Life-Long-Learners

The Educational Technology and Media #ETMOOC, that I recently joined, suggested that participants introduce themselves in a unique manner. Following in the creative steps of Jess McCulloch, I decided to try my hand at writing and narrating a poem to help others better understand my learning journey.

Once my poem was created, I thought that I would read it and share it as an audio file through SoundCloud. Readers should be able to hear my narration by clicking on the “Play” button below. Should the orange “Play” symbol not display, readers may have to click on the hyperlink to transfer and play my narration from the SoundCloud web site. I have also included the text of my poem so that one may more easily follow along.

[https://soundcloud.com/brian-metcalfe/brian-metcalfe-life-long]

Brian Metcalfe: A Life-Long-Learner

Here’s an audio introduction
to a Metcalfe, named Brian
who keeps on learning each day,
without really tryin’.

My educational career
spanned 40 great years!
I shared resources and ideas
with any, and all my peers.

I taught grades 7-12 students
Computer Science & Math,
and for my last 25 years
took on a new, career path.

Towards Educational Technology
in a consultant’s new role,
To help K-12 teachers
use technology was my goal.

I created a monthly newsletter
which was called “Bits and Bytes”.
For 23 years I shared resources
and worked on it many long nights!

Some say I’m somewhat anal
with a perfectionistic passion.
I believe in … a “job well done!”.
I trust it’s still “in fashion”.

I really value family and friends
and am truly lucky as well,
that my “best friend” is my wife
with a family … that is swell!

My teacher-wife & I retired together
and are no longer wage earners.
So I created an educational blog
which is called “Life-Long-Learners”.

I’m now enrolled in a MOOC -
a massive, open, online course;
where one gets to choose assignments
where engagement is the force!

When you start to chart your own path
MOCCs make learning fun!
Supported by a creative community,
Your learning’s never done!

So I ask … what do you value?
What can you share
with educators world-wide
to show that you care?

So I’m passionate about sharing
and learning for me is beguiling.
So I’ll sign off, as always, with
Take care & keep smiling

***

Credit: The “Learning is about the journey …” image was created by Krissy Venosdale and is available from her {Free} Posters web site.

What does one do when time is a critical factor and one is challenged to accomplish two different tasks in two different environments? Well … some might get uptight and vent their frustration, by swearing, using profane, “four-letter words”.

In my case, I chose to focus on common elements that satisfy the needs for both entities. Let me explain. I’m currently enrolled in two different massive, open online courses or MOOCs. This year, I am returning to Digital Storytelling – DS106 and thanks to information shared in this learning community, I signed up for Educational Technology & Media. Both of these MOOCs have certain unique expectations.

For example, in today’s  DS106 “The Daily Create” (#374) assignment, I was asked to “Take a picture of your favorite thing in the world to do, however simple or complex.” At the same time, ETMOOC facilitators are asking participants to “Tell us a little bit about yourself – perhaps, where you’re from, what you do, or what you want to be when you grow up – and let us know what you’d like to gain from #etmooc?”

My challenge is to try to meet both of these tasks without uttering any “four-letter words”. Perhaps one might assume that since I have twice the challenges, from the demands of two different MOOCs, my favourite “four-letter words” should increase or double in character length. That is indeed true. In fact, my favourite pastimes can be best described by the “eight-letter word “learning” followed by its slightly shorter, but equally important task of “sharing”. I trust that these two words are demonstrated in the following picture where I glean information from books, magazines and the Internet and share my findings in my educational blog called “Life-Long-Learners”.

[DS106 - TDC #374: My favourite pastime - Learning & Sharing]

Although I am a retired K-12 educator, I’m still passionate about learning. About a year ago, a good friend and innovative educator, Darren Kuropatwa, suggested that I should sign up for the DS106 MOOC. He felt that the innovative learning style, where one can choose his/her own assignments, would challenge and engage me. Darren felt that I would use my blog posts to reflect on what, and how, I learned and share my journey with others. Furthermore, he knew that I would make connections with other like-minded participants and, through mutually supportive blog comments and tweets, extend my Personal Learning Network (PLN).

When I returned to DS106 this year, Ben Rimes (a talented Michigan educator whom I have never met face-to-face) shared in a blog post that he was about to sign up for #ETMOOC. So when another learning opportunity presented itself, be it in a somewhat serendipitous manner, I signed up.

