Jed’s Journal

I am thinking about what will follow the 2009 blendedschools.net conference, and I have the original Batman theme song in my head. It is the “…dada dada dada, dada dada dada…” that is running on a continual for-next loop. Here is why.

First, let’s start with the history of the conference. Our first conference was in 2005. The theme was 21st Century Teaching & Learning. The conference was designed to jump start the use of Web resources, learning management systems and online instruction in K12 schools. In 2006, the 2020 Vision conference focused on designing curriculum that prepares the kindergartners of then for the world they will emerge into when they graduate from high school in the year 2020. Educating the Digital Native was the theme for 2007. That conference emphasized identifying the skill, knowledge and practice differences between digital natives and digital immigrants, and shared instructional methods that accommodate, challenge and empower today’s students. Last fall, we explored how to leverage social networking technologies for expanding and enhancing teaching and learning in our conference Our Learning Space. This year, Global Living & Learning.

This morning, I am thinking we should focus on ”…dada dada dada, dada dada dada…” Watch Tim Berners-Lee give this TED presentation The Next Web of Open, Linked Data. Tim Berners-Lee is frustrated by the unlocked potential of data. He sees the current Web as a big document sharing environment. He claims the future of the Web is data sharing, challenging us, coaxing us, charging us, “I want you to put your data on the Web.” But how? Tim Berners-Lee gives a three point answer. 1) use URLs to point to data. 2) anyone accessing the URL should send data back. 3) relationships in the data should identify and point to other URLs with data.

Wow!

Imagine the power! Imagine the implications!

The first spinoff might be simple data, like contact information. I add a Skype ID to my Facebook profile info, and it updates my profile info on the blendedschools.net website, contact info at my bank and in Blackboard, Plaxo, Linked In, utility companies, frequent flyer programs, alumni associations, professional organizations, etc. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Nicer still would be how it could affect teaching and learning and assessment, enabling dynamic sharing of curriculum around the globe based upon student engagement, task completion, skill acquisition proficiency or a myriad of other parameters. Imagine a global, living, data-fed, data-designed curriculum that promulgates personal education plans, personalized curriculum and personalized instruction based upon all of the research data.

Okay, back to Earth. Let’s think shorter term. What can we do this month and this year to increase data connections to make the education world smarter by aggregating data and helping educators access data?

There are two reasons why I have been looking forward to today. First, it is, of course, April Fool’s Day. Although it is not a holiday in its own right, it is the only internationally socially acceptable open season for hoaxes and practical jokes. That’s inherently fun, isn’t it? Don’t worry. I am not going to play a practical joke on you in this post. I do want to point out, however, that now more than ever it is important for us to be socially aware of international mores, cultures, practices and beliefs. For a wide variety of reasons, the Earth is flatter now than ever before. There are more multinational citizens than ever before. A surprising percentage of jobs are no longer location dependent. 70% of Internet users contribute to and communicate with social networking technologies. And the working middle class by American standards now spans the globe. Now, more than ever before, we need to be attuned with a worldwide culture and a worldwide economy, which is why the theme for the 2009 blendedschools.net Conference is Global Living & Learning.

Our 2009 conference will address a variety of critical questions about preparing our students to live and learn globally. How can we help students acquire the technological, political and social skills they need to live and learn globally? How can we use technology to facilitate global social awareness? How can we help students access global learning resources? What are some engaging ways technology can help our students make global social connections? 

Today, the 2009 blendedschools.net Conference–Global Living & Learning is open for registration. The conference will be held in State College, Pennsylvania on Thursday and Friday, October 29 and 30, and will give us opportunity to celebrate yet another international custom.

This is the last of a three part series about how to use Blue Ocean Planning processes to envision, design and implement a K12 online program. This third part of the series focuses on designing short-term and long-term operational goals and strategies, and designing business communication practices and market strategies that foster community ownership of your program. Download the PowerPoint that I used in this session.

