TVNZ has today reported that Rangitoto College is going to allow its students access to youtube and Facebook! Controversy!!! YOUTUBE how could they allow that and Facebook …. OUTRAGE http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/college-keeps-youtube-facebook-in-digital-strategy-4457086 I mean, really, what planet are they living on? My students make very good use of Youtube, they access how to videos, revision clips and posted lessons. Youtube has recently started a teaching channel called http://www.youtube.com/teachers Why when you have ultra-fast broadband would you block a premium resource like this? I know that some people will say that the students will be distracted and off task. But the likelihood is that they would have been distracted and off task with or without access to youtube or Facebook. Off task behavior is a classroom management issue. Part of the strategy of rolling out a 1 to 1 program should be classroom management, providing the teachers with the techniques and strategies to manage student use of technology. The solution isn’t to block it. Do you take pens of students because they might write a note or doodle a picture? But what about FACEBOOK I hear them cry… What about it? Do you think they can’t get access to Facebook at school already? When every 2nd mobile device connects to Facebook? When you iPhone at 2 clicks can set up a personal hotspot which by-passes filtering? Yes, students could use Facebook inappropriately, just like any other technology be it a pencil or a iPad. Yes, you can use Facebook for bullying or it can be distracting. But as I previously mentioned distraction is a classroom management issue. And bullying? Well, bringing Facebook out into the open will actually prevent bullying. Consider this. Most people are NOT cyberbullies Most people use Facebook in an acceptable manner Students are able to access Facebook from most mobile devices Since these devices do not connect through school networks they are essentially untraceable Cyberbullying can therefore happen whether the school blocks Facebook or not By opening up Facebook the school has a mechanism of tracking. There is a clear trail which (depending on the registration of the machines onto the network) will lead directly back to the user. You now have a clear mechanism for checking and therefore identifying the bullies. Underlying all of this must be a Solid DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP program. A program that reinforces individual responsibility, is supportive and protective and clearly explains why the policies and guidelines are in place. The real outrage here is the sensationalizing of what is an educationally sound decision. If this is Controversy, then I am sad, we have a long way to go.

Thanks for the feedback and the comments - I have updated the JS guidelines and invite comments and suggestions. JS internet-computer use guide Computers at school When we aren’t at school we use computers for lots of reasons. When we are at school, we use computers, ipads, ipods, the internet, printers or cell phones for our learning in class. Using our Computers We use our computers for learning. We do not play games without our teachers permission. We will not download movies or videos, music or games without permission. This could be stealing. We will check with our teacher. We will look after ourselves online. Sometimes we see stuff that is rude, nasty, mean, dangerous or inappropriate, we must close down the application and tell the nearest teacher. We will not put any personal information about ourselves on the internet. We won’t post photos or videos about ourselves. We will not share information like our address, phone numbers, hobbies or daily activities. We will look after other people. We will not share any personal information about other people over the internet. We won’t post other peoples photos, videos or share information. When we write anything about a person we will asks "how would I feel if somebody said that about me?". If it is mean or nasty, don’t say it. We will look after ourselves and other people by telling our teachers or parents about people who are being mean or bullying. Using other people’s stuff We will acknowledge all stuff we use in doing our research from websites and include web addresses in our work. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They are not fond of rules. And the have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can not do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They Explore. They Create. They Inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? We make tools for these kinds of people. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. Think Different. This came from an advertisement from Apple in the 1990′s. Here is the youtube video clip. Its worth watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvn_Ied9t4M

