Update to One of Those Days

Thanks for the comments to my last post “One of Those Days” and thanks to David Warlick to responding so quickly to my classblogmeister glitch.

Everything was sorted out and fixed for the grade 2&3 class to begin their blogging adventure the next day. I started with three of the boys and walked them through everything from turning on the MacBooks to working with classblogmeister. Next, seven of my grade sixes acted as mentors working 1 to 1 with the younger students and showing how to post to their blogs. The remainder of the grade 2&3 class came in and I showed them the links I’ve added to their blog page: Mr. Greenberg’s class blog in Connecticut which has a VoiceThread that my grade 6 &7 class contributed to, Kathy Cassidy’s grade one blog, Leah Dewhurst’s class blog, Mr. Mead’s grade twos in Australia, and the grade threes in Beiruit. The students were avid viewers while waiting to take their turn posting to their blog.

The next morning I commented to all of the students that posted. The grade 2&3 teacher has also invited the principal to comment to the students’ writing. The student’s posts were well written and many included a question for their audience to respond to.

On Wednesday afternoon the grade 2&3 teacher asked one of my grade six students to make her blog look fancy. This student decided to give up his phys. ed. class to work on her blog page. He added a glitter text title from Rock You and also added a weather pixie.

On Thursday I asked one of the grade two’s if he had been blogging again. He replied that he was getting the address so that he could write during the Easter holidays. How cool is that? He was also excited to have had 11 readers and 1 “commentary” from me. He told another student had had 27 readers and 1 “commentary.”

I think the moral of the story is that sometimes there are glitches with technology and lessons don’t go as planned. But, I’ve had that happen when I wasn’t using technology and somehow managed to work through a lesson. It was worth the effort to get the grade 2&3 class blogging. I can’t wait to read about the rest of their school year.

Grade 2&3 Class at Christmas

One of Those Days

Today was one of those days with technology. I was introducing classblogmeister to the grade 2&3 class in my school. The teacher is ready to start using Web 2.0 tools with her class and the students were excited. I had already set up the class blog and today was the day to choose student nicknames then write their first post. I’ve been using classblogmeister with my class for just over a year and think it’s a wonderful tool.

I had taken a data projector to show them their blog pages and the links I had added to them. Unfortunately, the data projector “detected no input”. I used the time to speak to the students about online safety, using nicknames and how the blog space worked. I also spoke to them about the idea of audience. Still no input. I introduced their first writing assignment “Who Am I.” We discussed appropriate information to write on their blog and brainstormed ideas.

The students began to write while I retrieved another data projector. Still no input. Now I’m starting to think it’s not the data projectors but my MacBook connection that’s the problem. At this point I decide to put the students’ nicknames in the class roster so that they may begin posting. The names and passwords are all added to the roster but when I click on the grade 2&3 instead of the students’ names appearing the screen flashes and that’s it. Now I still feel optimistic that I can sort all of this out before the students are ready to post. No such luck. The students are writing while the classroom teacher and learning resource teacher are helping to edit. Two students are now finished so I send them to my classroom for another MacBook.

Students arrive with the MacBook. I hook it up to the new data projector. Input detected. But….now what? The screen appearing on the MacBook is very far over to the left of the screen when projected from the data projector. If I move the Internet screen all the way over to the right until it just begins to disappear I can see it from the data projector. Strangest thing I ever saw.

Thank goodness the recess bell rang.

I’ve been trying all night to fix the student roster. I’ve sent out a help message to blogmeister groups and emailed David Warlick. Hopefully I can sort this out tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/labgp/

Comments to Blog Shut Down

More reaction to Al Upton’s blog shut down. What do you think?

Comment:
I’d wish for my children to be in Al’s class for SURE!!! He is an educator that is LEADING THE WAY!!! Others should take note! Our children NEED this sort of learning and education!

Author: Anne
Comment:
Sorry that such a fantastic opportunity for learning has been taken away from your students. Student blogging has such potential for motivation, for connection with an audience, for furthering communication. After all, that’s what writing is for!

