The Classroom

I’m still reflecting on the Warlick PD I went to on Friday.  Another thing that stand out in my memory is all the people who felt overwhelmed by the amount of information given to us.  I spent quite a bit of time reminding some of my colleagues that there’s no way we could master EVERYTHING on the web, and that was the whole point behind setting up Personal Learning Networks (or at least that was my interpretation).  I keep encouraging baby steps – pick one or two things – use them really well and then add more.  And remember – it may take a year or two of solid use to get good at something.

I also remember something I read from Wesly Fryer in his How are  you dealing with TMI? (Too much information) post. When talking about overcoming TMI Fryer writes:

Start small and take small steps. Social bookmarking and collaborative document writing are great places to begin.

Remember not to focus on tools and jargon. As David Jakes says well, online tools provide “a new context to read, write and communicate.” Focus on the communication, not the jargon.

Focus on examples which can help learners experience personal epiphanies related to digital tools and collaboration. What you’re looking for are comments like, “You mean I can…..” or “Does that mean when I teach ______ we could ______?” Those are signs of “comprehension” and “elaboration” which Kevin Washburn referenced in his post yesterday. Without those signs, we may risk overwhelm due to TMI.

Taking time to discuss, ask questions, and have conversations is essential. There are always LOTS more topics to discuss than we have time to address in a face-to-face meeting or class. We need to be “ok” with not “covering all the material” in a face-to-face learning space. It’s better to address fewer topics and have more meaningful, personally relevant conversations about those topics than “cover it all” and leave everyone feeling like they just got squashed by a steamroller.

For me, I stick with my favorite 3 – WordPress, Google Apps, and Diigo.

I use WordPress all the time for making webpages/blogs, and as a general content management system.  It’s so easy to use and flexible that I use it for almost everything I do.  Google Apps, with this Docs Suite, Calendar, Sites and plethora of other tools makes working with my class so ridiculously easy that I don’t know how I ever taught without it.  And Diigo is a fantastic social bookmarking tool that I have discussed previously, but has since had even more upgraded making it perfect for teacher use (and one day I’ll review those improvements… promise).

With these three tools I’m ready to plunge into learning… I’m still on the lookout for a better hammer – but as a friend recently reminded me we have to teach that a hammer is for driving nails, not just teach the hammer.  As my brother told me once, there are tools you use one, and tools you’ll use for a life time – focus on the main tools to build your classroom learning environment – play with a few others along the way when you can – but remember it’s not the tool – it’s the craftsman…. and the wonderful ideas that are expressed along the way….