This isn’t really a surprise, but a recent BBC article has reported on a study of teenagers that indicates their IQ can change - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15369851 The study indicates that IQ is still developing in the teenage years. The most telling part for me was this quote by a participant in the studywho imitially needed remedial maths and is now doing a doctorate in computer engineering "I think the change came in school I started doing subjects that really interested me, that I was engaged in, then I found it easier and far more interesting." A second article points to what I believe is one of the core elements of IQ testing and in fact any assessment - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13156817 - this article states that IQ tests, test not only IQ but also motivation. Again this is no surprise either. If you are motivated and engaged you will strive to perform better and therefore do better in testing and assessment, and this includes IQ tests. So again the performance of our students whether in IQ tests, state examinations or internal assessments is effected by the level of engagement and motivation that the student has. An engaged and motivated student will perform better than an equivilent but unengaged/unmotivated one. Stands to reason really. If we look at the school system, our schools, our classes and if we drill down enough the individual we teach  - do we motivate and engage them? Do we set them learning and assessment tasks that are? Challenging and problem solving Require higher order thinking Relevant to them either personally, as a member of a group or community or relevant to them on a global scale? Are in mediums that they enjoy working in? Require active participation Do we understand the difference between boys and girls in terms of what motivates them to want to learn and succeed? Do we also understand the developmental difference between the genders and consider this in terms of assessment tasks and activities? Do we understand the difference in development of language skills and of course and fine motor skills? Do we take into account the different learning styles and preferences that our student have and the differences we often see between the genders? I have to agree with this last article too - is there a genius in all of us? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12140064 which stresses the huge importance of the environment we are in, in developing our and their potential.

Source: http://bossysmile.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/pyramid1.gif?w=287&h=265 Periodically, people challenge me about the use of Edgar Dales learning cone. They cite that a number of papers have been produced showing that the figures Dale used are inaccurate and I have to agree with them. In fact when I present a session and I use this one of the first things I say is that the numbers are question. But the underlying principle is correct and I think I would be hard pressed to find anyone who would disagree. Who could say that listening to some one talk about a topic is more memorable than actually doing it. There is no substiute for the real thing. The reason I persist in using Dale’s learning cone is the underlying structure rather than the dubious numbers associated with it. The progression is logical. In a nut shell the more senses engaged the better the learning, the more active the learner the better the learning; The more challenging the learning the better the learning. TEaching others and immediate use is engaging multiple senses, active and challenging. Consider too Daggett’s Application model which eludes to the same thing - the best learning outcomes are achieved in a real world unpredicatable situati. The more realistic and real world the activity that we use for learning and reinforcing learning the better. It would be easy to dismiss Dales Learning cone because the numbers are inaccurate, but actually measuring or assessing learning is a fuzzy area anyway, consider the impact of motivation and engagement on assessment, but the flow makes sense. What about this attempt from me. source: http://davidwarlick.com/images/IDEAPlotter-20100128-174054.jpg

The headlines read as "School’s iPad plan could ruin Christmas. I struggle with this, because it is not accurate or fair reporting. If you actually look at the Orewa college website the parent do have an option of buying the product over a two year period, rather than outright - http://www.orewa.school.nz/uploaded/file/downloads/CycloneComputers.pdf but this aspect is convienently over looked. The base cost is $8.51 per week. Ruining christmas is not accurate or fair as there are a range of options available, though these are not mentioned. The second aspect that concerns me is the comment "I’m furious. I don’t see how it is beneficial from an education standpoint. We feel bullied into this," There are two aspects, but both relate to communication. The benefits of the use of technologies are clear. Who in their employment is not using technology, who looking into the future can not see more technology use - as educators we need to prepare our students for not only today but also the future  - part of this is the use of technology. The use of technology has been shown to be engaging for students, and engaged students work and achieve. The benefits of using these tools for communication, collaborating, analysis, evaluations and creativity are obvious. Well,  I would have though so anyway. Which brings up the second question of communication. Has this been effectively communicated to the parents and community? It is interesting that Rangitoto College is launching a similar scheme, but the media for what ever reason has not given them the same degree of scrutiny as they have for Orewa - http://www.rangitoto.school.nz/uploaded/File/Rangitoto%20College%20-%20IT%20Vision%202012_WEB.pdf </Rant>

