On Sunday night, I took part in a NextGen Teachers Skypecast with fellow bloggers and Web 2.0 enthusiasts Doug Belshaw (host), Aaron Smith, Kristian Still, Ollie Bray, Leon Cych and Paul Harrington.
Here is a summary of our conversation about how we as teachers are using new technologies to collaborate with each other and our students to enhance teaching and learning in the 21st century classroom. The Skypepcast is divided into three main parts:
Download NextGen_Teachers_Skypecast.mp3
Part 1: What collaborative tools are we using?
- wikis
- blogging and Flashmeeting
- learning with your students
- working from home via a wiki
- pooling expertise from practitioners
- unlocking web 2.0 tools
- using diigo
- Exc-el, Edubuzz and Glow
- podcasting and making links with New Zealand via Skype
- using David Warlick's Class Blogmeister
- asking the LEA to unblock web 2.0 sites
Links
Educational Blogging 101 (Aaron Smith's wiki)
Flashmeeting on blogging and podcasting
Learn 4 Life (Leon Cych's blog)
BTECNationalsinSport (Kristian Still's wiki)
Paul Harrington's school's podcasts
ICT in my classroom (Tom Barratt's blog)
Part 2: How can we involve colleagues in the benefits of Web 2.0 technology?
- post-16 sector considerations and opportunities
- lack of ICT training
- support from local authority
- setting up a travel blog
- the role of the headteacher and dealing with moderation
- government understanding of web 2.0
- Channel 4's In the Wild Conference
- finding practical strategies and embedding
- Dana Boyd congress and DOPA legislation
- getting permission from parents
- running an after school web 2.0 club
- sharing ideas with colleagues
- using iTunes for downloading free resources
- enthusing others and getting colleagues involved
- working with students of different ages
- the difference between 20th and 21st century teaching
- realising that teachers areno longer a font of all knowledge
- letting kids be in charge of the technology and teachers in charge of the pedagogy
- embedding web 2.0 tools into your practice
- buying in to web 2.0 and getting accreditation
- finding an 'ogy' for student led learning
- not letting good practice be undone if the 'web 2.0 teacher' leaves the school
- extending the pockets of expertise
Links
Part 3: What are the best outcomes of using collaborative tools?
- the importance of getting your colleagues on board to create a community
- 75% of KS3 pupils use Bebo at Nodehill
- using Blidgets on associated blogs
- Carisbloggers and the Nodehill bloggers
- department blogs v individual colleague blogs
- Adam Sutcliffe's blogs
- showing teachers practical examples
- Nodehill after school session and showning blogs across the curriculum
- asking the pupils for ideas on how blogging and podcasting can be used across the curriculum
- playing a class a podcast poem from Hillhead Primary School and entering their world
- explaining RSS
- getting recognition and being paid to blog
- setting up learning logs and creating your own website
- encouraging colleagues to upload existing resources to get them 'on the ladder'
- dealing with the introduction of VLEs by 2008
- using wikis to get students to collaborate and support each other
- boys using wikis to share their personal problems
- creating galleries of students' published work for assessment for learning purposes
- using social network sites such as Think.com and Imbee.com
- blogs v wikis
- staff sharing their expertise
- ways of disseminating ideas
- hosting the Skypecast recording and writing minutes for the NextGen Ning forum
- agreeing on future times for Skypecasts
Links
Nodehill after school training
Hillhead Primary School example of a podcasted poem
Lean Green Eco Machine (Richard Peace)
Take the weather with you (Richard Peace)
Here is Paul's view of the Skypecast
Great! Thanks for doing this, Joe. There's some great links in the list above. Hopefully we'll get a Skypecast rather than a Skype Conference up and running next week... :-)
Posted by: Doug Belshaw | 15/05/2007 at 06:43
Hi Joe
I really enjoyed listening to the Skypecast. It's great news that so many NextGen teachers are keen to meet even weekly.
What I'd like to know is if NextGen have an agenda to use this pooled expertise to provide support for the many blog readers of those who contribute to NextGen who may need some help to take forward ideas, and could do so via a VoIP conversation that goes 'back to basics'.
Posted by: David Noble | 15/05/2007 at 22:59
Hi David,
I don't know if the NextGen Ning group have an 'agenda' as such, but I think a back to basics VoIP discussion is an excellent idea.
Interested readers could also make their way across to the Next Gen Teachers Ning forum here and ask a question:
http://nextgen.ning.com/forum
Posted by: Joe Dale | 15/05/2007 at 23:15
Thanks for the feature guys - really appreciate being associated with such a progressive bunch of folks :-)
Peace
DK
Posted by: DK | 17/05/2007 at 19:08
When is the next NextGen Skypecast?
Posted by: Mrs. Durff | 23/05/2007 at 11:27
Hi Mrs Durff,
The next NextGen Skypecast will no doubt be advertised on the NextGen Ning network site or blog.
http://nextgen.ning.com or http://www.nextgenteachers.com
Best wishes
Joe
Posted by: Joe Dale | 28/05/2007 at 10:51