injenuity

Posted by Jennifer on August 19th, 2008 in Uncategorized , Change, Future, Technology

I wake up around 5:30 in the morning, because I’m a morning person and it makes me happy.  I hear the coffee brewing and curl up on the couch with my Lap Palette, which comes to live instantly as it recognizes my thumb print.  I touch my image on the multi-touch screen and flip through a pinwheel selecting an icon for the day.  Using my other fingers I pull images of a coffee mug and a microphone onto my icon, indicating that I’m having coffee and am available to voice chat.  A circle appears on my screen with my coffee buddies inside and I hear their discussion.  I say good morning and let them know I’ll be getting my coffee.  As I speak, a text screen appears, converting my audio to text as I speak, and highlighting words with multiple hyperlinks according to priorities I’ve identified on my palette.

I pull my circle of friends to the side, still listening to the chat, and start to organize my day.  In my communications circle, I see there are 8 people who wish to communicate with me.  2 are urgent, so I pull their images out into my work space.  Several of them just want to chat and I leave them in the circle to deal with later.  A few are identified as sales calls and I drag them off the palette.  My coffee group is starting to get noisy, so I change the microphone image to a pencil and suddenly see a scrolling chat instead of hearing the discussion.  I notice several hyperlinks I may want to explore later.

Today I will be talking to an English instructor about an online class, solving a problem with a vendor, training a new employee and participating in a meeting.  I begin to drag images into position on my schedule, indicating my activities and times I am able to collaborate.  I notice a new icon near my appointment with the English instructor.  A colleague on the East coast will be meeting with her English department at that time and wonders if we can conference in.  I tap in an agreement and slide over a conference icon to make sure the session will be ready at that time.

There are a few gaps in my schedule, so I slide a car image into a few places on my daughter’s schedule, so she knows I will be available for transportation.  I also slide a volunteer icon into a few hours on my schedule indicating I’m available to help out.  The coffee group is starting to get busy, so I pull my icon out of the circle, so I can concentrate on my day.  I notice the new employee is available and has set his schedule, with a few empty hours.  I grab his icon and drag it onto my schedule with a microphone icon during a time when we are both available.  Within a few minutes it flashes his acceptance.

I open my reader and spin a pinwheel to sort it by topic as I’ve previously prioritized.  I’m researching a particular content area and want to make sure and read new materials in that area first.  When I’m done catching up with that, I spin the pinwheel again to sort by my favorite authors and scan through a few posts.  I find one for which I would like to respond.  I drag a microphone icon onto it and leave a voice response.  When anyone else pulls the post into their reader, they can choose to listen to my voice response or the automatic text translation.

I decide to write a post.  I can use the palette and pull in words with my fingers.  The palette knows my writing style and keeps the most popular words I use, right at my fingertips.  If I’m feeling nostalgic, I can use a QWERTY keyboard, or if I’m rushed, I can use my voice.  While I write, the hyperlinks multiply automatically based on my priorities.  I notice a particular word has received several hits, so I touch it to spin the pinwheel.  I notice several of my favorite authors have also written about this topic lately, so I scan their posts.  One includes a great comment, so I drag it into my writing space and it automatically creates a citation.

I’m done with my post and my coffee, and my middle-school age daughter is awake and getting her palette going for the day.  Naturally, the music is the first thing enabled.  She knows I’m around, so she pulls up her school standards.  She spins the pinwheel of state standards looking for something interesting.  She notices something called, “systems,” that doesn’t sound familiar, so she selects it and views her options.  A local mechanic has his shop open for the day and has a few openings for kids to come learn about auto systems.  There’s a webcam on in a factory in China and a group of kids from around the world will be observing and discussing.  A pulmonologist is in town for a lecture series and has identified volunteer hours during her 2 hour airport layover.

