Comments on: Quick Reflections on VSS 2009

By: Claire Thompson

Claire Thompson — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:31:30 +0000

@Bernadette, yes, it is hard to remember how we found resources before web 2.0 tools were around! It’s not just the tools though, it folks like you who through Facebook, Wikis, Blogs, Twitter etc are super sharers! Finding great resources and passing them along to those who might use them

By: Bernadette

Bernadette — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:28:22 +0000

Claire, you’ve added several great points in this post which will be highly useful for teachers interested in either exclusive DL or blended learning environments.

It’s great that elluminate is available to public school teachers for free. There is so much potential in tools such as these to bring educators together to learn through synchronous discussion.

I agree that the movement towards more willingness to share materials is growing, especially now that teachers are becoming more comfortable with web 2.0 tools. I often think back to a time prior to web 2.0 and wonder how we could have possibly accessed even half of the resources we currently can get our hands on by internet. With tools such as twitter and Facebook, one can so readily share information with other individuals and feel like they are perpetually engaged in PD.

Bernadette

By: Claire Thompson

Claire Thompson — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:43:12 +0000

@James, hopefully the situation will be different next year. One person I spoke to there seemed to think that a couple of years ago the web 2.0 tools weren’t all that hot, but figured they were worth investigating now. I don’t know if that is a common sentiment, but hopefully more teachers in this field (and across teaching in general) will explore and use tools like twitter. The sharing and connection you talk about are key.

By: James

James — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:27:56 +0000

Great summary of the VSS 2009 conference. I too was shocked as the non-twitter users in the crowd. Aren’t they all people who spend their days on computers?

As educators we need to share and connect.

James

By: Charlie A. Roy

Charlie A. Roy — Sun, 03 May 2009 11:53:45 +0000

Thanks for sharing this post.

By: Claire Thompson

Claire Thompson — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:15:08 +0000

@Errin, “people are realizing it’s better to cooperate and work together than to compete in isolation”. Perhaps this is an influence of the collaborative nature of the web?

I should clarify too that the lack of sharing I was seeing was more evident among the distributed learning set; probably due to the way that DL in the higher grades (10+) was originally set up in British Columbia. When I started my career (in a regular bricks-and-mortar high school) there were lots of great teachers who were very generous in sharing with me what they had created for their courses. Now a days, if most of what you are creating is saved digitally the sharing is so much easier and with the web you can share with so many more people.

I found the Mast Reflections photo in a Flickr creative commons search. The photographer said that he didn’t modify the image–the masts in the water just looked really zig zagged. Glad you liked it!

By: Errin

Errin — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:32:03 +0000

I like your reflection photo!

When I first started teaching, someone told me that “teachers are the best thieves”. I didn’t like that, but I understood it. Thankfully, I have noticed a shift towards sharing. I think that the rise of the internet has a lot to do with that, but I think that the mindset has shifted too. Maybe it’s because there is SO much out there now that people are realizing it’s better to cooperate and work together than to compete in isolation.

By: Claire Thompson

Claire Thompson — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:17:44 +0000

Louise, sometimes I think that people think “it took me so long to create this or come up with this I don’t want to just give it away”. But this is one of the very reasons to give it away. Why should a bunch of other people invest a ton of time coming up with something similar? If enough people start sharing you’ll end up getting as much as you give, if not more.

By: Louise Maine

Louise Maine — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:35:43 +0000

I definitely agree. We only learn by sharing and discussing. Many believe we should not be giving it away, but how else can these conversations occur, our work held up to scrutiny and discussion, and we grow as learners? I know for me it is not about the tools as it is about the learning. Without sharing and discussions, I am not sure others can really see it or the direction we need to go. I am liking what I see with DL and may one day find my place somewhere there.