Author: John Connell
Comment:
Al Upton is, without doubt, one of the most committed educators I have ever met – his focus, every time I meet him, is entirely on the children in this class. This decision by the South Australian authorities is monumentally stupid, shortsighted and anti-education – it is also cowardly. Someone, somewhere, has buckled in the face of paranoia and a closed-minded, irrational fear of nothing whatsoever.

For the past 14 months, I have been extolling the virtues of Al Upton, his minilegends, and, as I thought, the forward-thinking education system of South Australia, all around the world. Everywhere I go I mention this school blogger par-excellence – now I will be forced to use this ridiculous decision as an example of a head-in-the-sand attitude that believes we can protect our children best by banning everything that moves. The best protection, in fact, as Al knows, is education itself – an anti-education move such as this simply beggars belief.

Author: Sean FitzGerald
Comment:
Very disappointing. I’ll just add one point, which I haven’t seen made yet, which is this… what is this modelling? You make a mistake in good faith and you get slammed? Why couldn’t this situation have been used to clarify safety guidelines and make whatever changes to the way you were working in line with those? Why shut down your whole operation completely? It seems more like punishing and making an example of than correcting behaviour. Oh wait… this is school.

Author: Darren Kuropatwa
Comment:
Just learned about this via an email. Al, and all the mini-legends, I’m so sorry to hear of this and wanted to add my voice of support. I hope your ministry of education officials look through the work you and your kids have been doing online for the last few years and examine there concerns in that larger context. I suspect doing so will open their eyes the sort of careful, considered, and responsible educator that you are.

Looking ahead to that future, the mini-legends will become legends in name and fact as together you all model educational blogging at its best. I really can’t see any other outcome to follow from a pedagogue examining the opus of your work online.

Warmest Regards and Best Wishes,
Darren Kuropatwa
<a href=”http://www.wsd1.org/dmci” rel=”nofollow”>Department Head Mathematics</a>
Winnipeg, Canada

Author: scotter
Comment:
What a shame! I was looking forwards to looking at the mini’s work.
I hope our own local authority are more open minded!
Alasdair Lanyon
http://arisaigschool.edublogs.org/

Author: Christine Martell
Comment:
Al,
I am so sorry to see this happening. The mini’s have been an incredible inspiration to me, and I’m sure to many others throughout the world. My heart goes out to you and the kids. it can be so frustrating to have creative expression both misunderstood and repressed.

Just from what I have seen here, I know you will turn this experience into deep learning for all involved, I just wish you didn’t have to.

Order for Closure

This morning on Twitter thekyleguy sent out a tweet about this unfortunate event. What do you think? As you read through the post do you agree with the ministry’s decision? Read the comments from other educational bloggers around the world as they discuss the decision.

Other educational bloggers are discussing this event. Read this blog for more reaction.

This blog has been disabled in compliance with DECS wishes (Department of Education and Children Services – South Australia)

It seems that this blog in particular is being investigated regarding risk and management issues. What procedures should be taken for the use/non-use of blogs to enhance student learning will be considered.

Please note … I am greatly comforted by the support from many of my parents/care-givers, the staff & leadership at school and the Learning Technologies team at ‘headquarters’.

I absolutely value the support and wisdom given to me from my online global social networks – and isn’t that what the whole thing is all about?

Best of all are the kids .. without their enthusiasm, love for blogging and collaboration … well this blog would never have existed .. and now, would not be closed.

Cheers, Al

Please Note … Let’s embrace this as an opportunity to promote the value of blogs and online learning generally. There is no benefit in looking for blame here, there is enormous value and potential in celebrating our voices.

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Falupton.edublogs.org’; addthis_title = ‘Order+for+Closure’; addthis_pub = ”; Grab a free Edublog to get your own comment avatar!

Comments»

1. murcha – March 14, 2008

Pardon? Is this for real! Come to Victoria then and bring the students with you. Did they checkout the clustr map and see the authentic audience that your students have? It was wonderful to see them blogging and to see the support given to you worldwide. Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help!!