My daughter notices I’ve given her ride time during the time the mechanic is offering a demo, so she drags her icon onto his demo.  Noticing a few more openings, she looks for her friends who don’t have technology and sees they’ve not done systems lessons either.  She picks up the phone and offers a ride to two others, and adds 2 guests to the mechanic visit.  Then she sees a toad flashing on one side of her screen.  Last week she found a toad in the back yard and worked with others to identify it.  She clicks the flashing toad and discovers another kid in our town found a similar toad and wants to know how ours is doing and what we fed it.  She quickly responds with a voice message, knowing the recipient can choose to receive it as voice or text.

She opens her circle of local friends to see what they are doing.  Words are flying in the middle of the circle.  They are deciding on a study topic.  Members add words to the circle, and then vote by tapping on the words.  The word, “math” is currently the largest, and she taps in her vote.  Once the group finalizes the topic, the word begins to flash and the friends each access the pinwheel of options, talking verbally about what sounds interesting.  There’s a retired engineer in a nursing home on the east coast, with available volunteer time. There’s a simulation running live at the local university.  A mortgage broker is looking for help finding customers for a particular type of loan.  The friends decide to meet with the retired engineer.  They slide their icons onto his volunteer space.

It’s afternoon and I’ve accomplished many of my goals and have finished my taxi duties.  I slide the Zzzzzz image over my icon and take a little nap.  When I wake up, I notice an icon on my volunteer space.  I tap the icon, a young, single mom needs help and advice figuring out how to go to college and take care of her family.  I click her microphone icon and we have a nice discussion.  As my text translation scrolls and the hyperlinks grow, I discover some local agencies and scholarship opportunities for her.  I slide the resources onto her icon and she receives them and is grateful.  I join my kids outside to play in the grass.

3 Comments

Posted by Jennifer on August 19th, 2008 in Uncategorized , Change, Teaching, VPD

I am not opposed to using Web-based tools.  I think they absolutely should be used appropriately for teaching and learning, professional development and in the work place.  However, the current tools and infrastructure will not be around five years from now.  I am opposed to telling students, teachers and parents that these tools are our future.  They are not.  They are a stepping stone to tools that will be more intuitive, more connected, and more natural.

I do think we need to use and teach these tools, but we also need to give a broad perspective of how the tools came to be, how to use them creatively, how to solve problems, and how to prepare for the next generation of technology tools.  Before I had the job I have now, I was working on a grant in life science informatics.  The tools of biotechnology and nanotechnology will quickly enter the learning space and I don’t want those, and others, to be ignored.  I don’t want students to think wiki and blog platforms can only be used for wikis and blogs.  I’m not suggesting anyone stop using these tools, or stop teaching them.  I am suggesting we look out 5-20 years and really think what we can do to prepare our teachers and students for what may come.

3 Comments

Posted by Jennifer on August 18th, 2008 in Uncategorized , CCCS, Change, cr20slc08, Learning, Presentation, ProfessionalDevelopment, VPD

I can’t cook.  It’s an open confession I’ve made on Twitter many times.  I even know why I can’t cook.  It’s because I follow the directions.  That probably sounds ridiculous, but it is true.  The directions are only a basic framework for cooking.  The recipe doesn’t take into consideration the type of pan, gas or electric heat, conductivity, oven heating patterns, exact altitude, brand of ingredients, water composition, material composition of tools, etc.  These are things the chef is expected to know and incorporate into the cooking process when following a recipe.  Without the foundational philosophies behind the tools and components, the recipe is only as good as the paper on which it is written.

Some chefs are intuitive and need no additional information.  It may be a natural talent, or aspect of a specific personality.  Others naturally pick up the skills when following others, such as a parent or instructor.  Many will only be successful after much trial and error.  Some, such as myself, choose to get by with the bare minimum necessary to satisfy basic human needs, without exploring further to provide opportunity beyond mere sustenance.

I have been observing an international collection of K-20 educators for more than a year and a half.  I have seen many phases of technology adoption and integration, as well as collaborative efforts to expand the community and increase influence world wide.  For several months now, I have felt a disconnect between the activities of these communities, and what I feel would lead to increased learning in student populations. (Chris L., please feel free to dissect the prior sentence because I still don’t feel it says what I was trying to say .)  This week I had the pleasure of attending a small segment of the Classroom 2.0 Live workshops in Salt Lake City, UT, and I came to some conclusions, both frustrating and comforting.

