Comments on: I can fly

By: Google Questions | How Come?

Google Questions | How Come? — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:19:46 +0000

[...] was reading an old post from Dean Groom’s blog called I Can Fly and one of his points was “that we need to we need to be asking them questions that they [...]

By: dskmag

dskmag — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:24:51 +0000

@garryb – and that for the large part is what advocates are doing using a wide variety of media and interventions. At every opportunity, encouragement is needed. But, as GBW said recently in his ‘DNA’ YouTube post, the ‘why’ is not on their radar. At what point do we start to insist? – Industry insists on skills using labour market forces. As we struggle to attract teachers with career backgrounds relevant to the Web2.0 discourse – and that is another ‘why’ conversation – we do not have the same mechanisms to drive professional development.

A recent ISTE report says that around 2.5% of Teachers are ‘innovators’ and not at all put off by ‘neigh sayers’, as they are so driven that the issue is paramount to their ‘Lens’

In my system – we do not have Educational Technologists, nor Directors of eLearning or even Information Technology as a Key Learning Area – my role is LTST (which I think means Learning Technology Support Teacher) – the teacher that gets to look after the printers, boot the servers and change the projector bulbs.

None of what I, and many others are ‘doing’ is part of their ‘role’ any more than it is a role of any other teacher. My life would be far simpler to hit the car park at 3.10, plow through the syllabus in the way I had been doing … and in my school Computing Subjects is one of the strongest ‘result’ KLAs. I think I can always do and be better, so I decided to change my “Lens”, if I could ‘insist’ I would, but I am smart enough to know that I can, by my terms of reference, merely encourage as you suggest.

By: Suzie Boss

Suzie Boss — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:40:58 +0000

Hi Dean,
You’re absolutely right about the “why.” That’s at the heart of this whole conversation. Once you understand what you want to accomplish–and why–the tools can help take you there. But they’re just tools–not magic. Thanks for sharing your passion and for building a global dialogue. Interesting times ahead!
Thanks,
Suzie

By: garyb

garyb — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:06:44 +0000

we need to be careful to encourage rather than tell..otherwise an evangelist for web2 is difficult to distinguish from a content specific 1950’s Bloom-er

btw

Andrew Churches has published a digital bloom’s…well worth a look!

http://www.techlearning.com/shared/printableArticle.php?articleID=196605124
published april1st, 2008

By: Will Richardson

Will Richardson — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:59:05 +0000

Hey Dean,

Really enjoyed reading this. And I’m glad you found me “problematic.” That’s a good thing, I think. ;0)

By: Presentation tomorrow! « Lucacept - intercepting the Web

Presentation tomorrow! « Lucacept - intercepting the Web — Sun, 11 May 2008 10:53:00 +0000

[...] Dean Groom has written a good post today in response to the Web 2.0 conference that took place this week in Sydney. Read it. He articulates well the frustration felt by many who have made the shift and are trying to convince others of the need for change. We can’t give up -we need to be the evangelists leading the flock!! [...]

By: dskmag

dskmag — Sun, 11 May 2008 06:50:03 +0000

Grace, I am happy to share anything I’ve posted or made. I’m still amazed that people read it most of the time. Yes, policy should be in place, but as Westley suggested … the most powerful pressure comes from not teachers or kids, but parents – they vote. I can’t encourage teachers enough to try and engage parents in what is, global advocacy for change. I still laugh at the images of the 2020 Summit where a few invited ‘names’ were outside Parliament House with butchers paper sticking it to window. Where was the back channel? the community discourse? It sums up how dis-connected governments are with teachers and students. 2020 should simply have been an unconference with Usteam to me, but then again Australia doesn’t have the bandwidth for that … another political hot potato. Perhaps they think we’ll give up and get the chalk back out? Bah, don’t hold your breath on that one.

By: Dean Groom

Dean Groom — Sun, 11 May 2008 06:04:15 +0000

Well I hooked up with Jeff in Montana today, who introduced me to gtalk – he’s just decided to start some Web2.0 activities in his class, so technically, I’ll be in Montana tommorrow. One passing conversation in SL and my network grew. Hes got some great ideas, started a Wiki, so I figure I can’t but try to help if I can. I’ve always had a thing for Montana, don’t know why. But it just goes to show how far you can reach with a PNL without leaving your living room.

By: Grace Kat

Grace Kat — Sun, 11 May 2008 02:16:04 +0000

Hi Dean, I’ll be expected to give a TPL to the staff at my school on the Why2 of Web2.0 conference I attended and was wondering if I could show the staff this blog post as you make very good points.

Teachers aren’t aware that this shift and dialog is occurring online, even those that like spending time on the net for their students’ benefit.

I found out about the oz-teachers mailing list by a new staff member and through the list found out about twitter in January’08 where my awareness of the global connections being made began.

It seems teacher-awareness of this shift is occurring by word of mouth only by interested teachers and other educators. Shouldn’t the department be spreading this news?

Good luck with your presentation on Monday Jenny! Will it be u-streamed?

Thanks for this post Dean, it is much-needed!
Grace.

By: SoulCradler

SoulCradler — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:56:09 +0000

Hi Dean,

I don’t ’star’ many items in my reader, but this post deserves 5 of them. Well said. As Jenny said, we need to be the change.
Cheers, Nirvana