as a complement to copyright licenses. It offers authors of published online works (i.e. blog posts, photos, podcasts, video, etc.) to freely share their work with others while protecting their work from being used or changed in a manner they don't wish to have happen.
Leaders in the education field (or any field for that matter) need to respect the Creative Commons attributions or fair use statements provided b the author of the online works they are using. When students create work in the classroom, we teach that that work is their alone and they have earned the right to receive recognition for their hard work. As leaders in education, we should support the idea that someone who creates a piece of work deserves credit for that work. We also need to respect that the person may not wish to have their work altered or shared. By modelling fair use of content, leaders encourage others in their organization to do the same and this in turn, those people will hopefully follow the same logic. It will filter down and as teachers in our system ensure they are respecting fair use statements and Creative Commons attributions; students will learn to do the same. They will also learn that if one day they share a piece of work they too can be respected for their hard work.
In light of Ray's last post regarding our staff survey on fair use and the Creative Commons, it is clear that this is still unfamiliar to many and would thus be difficult to expect teachers to models fair use with their students. If we want our students to learn how to use material that has permission to be freely shared and how to give attribution where needed, our teachers need to learn how to do this so that they can lead by example. Therefore, it is important that our leaders take the time to educate the teachers or people in their group about fair use. Her a few things leaders can do to support their knowledge and understanding:
1. Have discussions about what fair use is.
2. Help the group learn about what the Creative Commons is all about.
3. Post information explaining the four licensing options available through the Creative Commons.
4. Show staff how to search for information that is free to use.
5. Model how to respect fair use statements and Creative Commons by doing so in your own blogs and other places they use information found online.
Does you leader or staff know about fair use and the Creative Commons? How can you help support them in educating their team on the issue?
For more on Creative Commons please visit:
http://creativecommons.org/
https://whiterabbitisme.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/the-abcs-of-creative-commons/
25/09/2014
The Essence of 21st Century Learning and Leadership - Getting Connected
The essence of 21st Century Learning and Leadership comes down to the idea of becoming connected and one way of doing this is by developing a Personal Learning Network. Personal Learning Networks or PLNS allow individuals to connect with others to share, communicate and request. By creating a PLN, an individual creates relationships with others who have similar interests or needs. This relationship leads to the sharing of ideas and resources, collaboration and new learning. Over time, the PLN grows, connecting the individual to the global community Individuals interact in a variety of ways by using social networks and other online platforms. Networking allows individuals to connect with leaders in education who can support the individual in their own self directed professional development.
When an individual self directs their professional development it leads to greater exploration or inquiry based learning. In the past, teachers have had little input as to what PD would best fit their needs. With a self directed inquiry process in mind, a teacher can create a PLN and seek out leaders for support and guidance. An example of this is being done within our own school. Our administrator has asked for our input as to what direction each individual feels they need to develop. As a result of the needs of the individual teachers, our administrator has created five learning teams. In a traditional setting, our administrator would need to facilitate five groups and bring in a variety of experts to meet each groups needs. However, with social networking (i.e. twitter) our administrator could invite a number of experts to attend discussions or chats. These experts would share their knowledge and provide prompts for the group to have dialogues that would lead to a deeper understanding. As the group of learners continue to dialogue and share information the expert or leader takes on the role of co-learner as all members are contributing to the learning. As the conversation grows in the network, new experts are drawn into the network leading to greater collaboration. With a wealth of input, a sharing of resources and rich conversation, the original learning group will become leaders. These new leaders will be encouraged by their peers and leaders to join other PLNs in order to share their knowledge and expertise.
Here is an example of our personal learning network. As we continue to develop and grow in different areas our links with others will continue to grow. In some instances we will be leaders and in other instances we will be the learner.
Below are a number of links that describe Personal Learning Networks and tips on how to create and develop you own network:
http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/creating-a-pln/
http://gettingsmart.com/2012/01/personal-learning-networks-for-educators-10-tips/
http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.ca/p/create-personal-learning-network.html
Chantelle and I were wondering if you have considered your personal learning network? Who are the people you connect with and how do you access them when you have questions?
When an individual self directs their professional development it leads to greater exploration or inquiry based learning. In the past, teachers have had little input as to what PD would best fit their needs. With a self directed inquiry process in mind, a teacher can create a PLN and seek out leaders for support and guidance. An example of this is being done within our own school. Our administrator has asked for our input as to what direction each individual feels they need to develop. As a result of the needs of the individual teachers, our administrator has created five learning teams. In a traditional setting, our administrator would need to facilitate five groups and bring in a variety of experts to meet each groups needs. However, with social networking (i.e. twitter) our administrator could invite a number of experts to attend discussions or chats. These experts would share their knowledge and provide prompts for the group to have dialogues that would lead to a deeper understanding. As the group of learners continue to dialogue and share information the expert or leader takes on the role of co-learner as all members are contributing to the learning. As the conversation grows in the network, new experts are drawn into the network leading to greater collaboration. With a wealth of input, a sharing of resources and rich conversation, the original learning group will become leaders. These new leaders will be encouraged by their peers and leaders to join other PLNs in order to share their knowledge and expertise.