I’ll start with the frustrating part.  Ever since my undergraduate days, I have had a hard time establishing a personal teaching philosophy based on results of current, published, formal educational research.  I’ve always felt it’s near impossible to replicate any single teaching scenario, and really, it comes down to the individual interaction between student and their teacher, other students, parents and environment.  I was grateful when I heard, I believe, Rick Schwier in Alec Couros’ grad class quoting another researcher who said, “educational research isn’t perfect, but it is useful.”  That settled everything for me in my mind and put me at a new comfort level with exploring these philosophies.

My observation this week at the Classroom 2.0 session, was that every single person I’ve come in contact with over the past year and a half has a completely different administrative, teaching and learning scenario.  I’ve never met any two people facing the exact same challenges.  Fortunately, through social media, we are able to find individuals with pieces of related experiences, so we can patch together solutions and work through challenges.  The discourse is important, and it is very valuable that we have opportunities to get together to discover connections we can continue to nurture in virtual spaces.

The comforting part of this realization, is that it validates my belief that there is not a single way we can each expect to apply these tools, and we cannot expect this of our instructors.  If we go back to my cooking analogy, the implications are that providing teachers with a recipe, or a general overview of Web 2.0 tools, is not going to lead to success in the classroom or with administration.  Teachers need to understand the basic foundations of these tools, what they can do, why they are important, and how to locate the appropriate tool for individual learning scenarios.  I believe this basic premise is true regardless of the technological or pedagogical proficiency of the instructor.

I am still working on my Create, Connect, Collect, Share course at http://cccs.wikispaces.com.  I’ve started a few presentations as well, and will be presenting at a local conference in September.  I think I will move the content off wikispaces and onto my own domain, though.  I definitely need to schedule time to work on this project, because I now feel it is even more important.  I want to be able to provide a resource anyone can use to give instructors the foundation they need before they begin to use social media tools for teaching and learning.  I don’t think it is an argument of tools vs. human connections.  I think it’s simply a matter of having the appropriate preparation prior to application.

Most importantly, I want to emphasize as much as I can, that we need to not promote Web 2.0 as the future of education or learning.  In fact, it is highly likely Web 2.0 will not even exist when today’s junior high students enter college or the work force.  There are many many web-based tools that can greatly enhance learning today, but need to be used with consideration of how that application affects learning.  When I see people state learners need to use these tools because they will experience them in the work place, I just cringe.

They may use them in the work place, or they may not.  If they do, employers typically want to train them on their own systems.  An employer is much more interested in an employee able to communicate proficiently, locate and critically evaluate information, and build strong internal and external customer relationships.  Employers and universities don’t care if a student knows how to use a wiki or make a youtube video.  General literacy is much more important than knowledge of specific web platforms.  Some of the skills we promote as 21st century literacies will not exist five years from now.  There are some excellent frameworks for promoting literacy and I’m excited to see them promoted more fully.

I can’t prescribe the best way to accomplish this type of professional development.  I believe it needs to occur through blended delivery, a combination of formal and informal learning.  I think much of it will happen virally, as early adopters share their successes and failures with others.  Those of us in roles where we have the chance to offer professional development, will need to nurture these organic communities and provide structure when necessary.  I think we must all acknowledge that we are all different, even if we have the same job titles.  My solutions will not work for your learners, if applied in exactly the same way.  We must respect culture, and recognize learning preferences.  We also must be open-minded, and not fear failure.  If I start a fire in the kitchen, I’ll put it out, but I will come back here to tell you what I did wrong to start it in the first place!

16 Comments

Posted by Jennifer on August 14th, 2008 in Uncategorized

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Originally uploaded by injenuity

I smuggled this jelly to UT in my camera bag.

