No Teacher Left Behind!

This is a poster for the ‘connected’ teacher. While many talk about ’students being left behind’, or ‘preparing kids for the 21st Century’ etc., Then why not a poster to reflect the thousands of teachers who are totally insane and working towards a shift in education – that even governments and institutions recognise as vital (they just don’t want to pay all the direct costs for it).

Personal Costs for teachers

Teachers in my view need to at least have their home internet use funded in some way. Many teachers are having to buy their own laptop or use their home desktop, most I know have to share a desktop computer at home – and bandwidth with family members.

Australia’s personal tax laws don’t help. Writing off hardware over 3 years is dumb. Why should a teacher be treated the same as a business – who are using the computer for far more lucrative purposes. Teachers should be first in line to get a Rudd laptop in my view – then at least its one less cost for them to bear while they are learning how to use it to better effect.

Instead we see this recently from the Teachers Federation.

“Although teachers in many public schools in NSW spent many hours preparing their school’s applications, significant issues relating to infrastructure and support need to be addressed by the NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) before the Federal Government’s “Digital Revolution” arrives in public school.

As a consequence of this, unlike private schools in the first round, no DET school is likely to see any computers under the program before the 2009 school year.”

I prepared my schools application – no one paid me to do it, and I am not alone in yet another ‘cost’ that is avoided by government.

If we want to get more teacher engaged in reading, learning and participating in the exponential growth in the use of social networks as professional development vectors, then there is a significant cost to those teachers – in addition to their normal workload.

This is a personal, not school or government burden. They do it at home – and may are awake at ridiculous hours to do it – because they see the benefits for the kids – not just talk about them.

This cost needs to be recognised, these people need to be recognised! – with more than a pat on the back.

I suggest that teachers keep a record of this (personal) time. Post it somewhere, so you can remember all the hours you put in. Make sure you value the time, even if ‘they’ don’t. Make consious decisions NOT to help – if that will incur a higher personal cost that you can afford.

Technology is pushing the boundaries of teaching and learning. Judy commented that bloggers should be joining professional bodies to lobby for change. I think she’s right.

I’m not sure how I’d articulate the poster’s message – but old habits die hard.

Learning about teaching in Second Life

Jass Easterman aka Sue Gregory from the University of New England talking about her role in working with a range of students. They were learning how to use Second Life in their future professional teaching career. This is a story of what Sue was doing. The audio is a feed out of the conference, so at time’s shes answering comments and questions in the back channel. I found it facinating to hear some of experience.

Recorded at the 2008 Jokaydia Unconference. Here’s the link to the Sue Gregory Podcast.

Unconference Day#1

Peggy was talking about Ramapo Islands. Not the usual stuff, but sharing a lot about how she sold the idea into administrators, how she has been strategically designing the islands to suit the needs of her learners and some of the projects and outcomes that she has been running.

A fantastic, in depth look at innovation in education.

Jo, Konrad and Al, were touring Newbies around the gardens, and it was great to hear so many new people asking questions and sharing ideas on how they can use virtual worlds in their classrooms.

Chris (aka Gnu) and Jeff did a really engaging session on Microblogging.

Jeff’s off the cuff story telling of his own journey into developing and participating in a personal learning network was a really powerful message. Jeff (aka teacherman79 or Henny) used lots of examples of just how he’s been using it for his personal development as well as digital story telling in his classroom.

He talked about collecting a bunch of old PCs today that we’re being thrown out, so he can use them in his classroom, and shared how he had to take the truck and his dog up there to get them, then his dog chewed through its leash. He used his phone to shoot pictures and upload the event to a microblog – so when the kids get the computers, they’ll get the story of what he did to get them. He said that kids are such visual learners, that he’s trying to capture as much of ‘life’ as he can and then use that for further discussion in the classroom.

He also talked about how Montana is isolated, and how he now feels connected like never before in a personal learning network. Its amazing to think how a passing conversation in a virtual world can lead people to make such powerful and ever changing connections with their learning.

I loved that his story was about TODAY – and so relevant to what he is doing TOMORROW.

