Help! I am a Connected Educator

Technology for teaching -  I love it - but it is not alway the easiest solution for educators (or anyone struggling with online resources for that matter!) For weeks I've been toying with the idea to create a new blog for our class, to keep the parents in my class informed. Informed parents are happy parents who tend to stay out of your hair. Well, generally - you will always have the odd know-it-all-and-aren't-teachers-just-the-laziest-and-stupidest-people-on-earth-parent. But I'm digressing. The idea was to create a password-protected website, so that I could post all the pictures and videos I wanted without worrying over privacy issues. Password-protection turns out to be a premium feature on Weebly, you have to pay to keep those kiddies safe online, so that was step 1. I got my credit card and filled out the details; then it turned out I already had a website under this particular email address. What was it?? I spent 20 minutes trying different usernames and passwords, then asked for a password reset. For this I had a message sent to my phone. As the battery had just gone flat, i had to first charge it. Where was that cable again? After having retrieved the info, I could continue with the sign-up process for the premium service. The classroom blog was a reality shortly after that. Well - in theory. Now all I had to do was build it. As all my classroom and project photos are on my phone, I wanted to send them to my Google email account, so I could access them from the iPad I was working on. It appeared that I could only access one of my google accounts, not my school email account. Why? No idea, one of those online mysteries. I thought Chrome would be a better browser, as I use so many Google products, and so went to get the Chrome app. After signing into the App store, Chrome was downloaded onto my iPad. By now I spent 90 minutes online without having written one single word on the shiny new classroom website yet. I guess I will send another traditional email update to the class community next. But first publish this text on my Blogger account... Who said that connected educators are saving time?

Teen life online

My thirteen-year old is at home on the Internet. She speaks social media language, simply because she grew up with it. A few months ago Amazon delivered a rather scary looking hair mannequin that she had been wanting for a long time. The life-sized doll's head with real hair (where from? Who? How?) has been groomed and braided numerous times since then. My daughter took pictures of the french braids and  dutch plaits and posted them on Instagram, as millions of people do every day. Pictures of cats, nails, beaches and mountains - they need to be shared apparently. Yesterday I realized that she is doing a bit more than just posting: she is hosting. She finds braided hairstyles of her liking, then she removes the background and posts them thus in similar layout on her account, which she calls 'braidinginspiration'. The name is sounds cheerful and tells you what to expect. She posts her own stuff as well as other people's pictures. When I ask her if she gives credits, she retorts "of course! What are you thinking?!" It seems that her generation follow an unspoken code of conduct online. You give credit where credit is due, you use an alias, you reply to comments, you like what's to like and you engage with your audience. When her account hit the 300 followers mark, she created her first contest, using Instagram Academy to easily put 6 photos of different braiding styles together, and asking her followers to choose their favourite. Closing date  3 days later. She got 24 votes  and a lot of new followers. She seems to like her followers and feels responsible for them, but she is not obsessed with gaining new followers. I am impressed; she simply shares what she likes and puts a rather professional touch on it. Her thumbs race across the shiny screen - she is congratulating the winner of the contest. The award? Daily mention on Braidinginspiration,  for a week. When I asked her just now, she showed me that she now has 443 followers,  compared to 400 only three days ago. She is not obsessed with her follower count, but it seems like I am. That is a difference between us, I write and post on Twitter and Blogger mostly for myself but am aware of the online environment. She posts for herself and others, but she sees her platform as her natural habitat: she feels at home.