As a former Mathematics/Computer Science teacher, I was always sharing resources with colleagues throughout our school division and our province. When I became an Education Technology Consultant for the Winnipeg School Division, I decided that the best way to help K-12 teachers and their students harness the power of technology was through a monthly educational newsletter. For 23 years I wrote and edited “Bits and Bytes” whose focus was “to provide educators with tips and techniques to help them integrate technology to enhance learning in K-12 classrooms”.

I believe that my philosophy about sharing and the importance of belonging to a PLN can best be summarized in my previous post, and video, entitled “My PLN: A Teacher’s Treasure”.

One of my favourite quotes, that I re-mixed in my first “Teacher Feature” is by Margaret Fuller, who stated “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.” I think that as professional educators, we should strive to share our knowledge with others. Today, the Internet makes it so much easier.

In closing, I’ll end with the following two, “four-letter words”:

Take care

Larger Images are available on Brian Metcalfe’s Flickr photostream at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/life-long-learners/

I believe in serendipitous learning. For those educators who are connected online, or consider themselves to be part of a professional learning network or  PLN, such learning opportunities present themselves with regular frequency. Readers who have followed my blog for the past year know how excited I was when Darren Kuropatwa sent me an email suggesting that I might like to participate in a free, “massive open online course” or MOCC called Digital Storytelling – DS106. Those wishing to learn more about my amazing adventure, need only click on the DS106 category link on the right-side menu to filter out more than three dozen posts that share my excitement as I became engaged in this free, online learning environment.

I was so excited about the learning and networking opportunities that were afforded me through my initial DS106 exposure last Spring, that I again enrolled in DS106 this January. This action exposed me to Ben Rimes and his informative blog called “The Tech Savvy Educator” where he announced in early January that he had “also signed up for #ETMOOC”. I was intrigued and searched out this Educational Technology & Media MOOC. Like DS106, participants choose their own learning goals, engage in dialogue with other educators, share ideas and resources, and reflect through their individual blogs posts. All tweets with the hashtag #ETMOOC and blog posts with the tag or category ETMOOC will be aggregated centrally thanks to the dedication and hard work of Alan Levine (aka cogdog) and his team. Needless to say, I was intrigued, so I signed up for ETMOOC and officially start this unique learning adventure tomorrow with over 1200 participants representing 67 countries around the world. Future blog posts relating to this unique endeavour will be classified and listed under the newly created ETMOOC category found in the right-hand menu.

My second serendipitous learning opportunity occurred last night while I was scanning some of the aggregated tweets from ETMOOC participants. One individual (who I unfortunately cannot remember, so as to give credit) commented about the creativity of the educational posters created by Krissy Venosdale. As luck would have it, I searched through Krissy’s posters and thought that the image that I included above represented well my love of learning. Thanks Krissy for caring and sharing.

Take care & keep smiling

Credits:
-   Flickr – Creative Commons image “Learning”
by Krissy Venosdale – http://www.flickr.com/photos/venosdale/7051065819/

Want to be inspired by practical classroom pedagogy over a supper of pizza this Thursday? If so, make certain to register below for the Technology Information Night (TIN) hosted by the Manitoba Association for Computing Educators (ManACE). This opportunity is being held in Winnipeg on November 8, 2012 at St. John’s-Ravenscourt, 400 South Drive, from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm. While it is free to register for this learning and sharing opportunity, $5.00 will be collected per person at the door to offset the food costs.

Innovative educators will share their ideas and resources through the following three presentations:

Window to the World
Facilitated by Erin Malkoske & Leslie Dent Scarcello
This presentation will provide an overview of blogging with early years students.  Whether you’re considering a classroom blog or individual student blogs, Erin & Leslie will show you how easy it can be for you and your students to break down the barriers imposed by classroom walls by using your blog as a window to the world.

Creativity & Collaboration – Making Video Mashups
Facilitated by Christin Mackay
Bring a little joy to your classroom by enabling your students to demonstrate their creativity when it comes to producing collaborative video projects.  In this presentation, Christin will demonstrate how she and her Grade 4/5 students recorded and produced a short video that was inspired by viral video techniques.

Rocking the Airwaves
Facilitated by Matt Henderson
As recipients of a ManACE SEED Grant last year, Matt and his students will highlight the ways they’ve taken to the airwaves to amplify student voice.  Whether you’ve caught a CSJR broadcast or you’re looking to broadcast the learning that’s taking place in your own classroom, you’ll want to tune into this presentation.

To register please visit: http://manace-nov8tin.eventbrite.ca

Come out to learn and network with some very dedicated and creative Manitoba educators.