That’s the difference I think that many in the Jokadia community offer – far less engaged in ‘gazing at the why’ – which seems to me in perpetual orbit in some online sessions – and more about conversational learning that happens right now. I learned a lot today from Peggy, Jeff, Chris and Leigh Blackall … and it was great to see Sue Waters and Judy O’Connell – whom are a constant source of inspiration.

I’m really looking forward to working with Jo and Konrad in the near future … who needs walls?

Jokaydia Unconference THIS WEEKEND

The Jokaydia Unconference is on this weekend in Second Life. This will be MASSIVE. Jokaydia has become a huge personal learning network, and this weekend there are a huge amount of things happening – and some great people sharing stories of things that are happening in classrooms – not just talking up the need to change – but people who can show you change.

I say this as recently I’ve been to SL events that really are not much more than fireside stories. For some reason I put my hand up for Quest Atlantis If you’ve been thinking about ‘what is SL all about in regard to Education’ then this is the BEST thing you can start with. Check the website for sessions and times!

Another dilemma!

Assessment. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the verb ‘assess’ means to ‘evaluate or estimate’. It goes on to define self-assessment as ‘assessment of oneself or one’s performance in relation to an objective standard’.

In a collaborative assessment task, most teachers and students know that the work of each individual will not be equal. To compensate for that we add some ‘individual’ task. This strategy seems to be in response to ability of some students to do little, knowing others will do the work for them.

Why do hard working students accept this and what can teachers do to combat it?

Perhaps both the teacher and the student is caught in the ‘prisoners dilemma’ scenario, both in different concentric circles. One in the classroom, one in the school system.

The prisoners dilemma is described as the following according to Wikipedia.

“Two suspects are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal. If one testifies (“defects”) for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence. Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent. Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation. How should the prisoners act?”

Some students are used to facing this dilemma in assessment. They simply accept that they will have to allow other students to not participate, and to do the work regardless. Often they will receive good marks, despite their peers.

However at the same time, they do not gain the experience or rewards of shared-experience and shared-learning. They have closed the doors to negotiated participation. It is simply easier to do it alone. This is a learned condition that is reflected in online collaborative discourses.

These students usually offer little reflection about the input of others or how others have influenced their initial thinking on some topic. They may describe the collaboration as a basic recount, but doesn’t demonstrate any engagement with their peers.

Their writing reflects on the events and instructions – rarely on the achievements of group interaction.

At the same time, their peers will write about what the group is doing, how it is hopeful  of achieving the project goals – but rarely describes how that is being achieved or evidences any artifact to support that they are working as individuals towards the group goal.

Their writing is polarized. One talks about the ‘task’ and evidences their individual learning and ignores the others. The other is passive and observes and narrates the actions of the others.

Work is shared – at the end of the assessment period with their peers. It’s a group assignment, so they need to fulfill the bargain. But neither work effectively as a group during the process.

The Student Dilemma

Working online highlights this dilemma – when projects are designed specifically to resolve this core problem in pedagogical approaches to ‘group work’.

The ‘marks’ from the assessment may more accurately reflect effort, participation, communication and collaboration.

Content in these assessments is the ‘glue’ binds the project.

Evidence so far that I’ve seen, feedback from students and teachers, points to improvements – but only among active participants – this applies to students and teacher participation.

This is in performance in comprehension, application and retention of content – The majority of students, especially those in the ‘middle order’ have a much greater ‘scaffold’ to use as a framework for learning and visibly benefit from being part of it – so participate at levels not seen in the traditional classroom.

Unfortunately, the passive student often scores badly in summative assessment. They simply did not participate in the formative activities.

Previously they might score well in group projects, riding on the coat tails of others, but now the body of ‘digital’ evidence in formative assessment, I think, is less of an ‘estimation’ of performance and more of an ‘evaluation’.

The School Dilemma

But this poses a curriculum and school dilemma – especially if you introduce group tasks specifically designed to solve the student dilemma.

