Showing posts with label teacherofthe21stcentury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teacherofthe21stcentury. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Wes Fryer's Landscape of 21st Century Learning
Wesley Fryer, a leader in educational technology and someone that is in my Personal Learning Network, recently spoke at a conference in New Zealand. He posted his presentation on slideshare. I highly encourage you to watch/listen to his presentation. It is an hour long and definitely gives you something to think about.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Why 21st Century Skills are Important
Dr. Scott McLeod, someone that I follow on Twitter, read his blog posts, and learn from, has recently posted the first in a series about 5 key levers he feels like will move schools forward. He is specifically speaking about schools in Iowa because that is where he lives and works; however, I feel as thought the same applies for schools everywhere.
The very first lever he wrote about is 21st century curricula. As a society we will be unable to move education forward without understanding what it means to give our students a 21st century education. This blogs has focused on defining 21st century skills and even given my readers some practical 21st century tools; however, Dr. McLeod's blog post, Iowa - 21st century curricula, does a wonderful job of answering the why. He states:
Basically we are doing a disservice to our students if we are not preparing them for the workforce they will join. The best thing we can do for our economy is teach our children to be competitive.
I would highly encourage you to read the rest that post. He's got some wonderful statistical graphics and goes on to answer the "how." I also encourage you to subscribe to his blog, Dangerously Irrelevant. Make him a part of your PLN (personal learning network).
Are you preparing your students to be competitive in the 21st century workforce? If the answer is no, you need to take a step back and reassess.
The very first lever he wrote about is 21st century curricula. As a society we will be unable to move education forward without understanding what it means to give our students a 21st century education. This blogs has focused on defining 21st century skills and even given my readers some practical 21st century tools; however, Dr. McLeod's blog post, Iowa - 21st century curricula, does a wonderful job of answering the why. He states:
Why are these skills so important? Because the rise of digital information
and communication technologies such as e-mail, instant messaging,
videoconferencing, and the Internet have virtually eliminated the workplace
barriers of geography and time. It is now about as easy to work with people
halfway across the globe as it is with folks halfway across town. As a result,
information, money, and ideas criss-cross the globe at dizzying speeds and
work moves to the location of lowest cost or greatest expertise. This puts an
extraordinary amount of pressure on the Western wage premium: why pay an
American worker such a high salary when someone in another country will do the
same work for less?
Basically we are doing a disservice to our students if we are not preparing them for the workforce they will join. The best thing we can do for our economy is teach our children to be competitive.
I would highly encourage you to read the rest that post. He's got some wonderful statistical graphics and goes on to answer the "how." I also encourage you to subscribe to his blog, Dangerously Irrelevant. Make him a part of your PLN (personal learning network).
Are you preparing your students to be competitive in the 21st century workforce? If the answer is no, you need to take a step back and reassess.
Friday, January 16, 2009
21st Century Skills - Learning and Innovation Skills
It has been said, by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and several other people, that learning and innovation skills are the skill sets that will set students who are prepared for this ever changing world and work force and those who are not.
Because teachers of today are preparing students of tomorrow for jobs that don't yet exist, knowing how to learn is a must for our kiddos. Not only that, but they have to be innovative and creative problem solvers. They must know how to look at a problem and find a solution for it - either something they create or know how to find the answer.
We will not be there to help them. Their parents will not always be there to help them. Their bosses will not have the time to help, but will expect results. If we don't teach our kids how to learn and solve problems, we will be doing them a disservice.
Additionally, our students will need to know how to work together to solve these problems. No more is is the loner sitting at the desk who has the bright idea, but the group as a whole that brainstorms and comes up with the best solution. And by the way, the group might include many different people from many different backgrounds, countries, and experiences. Our kids must know how to work with other people who, more often than not, are different than they are.
Please visit the Partnership for 21st Century's Learning and Innovation Skills for more information. I would want my kids to be set apart in the work force - do you?
Because teachers of today are preparing students of tomorrow for jobs that don't yet exist, knowing how to learn is a must for our kiddos. Not only that, but they have to be innovative and creative problem solvers. They must know how to look at a problem and find a solution for it - either something they create or know how to find the answer.