2. dogtrax – March 14, 2008

WowThe benefits of blogging are many and varied, including: writing for an authentic audience, exploring other points of views, composing in different modes and medium, researching and evaluating information and integrating student interest in the classroom.
I am sure the list goes on and on.
I thought your concept of a mentor program was fantastic and it seemed as if you had tapped into something powerful in the world, too.
I hope you can reverse the order (is that possible?)

Perhaps: remove pictures and create pseudonyms and re-launch?

Good luck
Kevin Hodgson
Massachusetts, USA

3. Allison Miller – March 14, 2008

This is a very interesting and distressing situation!I would like to know what evidence or data the ‘risk management’ dept of DECS is using when they have come to their decision to ’shut down’ this site.

Al is offering his students the opportunity to interact and learn from a global network of people. He is offering his students the means to learn in a ’safe’ environment of how to operate in an interactive online environment.

Doesn’t DECS have an ethical responsibility to help their students to develop the skills they require to operate in the 21st century through collaborative spaces such as blogs, wikis, and social networking sites.

Where will these students learn the skills to safely operate in an online environment?

The internet offers an opportunity for students to network and learn beyond their locality and time zone through social networking. To date, our young people have been using the internet to connect with others, with little or no guidance from their parents or teachers.

However, educational institutes have the opportunity to help ‘guide’ their students through the ‘unchartered waters’ of online social networking through spaces such as what Al is developing with his students.

He has been open and upfront with his students, parents, colleagues, authorities, and online networks. The people who who have offered their assistance to ‘mentor’ his students are people who have the utmost respect of the online community. People who model appropriate online social behaviour, and are ‘paving the way’ for others in how to share and mentor others online.

I believe the decision to shut down this site is very narrow minded and the decision has been based on a very limited and sensationalised view of what an online environment can offer to young people.

Young people are no more at threat online than they are in the ‘real world’. The skills required to understand ’stranger danger’ apply to an online environment.

Allowing Al Upton’s students to learn in an online environment will allow these students to apply their ’stranger danger’ skills in a safe and ‘controlled’ environment.

Please do not deny these students the opportunity to learn in a rich, valuable and safe environment, to develop the skills they will need to be effective individuals in the 21st century.

4. Kate Olson – March 14, 2008

Al -I was so upset when I saw Sue Waters tweet about this this morning – I’m waiting for her post after her Skype session today to perhaps learn more about how other Aussie edubloggers are reacting……I hope to find out details of this that will help all other educators using blogs with our students. Keep us posted, Al.

5. Jo McLeay – March 14, 2008

Al, I am so surprised as I know how much blogging helps students learning. It is practice in writing, it is practice in critical reading and in collaboration. Students need to learn in a safe place and school is such a place. Teachers who can mentor students and make positive comments on the student writing help them know that they have a real audience. It helps motivate students. This seems to be a backward step.

6. Frank’s Blog – March 14, 2008

These are both confusing and enlightening times. While trying myself to get similar projects started here where I am, I am now rethinking approach and process and politics. Very disappointed that some have to be those that increase awareness through difficult times as you are experiencing now. But, I hope as we move forward, that education overall will be better and all will not be in vain. No. not hope … I am sure of it! Good luck with these changes and redefining moments in educational history. The 21st Century certainly has given us much to think about.

7. Drew Buddie – March 14, 2008

Al, I am absolutely gobsmacked at the decision to stop this amazing initiative. I can understand the need to ensure that young people need to be safe online, but why on earth there is a problem with blog comments that are left on a page, and therefore TRANSPARENT, is utterly beyond me. Shame on the bureaucratic nincompoop that made this decision.And if it doesn’t sound sad to say it, It’s the miniLegends themselves I feel sorry for. This is a story that could go global (and if *I* have anything to do with it, it will)!

8. Robin Ellis – March 14, 2008

I was very sorry to see the message above, I have been using the mini legends as an example for my administrators and teachers in our conversations regarding the wonderful opportunities blogging provides for students to reach beyond the walls of their classrooms. All students need to learn how to navigate the online world safely, and what better models than those who use the same world in their own practice and themselvs model appropriate behavior? I would hope this decision to remove the blog will be reconsidered and you allow the students to continue developing the skills which will help to shape their future.