Some students will ‘appear’ to be doing worse – as their grades are perhaps more reflective of their performance. I would suggest that they are doing as they have always been doing – but online approaches are removing ‘estimation’ form assessment. Teacher has massively more ‘evidence’ of learning to use.

In senior students, this will mean that un-reformed curriculum ‘tasks’ may appear to achieve ‘better’ grades as the assessment is far more open to being an ‘estimate’ than a reflections of the individual.

Online communities use ‘time and date’ as their point of reference, so despite a teacher arguing that this strategy provides insightful formative ‘always on’ assessment opportunities for teachers, and supporting peer-learning networks for students – the school is ultimately measured by summative A to E reporting.

No one will do ‘too’ badly in this model. We have to create mixed ability groups, to ensure equity. Some of these students have relied (or willing to gamble) on this to bolster individual assessment grades. Overall – it will pan out in their favour.

Playing the ‘prisoners dilemma’ game that no matter what the other player does, one player will always gain a greater payoff by playing defect.

The systemic dilemma

So on paper, the introduction of assessment tasks that use online technologies, as form of formative assessment may lead to overall ‘school’ grades appearing to dip – as students learn to adjust to the changes.

Are we willing to accept this ‘dip’?

Reform in assessment needs to happen holistically and teachers begin to truly understand how fluent technology use can change learning and assessment. It may be something we would like to work towards, but I wonder if this ’shift’ in learning and assessment poses questions for the curriculum and the wider system that they are not ready to answer – yet

Does judging school performance by summative assessment hold back collaborative online learners?

Beyond Content

This is a Voice Thread that I’d like to share as an example of effective collaboration – and authentic learning in a year 10 Commerce project called ‘Not Good Enough‘.

The project was designed from an information architetecture perspective to achieve some outcomes that are over and above those dictated by the syllabus requirements. There was a lot of consultation and planning for this with the teachers. It required preparation of the ‘entry document’ and some initial professional development to explain the strategic goals embeded in the project to promote the following.

1. To provide an online discourse community to assist individual learners in a collaborative task
2. To promote reflective writing as a literacy requirement
3. To ‘google proof’ the collection of information – turning ’seek’ activities into higher order – justified knowledge in a given context
4. To include 3 elements of digital story telling – Diigo, Creative Commons Licensed images (Flickr) and Voice Thread
5. To expose students to ‘audience’ – and in that regard – the appropriate use of sourced information and images
6. To ensure that all members of a ‘group’ play an equitable role in the over all task
7. To generate peer discussion and teacher to student discussion
8. To evaluate student ability to use online collaborative tools in a non-ICT based setting

This to me is a critical factor in using online activities. Just ‘going online’ with Ning or anything else has to have a deeper teaching and learning agenda – and one which can be evaluated within known terms of reference. That is the only way that we can show others of the classroom benefits to reforming curriculum, pedagogy and daily classroom practices. This is what school principals need to know how to put into practice if they want to take 21st century learning beyond a few isolated classrooms being run by passionate teachers (who are usually advocated and early adopters). ISTE recently suggested that this is less than 5% of teachers.

Modelling Reform

So this was an interesting ‘test’ of the professional development model that I’ve been working on with a number of teachers. My aim is to install a workable framework in several classrooms, in which the use of a discourse community (web2.0) tool is used with three digitial story telling tools. The rubrics for the management and formative assessment is central to the overall development of this model in collaborative (not just Project Based Learning). The teachers are not ‘technophiles’ and the majority of students in this cohort are not studing any form of ICT. Its much easier to do this stuff in classrooms where ICT use is a ‘norm’ but in this cohort, they are based in traditional, low-tech, envrionments.

What is interesting, and happening in all the projects that I’ve been able to model with teachers – is that one of the first topics of student lead discussion – is the nature of the project itself.

Students on learning

Students talk in their evaluations of the project using interesting language. In the one above, he talks about being ‘committed towards learning again’, as if he’s become disconnected. He then talks about ‘research’ being boring – I think he is talking about ’seek and find’ activities – teacher writes up a question, the student Googles it. That is something I’ve been having numerous conversations with students about recently. “What ICT use looks like in the ‘general classroom’”.