We will not be there to help them. Their parents will not always be there to help them. Their bosses will not have the time to help, but will expect results. If we don't teach our kids how to learn and solve problems, we will be doing them a disservice.
Additionally, our students will need to know how to work together to solve these problems. No more is is the loner sitting at the desk who has the bright idea, but the group as a whole that brainstorms and comes up with the best solution. And by the way, the group might include many different people from many different backgrounds, countries, and experiences. Our kids must know how to work with other people who, more often than not, are different than they are.
Please visit the Partnership for 21st Century's Learning and Innovation Skills for more information. I would want my kids to be set apart in the work force - do you?
Friday, November 21, 2008
Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes
Many (notice I said many - not all) teachers have a fear/belief that technology could quite possible make their job obsolete. Could this happen? Doubtful! I am here to say, though, that if educators don't get on board with the changing face of education, they may become obsolete. They will not, though, be replaced by technology, but by educators who get on board with bring education into the 21st Century.
Teachers need to change from being the giver of knowledge (because with the Internet, knowledge about anything can be found), but the facilitator of learning. I've mentioned this in previous posts; however, today's topic of the importance of the Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes brings this point home.
Learning to read, write, and understand math, science, and history is still at the very heart of our students' education needs; however, the way our students learn these things is changing...and changing at a very rapid pace. Teachers are still a very important key in this learning process, but it is very necessary to help facilitate the learning as opposed to giving the knowledge and just expecting them to learn. That doesn't cut it anymore!
The additional component to this area of 21st century skills framework are the 21st Century Themes. According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills:
Those 21st century interdisciplinary themes include:
These items may be taught in our school systems of today; however, as is pointed out in the quote from Partnership for 21st Century Skills they believe these themes should be woven into the core subjects. That means that the core subjects are taught using projects and ideas that promote the interdisciplinary themes.
For most, that is a shift from what is currently happening in the classroom. No longer is lecture followed by paper/pencil test enough. Really - it should never have been enough, but that has been the method adopted by most educators for many years now. No longer can a teacher sit back and watch the students learn. The teacher should be an active participant in guiding the students' learning - the keyword there being active. Giving a worksheet to the students while reading the newspaper at your desk will no longer cut it. That is a rather extreme example. Do I believe this is happening in most classrooms? No, but I know it does happen to some degree. There are still teachers who think that the most effective way to teach is to hand them a worksheet where they have to do 20/30 (or more in some cases) problems practicing the same concept. It doesn't work! Do you go home and do a worksheet to learn to bake a cake? NO! Why would we think our students learn this way?
Yes - I am quite passionate about this. Engaging our students in their learning is so important and the change needs to happen now. We can no longer sit back and see if this will work. It works! Engage your students. We'll all be better for it.
Teachers need to change from being the giver of knowledge (because with the Internet, knowledge about anything can be found), but the facilitator of learning. I've mentioned this in previous posts; however, today's topic of the importance of the Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes brings this point home.
Learning to read, write, and understand math, science, and history is still at the very heart of our students' education needs; however, the way our students learn these things is changing...and changing at a very rapid pace. Teachers are still a very important key in this learning process, but it is very necessary to help facilitate the learning as opposed to giving the knowledge and just expecting them to learn. That doesn't cut it anymore!
The additional component to this area of 21st century skills framework are the 21st Century Themes. According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills:
...schools must move beyond a focus on basic competency in core subjects to promoting understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes into core subjects.
Those 21st century interdisciplinary themes include:
- Global awareness
- Financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy
- Civic literacy
- Health literacy
These items may be taught in our school systems of today; however, as is pointed out in the quote from Partnership for 21st Century Skills they believe these themes should be woven into the core subjects. That means that the core subjects are taught using projects and ideas that promote the interdisciplinary themes.
For most, that is a shift from what is currently happening in the classroom. No longer is lecture followed by paper/pencil test enough. Really - it should never have been enough, but that has been the method adopted by most educators for many years now. No longer can a teacher sit back and watch the students learn. The teacher should be an active participant in guiding the students' learning - the keyword there being active. Giving a worksheet to the students while reading the newspaper at your desk will no longer cut it. That is a rather extreme example. Do I believe this is happening in most classrooms? No, but I know it does happen to some degree. There are still teachers who think that the most effective way to teach is to hand them a worksheet where they have to do 20/30 (or more in some cases) problems practicing the same concept. It doesn't work! Do you go home and do a worksheet to learn to bake a cake? NO! Why would we think our students learn this way?
