Students Experience Real-time Digital Collaboration

When I walked out of the computer lab after my class on Thursday, I was pumped. Not only did the technology work, and not only did the links get through the prohibitive filters, but my students were excited about creating a collaborative presentation.

It helps that we have a real live audience. It also helps that we have already made connections with our audience in Wisconsin via a Skype meet and greet. My class already had the opportunity to ask their counterparts some interview questions. We also are fully aware that they will be creating a presentation about us as we create a presentation about them.

We are part of a larger community of schools participating in the Global Read Aloud Project. But today was about learning how to collaborate in real time.

The Project: Collaborate as a class to create a online presentation about Monona, Wisconsin. Complete with researched information, pictures, music perhaps, and/or video.

I went into the computer lab first thing that morning to check that everything was working: the blog wasn't blocked by our school board filters, the embedded discussion board was functioning and not requiring students to login, and most importantly the link to the Google presentation worked and allowed students to edit in Chrome (thank you to our technician who installed Chrome on all the machines in the lab last week).

With little assistance from me, most students found their way to the joint Blog and the Google presentation. They help each other figure out how to insert photos using URLs. They became excited when they noticed one of their classmates' cursors and text appearing before their eyes. Photos appearing elicited comments of "Cool! " and "Whoa!" There was definitely stresses when somebody accidentally deleted someone else's contribution or when somebody deliberately changed the presentation theme and applied it to all the slides.

It was extremely difficult for me to hide my glee when one student corrected another's capitalization and spelling mistakes.  Some of my students have acquired a track record for apathy and lack of effort. Yet, on that day they cared about each other's learning, their own learning, the process, and the product. No wonder I felt so pumped.

First EdCamp Experience

On Saturday, January 4, 2014, I attended my first ever EdCamp from the comfort of my own home. EdCamp Home was the epitome of both the medium and the message.  I found myself impressed by the scale and scope of the event and wowed by the organizers who were creatively, fluidly, and miraculously keeping everything on track.

Since this is my first experience with an un-conference, I have no frame of reference for comparison.  For my first session, I joined a GHO on Incorporating Ed-Tech in schools where 1:1 is not available.  I agreed with my gathered colleagues that 1:1 is not a necessity and that Ed-Tech is not the goal, only another tool. I have heard (from blended learning PD) that the ideal ratio is 2:1, where students use tools collaboratively and interdependently. This is hard to believe.  A 1:1 ratio (and the bandwidth to support it): empower each student with 24/7 access to learning supports, provide all teachers with the impetus to develop their own competency and incorporate innovation into lessons, and a multitude of other benefits (See Nine Reasons 1:1 Learning is Revolutionizing Education by Alexy Kudashev).  

Most schools are not there yet.  Many schools (including mine) have out-of-date desktop computer labs, limited ethernet connections, prohibitive wi-fi bandwidth problems, students without internet access at home, and no present means or plans for changing these realities. Does that mean that these students and teachers are relegated to the sidelines and miss out on the endless educational benefits?  No way!

My first EdCamp Home session was much too short to arrive at any meaningful learning.  By the time everyone joined the Hangout, introductions were duly completed, and a few challenges were raised, time for the session was at an end.  No answers, no direction, not even a lead… Yet, when EdCamp Home ended, I registered for Google Classroom Connections, explored Virtual Field Trip options (that ironically require an Ethernet connection), and considered Flipped Classrooms (and in the process discovered the ideas Zack Blois posted on Blended Learning models in non 1:1 environments).

EdCamp Home was not what I expected, but it opened the door to my learning, decision-making, and problem solving. It was the medium and the message for modern learning.  Hmmm… Now I will have to check-out the video from the EdCamp Home session on applying the EdCamp model in a classroom.