Please help spread the word about our upcoming ManACE TIN within your school/division.

Take care & keep smiling

Sisler High School, the Winnipeg School Division, Eyeconic Media and Microsoft Canada will be hosting a five day Professional Development session on cutting edge ICT skills for digital learners during the week of July 9 – 13, 2012. Our goal is to engage and empower educators through hands-on workshops.

Although the cost for each workshop is $50.00, anyone may sign up for individual morning or afternoon workshop sessions which are of interest:

• Workshop 1: The Cloud Classroom – Monday July 9th, 9:00 am -11:45 am
• Workshop 2: Web & Gaming Graphics – Monday, July 9th, 12:45 pm – 3:30 pm
• Workshop 3: Video Conferencing in the Classroom – Tuesday, July 10th, 9:00 am – 11:45 am
• Workshop 4: Video Editing for the Web – Tuesday, July 10th, 12:45 pm – 3:30 pm
• Workshop 5: Photo-imaging for the Web – Wednesday, July 11th, 9:00 am – 11:45 am
• Workshop 6: Introduction to Web Design – Wednesday, July 11th, 12:45 pm – 3:30 pm
• Workshop 7: Web Graphics & Animation – Thursday, July 12th, 9:00 am – 11:45 am
• Workshop 8: Audio Composition – Thursday, July 12th, 12:45 pm – 3:30 pm
• Workshop 9: Game Design for the Web – Friday, July 13th, 9:00 am – 11:45 am
• Workshop 10: Online Teacher Presence – Friday, July 13th, 12:45 pm – 3:30 pm

Additional P.D. details and specific workshop content can be found in the E3 Workshop Booklet which may be downloaded in PDF format.

There are still some workshops seats available, so register as soon as possible at: Eyeconic Media (www.eyeconic.ca)

Take care & keep smiling

The Manitoba Association for Computing Educators (ManACE) has always supported teachers and innovation. In keeping with this vision, this organization is providing “Seed Grants” which will fund up to two initiatives of $1200 in each of the three grade classifications of early, middle, and senior years. If you, or a colleague, are engaging students and promoting Information and Communication Technology (ICT), you should investigate this unique funding opportunity.

I encourage readers in Manitoba schools to investigate the ManACE Seed Grant funding opportunity by exploring the specific details found at:

http://www.manace.ca/seed_grants.htm

Take care & keep smiling

The purpose of this post is to advise my readers of an important writing style transition in some of my upcoming blog posts. In past, I have struggled “behind the scenes” drafting, editing, and proof-reading each blog post before I felt it was “ready for prime time” and could finally be published. Perhaps some might say that the published posts or articles were finally “polished” (albeit too long, which is a curse that I continue to struggle with).

Perhaps my “polished” blog posts are similar to the traditional “polished” appearance that many teachers display in their classrooms. For example, have your students ever asked you a question about the subject matter that you teach and failed to get a correct answer? Do you ever make mistakes in front of your students and acknowledge such errors? In other words do your students think that you know “everything”? Are you “too polished”? Perhaps we, as teachers, need to be more transparent in our learning.

I must admit that when I first taught Grade 7 & 8 Mathematics, I prided myself on the fact that no students could ask me a math-related question or problem that I could not solve or explain how I arrived at the correct answer. Furthermore I, somewhat naively, thought that all students arrived at the correct answer following the same algorithm or process-path that I used. It was not until I started teaching Computer Science that I realized that there were many different ways to write a computer program albeit some were more efficient than others. However, it was the diversity of student programming solutions that started me to appreciate the variety and ingenuity in my students’ creative thinking. It was then that I started engaging in what I will call “transparent problem solving” with my students. I would often share a puzzle or problem and have students work in pairs or triads to come up with a solution. Knowing there were a variety of ways to solve such problems, I wanted the participants in small groups to learn that their colleagues perhaps didn’t approach the problem or its solution in the same way they did. Furthermore, I started asking students to verbalize or think “out loud” so that others could appreciate and learn to solve problems in different ways. I recently shared with my readers one of my favourite problems in an earlier post entitled “Problem Solving: Where does the ‘F’ go?“.