Yes - I am quite passionate about this. Engaging our students in their learning is so important and the change needs to happen now. We can no longer sit back and see if this will work. It works! Engage your students. We'll all be better for it.
Friday, June 13, 2008
The End Result
Over the past week I have been thinking about my next blog posting. I started work on my next class for my Master's Degree and have been moved to talk about things I've been learning. I do plan on posting information, but at a later date.
I am also currently involved in two different online learning opportunities. One is an online class that I am taking as part of professional development for my job. It is the Web Instructor's Certification Course I (WICC I) offered through Region 4 ESC. Region 16 ESC is a partner of the Texas Virtual School (TVS) - which is not to be confused with the Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN) - and one of the requirements to teach for TVS is to take WICC I. To be able to teach it to teachers that are interested from Region 16, I first have to take the course myself. We started this week and I have already learned a lot and have ideas about topics to post in my blog.
The second online opportunity I am involved in is an online book club. This will also help me professionally so I do consider it a professional development opportunity; however, I am doing this more on the personal level as well. It is the 1st Annual CASTLE book club and we are reading Influencer - The Power to Change Anything by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. I've almost finished reading through chapter 2 and, again, have already learned so much. Thankfully we have a discussion board that will give me an outlet to talk about the book; however, I do plan on posting some of the things I am learning through the reading of this book.
As I have thought about what I would post this week, I thought about why I was doing all of this learning and all of this professional development. Why do educators, those that want to be facilitators of learning, continue to learn? Most enjoy learning, but I still don't believe that to be the main reason. I think it is "The End Result". Our goal as facilitators of learning (and even parents) is to release the students into the real-world as successful and, dare I say, happy individuals. As educators we must think about what we want the end result to be when it comes to our students. Do we care if they can resite word for word the Preamble of the Constitution or do we care that they understand the meaning of the Preamble of the Constitution and know where to access the information?
What does all of this have to do with 21st century teaching? Traditionally the Preamble of the Constitution was "memorized" because that is how we "learned" and how we were able to access that information. Often times, we were taught the meaning by listening to a lecture from our teacher. We didn't have the information at our fingertips or even as much access to interactive tools like we do now. There were other places to find the information, but often times that required that you had money to purchase something or a way to get to the library. There were those dynamic teachers that brought history to life and made you really live the experience, but for the most part, teaching was done through lecture. Living in the 21st century and being that 21st century teacher means we show them how to access the Preamble of the Constitution and dive into the meaning through meaningful and purposful interactive experiences. How cool if you could arrange to have a videoconference with one of your state senators.
When you're a teacher - whether Kindergarten or 12th grade - your focus should always be "The End Result." The question then becomes: How can I help this student be a successful, productive, and responsible citizen?
I do plan to blog on all of this learning I'm doing, but I thought it important to talk about and remember why we're all here and why we do what we do.
I am also currently involved in two different online learning opportunities. One is an online class that I am taking as part of professional development for my job. It is the Web Instructor's Certification Course I (WICC I) offered through Region 4 ESC. Region 16 ESC is a partner of the Texas Virtual School (TVS) - which is not to be confused with the Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN) - and one of the requirements to teach for TVS is to take WICC I. To be able to teach it to teachers that are interested from Region 16, I first have to take the course myself. We started this week and I have already learned a lot and have ideas about topics to post in my blog.
The second online opportunity I am involved in is an online book club. This will also help me professionally so I do consider it a professional development opportunity; however, I am doing this more on the personal level as well. It is the 1st Annual CASTLE book club and we are reading Influencer - The Power to Change Anything by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. I've almost finished reading through chapter 2 and, again, have already learned so much. Thankfully we have a discussion board that will give me an outlet to talk about the book; however, I do plan on posting some of the things I am learning through the reading of this book.
As I have thought about what I would post this week, I thought about why I was doing all of this learning and all of this professional development. Why do educators, those that want to be facilitators of learning, continue to learn? Most enjoy learning, but I still don't believe that to be the main reason. I think it is "The End Result". Our goal as facilitators of learning (and even parents) is to release the students into the real-world as successful and, dare I say, happy individuals. As educators we must think about what we want the end result to be when it comes to our students. Do we care if they can resite word for word the Preamble of the Constitution or do we care that they understand the meaning of the Preamble of the Constitution and know where to access the information?