Here is an example of our personal learning network. As we continue to develop and grow in different areas our links with others will continue to grow. In some instances we will be leaders and in other instances we will be the learner.
Below are a number of links that describe Personal Learning Networks and tips on how to create and develop you own network:
http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/creating-a-pln/
http://gettingsmart.com/2012/01/personal-learning-networks-for-educators-10-tips/
http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.ca/p/create-personal-learning-network.html
Chantelle and I were wondering if you have considered your personal learning network? Who are the people you connect with and how do you access them when you have questions?
Leading by Example: Leaders Who are Connected
There are many was to lead and sharing ideas is just one example. Here is a guest post by Chantelle Davies on Leaders who are connected.
Currently, in our school board (HWDSB) there does not appear to be any obligation for leaders to use social networking. However, more and more of our principals, instructional coaches, consultants, and superintendents are beginning to make greater use of social networking tools.
I don't believe that leaders need to be completely transparent on everything they do. I think some decisions or thoughts are better kept between the leader and other people involved. For example, if a principal is working with a few staff members to make decisions regarding the class placement of some more challenging students, it may be counter productive to have this conversation over twitter where the school's entire community may feel the need to weigh in on the decision. On the other hand, I do think it's great when leaders take to tools like twitter to enrich staff discussions around topics such as higher order thinking and inquiry based learning. Using blogs to share information with staff, parents and the general community they are leading is also a great way to keep others informed in a timely manner, while setting an example that encourages teachers an other staff to do the same in their work settings, It's important to lead by example.
Here are a few of the leaders in our board making significant attempts to make social networking tools a regular part of their practice:
John Malloy: Our Director of Education is a regular user of twitter, (@malloy_john) with about 2000 followers since he joined the social networking site in 2011. He often retweets great ideas from educators in our board and he also frequently tweets inspiring or thought provoking statements. Malloy also maintains a blog with posts for anyone connected to our school board, both staff and the greater community: All Students Learning
Thomas Ro: Thomas is a former consultant for the 21st Century Fluency department of our board and now is a vice-principal. Thomas is a perfect example of "lead by example." Thomas is an avid user of twitter (@Mr_Ro), both as a means to share great educational information, as well as be available to ansewr questions in relation to technology. Thomas also runs his own professional blog, sharing much of his knowledge in the area of 21st Century Fluencies: Roflections
Mrs. Anderson: Also known as Principal Anderson on twitter, @JanetLeeHWDSB. Anderson is the principal of one of our primary schools and uses twitter as a tool to communicate with the students and parents of her school community about school events such a the Terry Fox run and expectations such as gentle reminders that they are a nut free school.
These leaders, along with many others in our board are setting an example of our teachers and parents about changing world of education. They are also proving that they are available and open to discussions and questions with their community of followers.
Do you think it should be an expectation that all educational leaders be avid users of social networking tools like twitter, facebook, linkedin and blogging?
Currently, in our school board (HWDSB) there does not appear to be any obligation for leaders to use social networking. However, more and more of our principals, instructional coaches, consultants, and superintendents are beginning to make greater use of social networking tools.
I don't believe that leaders need to be completely transparent on everything they do. I think some decisions or thoughts are better kept between the leader and other people involved. For example, if a principal is working with a few staff members to make decisions regarding the class placement of some more challenging students, it may be counter productive to have this conversation over twitter where the school's entire community may feel the need to weigh in on the decision. On the other hand, I do think it's great when leaders take to tools like twitter to enrich staff discussions around topics such as higher order thinking and inquiry based learning. Using blogs to share information with staff, parents and the general community they are leading is also a great way to keep others informed in a timely manner, while setting an example that encourages teachers an other staff to do the same in their work settings, It's important to lead by example.
Here are a few of the leaders in our board making significant attempts to make social networking tools a regular part of their practice:
John Malloy: Our Director of Education is a regular user of twitter, (@malloy_john) with about 2000 followers since he joined the social networking site in 2011. He often retweets great ideas from educators in our board and he also frequently tweets inspiring or thought provoking statements. Malloy also maintains a blog with posts for anyone connected to our school board, both staff and the greater community: All Students Learning
Thomas Ro: Thomas is a former consultant for the 21st Century Fluency department of our board and now is a vice-principal. Thomas is a perfect example of "lead by example." Thomas is an avid user of twitter (@Mr_Ro), both as a means to share great educational information, as well as be available to ansewr questions in relation to technology. Thomas also runs his own professional blog, sharing much of his knowledge in the area of 21st Century Fluencies: Roflections
Mrs. Anderson: Also known as Principal Anderson on twitter, @JanetLeeHWDSB. Anderson is the principal of one of our primary schools and uses twitter as a tool to communicate with the students and parents of her school community about school events such a the Terry Fox run and expectations such as gentle reminders that they are a nut free school.
