Knitter Chats | Main / BeEngaged

October 07, 2012, at 08:54 AM EST by 108.65.57.31 -

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I've found this type of learning experience to be a valuable for the teacher as it might be for the learners. - dfw

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I've found this type of learning experience to be as valuable for the teacher as it might be for the learners. - dfw

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Yes! But as I said more than once, it's a great use of communication! I think that another way of characterizing 21st education is to say that it's about conversation. With tech, we can having conversation on multiple levels and in multiple directions. - dfw

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Yes! But as I said more than once, it's a great use of communication! I think that another way of characterizing 21st education is to say that it's about conversation. With tech, we can have conversations on multiple levels and in multiple directions. - dfw

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A lot of people use Twitter in this very way. Simply come up with a unique hashtag for your school and tag comments to the tag, and you all get it, if you all have an ongoing search for the tag. - dfw

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A lot of people use Twitter in this very way. Simply come up with a unique hashtag for your school and tag comments thusly, and you all get it, if you all have an ongoing search for the tag. - dfw

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I know a principal who has teacher contribute to a Google Doc during faculty meeting collaboratively creating meeting notes. - dfw

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I know a principal who has teachers contribute to a Google Doc during faculty meetings, collaboratively creating meeting notes. - dfw

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An interesting question, especially considering those who feel that brick-&-mortar schools are obsolete. I don't happen to agree with that image. - dfw

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An interesting question, especially considering those who feel that brick-&-mortar schools are obsolete. I don't happen to agree with that view. - dfw

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It's one of the things that irks me, that when I attend conferences and other discussion about education, that it all seems to be about improving teaching -- when we should be talking about improving learning. That why we need to join the learners. - dfw

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It helps of your younger than 35. I can write and listen at the same time -- but I can't read and listen. Our kids seem to be better at shift-tasking than I am. - dfw

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It helps if you're younger than 35. I can write and listen at the same time -- but I can't read and listen. Our kids seem to be better at shift-tasking than I am. - dfw

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Someone asked about the digital divide during the parent session the night before, and I think you've hit the nail. Now it has less to do with socio-economy than it does with postal code. It's a huge problem in the U.S. that the telcos have seen fit to provide bandwidth where its in the interest of profit margin. - dfw

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Someone asked about the digital divide during the parent session the night before, and I think you've hit the nail. Now it has less to do with socio-economy than it does with postal code. It's a huge problem in the U.S. that the telcos have seen fit to provide bandwidth where its in the interest of profit margin, leaving the rest disconnect and increasingly disenfrangised. - dfw

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I really enjoyed our conversation at lunch. Part of my wishes I was your age and just starting out with the revolution. The rest of my is just too tired ;-) - dfw

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I really enjoyed our conversation at lunch, Ryann. Part of me wishes I was your age and just starting out with the revolution. The rest of me is just too tired ;-) - dfw

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It's not just about making video games. It's main intent is to introduce children to computer programming in a way that resembles a playground or studio more than a grammar class. It's learning by empowering the learner to do something great. It's also a far more authentic way to learn math, because it causes the learner to think like a mathematician. I told Ryan at lunch that after my first afternoon of teaching myself to program computers, I got on my knees and thanked every Algebra teacher I'd ever had. But the difference was that rather than learning Algebra, I was using algebra to make the numbers behave in a certain way to make the computer do what I wanted it to.

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And isn't that the way that we learn after school, when the teachers and textbooks are gone. We learn by what works and what doesn't. It's authentic learning, and extremely effective. - dfw

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And isn't that the way that we learn after school, when the teachers and textbooks are gone. We learn from "what works" and "what doesn't." It's authentic learning, and extremely effective, pedagogically. - dfw

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I think you're right. But sometimes I think back to my years in school when some homes had encyclopedias and others didn't. I suspect that more homes have Internet today, than had encyclopedias then. At the same time, we could get away with less educated graduates when there are plenty of less-skilled labor needed. - dfw

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I think you're right. But sometimes I think back to my years in school when some families had encyclopedias and others didn't. I suspect that more homes have Internet today, than had encyclopedias then. At the same time, we could get away with less educated graduates when there were plenty of low-skilled jobs available. - dfw

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It's a great way to help them develop their language skills, because they're writing to each other. There are a lot of 1st and 2nd grade classes using my Classblogmeister tool. Also, you can have them write it on paper, scan the page, and post it as an image. - dfw

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It's a great way to help them develop their language skills, because they're writing to each other. There are a lot of 1st and 2nd grade classes using my Class Blogmeister tool. Also, you can have them write it on paper, scan the page, and post it as an image. - dfw

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I wouldn't discourage this, but dictation is a unique skill. I can't do it. I've tried. When I had a podcast, I found that I had to write the script and then read it into the microphone. But do try it. You may make it work for you. - dfw

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I wouldn't discourage this, but dictation is a unique skill. I can't do it. I've tried. When I had a podcast, I found that I had to write the script and then read it into the microphone. But do try it. You may make it work for you.