What does all of this have to do with 21st century teaching? Traditionally the Preamble of the Constitution was "memorized" because that is how we "learned" and how we were able to access that information. Often times, we were taught the meaning by listening to a lecture from our teacher. We didn't have the information at our fingertips or even as much access to interactive tools like we do now. There were other places to find the information, but often times that required that you had money to purchase something or a way to get to the library. There were those dynamic teachers that brought history to life and made you really live the experience, but for the most part, teaching was done through lecture. Living in the 21st century and being that 21st century teacher means we show them how to access the Preamble of the Constitution and dive into the meaning through meaningful and purposful interactive experiences. How cool if you could arrange to have a videoconference with one of your state senators.
When you're a teacher - whether Kindergarten or 12th grade - your focus should always be "The End Result." The question then becomes: How can I help this student be a successful, productive, and responsible citizen?
I do plan to blog on all of this learning I'm doing, but I thought it important to talk about and remember why we're all here and why we do what we do.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
21st Century Skills
There is a lot of discussion happening in the instructional technology world and education in general about 21st century skills for students. In fact - this blog is about teaching in the 21st century. Those that say "This is how I learned and look how I turned out" don't realize the damage they are doing to our kids. That attitude will not prepare our students for the world that will live in when they are grown.
The article 21st Century Skills from Campus Technology gives this example "Recently, a new hire at a friend's company was assigned the task to review, analyze, and write a report about several organizations the company was interested in working with. Andrea Brands, AT&T's director of public affairs, describes the result: "My friend received a poor narrative, just a long summary, and it wasn't comprehensive." The employee didn't use any initiative, didn't go beyond the superficial. The employee was unprepared for the job."
Most teachers will agree that would want their students to be prepared for the future. Isn't that why we do this?
The solution: become a 21st Century Teacher. That means the words "that's technology and I've been fine without it so far" or "I don't have the time or resources", etc., can no longer be a part of your vocabulary. It should become unacceptable for classroom teachers to dig their heals in and not learn what will help our kids be successful. It can be such a fearful thing for some people and THAT'S OKAY! What is not okay - fear that drives teachers into denial about the importance of moving their teaching into the 21st century. It will not be easy. It may not even be plesant in some cases; however, that does not diminish it's importance.
What exactly does a 21st Century Teacher look like? Someone whose teaching focuses on student and not on the teacher. Anthony Chivetta, a frequent writer on the Students 2.0 blog, makes this point in his blog 21st Century Education: Thinking Creatively "Twenty-first century education won’t be defined by any new technology. It won’t be defined by 1:1 laptop programs or tech-intensive projects. Twenty-first century education will, however, be defined by a fundamental shift in what we are teaching—a shift towards learner-centered education and creating creative thinkers. Today’s world is no longer content with students who can simply apply the knowledge they learned in school: our generation will be asked to think and operate in ways that traditional education has not, and can not, prepare us for." Here is what strikes me about this statement - it is made from a student. Again I say - aren't they the reason we're here!
Because my focus is on instructional technology, my job focuses on helping teachers move towards 21st Century Teaching by using many of the technology tools available; however, it is not enough to use the technologies - it is in how they are used. The paradigm has to shift in teaching or nothing that is changed will work. Help the students understand how to learn and research and find the answers themselves, don't just give them the information. What's the fun in that? :) Foster that curiosity that people are born with naturally. It's okay to say "I don't know". Most kids these days don't expect adults to "know everything" simply because they understand the true expanse of knowledge and information.
If you are a teacher that has begun the process of becoming (or have become) a 21st Century Teacher (I do realize it doesn't happen overnight...and I don't expect it too!), I applaud you. If you want to move towards 21st Century Teaching, I challenge you to find someone in the first category because, as educators, we love to share! If you fall under the category of "don't think so - that is not for me" than I challenge you to think of your most successful student and think about where you would like him/her to be in 10-20 years. Will that attitude help them get there?
BE THE CHANGE!