I was asked yesterday what I considered to be the four components of effective digital learning. (Why four? The person who asked me wanted four, there may be more but this is the parameters I was given.) The question intrigued me. The focus was a little bit to do with tools to use for learning, but also pedagogy was an underlying core. So I have pared down my four core elements, but I have embedded these in a number of underlying assumptions. The underlying assumptions are core values and processes that enable Digital learning to flourish. They are: A relevant and contextual curriculum Assessment that is both challenging and transparent (since this lies in a relevant and contextual curriculum, it is also by definition relevant and contextual) An emphasis of higher order thinking skills (analysis and evaluation - creativity is a core aspect of Digital learning) Valuing student voice and providing the students with ownership of their learning and assessment. My four focuses or core elements of Digital Learning would be: Effective pedagogy - a starting point would be the flipped classroom, but this is just a start. I would also add into here changing the classroom as the layout and design of the classroom predicates the approach and type of teaching you do. Here to I would add in the core values of being challenging, risk taking and inquiring, being principled and caring, being considered and deliberate. Into effective pedagogy we add technology that is enabling and empowering (rather than closed, controlled and restrictive or disempowering) Feedback and reflection - We know the importance of feedback, that when honest, timely, appropriate, and learning focused it has the greatest impact on learning outcomes. We also value the students being reflective, self aware and self critiquing. These are core elements of digital learning (and any other learning to). This aspect is enhanced by the use of e-portfolios and blogging where the student, his or her peers, their teacher, parents and colleagues are able to comment, discuss, critique, reflect and celebrate the learning outcomes and the learning process. Collaboration - a critical motivator for students is working with their peers. We live in a world with out boundaries or border because of the digital environment. Our students collaborate, as do we, actively using a range of tools and technologies. Collaboration is challenging, from effective collaboration you lawn about your self and others, are exposed to different views, perspectives, religions and cultures. By sharing and working with their peers locally or globally the students are learning more than just the curricula elements. I would see tools like wikis, social networks (ning is a great example) and collaborative documents like Google documents as core tools to facilitate and enable this key facet. Creativity - an element of higher order thinking, but a critical focus. We must teach creativity, encourage it, foster it. We teach it by experience and value. Experiencing the many many examples of creativity and valuing them for their practicality or aesthetic worth. By encouraging reflection and self critique, by celebrating success and failure as opportunities to learn and grow. The digital mediums provide our students with a huge tool set that they can use to be creative, to be imaginative, to take risks and experiment, to try and to fail, to try and to succeed. Making these creative tools available is critical. So when you bring all of this together, the tools, the mind set, the curriculum and the processes, then you can have effective learning. These are not separate elements but intrinsically linked together.  The emphasis is not on the technology, but what the technology allows you to do! Have I missed something out?

I just got tweeted a nice diagram showing iPad applications against different levels of Bloom’s revised taxonomy. Its a good and well considered diagram and I like it. Some applications there that I haven’t seen yet and I will have to look up. The only thing I would say is that the applications are just the medium in which the student demonstrates the level. They facilitate the cognitive action. - This is NOT a criticism, rather a statement from me and one I know that Kathy Schrock has definitely taken into account. I know a number of people who have questioned whether tools like animoto should be included because it can be so easy, but the reality is yes you can "throw" music and images at Animoto and get a good product. But the deliberate and considered student who designs, considers, structures and evaluate will make the excellent product. Puppet Pals, which is also in the creative slot, is another excellent tool which can be used (I have seen this one work really well with my own kids) to produce creative, well considered, planned and evaluated products. Tools like Pages and Touch Draw can be used across the taxonomic levels depending on the task and purpose. Taking notes is understanding where as authoring a book is creative, both would use the same tool. Copying a diagram  and making an infographic are at different ends of the spectrum, but still would utilize the graphic development capacity of touch draw. Nice work and thanks for sharing

A collegue asked me the other day "what is next?" We were discussing email and how this very simple and now relatively old system has changed the face of communications. The first APRANET email was sent in 1971, and use of email has grown exponentially. In many instances, email has replaced the letter as our means of communication. It isn’t to far from the truth to suggest that infact email is just a letter in digital form. The speed, ease, simplicity and flexibility of emails has led to the current situation. Consider this: "294 billion messages per day means more than 2.8 million emails are sent every second and some 90 trillion emails are sent per year. Around 90% of these millions and trillions of message are but spam and viruses. " Source: http://email.about.com/od/emailtrivia/f/emails_per_day.htm So what is next? or are emails here to stay? Is the co-operative document/wiki/post going to be the next "letter" and the comment button the reply tool? Is instant messaging going to develop beyond the current word/charactor limits into a suitable communication tool? We are already seeing the merging of text and IM in apples iOS 5 - imessage system. Will video become accepted as a form of legal medium, can we sign agreements via VC as we do with letters and email? With any change like this we will also have to consider the etiquette that  accompany these changes. What of txt-speak? will this be acceptable or does it leave too much for room for interpretation. Or in video communications, the subtle application of irony or sarcasm, of humour, anger or aggression, the nuyances of body language can and will completely change the meaning of a message. So "what is next?"