One idea that I suggested to parents the night before was that we shouldn't be looking for standard (corporate) solutions for classrooms, that we should be empowering teachers to find or invent their own, that work for them, their curriculum and their learners. - dfw

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Hummm! Is it possible that students who blog develop writing skills? It's certainly improved my writing. I think that one mistake that many of us make is expecting perfection. A teach I know, who's won international awards from how her students blog in the classroom, says that she doesn't correct her writers mistakes before posting the articles. She waits until they discover that readers are misunderstanding what they're trying to say, and then she points out the problems. Kids want to communicate, and when they have opportunities to communicate, then writing becomes a working skill, not just an academic skill. - dfw

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Hummm! Is it possible that students who blog develop writing skills? Blogging has certainly improved my writing. I think that one mistake many of us make is expecting perfection. As I said in the keynote, kids like to write to be read, not write to be measured.

A teacher I know, who's won international awards for how her students blog in the classroom, says that she doesn't correct her writers mistakes before posting the articles. She waits until they discover that readers are misunderstanding what they're trying to say, and then she helps them find the problems. Kids want to communicate, and when they have opportunities to communicate, writing becomes a working skill, not just an academic skill. - dfw

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No! I think we should continue to teach spelling and grammar, but, because of spell and grammar checking, we shouldn't worry so much over students who don't master it. I have to wonder how many great thinkers and writers were lousy at spelling and grammar while in school. - dfw

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No! I think we should continue to teach spelling and grammar, but, because of spell- and grammar-checking, we shouldn't worry so much over students who don't master it. I have to wonder how many great thinkers and writers were lousy at spelling and grammar while in school. - dfw

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Yes! But here's another question(s) for you. What does "engaged" mean? How do you measure engagement? How do you determine its effectiveness? - dfw

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Yes! But here's another question(s) for you. What does "engaged" mean? What does it look like? How do you measure engagement? How do you determine its effectiveness? - dfw

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I shared with Ryan some classes in North Carolina and New York who have developed a World of Warcraft curriculum for high school class. In North Carolina, its a class for at risk students that's part of the English department. - dfw

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I shared with Ryan some classes in North Carolina and New York who have developed a World of Warcraft curriculum for high school class. In North Carolina, its a class for at-risk students that's part of the English department. - dfw

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Standardized high-stakes tests are damaging education and our children. It's an industrial age solution to an information age problem. - dfw

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High-stakes standardized tests are damaging education and our children. It's an industrial age solution to an information age problem. - dfw

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Thanks for a great backchannel. - dfw

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Thanks for a great backchannel. - dfw

October 07, 2012, at 08:05 AM EST by 108.65.57.31 -

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# Is responsive

# Provokes conversation

# Is fueled by questions

# Inspire personal investment

# Is rewarded with currency

# Is guided by safely-made mistakes - dfw

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Is responsive
Provokes conversation
Is fueled by questions
Inspire personal investment
Is rewarded with currency
Is guided by safely-made mistakes - dfw

October 07, 2012, at 08:04 AM EST by 108.65.57.31 -

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It's one of the ironies today, that we complain about how kids will believe anything they read, when that's what we teach them. We work to provide only the most authoritative information so that they don't have to question it. I think there is a need for textbooks (digital & networked) but it shouldn't be to isolate them from questionable information. - dfw

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A lot, but nothing close to a majority. Actually I suspect that many are, but for personal reasons. They haven't taken the leap to using it for casual professional development. It's not an intuitive leap. - dfw

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It's a cool concept, but one of those things that's easy to misunderstand and simplify, and become one of those mantras of professionalism that end out not getting us very far. Sorry to sound so skeptical, because I think there's a lot of potential to understand how games work and using that understanding to hack education. - dfw

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It helps of your younger than 35. I can write and listen at the same time -- but I can't read and listen. Our kids seem to be better at shift-tasking than I am. - dfw

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Yep! A lot to process. But there's not a deadline. - dfw

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Not sure what you mean by "codified." - dfw

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Someone asked about the digital divide during the parent session the night before, and I think you've hit the nail. Now it has less to do with socio-economy than it does with postal code. It's a huge problem in the U.S. that the telcos have seen fit to provide bandwidth where its in the interest of profit margin. - dfw

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Hmmm! In a way, I think it's the learners job to make it compelling. It's why I'm paying so much attention to the qualities of their more compelling outside-the-classroom experiences. - dfw

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I really enjoyed our conversation at lunch. Part of my wishes I was your age and just starting out with the revolution. The rest of my is just too tired ;-) - dfw

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It's not just about making video games. It's main intent is to introduce children to computer programming in a way that resembles a playground or studio more than a grammar class. It's learning by empowering the learner to do something great. It's also a far more authentic way to learn math, because it causes the learner to think like a mathematician. I told Ryan at lunch that after my first afternoon of teaching myself to program computers, I got on my knees and thanked every Algebra teacher I'd ever had. But the difference was that rather than learning Algebra, I was using algebra to make the numbers behave in a certain way to make the computer do what I wanted it to.