The article 21st Century Skills from Campus Technology gives this example "Recently, a new hire at a friend's company was assigned the task to review, analyze, and write a report about several organizations the company was interested in working with. Andrea Brands, AT&T's director of public affairs, describes the result: "My friend received a poor narrative, just a long summary, and it wasn't comprehensive." The employee didn't use any initiative, didn't go beyond the superficial. The employee was unprepared for the job."
Most teachers will agree that would want their students to be prepared for the future. Isn't that why we do this?
The solution: become a 21st Century Teacher. That means the words "that's technology and I've been fine without it so far" or "I don't have the time or resources", etc., can no longer be a part of your vocabulary. It should become unacceptable for classroom teachers to dig their heals in and not learn what will help our kids be successful. It can be such a fearful thing for some people and THAT'S OKAY! What is not okay - fear that drives teachers into denial about the importance of moving their teaching into the 21st century. It will not be easy. It may not even be plesant in some cases; however, that does not diminish it's importance.
What exactly does a 21st Century Teacher look like? Someone whose teaching focuses on student and not on the teacher. Anthony Chivetta, a frequent writer on the Students 2.0 blog, makes this point in his blog 21st Century Education: Thinking Creatively "Twenty-first century education won’t be defined by any new technology. It won’t be defined by 1:1 laptop programs or tech-intensive projects. Twenty-first century education will, however, be defined by a fundamental shift in what we are teaching—a shift towards learner-centered education and creating creative thinkers. Today’s world is no longer content with students who can simply apply the knowledge they learned in school: our generation will be asked to think and operate in ways that traditional education has not, and can not, prepare us for." Here is what strikes me about this statement - it is made from a student. Again I say - aren't they the reason we're here!
Because my focus is on instructional technology, my job focuses on helping teachers move towards 21st Century Teaching by using many of the technology tools available; however, it is not enough to use the technologies - it is in how they are used. The paradigm has to shift in teaching or nothing that is changed will work. Help the students understand how to learn and research and find the answers themselves, don't just give them the information. What's the fun in that? :) Foster that curiosity that people are born with naturally. It's okay to say "I don't know". Most kids these days don't expect adults to "know everything" simply because they understand the true expanse of knowledge and information.
If you are a teacher that has begun the process of becoming (or have become) a 21st Century Teacher (I do realize it doesn't happen overnight...and I don't expect it too!), I applaud you. If you want to move towards 21st Century Teaching, I challenge you to find someone in the first category because, as educators, we love to share! If you fall under the category of "don't think so - that is not for me" than I challenge you to think of your most successful student and think about where you would like him/her to be in 10-20 years. Will that attitude help them get there?
BE THE CHANGE!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Google for Educators
A website from Google for educators including tools, lessons, and connecting teachers to create a community of teachers. Definitely worth checking it out!!
http://www.google.com/educators/index.html
I would love to hear how you may already be (or might think about) using some of these tools and ideas in your classroom. :)
http://www.google.com/educators/index.html
I would love to hear how you may already be (or might think about) using some of these tools and ideas in your classroom. :)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Online Teacher Network
Not that - at this moment in time - I have many, if any, readers; however, I feel like the only way I will get this blog up and running and truly become a service I provide, I need to post on a regular basis. I have not done that. I have truly been very busy since we returned from break; however that is no excuse because everyone is busy. I apologize and hope to get into the habit of posting as often as possible! I need to keep reminding myself that a post doesn't have to be a book...I'm really about writing a book. lol
I found an article that I feel is really worth a read. This article discusses a network that Microsoft has in place to connect technology teachers. Some of you may already know about this, and may even be a part of the network, but if you're not, this is a must read for you! In the very first paragraph it says "Teachers across the United States will have an opportunity to communicate and collaborate with top-notch educators from all over the world through Microsoft Corp.'s Innovative Teachers Network (ITN), a new online forum that promotes the exchange of ideas and methods on how best to incorporate technology into the classroom effectively." The italics are my editing for emphasis.
The best tool a teacher has is another educator. When you can exchange ideas with another educator this creates a place to grow. The ITN is a place that will foster that very thing.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=51777;_hbguid=1fc9f28d-e682-4ad7-b1b9-69b274c94ce4&d=top-news
This is written by Laura Devaney, Associate Editor, eSchool News
Click here to link to the Microsoft page that tells you all about the network.
