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Permalink Reply by Ian Carmichael on January 12, 2009 at 7:23pm

I'm sure this is all mundane, but, FWIW
One way I've tried, Maureen, is to shift my own communication with staff to the 2.0 world. Why tie up diaries when a meeting discussion could just as well or better happen as a forum, a syllabus document be developed as a wiki, a need for feedback as a blog? I can't say the place is electrified, but at the end of my virtual meeting scheme, there were at least 10 more teachers who'd had exposure to the ways of Ning. (Now, there's a book title - The Way of Ning; the art of digital interconnectedness!) As staff use the technology available on school-like projects, they come to have a glimmering of what can be done with student learning. I hesitate to say 'in the classroom' because if the class IS the social network, it's really odd to gather and then communicate digitally! If the social network is more global, and groups of students intersect across locations in time and space it makes more sense to be working in the classroom. If any great illuminations come, I'll try to pass them on. (Oh, and if you've got a classroom of your own, your own work can be an exemplar.) I'd imagine there's a fair amount of material on this in Classroom 2.0, but ti may be worth starting a forum or a group here germane to the topic.

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Permalink Reply by Jenifer on January 13, 2009 at 6:51am

Greetings, All. My name is Jenifer. I spent over 30 years of my life working in K-12, most recently leading a Maine network of outstanding teachers teaching others about high-quality teaching with technology. You will see many of those folks here (and on SEEDlings, the offshoot of the network). Now I work in graduate medical education at a family medicine residency and am finding ways to use technology to transform learning and teaching in this arena. I look forward to exploring the innovations offered here and learing with and from you.

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Permalink Reply by Kristen on January 13, 2009 at 9:38am

Hello Everyone,
My name is Kristen Marchiole...I am a curriculum coordinator for Erie 1 BOCES in western NY. I am a former special education teacher and currently deliver staff development to different schools in our area. I am very interested in making change in education and am looking forward to discussing this topic with all of you!

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Permalink Reply by Maya Frost on January 14, 2009 at 5:27am

Hi everyone!

My name is Maya Frost and I am an American writer living in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In 2005, my husband and I sold everything in order to have an adventure abroad. The tricky part:
we had four teenage daughters at the time! While ushering them through high school, into college and beyond,
we learned about some stunningly advantageous strategies for student success and happiness.

I decided to write a book in order to share this valuable information with other parents of high school and college students in the US. My book, The New Global Student: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition, and Get a Truly International Education, will be published by Random House this May.

It's not about international schools. Or technology. Or immersion programs.
Instead, it's a celebration of the accessible and affordable education options available to all students in the United States--and a conspiratorial how-to book on how to put the pieces together in creative ways. (I've dubbed this "education design") The book includes myth-busting facts, expert tips and best of all, some truly inspiring success stories from the students themselves.

By the way, my four daughters seem to have managed to survive being uprooted in high school:

The oldest spent her junior year of high school in Chile, entered a liberal arts university in Canada at 18 as a junior, and graduated at 19 with a BS and honors. She will finish her master's in urban public health this May, and works as a supervisor in a family health clinic in Harlem. She's 22.

Daughter #2 spent her junior year of high school in Brazil, and studied through six universities in four countries and three languages--and still managed to graduate with a BA and honors from an Oregon university two years ahead of her classmates. Interested in media literacy, she did two internships in Manhattan--one at a Latino ad agency, one at MTV International. She will be teaching at a charter school in Harlem while earning her master's in urban education. She's 21.

Daughter #3 spent her junior year of high school in Brazil, her senior year in Argentina and entered a liberal arts university in Canada at 18 as a junior. She graduated at 19 (BA and honors) and begins work as a multilingual (Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, German) events coordinator for Norwegian Cruise Lines this spring.

Daughter #4 never attended high school in the US. She moved with the family to Mexico, where she was the only foreigner in her all-Spanish high school. After a year there, the family moved to Argentina, where she took college courses, studied online, worked with tutors from around the world, attended university classes and transferred to a university in upstate New York as a junior. Within days of her arrival on campus, she was offered a TA position and featured in the campus newspaper--at 17.

Goodbye, Old School. Hello, Bold School! ;-)

Contrary to what you might guess judging from the time lines above, the Bold School approach isn't about racing ahead. It's about diving into advanced education early in order to allow students to be ignited by their passion. They weren't trying to cut corners or scrimp on classes--they were just really motivated to learn more about what interested them, and that's what pulled them toward an early graduation.

Anyway...sorry for the mom talk. .I promise there are lots of stories in the book about students with whom I do not share blood ties! ;-)
I invite you to learn more at www.NewGlobalStudent.com

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on January 14, 2009 at 9:55pm

Wow. I really want to learn more. Can't wait for the book!

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Permalink Reply by Maya Frost on January 15, 2009 at 3:16am

Thanks, Steve! ;-)

Best,
Maya

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Permalink Reply by anil unal on April 30, 2009 at 12:59am

Me too.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Bassill on January 14, 2009 at 8:10pm

I lead a non profit in Chicago that focuses on expanding the adult support network and non-school learning activities for inner city kids, via structured volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs. I've led such a program since 1975, first as a volunteer while holding various advertising roles with the Montgomery Ward corporation, then since 1990 as the founder and president of Cabrini Connections and Tutor/Mentor Connection.

I use maps to try to break the education conversation into two parts, education for kids in poverty, and education for all other kids. For kids living in big city poverty the issues of coming to school and learning often take a back seat to issues of surviving. For those who don't live in big city poverty, it's hard to grasp this and thus a discussion of education strategies often overlooks the social and emotional needs, and the need for a broader base of adult mentoring, than what is informally available to most other kids.

I also use these maps to focus attention, and resources, on all of the poverty neighborhoods in Chicago where tutor/mentor programs are needed, in much the same way a business might use maps to put stores where there are customers, or to try to grow market dominance. Without a map we could be looking at list of 100 great programs, or 100 great schools, and still be missing most of the neighborhoods with high poverty, high drop out rates, and poor schools.

I also have created a web library of links to articles and other tutor/mentor programs, sort of "all that is known" so that when I'm in a discussion, I'm not just sharing what I've learned, but what hundreds, or thousands of other people have learned, and continue to learn. My aim is to create an adult-learning infrastructure, which policy makers, volunteers, business leaders and donors use to become more informed of the issues of poverty and education, and thus more strategic in how they provide resources to improve outcomes for these kids.

Through participation in forums like this I'm constantly adding to my own body of knowledge and I hope that others will benefit from what I share.

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Permalink Reply by Bessy1001 on January 15, 2009 at 12:09am

Hi, I'm Yumei from Shenzhen, China. I just begin online teaching and really appreciate so many educators here for your great experiences and useful advices. I learnt a lot from you!

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Permalink Reply by Charlene Blohm on January 17, 2009 at 9:39am

Hiya. I'm Charlene Blohm and I work in PR for the education industry. I'm pretty passionate about education and often refer to myself as a professional 6-year-old in recognition of the fact that we all have the opportunity to learn, every day!

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Permalink Reply by Jennine Maner on January 17, 2009 at 11:30am

I am new to social networks. I have taught for 21 years all of it in isolation. I have many questions and thoughts but I do not know how to get them to work, I don't seem to find other educators to talk to about these things, many around me think everything is too much work or its too difficult to change things. OR there's not money or time. I labor under all of these yet, I am still stirred by wanting better. Will I find that through these networks?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on January 30, 2009 at 7:32am

I think you will. For sure I'd encourage you to check out Connie Weber's Fireside Learning network at http://firesidelearning.ning.com/. Glad you're here!

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