Powerful Learning starts at the Basis

Being a teacher brings with it the privilege of long summer holidays. That quite some teachers are not idle during that time, becomes clear when you read the great number of posts on the online 'Future Classroom Scenarios' course I am taking currently, by European Schoolnet Academy. I started this course while on holiday in Italy, and trying to connect to the EUN site proved very difficult. Wifi is sporadically available here, and very unreliable. I repeatedly have been kicked out of the site, only to find that my half-written posts have disappeared in some cloudless space. It reminds me of our school situation, and serves as a practical reminder that our utopic classrooms where freely roaming students interact, create and research online, are quite some broadbands away. Until the day that connectivity is as basic a provision as sidewalks, teachers have to improvise in order to be as effective as possible. Start with the basics, such as 'write offline, post online'. In the mean time, we need to focus on the pedagogy and didactics involved with, for instance, BYOD, while the technicians (read; wired teachers) work on practical solutions. I teach a bilingual English/German class at an international primary school and am lucky to have 2 classrooms and a fantastic co-teacher, enabling us to work in smaller groups whenever there is a need. Keywords in our school are collaboration and student-led learning. To organise this better, we are looking to replace our awkward and huge square tables that were devised for 'chalk and talk' teaching, with round tables that could fit 4-6 children. According to the self-organised learning environments (SOLE) theory by professor Sugata Mitra,  four kids are ideal for group work. But again, in order to achieve those noble, higher-end goals, we have to start with the basics: where to find round tables that are suitable for the classroom? Recently I saw the perfect set-up at a highway McDonalds, but we decided against that big M in the centre - so if anyone has any ideas?

Telegram, Threema or Whatsapp?

In medialand things change constantly, so it may not have come as a surprise that the telegram underwent pretty drastic changes. A telegram used to be an oral message laid down in written format, sent via a post office. It was usually shorter than a tweet and faster yet more expensive than a letter. Now Telegram is back, as the rapidly growing alternative for WhatsApp. 'Mail me' turned into 'text me' turned into 'whatsapp me'. The service grew as big as 465 million users and caught Mark Zuckerberg's roving eye. Facebook acquired WhatsApp for 19 billion dollars. As Whatsapp is a free service which only charges one dollar after the first year of usage, it will take Mr Zuckerberg quite some time to redeem that money - even when they double in size, as Business Insider estimated last February. It makes you wonder what the real reason for the acquisition was. After Whatsapp's take-over, many people seemed fed up with the ever-growing Zuckerberg imperium and its NSA-like tendencies, and started looking for alternatives. My German friends massively flocked to Threema, a messaging service from Switzerland. Jawohl! Reliable, non-US based, so worth the €1,59 fee. Its userbase doubled from 200.000 to 400.000 in the first 24 hours after Whatsapp's take-over and kept growing against the backdrop of NSA schandals and ongoing data protection issues. Bye bye Whatsapp, hallöschen Threema. From my 30 friends currently on Threema, 29 are German. The odd one out is a fellow Dutch geek, who probably just wanted to check out the service. On the other hand, many of my international contacts either still use Whatsapp or have moved to Telegram, which seems to be gaining foothold, especially among younger users. It may not play the same safety cards as Threema, but its functionality is very similar to Whatsapp and, most importantly, it is free of charge. My son tried out several options, but still prefers Whatsapp because 'everyone has it' and at his age this is an important factor as group chats are all the rage. So - Telegram does well in the 15-40 age bracket, the responsible and savvy communicators who don't wish to store their data in US-based clouds. Until they realise that Telegram is owned by Pavel Durov, the Russian millionaire responsible for VKontakte,  the large social network that is popular in many former Soviet countries. This leaves us with a rather classic question: are Russian clouds safer than American ones? Or not that classic: Durov, who lives in the US, was dismissed as CEO last week, coincidentally after refusing Vladimir Putin's demands to hand over information on opposition leaders. However it may be - perhaps those damn reliable Swiss aren't such a bad alternative after all. 