I liked the phrase ‘I find it interesting that even teachers are … and giving advice’ – as if this is something that doesn’t happen in their learning normally.

It gives me a lot to think about, as they are talking more about the nature of learning, normal activities and engagement – than they are about the mechanical requirements of the assessment task.

I’ve been keeping a list of final works, so that I’m sharing an wide range of works and not showcasing.

Beyond Content

This example illustrates how creativity and mutli-literacies can be demonstrated by the student. These are ideas come through collaboration, negotiation and leadership . These are skills that are well outside the summative assessment requirements in the original brief. The students have maximised the use of Voice Thread’s collaborative nature. Multiple accounts to create multiple info-bites. This student took on the role of project co-ordinator and used the reflective writing process to give clear indications of his, and his groups progress. These can be referenced by time and date to his collaborators work. In their work, I see this students influences as a writer.

Judy O’Connell has talked to me about the importance of information fluency again and again. I think that this example is an illustration of that – and highlights the importance of effective Librarians in assiting students come to terms with multi-modal digital literacies.

The students have thought about the audience and the media. They have got a female voice to dialog some of the issues in the case study of a female motorist. This requires creative thinking and planning if you are in a boys school. The images that have been selected add to the narrative, which in turn contains some additional language that cant come from Google – “the independance of young people” – which is a key motivator in getting your first car. The students are talking from an authentic perspective, and using language to create a connection with their audience.

My concern is that the pressure to ‘mark’ work against far more simplistic criteria misses many opportunities to explore, discuss and reform the way we undertake summative assessment. Right now, I’ve been working on formative, to model ways to support learners and give them a real sense of where they are and where they need to go. It is so important to me, that we take the time to not only create projects that promote ‘creative solutions’ in engaging ways but also to ensure that students are celebrated in their work, when it includes a depth of thinking that cannot be summed up in a ‘rubric’. Online learning with online tools requires us to re-think summative assessment – or at least find ways to give students critical praise as creative individuals. That is something to work on I guess.

MCEETYA – One

Whilst many Australian Educational Bloggers are discussing what is a ‘global’ conversation about how technology changes learning, Rodger Stack, Tasmanian Educator has started a discussion which so far has appeared low on the Aussie radar.

MCEETYA are seeking input on the new National Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians for the next decade. This input is on a draft document – which will become something significant in education.

Rudd is busy with the ‘Education Revolution’ – and the visible discourse surrounds school getting laptops. Of course there were a raft of pre-election promises all aimed at highlighting how Rudd will be the architect of the digitalisation of learning and creating a 21st Century workforce.

What has transpired into ‘action’ is the exchange of information and promises from schools (including a mandatory photo with your friendly neighbourhood MP) – for laptops. Application for these is via a very prescribed audit, strategic plan and documented ‘intent’ – the rubric for ’success’ – ie getting laptops – is designed and implemented by MCEETYA.

I am not sure that schools are aware of the highly political capital that this ‘information’ will produce. It requires schools to make predictions about staff development, use of computers, reform in curriculum, global citizenship and core levels of digital literacy that schools will develop. Such a document is highly speculative at best – as MCEETYA and Rudd are this far making no assurances or commitment to much of anything above handing out laptops. Add to this, the various additional caveats placed on this ‘laptop grab’ by the Catholic, DET and Independent School senior management – who have their own strategic plans.

For the classroom teachers – this wave is fast becoming a digital tsunami. But no one’s raised the alarm yet – so we can’t be surprised if it washes over teachers and students and causes untold chaos.

The laptops – well that in itself makes massive assumptions. Are they the best thing to use? – how do teachers use them? – how do they change classroom learning? Why are year 7 and 8 not counted as important? …I could go on … I will … and that is before we get into the cost of electricity to run them, infrastructure to connect them reliably around the school and in turn onto the internet … again another discourse with numerous implications – based assumptions.

