Aug 30 2008
Web2.0 is real, people.
Your blog, All Teachers are Learners – All Learners are Teachers has caused considerable Thought Provoking. Always passionate about learner centred approaches and taking a refreshingly non tech view of the future of school education. Tech is only a tool, a blunt one sometimes, but absolutely nothing to be afraid of.
As Graham Wegner blogged recently, its reassuring when professionals engage in their core business because they choose to, not because they have to. Contemporary PD for teachers is definately as shown in Graham’s second list. It gives us PBL choice, something we should all strive to provide for in student assessments.
Tomaz Lasic has done an amazing job with Moodle at his school and also gets a blog gong from me for his top stuff and making me think. ICT is now more integrated and used by some once tech shy staff, a fantastic leap forward for digital learning. The 70:20:10 rule in my blog title is also attributed to Tomaz, well he made me aware of it.
Darcy has helped with a NSW DET perspective and shared resources. Thanks for your insights into how schools in NSW can connect at the point of need on shared programs. Your school development day post should also be compulsory reading for all DET staff who want to move forward. Love your videos too Darcy, always gets a laugh at my shack.
Chris Betcha is next to come on down and say a few words. Betchablog is just good on so many levels and should be compulsory reading for all teachers. Thought Provoking, well researched, passionate about moving learning forward, generous with shared tutorials that helped me learn and at times the refreshing controversy, because change needs leaders like Chris.
John Larkin, history teacher extraordinaire, gets an award too. His quality resources for history are just so good, my learners have abandoned my rough and ready wiki and are now favouritising John. You go learners, whatever works, do it and learn. His “How far did you roam as a child” post really struck a chord with me. Great stuff. Alerting me to Posterous was also helpful as a potential PD tool.
Vicki Davis a cool cat teacher and one of the Flat Classroom gurus from Septopia gets the next to last prestigious award, from humble old me. Vicki’s enthusiasm, never say “can’t” and evangelical zeal for change is eventually infectious. We can learn a lot from this post especially.
Where there is no vision the people perish. So many feel like hamsters on a wheel. Do the same thing every year, don’t change, don’t improve. “
I tried to stay away initially, all a bit too advanced for me, I was floundering. But no, as my web2.0 confidence has grown these last 3 months, I’m drawn back to Vicki’s CCT blog and I am now starting to learn whats really to come with powerful 21st century learning. I hope others I work with also engage.
My last and most important award goes to 2MGems. They are special. They are real 21st century learners and they have a cool blog. Love your work, go kids.
The rules for this award are as follows:
(1) Put the logo on your blog
(2) Add a link to the person who awarded you
(3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
(4) Add links to those blogs on yours
(5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.
7 blogs that I find inspiring, motivating and thought provoking are those listed above.
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Wow! Thank you so much for including me in your list with so many amazing bloggers. All of these you’ve nominated are excellent bloggers and truly, to be “named” as you have done for me here is the way I measure whether blogging is worthwhile.
It is in the lives changed, the students reached, the improvements made…those things are the things that help us reach our potential. And when you name me as you have, it means that CCT made a difference for you— and that is to me what Web 2 is about — me and you. And all of the “me and you” connections made throughout the world.
Web 2.0 seems to catch like a virus — from one person to the next and all of the stats in the world won’t capture what is truly happening.
I appreciate your commitment to change and passion that you’ve brought to blogging!
Hi Tony,
Thank you for the thoughtful and somewhat flattering write-up. I am chuffed. Keep up the good work and remember, one blog post at a time.
Best wishes,
John
Vicki,
New South Wales is correct (as you asked in your del links) Thanks for the feedback, it is much appreciated as a newcomer. I may continue my about chronicles now. Love the Cool Cat blog title and your ability to succinctly express what I am learning to say at my place more often.
John,
Fantastic to find another NSW History teacher as we speak a common syllabus. My learners are also tapping into your helpful resources, they love your site too.
regards
Tony
Thank you Tony, thrilled to bits
Having read your posts and comments of people in what seems to be a nice little circle (that spans the world indeed!) I could not get one thought out of my head.
What you/we are tapping into here is intrinsic motivation, that force and hunger for learning rather than achieving awards (extrinsic motivation) that any good teacher (in my books at least) is trying to first walk then talk with the students (s)he in a class.
All this ICT has made it easier to spread ‘the vibe’ of intrinsic motivation, collaboration and genuine creativity. I welcome it for that and its potential to transform the model of ‘banking’ education (input/output->measure) that creates often unreflective ‘grade junkies’ on one side, passive, low-success/confidence habitual ‘failures’ (I teach MANY of those) and that large, middle-of-the-road student body that simply learns how to pass the test they’ll forget about the moment they walk out the door.
Keep up the good work and keep stirring people to love to learn. I hope we have a beer one day!
Tomaz Lasic
http://human.edublogs.org
Tomaz
Many people in places of learning seem to be passively compliant recipients at best. They wait to be led, told, shown or given ALL the learning. Sure, we need to kindle the flames, not spoon feed or fill empty vessals.
The extrinsic rewards often go to those who are “yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir” types. They don’t cause any grief, and learn to passively jump through educational hoops based on industrial models of education. Good on them I say, they are doing fine things for the type of education dished up to them, but it is time to change this.
I see a paradox of wanting our student learners to meaningfully reflect and actively learn when many of our ‘expert learners’ say they are too busy to change or don’t see the need to engage. Its really disappointing at times. Thats why I’m pleased many at our place are having a go and removing the blinkers.
The global support and groundswell of modern digital learning proves to me these changes are a “sticky biggy.” The educational tinkering of the past 2 or 3 decades is gone. Comparing edufeeds and seeing aligned commonality emerging on a raft of issues across the world convinces me of that.
Pointless banking education, meaningless political benchmarks, overtesting, university entrance exams posing as the HSC, teacher fear and student stress and politicians who last understood schools when they were successful sausages churned out of a C19th factory model and they think they have a handle on modern policy. Arrrgggh, yuk.
The sands of change are going to get really really hot, even for the ostriches who have successfully avoided updating any practices to this point in time.
As much as I’m looking foward to your philosophy post, your shared beer idea is way better. Yes? added it to my to do list.
cheers
Tony
I find it amazing that you have become so accomplished so quickly and your blog looks fantastic. Like you Tony, I am a new blogger (although I started blogging with students in 2004 in my English class and have many ‘neglected’ attempts since then) who is excited at the Education and Friendship networks that develop so seamlessly online using 2.0 tools. DET schools are about collaboration and cooperation, so these tools just allow us to extend what we do in ‘real’ life. It is a bonus that all this 2.0 stuff is so stimulating and fun!
Hello Mr Searl,
Wow, we are so excited and proud about the award you have given us. Thankyou so much!
We love using blogging to share about our learning. It’s allowed us to engage in conversations with others around the world and it’s helping us to develop as reflective self-directed learners.
We can’t imagine learning any other way.
Mrs Marrinan. our teacher, learns along with us. She told us how she is inspired by all the other bloggers you gave an award to, so we feel very special to be included on your list.
Thankyou,
The 2M Gems