Click here to link to the ITN homepage. This is also where you can set-up your free account! There are forums on Internet Safety, Teaching Music in the 21st centery (a particular favorite as a music teacher in my former life), and Technology in Education just to name a few.
I found an article that I feel is really worth a read. This article discusses a network that Microsoft has in place to connect technology teachers. Some of you may already know about this, and may even be a part of the network, but if you're not, this is a must read for you! In the very first paragraph it says "Teachers across the United States will have an opportunity to communicate and collaborate with top-notch educators from all over the world through Microsoft Corp.'s Innovative Teachers Network (ITN), a new online forum that promotes the exchange of ideas and methods on how best to incorporate technology into the classroom effectively." The italics are my editing for emphasis.
The best tool a teacher has is another educator. When you can exchange ideas with another educator this creates a place to grow. The ITN is a place that will foster that very thing.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=51777;_hbguid=1fc9f28d-e682-4ad7-b1b9-69b274c94ce4&d=top-news
This is written by Laura Devaney, Associate Editor, eSchool News
Click here to link to the Microsoft page that tells you all about the network.
Click here to link to the ITN homepage. This is also where you can set-up your free account! There are forums on Internet Safety, Teaching Music in the 21st centery (a particular favorite as a music teacher in my former life), and Technology in Education just to name a few.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Classroom 2.0
I came across a social site today that I wanted to share with everyone! Many of you may already know about this exciting tool (look me up and add me as a friend if you're a member!), but for those that don't know about Classroom 2.0, this is a site you definitely need to visit. The web address is simple (http://www.classroom20.com/) and membership is free.
I would describe this website as a "myspace" for teachers who want to share technology ideas and participate in disucssions. The possibilities are much more than on "myspace", though, because of the forums you are able to participate in as well as the possibility to create, through the Ning Network (through which Classroom 2.0 was started by Steve Haragdon), your own social website for your class, a particular project, or group. Another tool that Classroom 2.0 provides is a place to blog. If you've been wanting to dabble in starting your own blog as a place for information outside your classroom, this would be a good place to get started.
You can upload videos, music, photos, join different groups that are already in progress, and join in discussions that are already taking place. All-in-all, if your'e looking for a website that connects you with other teachers, but are new and a little afraid of getting involved with some of the more advanced tools that are available, Classroom 2.0 is a great place to get your feet wet. I promise, once you get started, you won't want to stop! Visit Classroom 2.0 today!!
I would describe this website as a "myspace" for teachers who want to share technology ideas and participate in disucssions. The possibilities are much more than on "myspace", though, because of the forums you are able to participate in as well as the possibility to create, through the Ning Network (through which Classroom 2.0 was started by Steve Haragdon), your own social website for your class, a particular project, or group. Another tool that Classroom 2.0 provides is a place to blog. If you've been wanting to dabble in starting your own blog as a place for information outside your classroom, this would be a good place to get started.
You can upload videos, music, photos, join different groups that are already in progress, and join in discussions that are already taking place. All-in-all, if your'e looking for a website that connects you with other teachers, but are new and a little afraid of getting involved with some of the more advanced tools that are available, Classroom 2.0 is a great place to get your feet wet. I promise, once you get started, you won't want to stop! Visit Classroom 2.0 today!!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Second Life
No, I am not a cat who has nine lives and is soon to begin living my second one.
Second Life is a virtual world that has totally been created by it's users. Going public in 2003, it has exploded and today is inhabited by millions of people from around the Globe. Users create fully customizable in-world avitars. On any given moment in Second Life (or SL if you're speaking in-world), you will possibilty come across a various array of different characters. I, myself, have not been a member very long; however, the things I have learned and people I have met up to this point have been very exciting!
You may be asking yourself, why should I be interested in SL? Simply put, it's use in education is becoming more prevalant. Just today I met a librarian in a Chicago school district that specializes in technology who has a big part of ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) in SL. Yes, to answer the second question you may have. ISTE has a group in SL that hosts many different events, including a "social" on Thursday nights where technology educators from all over the world meet to have discussions. How exciting is that?!? Personally, I don't ever have the opportunity to share ideas with others except those in my own little world and those around me. Now, because of this group, I will be able to share ideas with educators from all over the world!