2 Comments

Posted by Jennifer on August 13th, 2008 in Uncategorized , ShowAndTell, VPD

Each week BTC hosts an online Show and Tell session using Elluminate Live! Everyone is invited, so feel free to pass on the information. The eLearning department will spend a few minutes sharing new tools and resources, and then turn the time over to participants. Come prepared to share resources, links, projects, ideas, questions and conversation. The setting is informal and you are welcome to drop in and out when it is convenient. The link to access the session will change each week, so make sure to check the calendar at http://btcelearning.ning.com/events before you log in. To attend, just click the link on this event and enter your name when requested. There is no password. You can access recordings of our previous sessions at http://injenuity.podbean.com
To set up your computer to use Elluminate, visit http://www.elluminate.com/support/index.jsp
For more information on how to use Elluminate, visit http://www.elluminate.com/support/docs/8.0/participant.jsp

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Posted by Jennifer on August 6th, 2008 in Uncategorized , Elluminate, ShowAndTell, VPD

Each week BTC hosts an online Show and Tell session using Elluminate Live! Everyone is invited, so feel free to pass on the information. The eLearning department will spend a few minutes sharing new tools and resources, and then turn the time over to participants. Come prepared to share resources, links, projects, ideas, questions and conversation. The setting is informal and you are welcome to drop in and out when it is convenient. You can access recordings of our previous sessions at http://injenuity.podbean.com

To set up your computer to use Elluminate, visit http://www.elluminate.com/support/index.jsp

To attend the session, click the link and enter your name. There is no password.

http://elm.elluminate.com/HOSTEDBTC/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1217264485050

For more information on how to use Elluminate, visit http://www.elluminate.com/support/docs/8.0/participant.jsp

1 Comment

Posted by Jennifer on August 6th, 2008 in Uncategorized , Change, Gratitude, Teaching

Some of my network buddies like to tease me for being a John Mayer fan, but I think I’ll turn them around some day. Yesterday I downloaded Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles. Inspirational! One song, Out of My Mind, caused me to reflect in-depth on what I do for a living, and how I do it.

Out Of My Mind (Live At The Nokia Theatre) by John Mayer

John Mayer’s got a cushy job, right? He’s a super star. He gets to do what he loves every day, and gets recognition for his creations. I’m sure we would all love a piece of that. I don’t see why we can’t have it! When I think of some of the work I do, I realize there are changes I can make so I can have that rock star life. I’m not talking about riding around in limousines and picking up women. I’m talking about doing something that inspires me, and others, and reflects my true passion. We all can do this. I honestly believe if you’re in a position where you can’t use your talents, you should move on.

Here’s how to gig like Johnny:

1. Take Risks
2. Master the 12 Bar Blues
3. Find a Great Backup Band
4. Let Your Instrument Speak for You
5. Laugh at Yourself
6. When You Find That Sweet Spot, Keep Pushing
7. Know Your Strengths
8. Modulate
9. Improvise
10. Express Gratitude

Take Risks

You’re not going to learn or grow if you don’t take risks. You have to be willing to break a few rules, jump in and ask later. Just because a tool is designed for blogging, doesn’t mean you have to blog with it. Try something new.
Master the 12 Bar Blues

The 12 Bar Blues is the foundation of most of the popular music we’ve been listening to for decades. With a strong foundation, you can push limits and safely explore new territory, knowing you’ll come right back home to ground. Find your foundation and return to it when you’re done exploring. Your foundation may be your blog, your relationship with an individual or group, a hobby, a place, or just about anything. Master it and return to it when you need.
Find a Great Backup Band

There are always others behind great performers and leaders. Find your supporters, whether they are online or right in your office or home. Surround yourself with positive people who offer you a challenge and provide constructive feedback.
Let Your Instrument Speak for You

Whatever your signature tools, if you’re really a rock star, you shouldn’t need to provide an explanation for your work. Your instrument should speak for you. When you create something, make it strong enough to stand without your words.
Laugh at Yourself

Stuff happens. People make mistakes. Admit them, laugh at yourself, and get back to work.
When You Find That Sweet Spot, Keep Pushing

Once you find yourself in a comfortable place personally and professionally, you may be tempted to stay there in your routine with a comfortable cushion and safety net. This is not the way to learn and grow. Build your desire to learn more, and you will discover how to do it.
Know Your Strengths

When you’re in a field with so much transparency, it’s easy to see other’s strengths and neglect your own. You may find someone who is a better presenter, another person is a better writer, another does a better job building community. Just because there are people who do things better than you, doesn’t mean these things are not your strengths. Find yours and give them a little more attention and promotion.