“DS106″ tag is the key
In a recent post, I stated that I have enrolled in a free, 15 week digital storytelling MOOC (massive, open online course) known as DS106. Participants are expected to engage in the learning process through reaction, reflection and construction of creative assignments. One of the most critical parts of the entire learning process is for participants to document their ideas and struggles as they work through this online course. These reflections and solutions are to be shared on one’s blog. So readers of my blog are going to be exposed to additional posts where I document my DS106 learning journey in a much more transparent manner. Such DS106-related posts will have a “DS106″ tag displayed at the bottom of the post (as illustrated below). For example, my last post on January 4th, in which I shared information about the “hieroglyphic typewriter”, was created for my traditional audience of K-12 educators. As such, there was no “DS106″ included in the seven tags associated with this post. On the other hand, the January 3rd post describing “My new learning adventure” included “DS106″ as the third tag at the bottom. The news aggregator software, used by the facilitators of the DS106 course, simply scans all the blogs of all student participants in this course. Only those articles or posts that include the “DS106″ tag will be filtered and shared within the community of learners at Mary Washington University which facilitates the DS106 online course

I encourage readers of my blog to peruse all my posts but if some future content seems to be somewhat unusual or different from my standard format, I trust that the post will have a “DS106″ tag associated with it.

So please consider this to be fair warning faithful reader. Some of my upcoming posts may be somewhat technical (as my next DS106 post); a few may expose my frustration or difficulties that I encounter; some may be quite reflective; while hopefully others may share my successes. However, I can assure you that some of my future blog posts will, like a diary, become somewhat personal. No doubt you will see me with less polish and more tarnish, as you witness and share my transparent DS106 learning journey.

Take care & keep smiling

Credits:
-   Flickr – Creative Commons image
“When we make our learning transparent, we become teachers”
by langwitches – http://www.flickr.com/photos/langwitches/3500044331/

P.D. PROBLEMS
Professional development for educators today can be a very expensive and demanding. Costs of conference registrations, hotels, meals, and travel have all dramatically increased. True, one can stay in his/her home town or city and still attend local conferences but these, too, have their own set of challenges including the following:

• popular sessions fill up quickly;
• sessions that one may want to attend often run concurrently, so one is forced to attend a particular presentation while missing other learning opportunities scheduled for the same time slot;
• one attends an hour session, only to find that within the first 5 minutes of the presentation, the topic or focus is not the best fit
• sessions are often focused on “nice to know” but may not have the ultimate fit of “just-in-time” delivery

If these seem to be some of the concerns that you encounter, then I have a professional development solution, which is called the K12 Online Conference found at: http://k12onlineconference.org/ Two weeks of presentations start today, and because it is online, the above problems and restrictions are totally eliminated.

P.D. SOLUTIONS
Most educators, that I know, love to hear the four-letter word … “FREE”.  In other words, there is no registration fee for the professional development provided during the K12 Online Conference. Neither must you travel anywhere, in fact you can partake of these inspiring educational sessions while sitting in the comfort of your own home, lounging in your pyjamas. This year’s theme is “Purposeful Play” and although the pre-conference keynote by Angela Maiers entitled “The Sandbox Manifesto” has already been presented on Monday, November 21st, you are not out-of-luck as you would be in traditional conferences. In fact, one of the most important aspects of K12 Online Conference presentations is that they, together with any pertinent resources, are displayed and archived on the web. In fact, interested educators can review not only the current year’s videos but also presentations shared during the previous five years from 2006-2010.

To begin taking advantage of this powerful learning opportunity, all you need is a computer with speakers and Internet connectivity. Begin by pointing your browser to the K12 Online Conference main page and continue investigating any of the following links:

• K12 Online Conference (Home Page)
• K12 Online Conference – 2011 Schedule
• K12 Online Conference – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Those educators using Twitter, may wish to follow the comments made regarding the K12 Online Conference by searching or filtering tweets using the “#k12online” (without quotes) hashtag. Furthermore, I find this online learning opportunity a great way to learn about educators with whom I might share a kindred spirit. I am always looking out for new ideas shared through educational blogs and if you feel the same way, I encourage you to examine Sean McGaughey’s “K12 Online Blog and Twitter List“.

Like our students, we are all on individual learning journeys. Some of us are further along and others are just beginning. Furthermore, for learning and assimilation to be meaningful, concepts and ideas need to arrive when the person is ready and they have to make sense based on the individual’s past experience and where s/he is at. For example, a presentation which shares various mobile educational apps, which run on an iPhone, may not apply to you today, particularly if you don’t own a cellular phone. On the other hand, if you are a primary teacher, you may find Sharon Bett’s 2008 presentation “Never Too Young – Three Tools for the Youngest” to be just what you need to hear based on your needs today. I did my best to address the wealth of information that is contained within the K12 Online Conference archives in last year’s post entitled: “K-12 Online – Acknowledging the Archives“. In fact some administrators or leaders of Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) may recommend to their colleagues that certain educators review past presentations and report back as to their favourites so that the larger audience can benefit from their research.