These leaders, along with many others in our board are setting an example of our teachers and parents about changing world of education. They are also proving that they are available and open to discussions and questions with their community of followers.
Do you think it should be an expectation that all educational leaders be avid users of social networking tools like twitter, facebook, linkedin and blogging?
Social Networking and Leadership
Here is a guest post from my teaching partner, Chantelle Davies about the use of twitter to encourage learning within the school. Many people are already using twitter in their personal lives so using twitter for professional discussions would be an easy what to get collaboration going in schools
There are many ways to be a leader in a school. You may be a principal, a consultant, a team or division leader, or simply (like me...hopefully) a leader in helping your staff to learn something new or work through a problem together. Regardless of the extent of your leadership role, twitter is a tool that can be a great resource for staying connected with your staff. In the school system, we often work in isolation and it is challenging to collaborate or plan times where everyone can come together. With traditional methods, leaders must find a way to pull everyone together. Using twitter keeps the doors of communication open 24/7. It encourages staff to all be contributors to the conversation and provides you (the leader) with a way sharing ideas in a format that does not require a boring staff meeting when everyone just wants to go home. In addition, traditionally the leader does most of the sharing and the other participants listen an ask questions when prompted. I have included a link here by Elana Lioni from Edutopia on 8 Tips to Create a Twitter-Driven School Culture. I love number seven: Conduct a Twitter Chat. What a great way to find out what staff want to know more about; and in addition, encourage them to learn from each other. With twitter chat, leaders can ask prompting questions that allow all members to reflect and share their knowledge. It also allows the opportunity to bring other experts into your conversation without requiring them to drive into your meeting as would be required in a traditional sharing setting.
Would the leader in your school be willing to consider using twitter to start a conversation at your school? How might you help encourage staff members to support this new and innovative initiative?
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There are many ways to be a leader in a school. You may be a principal, a consultant, a team or division leader, or simply (like me...hopefully) a leader in helping your staff to learn something new or work through a problem together. Regardless of the extent of your leadership role, twitter is a tool that can be a great resource for staying connected with your staff. In the school system, we often work in isolation and it is challenging to collaborate or plan times where everyone can come together. With traditional methods, leaders must find a way to pull everyone together. Using twitter keeps the doors of communication open 24/7. It encourages staff to all be contributors to the conversation and provides you (the leader) with a way sharing ideas in a format that does not require a boring staff meeting when everyone just wants to go home. In addition, traditionally the leader does most of the sharing and the other participants listen an ask questions when prompted. I have included a link here by Elana Lioni from Edutopia on 8 Tips to Create a Twitter-Driven School Culture. I love number seven: Conduct a Twitter Chat. What a great way to find out what staff want to know more about; and in addition, encourage them to learn from each other. With twitter chat, leaders can ask prompting questions that allow all members to reflect and share their knowledge. It also allows the opportunity to bring other experts into your conversation without requiring them to drive into your meeting as would be required in a traditional sharing setting.
Would the leader in your school be willing to consider using twitter to start a conversation at your school? How might you help encourage staff members to support this new and innovative initiative?
Creative Commons - A Shared Culture
I did a quick survey of teachers this past week to find out how some teachers were using technology in their classrooms. For many of the teachers they responded that they use technology to share images and content from the internet. I then asked about creative commons? I prepared myself with an information sheet for those who had never heard of creative commons. Before began the survey I was also curious to find out what each staff member knew creative commons and where they learned about it. I predicted that some of the younger tech savvy staff and our administrator would have been familiar with creative commons. The results of my survey was that the only person who was aware of creative commons was my teaching partner Chantelle Davies.
The challenge Chantelle and I know face is how do we model and educate staff on the use of creative commons. We have begun to educate that staff by sharing a informational resource sheet that explains what creative commons is and how it works. We can further model fair use in our school by teaching our students about fair use with the expectation that they ensure they are using content from the internet as the creator intended. As children become familiar with the expectation they will transfer this skill to other classes in the school. To make students successful with fair use, a list of sites needs to be create and shared with all staff members. Sharing resources will continue to make teachers aware of fair use causing them to reflect on their teaching practices. Reflections about creative commons will lead to inquiry which could lead the teacher to create a Personal Learning Network.
Chantelle and I were wondering, what is one thing you could do to start the movement on discussions about creative commons within your school community?
