Part of my experience at NECC was serving as a live blogger for the Teacher 2.0 Viewpoint which is part of the Global SchoolNet learning community being launched by SchoolNet. As folks passed by the SchoolNet booth I would interview them in terms of their understanding of the Teacher 2.0 concept; some of the interviews are short podcasts and some are text. I have copied them from my viewpoint blog here for your convenience. The longest podcast is nine min. most are only a minute or two. When listened to together, I think they reveal some interesting patterns of understanding.
Subscribe to the podcasts all available in one place.
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Teacher 2.0 - Being Tech Savvy is a Non-negotiable
Maggie Dean and Diane Hagler are two computer managers in elementary schools in Georgia. They took a few minutes out of their conference to share what they think of when discussing the Teacher 2.0 concept. Here are the highlights of their viewpoint and to hear more click on the podcast.
Teacher 2.0 means: being tech savvy- it isn't an option, it also means being able to use all the research tools on the Internet and then being able to show students how to use them. These teachers will need to know everything from PDAs, Ipods, to blogging.
Teacher 2.0 means: being able to use resources other than the Internet, rather it is being able to use a wide variety of media tools.
Teacher 2.0 means: being open to change, challenges and new ideas. These teachers will explore and find new and interesting ways to reach their students.
Teacher 2.0 means: better teacher preparation that prepares teachers for the real world of teaching.
Bottom line for Maggie and Diane- Spend money on teacher quality and technology for teachers as well as students.
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Reversed Mentorship- Students as Teachers
Click here to listen to her ideas.
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Major Shift- Students Teach in Teacher 2.0
Tom Woodard is an educational blogger who serves as an instructional technology resource teacher in Virginia. Listen as he describes his take on Teacher 2.0.
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An IT Perspective
Tommy Matanan works as an IT support specialist in Georgia schools. He feels that teacher change is the only way we are going get students ready for the 21st Century workplace. Listen as he discusses what Teacher 2.0 means through the IT lens.
Listen to the Podcast by Clicking Here
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Karen Henke- Wisdom of the Crowds
Teacher of Today
"I think the teacher of today's students is someone who is really open
and flexible, curious, ready to learn- someone who doesn't know
everything there is to know about technology, but trusts their
students, parents and everyone in the community to help them learn
more."
Listen to the podcast below as Karen Henke shares her ideas about Teacher 2.0, The wisdom of the crowds, and more. Click here for the podcast with Karen.
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Cathy Shields, Jen Wagner, and Karen Eini
A group of Teacher 2.0 educators from the blogosphere stopped by the SchoolNet booth and I took the opportunity to record their ideas about teacher competencies in the 21st Century.
Take a minute to listen to Cathy Shields- a technology leader and teacher in Georgia,
Jen Wagner, who leads Women of the Web 2.0, and Karen Eini an instructor in a college setting in Israel.
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More Teacher 2.0
LeAnn, a technology company professional, says that teacher 2.0 from her perspective is all about building teacher community and transparency. She feels that teachers need to be in MySpace and use social networking tools to understand the world students live in today. She believes that teacher 2.0 means a teacher is passionate and able to see the individuality of a child. Teachers today need to give students true tools for learning. Students today are going to be dealing with "complex knowledge explosions" and teachers need to help them be ready. A teacher in the 21st Century should become the catalyst for learning, she actually is the most important tool available for students to use in making sense of their world. With today's changing demographic, teachers need to change their style to meet the needs of these students.
Joan Schlegelmilch is a district administrator in Virginia and defines Teacher 2.0 as someone who is not necessarily the holder of information but rather is the facilitator who can find resources and uses traditional resources. "It is going to be more important for children to find and use information and teachers need to be able to help students do that effectively." Teachers in the near future will assess student learning differently. Rather than multiple choice, we will give students problem-based senarios that will require students to apply knowledge in order to solve them. She feels this will be the standardized test of the future.
Joan believes that the way we access information is changing and how we use it is changing, so it is only natural that teachers change the way they operate in the classroom. A 2.0 teacher uses technology as a tool to accomplish instruction; they are not just playing games in the computer lab but rather using the tools in meaningful ways. These teachers are also collaborating with other teachers from around the world bringing their expertise into the classroom.