Ryan is also doing some interesting things with Scratch in that students are creating things that are relevant to their english, science, and social studies classes. - dfw

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And isn't that the way that we learn after school, when the teachers and textbooks are gone. We learn by what works and what doesn't. It's authentic learning, and extremely effective. - dfw

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That's a good question. Sometimes I feel like assessment and accountability have gotten confused with each other. - dfw

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How's that going? - dfw

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I think you're right. But sometimes I think back to my years in school when some homes had encyclopedias and others didn't. I suspect that more homes have Internet today, than had encyclopedias then. At the same time, we could get away with less educated graduates when there are plenty of less-skilled labor needed. - dfw

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It's a great way to help them develop their language skills, because they're writing to each other. There are a lot of 1st and 2nd grade classes using my Classblogmeister tool. Also, you can have them write it on paper, scan the page, and post it as an image. - dfw

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Podcasting! - dfw

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I wouldn't discourage this, but dictation is a unique skill. I can't do it. I've tried. When I had a podcast, I found that I had to write the script and then read it into the microphone. But do try it. You may make it work for you. - dfw

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Tisk Tisk! - dfw

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Hummm! Is it possible that students who blog develop writing skills? It's certainly improved my writing. I think that one mistake that many of us make is expecting perfection. A teach I know, who's won international awards from how her students blog in the classroom, says that she doesn't correct her writers mistakes before posting the articles. She waits until they discover that readers are misunderstanding what they're trying to say, and then she points out the problems. Kids want to communicate, and when they have opportunities to communicate, then writing becomes a working skill, not just an academic skill. - dfw

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No! I think we should continue to teach spelling and grammar, but, because of spell and grammar checking, we shouldn't worry so much over students who don't master it. I have to wonder how many great thinkers and writers were lousy at spelling and grammar while in school. - dfw

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Cool! - dfw

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Yes! But here's another question(s) for you. What does "engaged" mean? How do you measure engagement? How do you determine its effectiveness? - dfw

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I shared with Ryan some classes in North Carolina and New York who have developed a World of Warcraft curriculum for high school class. In North Carolina, its a class for at risk students that's part of the English department. - dfw

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..because getting it wrong labels them as failures. We should celebrate wrong answers, invite them, because they drive the learning dialog. - dfw

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The Complete list goes like this. The "digital native" learning experience

# Is responsive

# Provokes conversation

# Is fueled by questions

# Inspire personal investment

# Is rewarded with currency

# Is guided by safely-made mistakes - dfw

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I was add "sharing" and "feedback." I know a school in Seattle that practices what they call "performance culture." Kids write papers and such, but they do a lot of presentations, and all presentations are critiqued by the class. - dfw

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That's an interesting question. I would suspect that it isn't an issue, because part of being literate is not consuming it all, but finding the information that works, that helps you accomplish your goal, and then using it. When you go to buffets, no matter how large they are, you just get what you can put on your plate. - dfw

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Standardized high-stakes tests are damaging education and our children. It's an industrial age solution to an information age problem. - dfw

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5 Oct 2012 - 17:37:01

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5 Oct 2012 - 17:37:01

Thanks for a great backchannel. - dfw

October 06, 2012, at 04:40 PM EST by 74.95.210.210 -

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Wow! - dfw

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Yes! But as I said more than once, it's a great use of communication! I think that another way of characterizing 21st education is to say that it's about conversation. With tech, we can having conversation on multiple levels and in multiple directions. - dfw

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As do I. Wonder if they have an App ;-) - dfw

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A lot of people use Twitter in this very way. Simply come up with a unique hashtag for your school and tag comments to the tag, and you all get it, if you all have an ongoing search for the tag. - dfw

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I know a principal who has teacher contribute to a Google Doc during faculty meeting collaboratively creating meeting notes. - dfw

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An interesting question, especially considering those who feel that brick-&-mortar schools are obsolete. I don't happen to agree with that image. - dfw

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Yes! But one of the greatest barriers, I think, to student participation, is that many students don't contribute until they have something they're confident with, and for many of US, that doesn't come quickly. On line discussions and blog commenting help solve this, as the contributor has time to compose what they want to say. Plus, I've had teachers/professors say that their students do better on essay style exams when they're accustomed to using discussion boards, apparently because they are accustomed to processing and composing their thoughts. - dfw

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It's a good question, and I don't think there is a single answer. It depends on the school, community, location, etc. It's going to take, above all else, imagination -- which has been in short supply in the education reform movement -- in my humble opinion. But I shouldn't be so snarky... - dfw

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Yes Yes Yes. I'd add that it requires choice, flexibility, and an entirely new way of assessing learning and judging accountability. - dfw

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It's one of the things that irks me, that when I attend conferences and other discussion about education, that it all seems to be about improving teaching -- when we should be talking about improving learning. That why we need to join the learners. - dfw

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Yes! 'cause school ends and learning doesn't. I believe that there was once a sense that school was intended to prepare children for the rest of their lives. My Dad worked the same job for 30 years. Who does that any more. I once heard a state school board member say that the purpose of college is to prepare us for our first job. - dfw

October 06, 2012, at 04:22 PM EST by 74.95.210.210 -

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This is my all time favorite "Teachers Rock" video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU - dfw

October 06, 2012, at 04:20 PM EST by 74.95.210.210 -

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'' Knitterchat is a personal experiment and in constant beta. I recommend the following free tools for your consideration: