Dec 31 2008
‘Zai jian Laoshu and Huan Ying Niu’
picture credit Robert of Fairfax.
As I say goodbye Year of the Rat and hello Ox, I’ll leave a fullstop on my previous 7 months of ’new’ learning. For those who may be new to SB, this time 12 months ago I barely used ICT at all, well maybe ebay and read the papers, but little else and certainly not professionally. So now I’d like to puntuate my learning journey and leave 2008 with a few thoughts.
It’s been full on and fun but that curve of learn has seen a rank unfit trudger start a personal Himalayean incline, onwards and upwards with many Tenzings all aiding his Big Enlightenment.
Now with the minor Sliced Bread base camp reached, whilst sucking copius O2, my dizzy head still tries to sort the figjam noise from those who matter. Not so easy ah master san, Why Is It So?
As my about page says a bit more about this journey, my employer offered 200 regional chalkies the chance to hear ‘What’s The Plan Stan’ and attend a North Coast Region Technology Forum waaaay back in May.
Reluctantly, due to State of Origin time of year if the truth be known, I said “Okie dokey Boss” providing this is a BS free zone that doesn’t waste my time or our schools scarce TPL budgets.
I went, I listened, I absorbed, I liked. Yee hah, this little shin dig was a goodun’, especially Tim Anderson, a man with his hand firmly on it, the vision of ICT in DET NSW that is. Calm reassurance of out future ICT directions.
Maybe DET NSW is not cutting edge innovative, and nor can they be, but never the less they are very committed as the world’s second largest Public School system with 1.4million users on the DET network.
I’m happy with our future directions, more so now the stupid political funding fights are behind us to some degree.
Long story short now, I embarked on what was suggested to us by the conference gurus.
“Get amongst the web2.0. Go home jump in the web2.0 mud pit, splash around get down and dirty, and experiment with what it all means”.
Well that’s NOT what they said BUT it’s what I heard. My type of learning. Independent, fast but deep and real choices.
After all this web2.0 mumbo jumbo is only modern tools to help already great teachers aid improved classroom engagement, learning, creativity, depth and connectivity. Sounds good hey and it is finally a regional priority, albeit at no6 but they are all important.
Pretty powerful stuff this web2.0 I’ve since discovered, in spades.
So with nary a thought I decided the best way to learn is to do.
My attempts to learn the fundamentals of web2.0 are now in place to refine further in 09. Thanks to all who helped (as I have said repeatedly if they really follow my blog, TaMuchly)
- Wiki, blog, and RSS TICK,
- home page aggregator, Skype, social bookmarking, TICK TICK,
- PLN, twitter and CCP
all ticked, understood and used to some degree. Anywho, enough to share this new world or learning with interested colleagues in 2009.
Shlock horror I can almost feel a New Years resolution coming on.
No fear not gentle readers, we all know the crevaces those silly things crash down and become, but a focus for my restless brain in 2009 is still needed.
Ok my 2009 focus will be;
- DET NSW Tools project, (in conjunction with wireless laptops and CCP, when we get ours)
- Drop in Drop Out Wednesdays to Introduce our fantrifficfabulicious staff to essential Web2.0 Tools.
- Just in Time Learning Team to aid and abet our Campus/College ICT plan 2009 to 2011
- Promethean Activstudio to Beauchamp’s stage 4 level
- Involvement in our new DET provided School Webpages (sorry no link, walled garden DET NSW only)
- Strengthen my own PLN and pursuade DET NSW to officially recognise this as QTL & TPL
Ahhh I feel better now, now my mini resting 2008 full stop punctuation has been left, see there it is .
I can now happily engage in some festivities to see the Ox rise and the Rat set. Base camp Two further up the Everest of Web2.0 awaits for ‘MyAlign09′
Happy New Year and a massive TaMuchly for 2008.
If you want to join a quality Australian PLN for educators in all sectors, I recommend me.edu.au. Thanks to Kerrie for alerting me to it.
This promotional video for me.edu.au, featuring me.edu.au users Simon Brown, Jess McCulloch and Martin Pluss, provides an overview of the free me.edu.au professional networking site for Australian educators managed by Education.au on behalf of DEEWR.
If you still want more have a browse through this resource, I did and liked it.
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Some really sound advice about jumping straight into web2.0. It is now 12 months since I ‘jumped in’ and I have not regretted a moment of it. It has been hard work and a steep learning curve but the powerful learning outcomes that it has provided for both me, my students, staff and now the parents has been nothing short of amazing.