In closing, I can’t think of a better, more apt description of the K12 Online Conference than I used in my previous post called “K-12 Online – The never-ending conference” when I stated:

In summary, this K-12 Online Conference is not only “the conference that never ends”. It should also be considered as “the conference that keeps on giving”.

Take care & keep smiling

As a new school year begins I pondered over the topic of my first September blog post. Should I research and list various educational activities and resources that teachers could use at the start of a new school year? Would it be beneficial to share how some educators are using Google Docs to set up their classes to collaborate and share online?

No … rather than focus of the “mechanics” of teaching, I decided that I would share some “meaningful messages” in education. I believe that teachers can learn so much from visionary colleagues who are willing to share short, focused messages that are supported by poignant and passionate videos. For three days in August, 37 innovative educators from across Canada, who use technology in creative ways to engage their students and enhance their professional careers, actively participated in an UnPlug’d Canadian Educational Summit. By unplugging from their highly networked personal and professional lives, these passionate educators were asked to focus on what matters most in teaching and learning.

Manitoba was well represented by the following six innovative educators:

• John Evans ­
• Clarence Fisher
• Rob Fisher
• Chris Harbeck
• Darren Kuropatwa
• Andy McKiel

Participants were challenged to reflect on their educational experience and arrive at this unique professional development session with a short, 250 word story entitled “Why ‘blank’ matters!” At UnPlug’d, participants shared their educational stories, gained feedback, and through peer collaboration these stories were edited and improved so that they might be shared as a powerful online document. These printed stories, together with poignant, supporting story-telling videos, are being shared throughout September at: http://www.unplugd.ca/unplugd11.html

The week of September 26, 2011 has been set as a target deadline for the final online publication to be released in ePub and PDF formats. I encourage readers to review the currently available multimedia products and submit comments (at the bottom of this post) regarding which documents and/or videos had special meaning.

I can guarantee that readers will find a story and/or video which will resonate with them and, should they choose to take action, will help them become a better teacher.

Take care & keep smiling

Credit: Flickr Image “UnPlug’d 2011 Delegate Photo” by unplugd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unplugd/6027365839/

Additional Resources:

• Why the UnPlug’d Canadian Education Summit Matters
• From the Canadian UnPlug’d Conference:
  Why Social Justice in Education Matters
• 20 Lessons Learned at UnPlug’d

Sir Ken Robinson is a creativity expert who challenges the educational system. My first exposure to this very witty individual, with his profound message, was in the February, 2006 TED Talk video entitled “Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity” at: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

For those readers who have never seen a video of Sir Ken Robinson, I encourage you to invest 20 minutes to view his humorous and inspiring message.

An “Animated” Experiment
However, my main reason for writing this blog entry is to ask readers to compare and contrast two different video delivery styles which I have named the “traditional” and the “animated” version.

To carry out this investigation, I ask you to view approximately 5 minutes of Sir Ken Robinson’s “Changing Paradigms” video in two different formats.

• Traditional Format – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCbdS4hSa0s
  Begin viewing this video at approximately the 12:51 minute mark.
• Animated Format – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
  Begin viewing from the start of this RSA animated video.

Which version do you prefer? Why? Do you think that your students will prefer a different format? Try this comparison with your class and request their feedback. I’d be interested in your preferences and comments at the end of this blog entry.

Other Ken Robinson videos that have an educational message can be found at:

• Bring on the Learning Revolution
• Collaboration in the 21st Century
• Hammer Lecture describing Sir Ken Robinson’s book entitled
  “The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything”

Sir Ken Robinson delivers keynote in Winnipeg
If you enjoy Sir Ken Robinson’s message, you might want to take advantage of hearing him deliver a keynote message in Winnipeg on December 3, 2010. “Arts and Learning: Shaping our Future Together” is the title of the 4th annual Canadian Symposium for Arts and Learning which is being held at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Education from December 2-4, 2010. On Friday evening, December 3rd, Sir Ken Robinson will present a keynote at the Walker (Burton Cummings) Theatre at 364 Smith Street. Those wishing to attend this symposium and/or Sir Ken Robinson’s keynote should complete the registration process.

Take care & keep smiling