What Are You Searching For?

There are dozens of search engines available for online users to access. It is important to recognize that while Google is the most popular search engine on the web today, it is advantageous to explore different engines and not simply rely on retrieving information from one source. Students need to be well-informed citizens that are able to seek out information from multiple sources. While Google continues to dominate as the number one search engine, it should not be the only means to which students are researching, retrieving and using information. Students no longer have to rely on textbooks, libraries or the classroom to access and receive information necessary to complete assignments. Internet tools offers up a world of immediate knowledge. However, educators need to guide and nurture the skills it takes for students to become effective information consumers.

“To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information”. (Wikipedia, 2010)

Search engines are tools intended to help us search out information on the World Wide Web. When searching the web, there are a few basic tips to pass along to our fellow educators and students:
•Narrow the search topic into keywords or phrases
•Spelling counts!
•Searches are not case sensitive
•Use precise words for your search topic
•Punctuation is usually not necessary
•To locate an exact phrase, place quotes around the words
•Explore as many search results as possible

Recommended search engines for students include:
LearnAlberta
Ask Kids
Quintura for Kids
Thinkfinity

Wikipedia (2010). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_literacy

How do we ensure specific tech tools match student learning goals? #edchat

Edchat continues to be an exciting collaborative conversation forum for educators via Twitter. Edchat discussions happen Tuesday’s on Twitter and I would invite you to participate using two simple steps:
• Login into the TweetGrid
• Follow the hashtag #edchat

Last night’s #edchat discussion revolved around the question “How do we ensure specific tech tools match student learning goals?” The discussion was very fast paced, but worthy of following because of all of the resourceful and insightful comments from Twitter’s technology PLN. Highlights from the discussion include a snapshot of the following comments:
• Committed teams of educators is the key
• It’s not about the tech tool, but the way students use the tool
• New tech tools have taken over, we cannot ignore the power of their learning potential
• New tech tools bring new energy to the learning environment
• DETA Digital Education Teacher Academy
• Tech is a means, not an end
• Do not separate tech from curriculum, integrate/infuse
• New tech tools support ‘relevant’ learning
• Don’t focus on the tech, focus on learning goals at hand
• Many web tools are blocked by districts
• Tech tools needs to be taught & modeled with best teaching practices
• Focus should be on developing sound pedagogy
• How do we evaluate the value of a tech tool?
• Application of knowledge are signs of learning and understanding
• Educators should be using tech tools everyday
• Is education overwhelmed by technology?

Finally, a Wordle from last night’s edchat created by web20classroom lists a culmination of key words from this week’s topic.

Technology Videos Worth Reel Time

Video sharing sites such as YouTube and TeacherTube offer up a great deal of educational content, consisting of a wide range of appropriate resources for all subject areas and grade levels. Here are a few notable technology/21st century literacy videos worth sharing.

Digital World: Kids Today
The 21st century has created a new digital culture through the use of web tools and technology. Kids today are using new digital literacies to communicate and connect.

Pay Attention
Today’s students can be labeled as digital learners, so why should we pay attention?

A Vision of K-12 Students Today
How did you learn? How do students today learn? A snapshot how best to inspire and engage digital learners today.

Discover Information Literacy
Great introduction to information literacy and how teachers can help students ‘discover’ information literacy:
D Define
I Inquire
S Search
C Collect
O Organize
V Verify
E Express
R Reflect

Ian Jukes: Understanding Digital Kids
Ian is a well-known Canadian educator, author, consultant and keynote speaker. One of his educational missions is to make sure that educators are properly preparing students for the future.

The Machine Is Us/ing Us
This is the second draft of a very interesting video. Who is using who? Are we driving the technology or is the technology driving us? You be the judge…

Did you Know 3.0?
Karl Fisch created this poignant snapshot of the Information Age, Globalization. This latest version has approximately 2.6 million views.

Explanations in Plain English
CommonCraft produces an easy-to-understand video series on emerging online tools such as:
• Blogging
• Podcasting
• Web Search Strategies
• Social Media
• Social Bookmarking
• Social Networking
• Wikis

K12 Online Conference 2009

The K12 Online Conference 2009: Bridging the Divide is right around the corner. Educators from around the world come together to present innovative ways technology and Web 2.0 tools can be used for instructional learning. This year’s pre-conference keynote presenter is Kim Cofino, 21st Century literacy specialist from the International School in Bangkok, Thailand. Kim’s blog Always Learning gives participants an overview of her presentation titled Going Global: Culture Shock, Convergence and the Future of Education.

Getting Started…
To participate in this free online event, register by joining the K12 Conference Ning. During conference dates, participants can view content online or download content and then post comments on the conference blog.