The Biggest Obstacles In Our Lives Is The Barriers Our Mind Creates
As my teaching partner, Chantelle Davies and I have begun to implement technology in the classroom we have reflected on some of barriers that we have overcome. Some of these barriers include time, expertise, access and resources. As I explored other blogs such as The Digital Library these barriers seemed to be fairly common.
Time: Integrating technology into the classroom is time consuming. There is a great deal of research and planning required by teachers before they can introduce technology into the classroom if it is to be an effective learning tool. Then next step is to find time in class to teach students how to use technology effectively. Teachers need to cover and great deal of curriculum and as a result spending time on technology may take a backseat.
Access and Resources: For a variety of reasons schools may have limited access to technology. In cases where schools have computer labs access is limited to availability. In other cases, schools and teachers may have limited access because of lack of funding. It is difficult to integrate technology on a regular basis if resources are not available. I find that this is the case in our school. Many teachers do not consider integrating technology into the class because it is difficult to co-ordinate access to resources.
Expertise: For a teacher to use technology in the classroom they must be comfortable using it. If this comfort level is missing then the teacher may be overwhelmed and use teaching practices that they are more comfortable with such as pen and paper activities. Even when a teacher is comfortable using technology it is challenging to develop ways to incorporate it into the classroom.
There are a number of ways to overcome the challenges of time, access and resources and expertise, (The Digital Library - Overcoming Obstacles), however the most challenging obstacle is personal attitude. Many teachers find it difficult to change there teaching practice and therefore resist accepting new ways. The resistance be be because of lack of information about how and what to change, personal attitudes towards technology and the feeling of isolation.
Using media and networking helps everyone overcome barriers. Using Personal Learning Networks, is a great way to begin to remove barriers. PLNs allow to take control of their own professional development through sharing, communicating and collaborating with others who have similar interests. By getting together and networking with others online teachers can have discussions and begin to problem solve with a great number of individuals. By engaging in conversations and sharing ideas the teacher becomes more knowledgeable. As knowledge is gained barriers are removed and leaders are created.
How might collaboration on social network help you overcome your barriers for integrating technology into your classroom?
23/09/2014
Social Networking Tools and Leadership
Leaders in education should use and model social networking tools in order to improve teaching practice.
Teacher leaders in IT need to learn how to use these social networking tools and think of creative ways of how to apply them to real world learning in order to engage students. The best way to learn about social networking tools is to learn the pros and cons of the tool and to experiment with it. One way a leader can experiment with social networking is to create a Personal Learning Network or PLN. The creation of the PLN allows teachers to create, collaborate and communicate. By doing this a teacher not only shares information but can also receive feedback and ideas from others. By engaging in conversations in social networks the teacher is exposed to many new ideas which can lead to a change in teaching practice. Social networks allows teachers to create relationships through dialogue, by being supportive of each other and the sharing of ideas and resources. As the teacher uses their PLN, they naturally reach out to others and invite them in to join in on conversations. The process will create new learners and leaders.
This year my teaching partner, Chantelle Davies and I have had a few teachers begin to ask questions about blogging and how use it in the classroom. By using this networking tool in our classes and by sharing our experience and knowledge we have begun to model how to use social networking.
We would be interested to know if you have how you have used social networking to improve your teaching practice?
21/09/2014
Welcome Back!
I have decided to continue my journey into the exploration of the use of technology in the classroom. Over the summer my teaching partner, Chantelle Davies and came up with many ideas and lessons that we created in Integration of Technology Part 2 and are now implementing in our classes. In my class, I have my blog up and am currently teaching my students how to write quality comments. I am excited to see how my students do with this and what kinds of conversations they generate. I am also exploring some of the tools we discovered and am showing students how to use this tools.
The next step in my learning journey is to complete the Integration of Technology, Specialist course. With the completion of this course comes the expectation that I will be a leader in this area. I have noticed already that colleagues are already begun approach me with questions about technology since they are aware that I have completed parts 1 and 2. As I work through this course, I hope to discover and learn more about technology in the classroom so that I can lead by putting theory into practice. Leadership is about accepting and embracing change and supporting others to follow and to accept change. I have included this clip to reflect on the role of leaders.
The next step in my learning journey is to complete the Integration of Technology, Specialist course. With the completion of this course comes the expectation that I will be a leader in this area. I have noticed already that colleagues are already begun approach me with questions about technology since they are aware that I have completed parts 1 and 2. As I work through this course, I hope to discover and learn more about technology in the classroom so that I can lead by putting theory into practice. Leadership is about accepting and embracing change and supporting others to follow and to accept change. I have included this clip to reflect on the role of leaders.
My question is are you ready to embrace the changing classroom or are you waiting for more educators to join the movement?
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