Three Unwritten Laws Of Twitter

Having recently rediscovered Twitter as a tool for Professional Development, I woke up my snoring account to share my thoughts on education and technology. Well, to share great resources if I could help it. I even gained some followers, which made me keen for more (it seems there is a power-hungry dictator hidden in each and every one of us social networkers). Let's just say I like an audience, as it makes my learning experience more authentic (well, this is what we try to convey to our pupils, right?!) Some days Twitter sent me several messages a day that 'so-and-do was now following me!' (the exclamation mark came from Twitter). When new followers looked interesting, I followed them back. Then something interesting happened: I lost followers. Twitter never mentioned those. No exclamation marks here, they simply pushed a button and detached themselves from my world. Lost in space. I felt betrayed. I started paying attention: plus three one day, minus 2 the next. Or worse, the other way around. If the number of your followers still lies within the two digit range, you are actually happy with +2... and sad about -3. Right? So this had become my sad life: chasing my socalled Twitter fanbase. And what an unfaithful and unpredictable fanbase it turned out to be... But why? After a while I figured it out: it is the unwritten Twitter Law of Reciprocity: "I Follow You if You Follow Me - and you've got 24 hours to respond!" Is this why some people have 4.539 followers and follow 4.526 people? What's that, my single reader? Is this me being jealous? Hell no, I am proud of my 91 followers - oh that is 90 now. That must be because of unwritten Twitter Law #2: Don't Talk about Numbers. Pretend numbers don't count, because everyone knows they do anyway. Unwritten Twitter Law #3: Be There All the Time. Even if you have to set a timer to rehash old tweets and blog posts every other month - even if this results in posts like 'Great Tools for Thanksgiving' in March or 'the one that I saw today; 'Summer Vacation is here - What Are You Up To?' It is February.

Good, that makes three Unwritten Rules Of Twitter - I can sense a tweet coming up.

The Importance of Being in Pre-school

In Berlin, babies go to the Krippe and toddlers go to Kindergarten. Ever since Fröbel and Pestalozzi discovered the importance of playing for the development of young children's motoric and academic skills, the Germans take this part of the pre-school curriculum very seriously. Extremely seriously. Playing in Kindergarten is a must. My children went to a solid Evangelische Kindergarten, where they walked around butt naked in the hot summer months. They built huts in the garden and fed the rabbits. They played football and tag, went on trips to the municipal pool and the adventure playground. They sang songs and slept and did tons of handicraft projects, called 'basteln'. They played until they were blue in the face. Learning the alphabet and counting were not included in the Kindergarten routine; that was for school. When they went to school, the teacher complained about some kids' lack of basic number and letter skills. Those children got homework, so their parents could get them up to speed. My oldest son just did his work experience project at a Kindergarten, which was divided into many different rooms. They had a relaxing room, a craft room, a building room, an eating room, a school room. In his written report my son described those rooms. His comment about the school room was; 'I haven't had the chance to see this room, as it was always closed.' This seems to be the way to do it in Berlin. Let them play until they go to school - until reality hits. Why this gap? Why can't there be a more playful entry into school life? This is what they do in the Netherlands; toddlers go to school when they are four years old - school life still involves lots of playing, but there is an active exposure to letters and numbers. Senator Sandra Scheeres: please re-introduce pre-school - and let educators know that it is ok to mix business with pleasure.

The Best Education is Marketing

Steve Jobs has said; "The best marketing is education". Turn that around: the best education is marketing. Sell your message, wrap it up nicely and grab your audience's attention. If we want engaged learners, teachers should not be too afraid or lazy to reach out. 

The best teachers aim to inspire. 

I remember a wonderful math teacher back in my hometown The Hague, called Bart van der Meer. We called him Bart until he turned vice-principal. One day he came to class with a frying pan, a small gas burner and an egg. He cracked the egg and held it high above the pan. The egg came running down in a straight vertical line - as you would expect. His point? To vividly demonstrate how the Y-axis runs, compared to the vertical X-axis - Y having the same sound as 'Ei' meaning egg. I learned that day that teaching is about inspiring, that a good teacher goes the extra mile to grab his students' attention and that visual imagery can be very powerful. 

O yes, and I have never forgotten that the Y-axis is the vertical one. 