Learning online is different – as schools and Universities continue to see the importance of creative, effective and well managed Learning Management Systems – this is a layer of learning that requires a high level of experienced ‘information architects’ to deliver and manage them. This would be in response to many of the MCEETYA draft aims – and indeed I see Universities as being key learning models in road mapping this – but to then ask schools to do it – without funding, support and massive reform is unworkable.

• have the essential skills in literacy and numeracy as a foundation for success in all learning areas
• are creative and resourceful and are able to think critically, analyse information and solve problems
• are able to learn and plan activities independently, collaborate and communicate ideas
• are motivated to reach their full potential
• have the capacity to make sense of their world and think about how things became the way they are
• are on a pathway towards further education, training or employment, and acquire the skills that support this, including an appetite for life-long learning

This is an admirable list of aims, and certainly relevant to tertiary educational institutions – but in secondary education – it is a co-morbid problem to achieve them. Syllabus reform is needed. For example: The Information Processing Technology Syllabus is so irrelevant – it’s core assumption is how data becomes information in a prescribed model that is now outdated. Curriculum reform also is needed.

Many whom impliment the curriculum have little exposure to the global conversation or changing abilities, needs and intrinstic motivators to students. You can hear that in my last podcast where students talk of ICT classes being in a very narrow manner at the teacher level. Then we have professional development strategies, management and pay structures … the issue balloons out rapidly.

We need massive educational reform to work to towards these aims.

We might as well set an aim of the law and order to focus on the development of ‘light saber’ technology and start to seek out and train the numerous people from the electoral role that cite their religion as Jedi – to create an Uber Police Force. It is just as fanciful.

Laptops will achieve non of this. Politicians cannot force it to happen either. It will take decades to achieve the above ‘draft’ ideals – even if Universities started to realise that they need to actually train and deliver ‘digitally enabled teachers’.

Now that we are seeing ‘government’ document and policy – what has previously been advocacy and an internal professional movement to ’shift’ as people say – is now a political one – to which schools and teachers will be accountable. Even more concerning are the other Rudd rhetoric discourses – such as paying teachers on performance. How does this mesh with MCEETYA guidelines, or rather ‘terms of reference’.

Call me suspicious – but I see a day not too far out – where the government attempts to link the ‘laptops we gave you’ to teacher performance.

This document has so many implications for teaching, learning, students and the country – but it seems almost invisible. Rodger commented to me – that he can’t find any discussion about it – so he started one – so now make that two.

Why do we need to talk about it? - Read Sue Tapps post about her school – where they are charging students to access the internet – how does that stack up with the above aims? Sue Waters has also been talking about just how bizarre this policy really is in todays classroom.

Learning with an audience

Joe Dale, what did you do? – I finally plugged the mic into the iPod and went in search of getting some verbal feedback from 9th grade students who have just completed Green Up. This is, believe it or not, the first time I’ve attemped to make a ‘podcast’, but I hope that the boy’s comments will be of interest.

I asked the boys about how using a large scale, inter-class social network affected their learning, what they did in ICT before being in the Web2.0 Classroom and they happily talked about a range of things. Interestingly, I watching a short part of Jeff Utech’s feed from China today. I’m not sure who was speaking … but some of the questions being raised and discusses in that room – are what these boys are talking about.

30 minutes long and made with Garage Band. I think its a good reflection on the design of the last project, and certainly impressed me in how well they understand what is happening in the classroom. I am sure I was not this savvy in 9th grade.

Google Proofing for Freeloaders

Designing projects that include ‘public’ formative assessment using Ning continues to ‘out’ some real issues that students face. I maintain that the design of many ICT based ‘group’ projects is too linear. The task is issued, then at some point 2/3 weeks later it is collected. The summative ‘end product’.

What I’ve had a lot of success in doing – is re-inventing methods of formative assessment with technology, which justifies and supports (or not) the summative end product. Here is a recent ‘post’ from a student surrounding this idea.

Students are usually silent about the ‘freeloaders’ in group work during linear ICT based project.