9. Chris – March 15, 2008

http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/03/13/study-encourages-a-less-hyped-view-of-social-networking-risks/Nuff said.

10. Corrie Bergeron – March 15, 2008

So a few parents are concerned about a potential threat to their kids from people who live on the OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET!?!

11. gkat – March 15, 2008

Wondering… (sorry if this information was already collected Al but) would it have made a difference or would parents feel more safe if the educator-mentors had sent “proof/validation” of their employment as educators? (as they do e.g. in Quest Atlantis?), Such a shame for your students.

12. Kathryn Greenhill – March 15, 2008

I wish that my two boys were in Al Upton’s class and had an opportunity to be part of a blogging programme like this. They need to learn how to navigate the ‘net safely. They need to understand how to safely have conversations with people from around the world.They need to understand how to present themselves online, including how to safely use their own voice and identity. I want them to experiment with their online identity in a safe environment where they are supported. I don’t want them to go underground and experiment by themselves with no guidance from someone who understands the online environment.

My kids have been reading the Minilegends’ blogs and love to see what the kids are doing. They are encouraged to learn about what the other kids are learning.

As a parent and an educator I use Al’s classroom blog as a Best Practice model for classroom blogging. I have shared the site with other parents and educators.

To not continue with this, the Minilegends miss out on learning, their parents miss out on learning about the internet along with their kids, other kids miss out on learning from the Minilegends and a pioneering Best Practice example is lost to us.

13. susant – March 15, 2008

I too am flabbergasted by the closure of this blog, and fail to see how comments by educators world wide could be seen as a potential danger.I am also reminded of a blog post by Dean Shareski “Why Privacy is Moot Point” http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/01/04/why-privacy-is-moot-point/ – Shareski points out that newspapers regularly publish children’s photos and names without parents’ permission.

14. Nancy White – March 15, 2008

It is my belief that working WITH kids to help them find their own, safe path in the digital world involved guided LIVING in that digital world with the support of teachers, parents and yes, other people out in the world. By avoiding this real experience, I believe children are at greater risk.I understand and respect academic organizations’ concerns about risk and risk management. The problem is, our participation in the world does not stop at the school door. We should not try and legislate as if it does.

Further, children today must have strong digital skills – and that includes social skills – to survive in the job market. I consult with organizations about how they can work/collaborate online and one of the key skills they are now realizing they need to hire and cultivate is online community and social network skills, the ability to write FOR and ON the web, and the social intelligence of how to do this wisely and effectively.

Al, you have my digital support from afar. Please send my best wishes and encouragement to the Mini Legends who have, so far, taught many of us adults so much.

Hm, that makes me realize. This is as much about the world learning from the kids as the other way around. ….

15. Tim Davies – March 15, 2008

Hey AlAll arguments about whether or not blogging is positive for young people’s learning aside (I believe it is) – it strikes me that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (widest internationally agreed treaty, signed by Australia) speaks to this situation.

I’ve blogged on it over here: http://www.timdavies.org.uk/2008/03/14/article-13-and-minilegends but broadly – Article 13 states:

“The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice.”

That appears to pretty well describe what the miniLegends were up to. And it is articulated as a specific /right/ of all under 18s. Taking action to limit the right should require some serious proof that other protection rights and concerns substantively trump it….

16. Michele Martin – March 15, 2008

Al, check out this link–it’s to a study debunking the cyber-stalking myths. Your kids are in greater danger in the “real world” than they are online!http://tinyurl.com/3xp5z4

17. russel – March 15, 2008

Well, I can’t add any content to what has already been said but I can add the weight of another voice in agreement.
Thankyou Al for being in the front line here. I have come close to being shutdown within the last twelve months by conservative forces in my own own local evnironment and I remember the pain with discomfort.
I trust that the conservative elements in the department that have made this decision will soon feel the full force of the educational necessity to allow kids to learn safe online behaviour in the safe environment of school. They can only keep their heads in the sand for so long. I wonder if they know what their own kids are doing right now? I wonder when they last spoke with their own kids about the actual life that they live… a lot of it online… in all likelihood.
Its not the end mate… its just the beginning of another interesting journey. Be of good cheer. The truth will win out.