Vorsprung Durch Technik It Is Not

As a technology-friendly teacher in Germany I need newsletters and professional networks like a fish needs water. Some of these newsletters turn out to be a major disappointment and need to be put on the spamlist asap The German newsletter of Pro-Schule (Neue Medien) turned out to be one of those. Mostly identifying the problems and risks of the Internet and technology in general, they sit behind their Commodore 64 and produce headliners such as "Friends with the Teacher? This is What you Should Keep In Mind When You Share Social Networks With Your Students...." or "Does Your Principal Also Expect You Too Fix Your Own Computer?" This week they demonstrated just how avant-la-lettre they really are, when they presented the learning website of the week:

Derzeit stellen wir Ihnen interessante und sinnvolle Websites mit Lerneffekt für Ihre Schüler vor. Heute: Die Maus erklärt das Internet Die berühmte WDR-Sendung „Die Sendung mit der Maus“ bildet nun auch im Internet. Unter dem interessanten und vielfachen Angebot finden Sie auf der Internetseite www.wdrmaus.de die Sachgeschichten der Sendung als Video versammelt, z. B. die Sachgeschichte zum Thema Internet. Klicken Sie dazu auf der Navigationsleiste auf Sachgeschichten den Buchstaben „I“. Das 8-minütige Video erklärt jungen SchülerInnen anschaulich, wie Internet-Adressen funktionieren, was ein Provider ist und wie vernetzte Rechner zusammen arbeiten. Dieses Video eignet sich besonders als Einstieg in den ersten multimedialen Unterricht.

First of all Pro-Schule doesn't even manage to send the direct link to the show, which would have been http://www.wdrmaus.de/sachgeschichten/sachgeschichten/sachgeschichte.php5?id=84. Instead they mention that this video can be found under the I for Internet.... Secondly; this video about Internet stems from 1999, and is nearly 15 years old! As if nothing happened, no cloud, no Wlan, no social networks, no Web 2.0. But Die Maus; that is German culture, history - that is reliable!

Vorprung durch Technik - not when it comes to technology for the classroom....

Nelson Mandela School Wins Award for Use of Technology for Learning

Press Release 4.3.2013

 

 

 

Flex A from the Nelson Mandela School Berlin Wins International Award   Sharkie Awards Honor Organizations and Individuals That Inform and ‘Wow’Their Audiences With Outstanding Online Presentations

Berlin —April 4, 2013 — Class Flex A of the internationalNelson Mandela School in Berlin is a winner in the fifth annual Sharkie Awards. The awards program, hosted by Brainshark, Inc., honors organizations and individuals that have created standout video presentations – improving business communications with their audiences across industries. Teacher Annemieke Akkermans was named a winner in the “MyBrainshark”category. Her bilingual class, consisting of 26 first- and second-graders, used mixed media to create an illustrated audio-book, which can be found here.

More than 400 entries were submitted in this year’s Sharkie Awards. Judges from Brainshark and other presentation experts evaluated submissions based on presentation quality, clarity, organization and aesthetics. Entries had to demonstrate effective use of Brainshark’s technology – which lets users transform static documents, such as PowerPoints, into online and mobile video presentations.

“The competition in this year’s Sharkie Awards was especially fierce, with many organizations using online video presentations to communicate with impact,” said Irwin Hipsman, Brainshark’s director of customer community. “Class Flex A of the Nelson Mandela School in Berlin went above and beyond. At a time when it’s increasingly important to break through the deluge of communications, they used this online presentation format to inform, motivate and truly ‘wow’ its audiences. We commend them on the excellent use of Brainshark’s technology.”
Digital Skills teacher Annemieke Akkermans: “Our team is always on the lookout for exciting technologies for educational purposes. Appropriate use of digital tools and resources provides a vast array of opportunities for blended learning. Our bilingual class (German/English) really enjoyed bringing this story to life. After listening to it the kids first created then colored their illustrations in vivid crayon, which I photographed afterwards. Post-effects were done with www.befunky.com, another piece of free mobile technology which is great for educational use. Our current 2^nd-graders will be able to do all of it without help in a few years’ time. After the Power Point presentation was uploaded, the children recorded their voice-overs on www.brainshark.com. Winning this award has motivated them even more; following a workshop with a professional storyteller they wrote their own stories and now want to turn these into illustrated audiobooks as well… I guess we’ll be busy!”

