TUFSD Blogs

This week (2/19/2007) the school district is closed, and it has been the perfect opportunity to set up WordPress mu on our tufsdblogs server and experiment. In short, after many (very many) hours of creating blogs, experimenting with various plug-ins and themes, and causing some (unexpected) damage, it has become clear that if we deploy this wonderful tool, we’ll need to use a hosting company that is expert in it.

Our current (and very cost efficient) host will be one consideration, as will the company that hosts Will Richardson’s blog, Edublogs. We do want to have the controls that are available in the multiple user (mu) version of WordPress. Howeve, without the in-house support for the database components, we’ll need to outsource those responsibilities. We cannot risk discouraging our users by making them beta testers for a system we ultimately cannot troubleshoot and support. By providing a relatively rock solid foundation, we can begin the process of exploring the purposeful uses of Web 2.0 technologies in our district and our initial uses with teachers willing to explore the potential will not be burdened by technical support issues.

I’ve recently come across the Web 2.0 video by Michael Wesch on several blogs, including Chris Lehmann’s Practical Theory blog. It’s an interesting look at Web 2.0 and should serve as an appropriate springboard for our discussions related to Web 2.0, School 2.0 and some of the current (re)thinking in which we are currently engaged.

Watching the video, I thought about much of the Internet work I was fortunate to be involved with while teaching high school English in the mid-nineties. I worked with a small cadre of very talented students, most of whom went on to schools such as Carnegie Mellon and MIT. The rub, however, is that most of the students in the school were not a part of this fairly elite group of students who were totally engaged in various projects.

Of course, Web 2.0 changes everything. It changes things in so many ways, and the video really captures this quite well.
By eliminating the need for sophisticated web software, the ability to code in html, and a general knowledge of FTP, web publishing is now something of which every student can take advantage. It’s our responsibility as educators to determine where this supports our various curricula and look for ways to exploit its potential in a (positively) disruptive manner. We can certainly engage our students in ways that are not restricted to the traditional classroom. Please take a few minutes to watch the video and comment as appropriate.

The agenda for this afternoon’s technology committee meeting and the related documents are attached in MS Word format. We will meet from 3:30 - 5:30 in room 22South (same as last month).

• Agenda 2-6-2007
• Teacher NETS
• Student NETS

This weekend, John Calvert and I attended a conference led by Will Richardson, and the agenda and links can be found on Will’s wiki. The conference, “Web 2.0 for Classroom Teachers”, was held at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. The principal of the school, Chris Lehmann, was inspirational and represented to me the epitome of a visionary educational leader. On Friday afternoon, the teachers openly shared their experiences with us and gave us a tour of the school. We were fortunate to have such generous hosts. It’s incredible to see the power of a strong team of educators develop a school from the ground up.

The discussion on the first day ranged from an overview of various Web 2.0 tools to a more philosophical discussion of “what it all means.” We explored the idea that the larger discussion relates, in part, to helping students shape the quality of their time spent online, working with them to provide strategies for managing time and making good choices.

It’s evident that the Web 2.0 tools that exist today can transform classrooms, and the intuitive nature of using them, once the basics are mastered, allows teachers and students to creatively apply any variety of strategies to support their construction of knowledge.
I have posted my notes from the conference on Google.

The future is here, and it’s fantastic! Now more than ever we are able to transform our students’ experiences and truly make a difference. The journey will be an exciting one, and by providing our students with authentic and engaging learning opportunities (often self directed) the potential is limitless.