The Way to Change
"It's a little like eating an elephant," Joan says about implementing
the change. We have to do it a little at a time. In her district there
are teachers who are really experimenting and using Web 2.0 tools. She
feels that as teachers see their colleagues experience success, others
will follow. Teachers need a comfort level with ICT tools and be
willing to engage in ways other than f2f venues.
VBCPS Leads the Way
Joan described several exciting projects that are taking place in the
schools in Virginia Beach that involve 21st Century pedogogy. She feels
that some of the classrooms really are starting to look like learning
ecologies where high school kids are using electronic tools to connect
and mentor elementary students all while bringing experts from around
the globe into their classrooms.
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Administrator 2.0
Administrator 2.0
I asked Arlene about Administrator 2.0 and how her job was changing. She passionately described the new role principals must take as innovators, how they need to be role models in using these 21st Century strategies who are willing to be uncomfortable. Administrator 2.0 means a willingness to change and put themselves out there. She has found the way to move some of her teachers who are digital immigrants forward is to take them where they are and be accepting and allow them to take mini steps in their adoption of the new strategies. She has found that she has to model for them by taking classes and attending conferences like NECC. Another strategy she uses is to model integration during her staff development meetings.
When asked if any of her teachers are blogging Arlene said that she feels that part of the problem with Web 2.0 is that the policies need to catch up with the tools, once that happens more teachers will be using these communication tools. Her teachers collaborate within a virtual community created by the school to share resources and engage each others.
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Georgia Perspective
Josh Griffis, a district IT professional in Georgia, feels that teachers in the 21st Century need to not be afraid to use the technologies they have available. He sees so much technology going under utilized and feels the real change will take place in terms of Teacher 2.0 when the next generation of teachers comes along. When I asked Josh what he felt the most important attribute of a teacher should be, he said the ability to take an interest in each child, that by getting to know students in a meaningful way teachers can use the student passion to help them learn.
Pam Whimpie, a teacher in Georgia, says that educators today
need a keen understanding of how knowledge is changing and to know that
it is increasing expotentially and because of that, there is an need to
make the classroom student-centered. She feels the teachers she works
with are in the emergent stage of Teacher 2.0.
Pam's attribute list for Teacher 2.0 includes a Willingness to
collaborate and someone who doesn't focus on the textbook but
ratherlooks more at problem solving.
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A Teacher's Take on 2.0
Ginger Long, a teacher in Illinois added to the conversation we are having here at NECC around Teacher 2.0, "Teachers need to think more creatively and collaboratively, not just in a linear fashion. They need to understand that there are multiple ways of looking at a problem." Listen as she discusses administrator 2.0, digital natives and more.
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Tech at NECCI am here at NECC outside the SchoolNet booth and there is noticable excitement around the launch of their new virtual learning community for educators- Global-SchoolNet! I took the opportunity to talk with a few educators who happened by the booth about the concept of Teacher 2.0 to try and get a feel of what others think.
Michael Graf, District IT Director in Western NY said that Teacher 2.0 needs to include the ability to determine which software applications and other information tools will bring harm to the network. He feels that teachers should have an understanding of how certain tools impact the network's integrity. He also believes that educators of the 21st Century need to focus more on relationships. "If there is a negative to Web 2.0, it is that takes away from face-to-face time", shared Graf. Teachers need to be more invested in their students and Graf believes technology helps narrows that border. Teachers today need to understand that parents are an important part of the picture even in terms of technology use in the classroom.They need to include their buy-in every step of the way.
Listen to the Podcast from Alabama Educators
The next group that wandered by were district administrators from Alabama. Aimee Smith, April Chamberlain, and Shawn Nutting were very intentional as they shared their conceptual framework around 21st Century skills and Teacher 2.0. Listen as they discuss Teacher 2.0 competencies and what they preceive to be the needed skillset for teachers to work as an information management team. "Teacher 2.0 educators are collaborators, connectors, self-starters, and relationship builders."
Click here for podcast
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