About the Sharkie Awards

The Sharkie Awards are an annual program, hosted by Brainshark, Inc., the leading sales enablement platform provider. The awards recognize outstanding presentations –honoring organizations and individuals that have demonstrated excellence in their use of Brainshark’s online and mobile presentation technology. More information about the awards program, including a gallery of winning presentations, is now available at www.brainshark.com/campaigns/sharkie-awards-2013.

Berlin is hip, the school system is not

According to tourists and newly arrived expats, Berlin is hip. As soon as those same expats send their children to a Berlin school, the word 'hip' is quickly replaced by antiquated, backwards and bureaucratic - depending on personal experiences. Berlin schools are run by the Senat. The Senat employs two kinds of teachers; civil servants and employees. And then there is a third category; the international teachers; fully qualified in their own countries, with skills needed for their jobs in one of the European or International schools of Berlin, but merely paid between 50 and 80% of what their German counterparts make. Why? Because they haven't done their training in Berlin. 
Don't even try to make sense of it.

This is decided by the Berlin Senat, the same one that abandoned pre-school at a time when all other sane countries decided to lower the age for school-goers to 4. The Senat got rid of preschool, and started to send children to school when they were five years old. Do the Kindergartens prepare their pupils for this early 'Einschulung'? No, as Kindergarten educators are not trained to do so. They do have a lot more paperwork to fill out, having to keep a record of the toddlers' language acquisition progress. Is there remedial support in case the child doesn't speak proper German after 5 years? No, but at least it is registered. Are then at least teachers trained to deal with younger children who often still pee in their pants and can't tie their own shoe laces? No, but the Senat thought it would be a good idea to introduce FLEX, a flexible school entry phase, where grades 1 and 2learn together - that way the little ones can learn from the older children - neatly solving the problem of the teacher who has no idea how to deal with those younger kids.

Five years after the introduction of this system, the Senat decided that schools are allowed themselves to decide whether they want Flex or not. More than half of the schools immediately stopped this experiment, some saying they had never really put it in place anyway. Yes, something like this is possible in Berlin, as the school inspection only visits schools once every 6 years or so. It is also quite well known in advance when they visit, so there is plenty of time to polish the hallways, replace ancient art projects and to dust off the interactive whiteboards.

Interactive Whiteboards - progress after all? Well, after being confronted with another round of terrible PISA results, the Berlin Senat had another wonderful idea and decided to make 'Berlin Kreidefrei'. No more chalk in Berlin classrooms - as chalk is obviously really old-fashioned. Deals with Smart and Promethean were struck and the schools were filled with whiteboard after whiteboard.

This is what a lot of teachers thought when those whiteboards were introduced: why should you use an interactive whiteboard if the blackboard works perfectly well? What is wrong with a piece of chalk and a talking head in front of the classroom? Frontal teaching is what we teachers have been doing for centuries, and it seems to have worked. Politicians, bankers, and not in the least WE, have all been educated without technology - and see how far it got us.

For German-speakers I'd like to share a typical text from a site called Teacher News, in which one of the editors is fulminating against the use of interactive whiteboards:

"Aber sehen wir es einmal „ressourcenorientiert“: Wenn wir statt „Tafel“ künftig „Blackboard“ sagen würden, vielleicht ließe sich der unaufhaltsame Siegeszug der Smart- und Whiteboards wenigstens verlangsamen. Ist denn noch niemandem aufgefallen, dass ein Smartboard den Lernprozessbegleiter schnell zum antiquierten Frontalunterricht zurückführt, statt die Kompetenzen der noch nicht so starken Schülerinnen und Schüler im Gruppenpuzzle auszubilden? Wenn das Geld für die teure Wartung der teuren Smartboards demnächst fehlt, dann schlägt vielleicht wieder die Stunde der guten alten Tafel – Verzeihung, des „Blackboards“. "

True, for teacher training and technical support was no money, so the whiteboards were mostly used as chalk-free blackboards. 'Kreidefrei' - the name alone implies a frontal tool, something to write on in front of the classroom. As long as German publishers are keeping their interactive resources to a minimum, Berlin teachers choose paper books over interactive learning environments.

I can't wait for the next move of the Senat - it can only get better.