The freeloader knows they have to do almost nothing in a group task. They are betting that the can lean on someone for the answers, or ideally be paired with people who do actually work. They know that someone else will do it, as they want to get the marks despite the freeloaders lack of effort.

The code of student silence surrounding this issue prevents effective action to prevent it all too often.

The next category of offenders are the last minute Googlers – skimming off information and placing in into the paper as their own work. I don’t believe too many teachers have the time to re-type printed papers into Google to track down the plagiarism – even though they suspect it.

Digital formative and summative assessment can be different.

You can easily ‘reverse Google’ any post and show them where it came from. They soon stop doing it.

Students often in a classroom will not ‘expose’ the freeloaders due to peer pressure – or worse. Online however, I’m seeing that students will talk about the issues. They don’t name names – but they do talk about work ethic and the irritation they have with students who are un-motivated in doing anything more than the minimum.

In designing projects for seniors, technology provides leverage to change this dilemma. Consistent effort can be seen though ‘reflective writing’ and talking about content, context and their understanding.

Formative assessment online is far more lasting and permanent than traditional methods such as observation, completing worksheets, text book questions.

It can give the teacher far more understanding of group dynamics than a ‘test’ – which is ultimately a solo summative activity. It can be a strategic and effective intervention in to a massive problem in many schools.

If a student feels they are falling foul of freeloaders, then they can talk about it in an open forum – or they can message the teacher with their concern. The teacher can ’see’ the potential issues, and offer some mediation and reconciliation between in the group.

Project Based Learning has group responsibility in built, so it’s much harder to freeload and indeed students in a short period of time develop some effective mechanisms to deter it. Most of our 9th graders reject ‘Googled’ information outright, as they know that if it is posted, then it will get detected far more easily than ever before.

Designing projects to be ‘Google Proof’ or rather to ensure that Google is used effectively to build knowledge is something that I am seeing and hearing that students want. Working online in this way is far less about ‘being a blogger’ than it is about being able to demonstrate that they are ‘learners’. I get the impression that re-inventing ICT based projects in this way is critical to any classroom cultural change. But when it is introduced, the change happens very quickly.

They question I hear most from principals is ‘How do you implement better ICT use – sustainably to improve outcomes for students’.

That’s they key learning I think most attendees really want to walk away with at conferences right now. All the more critical given the Rudd Government’s 8 rounds of ‘laptop’ handouts, with schools getting hundreds of laptops for 9th-12th graders.

Are they going to do with these things what they did with the beige boxes – or do they want to develop effective, workable solutions to never before seen problems.

It’s a massive challenge for many schools – but there are solutions that can be adopted and modeled via Professional Development. The focus however is not on how many IWBs you have or how much Web2.0 you can add to your Delicious. Its about making teachers ‘want’ the changes that ICT can now offer.

It works. Teachers like it, kids like it – freeloaders and Google Jockeys hate it.

Diigo Update (weekly)

• Multiplication Tables – Flash Player Installation

  tags: multiplication, math, software, game, mathematics

• Integrating ICT into the MFL classroom:: Record and Edit Skype calls from a USB stick

  tags: skype, usb, podcast, joe, dale

• FancyGens – Free MySpace Generators, Backgrounds, Codes, Games and Graphics.

  tags: widgets

• Dropbox – Download Dropbox – Secure backup, sync and sharing made easy.

  tags: storage

• Timelines – Create a Timeline and Share – circaVie

  tags: web2.0, visualization, tools, photos, photography, history, timeline, timelines

• Youth Voices

  tags: collaborate, global, project

• Screencast-O-Matic

  tags: screencast, screencasting, software, web2.0, tools

• Online Collaborative Drawing / Brainstorming Tools | Welcome to NCS-Tech!

  tags: jarrett

• NOW Conference

  tags: conference

• Essay – At School, Technology Starts to Turn a Corner – NYTimes.com

  tags: journal

• Voice Candy | Potion Factory

  tags: mac, software, apple, osx, voice

• Brainormous.com

  Multiflyer – really cool multiplation toy/tool

  tags: multiplication, mathematics, math, game, interactive

• Viddler.com – The best way to watch and publish your videos

  tags: web2.0, sharing, youtube, video

Marking vs Participation

In recent weeks, teachers in my school have gone ‘Ning’ crazy. Earlier in the term, I ran some PD sessions for 7th and 8th grade teachers about starting to develop ‘discourse’ communities in thier classes. A handful of teachers came along and developed Ning’s for their class.