Modulate

You don’t have to be the one making noise all the time. Chance your frequency, volume and tone. Mix it up. Savor the silence. Take a breath.
Improvise

You can’t plan for everything, but if you have a strong foundation, improvisation can be a wonderful thing! This is where your ideas become golden. Don’t be afraid to improvise.

Express Gratitude

Give credit where credit is due. You didn’t get where you are on your own. Acknowledge the contributions of those around you. Express sincere gratitude and humility whenever you can.

6 Comments

Posted by Jennifer on August 5th, 2008 in Uncategorized , Change, Connections, Disconnect, Network, Social

I can’t remember when I deleted my Twitter account, but I figure it’s been a little while. I’m still just as connected as ever, but I have rewired. I am updating my Facebook status regularly, and love the Facebook iPod Touch application. In fact, I think I like it more than the Web app! I’ve also used the WordPress application and have done some experimenting with Evernote. My daughter (7 1/2) has blogged directly from the iPod Touch to her WP blog, with very little instruction from me.
I have kept Gmail chat and Skype open most days. This morning I started filling up my reader again. This time I am interested in following K-12 educators/bloggers to see what they are doing this summer. I will be attending the Classroom 2.0 Live workshop next week, and hope to spend my time observing and learning.  I have enjoyed reading blog posts recommended by Google Reader friends, and find this to be a great filter!

Last week I had time to read three books.  It was so nice to just get fully absorbed in a book, without the constant desire to click, refresh, and connect.  I grabbed 3 more books at the library on Saturday and another 3 from the bookstore today and can’t wait to dive in.  I’m especially excited to start reading more books and blogs written by people with whom I disagree.  While I like participating in a supportive network of educators, I’m tiring of the echo chamber and lack of constructive criticism.  I feel like I’m not learning if I’m only reading people who agree with me.

6 Comments

Posted by Jennifer on August 5th, 2008 in Uncategorized , Object-Centered Sociality, SecondLife, Social, SocialMedia, VirtualWorlds

Last Thursday I attempted to log into my Second Life account during my Show and Tell session and was unable to connect.  I assumed it was because I was a few versions behind, and so I completed the update and tried again, without success.  I thought maybe I was using the wrong password, so I changed the password, tried again and still could not get in.  I submitted a help ticket and received the following response:

Hello Jennifer,

Thank you for contacting Linden Lab support regarding your issue.

The reason you cannot login is that your account has been cancelled.  The reason it was cancelled is due to the outstanding balance on the account which was not paid.

I can reactivate the account for you, but unfortunately all of the inventory, land and Linden dollars on the account will be gone.

If you would like me to do this, please reopen this ticket.

If you have any further questions you can contact myself or one of my colleagues.

Regards,

Shaun

Linden Lab support

Back in June, I changed my account from premium to basic, so was surprised they suggested I owed money.  I wrote to @fleep, the SL goddess and wondered what she thought.  She contacted the concierge for Chilbo, as I am a resident, and was told I had to contact the help desk myself.  She was able to see my avatar information, so we assumed it had not been deleted.  I replied to the original help request and received this response:

Hello Jennifer,

Thank you for contacting Linden Lab support regarding your issue.

Your account was a quarterly account, and you failed to downgrade before the fee was due.  That is why there was an outstanding balance.

As mentioned before all of your land, inventory and Linden dollars on the account will have been deleted as the system to does this automatically.

I can reactivate this account for you, but you will have to pay the balance due on the account.  If you would like me to do this, please reopen this ticket.
If you have any further questions you can contact myself or one of my colleagues.