The conference runs between December 7-11th and December 14-17th. Over the two weeks more than fifty presentations will run as well as three ‘fireside’ live events. This conference was first hosted in 2006 so there are well over one hundred archived events for educators to access.

Literacy and Learning in the 21st Century – David Warlick

Today I attended an Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium session titled Literacy and Learning in the 21st Century presented by David Warlick. This was the first time I had the pleasure of listening to David speak in person. What a great learning day!

One of the first questions he threw out to the audience asked “What is the web going to be like in five years?” He deferred answers to this question in interviews given by Google CEO Eric Schmidt. I didn’t catch exactly which interview David pulled his information from, it is worth listening to a variety of Eric Schmidt interviews posted on YouTube. Some of Eric’s predictions included:
• A web dominated by Asian content
• Bandwidth increasing exponentially
• Sites like YouTube making significant profits
• Real time communications growing

How much information is too much information? David reminded us that literacy today is not just about reading and writing, but instead knowing how to find information, ask questions and find answers. For the first time ever, educators must prepare students for a future we know nothing about! We are simply preparing students for an unpredictable future, or what David calls The Perfect Storm. What do we need to do to prepare our students? We need to pay attention and bring their outside experiences into the classroom – blogging, social networking, creating, collaborating, connecting, authoring, and publishing. Education must be relevant; education must keep pace. Teachers must steer classrooms forward as if they are ‘Learning Engines’. The best thing we can teach students is how to teach themselves. Being literate today means questioning information, exposing information and becoming an informational ‘digital detective’.

These thoughts are just a small part of a connected learning session presented by David Warlick.

A Day In The Life of 2.0

This posting was inspired by Joyce Valenza’s School Library Journal article titled “My 2.0 day and the response/rant about our cover argument” from October 15, 2009. Have you reflected on your digital 2.0 life and how it has transformed over the past couple years? What does your digital daily routine look like professionally (or personally)? How many times a day do you have to type in a user name and password? How many different user names and passwords do you manage? It is really quite interesting to list how the digital world impacts my daily routine.

First thing in the morning I check all four of my email accounts – two personal and two educational accounts. Are four email accounts too many? Once I arrive at school the 2.0 life really begins. I check in behind the scenes with the school blog, Technology Learning @Camilla. Are there new comments posted that required an administrative reply? From there I login to my professional Delicious account so that my laptop is ready to use the Delicious quick launch buttons in my browser.
On any given school day, I will login to most, if not all the following digital tools:
• Blogger
• Discovery Streaming
• LearnAlberta
• Promethean Planet
• VoiceThread
• Slideshare
• Podomatic or Podbeam
• Wikispaces

Throughout the day there are numerous web 2.0 tools, Internet resources and digital applications that are part of the regular technology landscape in my classrooms:
• Google Earth
• Wordle
• Audacity
• Photo Story 3

After the school day is finished and I have arrived home, I quickly boot up the laptops. It is now time to manage more digital accounts at home. Some of these applications are simply for personal use, some are an extension of my professional day that can only be managed at home.
• Teching Around with Web 2.0 Personal Blog
• Twitter
• Google Reader
• Google Docs
• Shelfari
• Skype
• Flickr
• Picasa
• ZoHo Notebook

How many Ning’s are too many Ning’s? It is not enough to belong to one educational Ning these days. Each time I read about the creation of a new Ning on Twitter, I suddenly find myself joining the community. I tend to follow some of my favourite Twitter colleagues into new social communities because I don’t want to miss out of the amazing discussions, resources, and sharing. Although I belong to a handful of social networks, I regularly manage four social networks:
• The Educator’s PLN
• Canadian 21st Century Teacher-Librarians
• Classroom 2.0
• Stenhouse Publishers


I have over forty web accounts, and that number is somewhat underestimated as there are many more web 2.0 accounts that I used and have forgotten to type up on my master list.

My day is digitally busy. The rapid growth of emerging technologies will continue to keep my 2.0 life in a state of typing in user names and passwords.

Is life now one big login?

My Personal Learning Network

Building my own personal learning network (PLN) has been professionally rewarding. Next to my graduate studies, my dedication to developing my PLN has been an invaluable investment. Connecting with technology professionals, educational experts and creative individuals through such networks as:
Twitter
EdTech Talk
Classroom 2.0
The Future of Education
Canadian 21st Century Teacher-Librarians

The opportunities to connect locally, provincially, nationally and globally 24/7 have open up dialogue for critical thinking conversations on a variety of educational topics to support my professional learning, which in turns allows new knowledge to be woven into my instructional practices. My PLN provides daily support, gives answers, asks questions, and shares resources.

Look beyond your classroom, your school, your district…there is a global PLN out there ready to
Connect, Communicate, Converse

"You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes."
~Winnie the Pooh