Whilst it is great to see kids working online, I’ve noticed that teachers are wondering about ‘marking’ what is going on inside their class groups.

What? I thought. Marking blogs, why?.

Why as in – what does a mark tell you and the student?

In the three projects this term that I’ve been involved in designing – the purpose of the ‘community’ is to develop a conversation that encourages students to discuss the project and their work in the project.

I’ve purposely avoided trying to mark a conversation – or a blog.

There is a danger in appearing as the ‘expert’ in a discourse community (Ning/21Classes). The students revert to the dominant thinking that they can’t add anything to the conversation that the teacher does not already know. So marking their posts is judgmental.

Conversely, not doing anything, but observing causes the students concern. This concern is increased if students see other teachers commenting (if it is a multi-class project). They don’t directly ask ‘hey, whats the issue?’, but the do post comments to the teacher just to touch base, in the hope of sparking an online conversation.

In this case, students seek attention from other teachers – so are pacified to some degree – but it is a missed opportunity for their teacher to start conversations that I’ve found simply don’t happen in the ‘classroom’. Some students simply do not form strong face to face relationships with teachers in class – but do in a discourse community online.

After talking to some teachers, there is a clear line of thought which surrounds the idea of ‘marking’. What do they do/say/give students, so that they will get a reply that they can/should mark?

The model I’ve offered to teachers is to be participants in the conversation. But to do that effectively, the teachers are drip feeding ideas and thoughts to scaffold the learning. It is a subtle skill – to weave several conversations together to illustrate a ‘consensus’ of group understanding.

It is a conversation, but it has to have a strategy behind it – if you want to be able to informally assess the progress of the students in reaching their goal. There has to be an agreed and understood goal suitable to the grade and ability of the students, ideally that goal should be identified by the student at the outset. Students must talk about their goal, and where they think they are in reaching it during the project – and reflect back on that progress at the end of the project. It has defined, clear stages of development.

I learned this week how important it is to clearly state the expectations of the project from the outset – this way I know that you will know what it is you must achieve within the next four weeks! I learned that it is important to set goals in order to make progress and that combined with strong individual work ethic AND effective group work, you can reach them!

Being a participant in the community to scaffold learning is most effective when it is a conversation between individuals. General ‘drip feeds’ and ‘tips’ can be offered in a forum, and students ’speak’ in forums using a very different tone and language that they do inside their own ‘blog space’ or when ‘talking with teachers’.

If a classroom Ning is started – then the teacher has to be a participant in conversations that lead each student to attain their goals – at the individual level. If a Ning is used as a group exercise book, where the teacher is posing questions or making students respond to ‘content’ – which at some point is ‘marked’ – completely removes the major value-add of using it in teaching and learning.

Participation as a reflective teacher, talking directly with students about thier goals and their work is to me, the paramount activity. At the end of a project, there will be something to ‘mark’. What students are saying is that they get a lot out of working with teachers on this level digital playing field.

While it is great to see students moving to an online publishing environment, the pace at which this happens, may well mean that a hug opportunity is missed. People keep saying it’s not about the tools. But if the ‘community’ writing is not carefully planned and crafted, it is just kids writing online, and given that it’s fun, they kids treat it as a welcome break from the exercise book, but it’s really just replacing it.

It’s critical that teachers undertake suffiencient professional development into what makes a discourse community work and that they participate and reflect (see teacher’s post above) effectively in that community.

It’s not as simple as starting a Ning on a topic with a class. To get the most out of it, and to get students to ‘fall in love with it’ – requires planning, scaffolding and identification of key performance indicators well ahead of ‘launching’ it. It requires skilled participation for the life of the project – and at some point – it must end and have a conclusion.