Regards,

Shaun

Linden Lab support

I decided just to call and see what would happen.  I was quickly connected to Bruno, who advised me I had downgraded my account on 6/15, the same day my quarterly billing occurred.  Since there was no longer a card on the account, it did not clear.  They tried for 7 days, and since they couldn’t obtain payment, they canceled my account.  Apparently, there are many levels of cancel, and your stuff is not deleted all at once.  He advised me it may all be gone, or there could still be lindens and inventory available.  He could not make promises.

Bruno told me I had to pay the $22 in order to get my avatar back.  However, he could not promise I would have my inventory, or even my more than $14,000 Lindens.  I admit, I was laughing too hard to even communicate with him.  I asked if he realized he was holding my cartoon hostage!  He told me that life was funny and Second Life was even funnier.  I paid the $22, logged back in and discovered all my inventory in tact.  That’s right, I didn’t lose my octopus family, my ball gowns, rocket launcher, beagle, fancy hair, alien eyes or bulletin board.

It really got me thinking about how SL is used in education and how we can trust building materials and storing them in SL.  Much of what is created there cannot be transferred to any other platform.  Educators put hours and hours of work into developing objects and content in-world, but there it remains.  I didn’t have any important content in-world, but can imagine how much stronger my shock would have been if I had.  I primarily have used SL from the social side, and it has been one of those social objects I value, as I participate in learning it with other educators.  That is why I paid the ridiculous fee to restore my account.

I don’t think I really want to support instructors through anything similar.  How can I ask them to invest time and effort in something that isn’t translatable or transferable?  How can I ask them to give up their creations this way?  Not only that, but it is so much easier to develop and share open resources on other web platforms.  I still haven’t given up on SL, but I’m going to need a lot more convincing before I lead others there.  I’ve now been studying it for almost two years, and still have that uncomfortable feeling.

5 Comments

Posted by Jennifer on August 2nd, 2008 in Uncategorized , School, Teachers, Teaching

I haven’t yet registered my daughter for school. She’s been in a private Montessori for four years and our plan has been to transfer her to public school. Our house is on the market, and we would like to move closer to my work. Unfortunately, the market is really terrible right now, and it’s unlikely, though not impossible, to sell. I will have to register her for school soon, and probably in our current town. While I’m weighing options, I thought I may as well create a fantasy of a perfect teacher for my daughter.

I started my fantasy imagining an individual with the perfect background, qualifications and demeanor. I quickly realized this person could never exist, and went on to visualize a collection of teachers, each with unique contributions to the classroom. As I explored this idea I discovered, I would rather there be no classroom and no teachers! My idea of the perfect environment for my child, has no resemblance to the schools of today.

So while I’m reinventing the classroom, I think I will deconstruct the work place as well. The only reason we’re stuck working 8-5 Monday through Friday is our addiction to the telephone and immediate service. My dream center would start with a commercial warehouse and loft, renovated and restored by community volunteers and corporate donations. The loft would be massive with lots of sunlight and open spaces. A central social area would include flexible furnishings, that could be reconfigured for multi-purpose use. Surrounding the social area would be work spaces of all shapes and configurations. There would be space for artists, musicians, business people, crafts people and service workers.

Community members would share the work space, with facility funds coming from employer donations. Employers would receive tax deductions for the donations, save money on overhead and realize ROI in worker satisfaction as well as financial savings. Center hours would be flexible, with a skeleton staff to maintain security. Children would arrive as it suited their family schedules. Families would contribute to the center with volunteer hours, using their skills and resources. The children would have access to workers in multiple professions, who would contract with the center to spend a percentage of their time mentoring the young learners. Seniors would share the social space with the children and act as anchors for the center activity. Visiting professionals would contribute service time, such as healthcare, and social advising.

Teachers would serve as facilitators, but also get to know the students well enough to conduct individualized assessment. Their primary role would be to encourage questioning and communication between the workers and students, and offer paths for inquiry. The curriculum would be as flexible as the work area. Students would learn respect, reasoning and critical thinking, communication and feedback skills. The warehouse below would provide space for all manner of trades, labs and technical operations.

I know this is only a fantasy and would never work in real life. I would add more substance, but I’ve got learning to do!

2 Comments