Discover your market niche

Please use this template to assess forces that shape competition in your district and help inform the discovery of your district’s online market niche.

For your copy of of the slides for Blue Oceans Planning, Part 2, download this PPT.

Is your district looking for an innovative way to expand or enhance your teaching, learning and assessment? Is your district considering creating a virtual academy, summer school or alternative school? Is your district exploring adding an online gifted or accelerated program? Are you concerned about community buy-in to your new curriculum program? Or is your district designing a professional development initiative and you are concerned about motivating teachers? Blue Ocean Planning is a three-part professional development experience that will help you discover opportunity and foster commitment for online teaching, learning and assessment. In this first session, you will learn about national trends in online education; explore district online initiatives that use blendedschools.net´s technologies, curriculum and professional development; and mine research about K-12 online models and market economics. You will leave this session knowledgeable of the online industry of your program choice, and more informed to make decisions about your program´s components and services.

Download the powerpoint for part 1

Download the planning template for part 1

At the 2008 BSN Conference–Our Learning Space, I gave this presentation:

Strategies for Fostering Social Intelligence to Increase Creativity and Achievement

Our refocused mission at blendedschools.net is to provide robust, engaging learning environments. We want your students to be competitive in our challenging global economy, so we are integrating a new, standard-based curriculum with state-of-the-art technology and instructional design that fosters students’ creative thinking, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, computer and technology skills, communication skills and  self-direction. To provide engaging learning opportunities, we added wiki, blog, journal, RSS and podcasting technologies, and increased authentic experiences, project-based learning and service learning in our new high school curriculum. 

Web 2.0 technologies have brought a new learning culture. Where we learn has changed. How we learn has changed. This presentation will share strategies for fostering social intelligence, including methods for leveraging blendedschools.net’s technologies and curriculum to facilitate student acquisition of social facility, social cognition and attunement, and other interactive communication skills. By facilitating social interactions for teaching, learning and assessment, we will foster creativity and achievement, and better prepare our student for the global workforce. You will leave this session with ideas for transforming your school and enhancing your students’ learning experiences.

Download a copy of the Social Intelligences presentation (1.7 MB PDF) 

The Social Intelligences presentation was a follow-up to my 2007 BSN Conference presentation: 

Educating the Digital Native

More than 60 million American youth socially network on the Internet. They go to My Space, Facebook, You Tube, my Yearbook, metacafe, Ning, hi5, slide, photobucket, Quepasa and other online communities to hang out with their friends. And it’s not just our teens and tweens. Elementary students are digitally social, frequenting Club Penquin, imbee, Whyville, Habbo and many others.

So what are the most engaging instructional methods for teaching digital natives? What skills should we be teaching digital natives?  What technology should today’s students be using?  What are some exemplars of using technology to deliver blended, 21st century instruction?  As 21st century educators, what do we need to do today, next year, and beyond to ensure our students are prepared for their 21st century lives?

I do not claim to have all of the answers, but  I am determined to steer blendedschools.net toward the open waters of opportunity for your schools and students.  I believe we need to create Digital Native methodologies for all students and all academic areas.  In this presentation, I take us on a tour of the future of teaching and learning by examining: trends in uses of technology, predictions of educational futurists, innovations in marketing, wisdom of new leadership strategy, discoveries of deep exploration, a new mindset and techniques for morphing legacy classrooms. You will leave with strategies to transform your school for educating the digital native.

Download a copy of the Digital Native presentation (7.1 MB PDF)

Welcome to Jed’s Journal. Here you will find:

• blendedschools.net news
• influences to the design and development of blendedschools.net
• signs of where blendedschools.net is going and how we will get there
• some of my thoughts about designing, delivering and supporting highly engaging, online teaching, learning and curriculum

Thank you for visiting. If you are so inclined, please feel to share your thoughts and comments, and I hope you return to this site soon.

For more information about me, here is where I work, and this is what I do when not working.