18. Chris Harbeck – March 15, 2008

Al Whatever support you need from your network I will try to help. It is so short sighted of the “powers that be” need to have the big stick and shut down powerful educational thinking. It really is a shame that a visionary like yourself and your students are being stifled.Kids that do not have a positive exposure to the web and are not taught how to be informed web citizens will be ignorant to dangers in the future.

Good luck with your fight.

19. Alan Levine – March 15, 2008

Al- I am so disappointed to hear of this (word just got to me via twitter). You had created a model project and handled the concerns in the best way possible.For some government authority to override the wishes and permissions granted by the parents is unfair to say the least and perhaps leaning towards totalitarian. Who is more responsible and gets to make decisions for Australian children- the government or the parent?

If it were me, I might have shied from using the kids photos, but as they are identified only by first name, I fail to see the dire risk.

If there is anything we can do to protest, petition, complain, just shout out.

20. indigo196 – March 15, 2008

I will not say that the board is wrong… safety is a concern.Two options exist:
1. Move this project to a ‘closed’ model in which students can interact, but ’stranger danger’ can not see the site.

2. Ensure that students DO NOT expose personal information on the site that would enable ’stranger danger’ to target them.

I have no visited here before so I am not making a claim that this site did not safeguard the children, but I do understand the concern that parents and administrators have.

21. Kimberly Brown – March 15, 2008

Oh my. Another group of administrators who don’t get it! It’s time to move with the times and the value of connected learning. So sorry about this.Kimberly Brown
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Second Life

Last night was my first foray in Second Life. My EC&I 831 class from the University of Regina toured Second Life last night with the help of tour guide Kirk Kezema from the University of Saskatchewan. The first challenge was to create an account and an identity in Second Life. I am Global Chesnokov. Now, if you don’t know how this works you are allowed to choose your first name then there are choices for your last name. I chose Global because at the time I had the tv on the Global television network and their logo/name was on the screen. Next I had to choose what I looked like. Unfortunately I made the same choice as two other people in my class so we had triplets wandering cyberland last night. I could only tell it was me when I read my name above my head. If I was going to do this again I would personalize my identity. I now had to install the Second Life program to my computer. Well, my school MacBook wasn’t letting me do much and the browsers weren’t recognizing the Second Life url for my tour. I tried on my PC at home. I installed the program then the flashing blox came up telling me that my video cards were too old to support the program. Finally, I used my husband’s brand new HP laptop with a 17″ screen. He said I could use it for the class and then he was uninstalling Second Life. He couldn’t imagine what sort of educational value playing a game could be.

Okay, so now I’m in Second Life and I’m teleporting to our meetng place which is the EECM Meeting Hall. We meet in a virtual lecture hall and are asked to sit down. Sounds easy right? Guess again. We looked like a group of kindergarten students trying to form a circle. It was truly sad. Finally our leader was able to organize the virtual world neophytes and explain what would happen on our tour. We visited the University of Saskatchewan’s virtual world,The Discovery Channel’s Learning Centre and had an opportunity to speak to one of their staff members, and finally the Space & Flight Museum. We didn’t visit the University of Ohio’s virtual world but I found a introductory video on YouTube. We lost people on the tour, we had to learn to walk straight and follow our guide and others kept sitting down at unexpected moments.

I can see how there could be opportunities to use a virtual world in a middle years classroom. I think it would be interesting to visit The Discovery Channel’s Learning Centre to participate in some of their programming. During a Science unit I would like to take my students to the Space & Flight Museum. My husband asked how I would keep track of my students and I answered that it would be like any other field trip when I would do head counts. It does open up some interesting possibilities for classroom use.

So who out there is a Second Life resident? Why and how do you use the your virtual world? How does anyone think a virtual world could be utilized in a classroom? I’m interested because I see the possibilities but I’m sure there are others like my husband who can’t imagine any educational value.