Blogging the Sidebar Envy Session

I'm blogging my first NECC session from my dog Nola's site because Edublogs is down:-(.

Chris Lehmann is the first speaker. He's introducing some thoughts about Web 2.0, starting off with a new word "prosumer" = consumer + producer. He also warns about the "transparency" issues that come with blogging. It's easy to forgot that others, including our students, may be reading our posts. But in a way, doesn't that open new avenues for students if they can be reading how we process our teaching practices?! Dan Meyers, math teacher in California, for instance, reflects on the challenges of being a 3rd year teacher. Having a community to share with has expanded his practice to include teachers who critique his units. Big point: blogging is not just reading; it's writing.

Steve is a principal at a high school in Philadelphia, Science Leadership Academy. His faculty connects through Moodle. Thanks to a "hack" that Steve wrote, parents can connect and check grades. Great way to bring parents on board with what's going on at the school site. We talk about schools being "transformative" but we rarely think of that as a two-way track. But our students can be change agents too.

Bring your administrators on board! They need to understand that Web 2.0 is messy, but not optional. Provide administrators - and teachers - time to experiment. "Blogging is just reflection. You shouldn't be too busy to reflect!" But pedagogy comes first. The tool is meant to facilitate learning; not the other way around.

Core values of Chris's school = inquiry, collaboration, presentation, and reflection. Inquiry driven and project based. Students publish their writing for publication via lulu.com (read piece by Will Richardson).