I love the concept of BYOD (Bring your own device) on a number of levels. We have a successful BYOD program at the senior school and it works. From a administrative and financial aspect BYOD makes sense. You don’t have to provide the students with either laptops, leases or access to machines the cost savings are brilliant. You do still have to provide the students with network & internet access but that’s something that most schools do anyway. Source: http://viewology.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/DSC_0245-MacBook-Pro-13-On-for-First-Time.jpg You also have transferred the onus of responsibility and care of the device to the students as opposed to the school. The students are responsible for caring for their own device and insuring it. Interesting the student DO take much better care of their own machines compared to one leased from or provided by the school. The students also make more use of their BYOD too. Its their device and they have customised it (this is a trait of 21st century learners) to suit themselves. One of the issues people do raise is the distribution and access to materials, this too can be easily solved. We have not stated the software students can use but have stipulated the files formats. For example: Documents - Microsoft .doc format - this is accessible from MS office products from 2003 upwards, iWorks pages, Open Office Writer etc Presentation - Microsoft .ppt format -this is accessible from MS office products from 2003 upwards, iWorks keynote, Open Office impress etc Spreadsheets - Microsoft .xls format -  this is accessible from MS office products from 2003 upwards, iWorks numbers, Open Office calc etc Uneditable documents - adobe .pdf format Audio - .mp3 format video - .avi and mpeg4 formats images - .jpg format By specifying the file format rather than the product we have enabled the students to use any operating system or hardware. This suits different preferences and different budgets. Connection has been streamlined and uses some great technology that allows the students to register the devices using the mac address and then access the network via a login. These are the easily solved bits of a BYOD program and the easy advantages. The more challenging aspects are the control and safety questions. The challenges faced are what do the students bring to school in their laptops? unacceptable, inappropriate or illegal materials. In our system they can not access blatantly inappropriate material. We track and monitor all other sites. But this is only effective for active online access not what is brought in from either cached or deliberately saved personal activity. Nor does this cover the inappropriate use of the laptop - the student playing games etc. source: http://km.support.apple.com/library/APPLE/APPLECARE_ALLGEOS/HT4517/HT4517_06----en.png We can not stop  the students using their own personal network connections - We had earlier in the year a contractor who cut our internet pipe. It was fascinating to watch, as the students lost connectivity, the number of personal hotspots and alike that popped up as the students sought other methods of resolving the internet outage. Using these methods, personal hotspots etc,  students can easily connect to social media sites which many schools do try to block. So…….. The shift to BYOD is fundamentally based on a trust model. The school has accepted that they no longer have control. They have realised they no longer have the same rights of search and seizure that leased and school owned machines had. They no longer have the same level of monitoring of software, internet etc that they previously had.  A question worth pondering is how much of the students appropriate use at school is made by choice and how much is derived from the restrictions that school system have in place to prevent unacceptable activity? The importance of Digital citizenship is PARAMOUNT in a BYOD school. If inappropriate activity has been curtailed by restriction, what will happen when you remove these restrictions? What will happen when the students can install their own software (legal or illegal), connect to their own internet connection, avoid school based filters. We must instil in our students a strong ethical and moral approach to the use of technology, an approach that is respectful to themselves, to other people and to property. This ethical and moral approach is backed not by a regime of "these are the rules, now follow them" rather by understanding and transparency. "Here is our approach, this is why we do this, here are the impacts of this, these are the people who are effected" Its only by being transparent and open, honest and clear, that the students will accept and follow the behaviours and norms that the organisation requires. And this is the only way a BYOD program will flourish IMHO