Many universities from all over the United States are also getting involved. They use SL as a place to go and have chat sessions with their students about their RL subject. There are even teachers who use SL as their classroom! How exciting is that?!? Although I have not gotten into this part as of yet, you are able to enable voice chat. Your avitar will actually be speaking your voice!
Let's talk about price. This Web 2.0 tool is free, but you'll soon realize there are things that do require money. The in-world money is called lindens which can be purchased with RL (real life) dollars. I will say, though, there is a lot of things you can do that are absolutely free. If you never want to spend a single RL dime, you don't have to spend a RL dime. There are even ways to make lindens in-world, but that would be something to do after you had really been involved in SL for a while. An example of a RL person making SL lindens - a co-worker of my husband's is a singer who has a singing career in SL. RL people pay linden dollars to hear her sing at various concerts. I'm actually attending one this afternoon! These jobs are never something you would do to make much RL money, but can help get SL money without having to pay RL dollars.
Check it out! If you're one who enjoys discussion with others to improve education, you'll be glad you did. Everyone is very nice and helpful so don't be shy about asking questions. That's how you learn. Everyone there was new at some point and are eager to help you enjoy SL. If you already have a SL account, please look me up and send me an IM! I would love to chat with you. If you ever create a SL account, I hope you'll look me up as well. I would definitely help you out any way I can! I am JennAFuzz Gabardini. Please feel free to ask questions or discuss SL here!
I do plan to eventually start a SL blog for JennAFuzz which will share her exciting adventures in SL as well as share things that I am learning through her because of educator groups I am a part of. Once I have created that blog, I'll post the information here.
I hope to see you in SL!!
Second Life is a virtual world that has totally been created by it's users. Going public in 2003, it has exploded and today is inhabited by millions of people from around the Globe. Users create fully customizable in-world avitars. On any given moment in Second Life (or SL if you're speaking in-world), you will possibilty come across a various array of different characters. I, myself, have not been a member very long; however, the things I have learned and people I have met up to this point have been very exciting!
You may be asking yourself, why should I be interested in SL? Simply put, it's use in education is becoming more prevalant. Just today I met a librarian in a Chicago school district that specializes in technology who has a big part of ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) in SL. Yes, to answer the second question you may have. ISTE has a group in SL that hosts many different events, including a "social" on Thursday nights where technology educators from all over the world meet to have discussions. How exciting is that?!? Personally, I don't ever have the opportunity to share ideas with others except those in my own little world and those around me. Now, because of this group, I will be able to share ideas with educators from all over the world!
Many universities from all over the United States are also getting involved. They use SL as a place to go and have chat sessions with their students about their RL subject. There are even teachers who use SL as their classroom! How exciting is that?!? Although I have not gotten into this part as of yet, you are able to enable voice chat. Your avitar will actually be speaking your voice!
Let's talk about price. This Web 2.0 tool is free, but you'll soon realize there are things that do require money. The in-world money is called lindens which can be purchased with RL (real life) dollars. I will say, though, there is a lot of things you can do that are absolutely free. If you never want to spend a single RL dime, you don't have to spend a RL dime. There are even ways to make lindens in-world, but that would be something to do after you had really been involved in SL for a while. An example of a RL person making SL lindens - a co-worker of my husband's is a singer who has a singing career in SL. RL people pay linden dollars to hear her sing at various concerts. I'm actually attending one this afternoon! These jobs are never something you would do to make much RL money, but can help get SL money without having to pay RL dollars.
Check it out! If you're one who enjoys discussion with others to improve education, you'll be glad you did. Everyone is very nice and helpful so don't be shy about asking questions. That's how you learn. Everyone there was new at some point and are eager to help you enjoy SL. If you already have a SL account, please look me up and send me an IM! I would love to chat with you. If you ever create a SL account, I hope you'll look me up as well. I would definitely help you out any way I can! I am JennAFuzz Gabardini. Please feel free to ask questions or discuss SL here!
I do plan to eventually start a SL blog for JennAFuzz which will share her exciting adventures in SL as well as share things that I am learning through her because of educator groups I am a part of. Once I have created that blog, I'll post the information here.
I hope to see you in SL!!
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