Sunday, October 28, 2012

Image is everything?

Are most schools more focused on relaying basic
information than creating an effective digital image?
The idea of image when creating an online presence is one that I do not think schools seriously consider when developing websites. Most of the time schools are more focused on relaying information to parents and students. Perhaps that is why many school websites are not effectively managed. Unfortunately, many school websites simply upload PDF documents of information they traditionally sent home with students.

One of the problems with school websites, is the difficulty to ensure that all parents or students are visiting it to get information. Hence, many schools still send printed material home with students accompanied by talk mails informing the parents/guardians of the printed material. While, ideally, a school website would be the best place to direct parents/guardians, there is still a portion of people who seldom surf online or even use email or social media.

Another concern is whether school websites are already passé. Social media sites may be more effective in relaying some information to homes. I know in my province one district has decided to set up a district presence on Facebook, arguing that most parents check Facebook before they go to the school or district website for updates such as cancellations, events, etc. Yet, again, there are a number of avid Internet users (myself included) that do not use or have a very limited use of Facebook.

The article "Breakdown: Converged Media Workflow" explores some of the issues and concerns that arise when creating an online presence and image. While primarily an article on business and marketing strategies, the idea that departments must "work together on a more frequent basis" is required to create an effective online presence. Schools and districts need to work closer together to ensure everyone is on the same page and schools should have a team who regularly meet to discuss what needs changing and what needs adding to their online presence.

Furthermore, the article explores the mistake of forgetting to "analyze what people want to hear" when creating an online presence. What information do parents/guardians and students want to see on a school or district website and what social media presence is required? How can schools gather this information?

Creating an effective digital image and online presence requires schools to tap into just more than having a school website. Schools and districts need to go where parents and students are, and that means creating a presence on social media sites with links to the related websites.

Educators also have to consider their digital image. While finding ways to inform and connect with students and parents is important, there is a need to divide the personal from the professional. One article I read a few years ago suggested the easiest way to provide information to students through social media is to create a separate account that is for educational purposes. This certainly does not mean that educators do not have to be careful about what they post and discuss in their personal digital space, but it creates a distinction and makes it easier to manage.

Mobility is another concern when developing an online image
Another concern today is the mobile user. Parents and students alike are increasingly using more mobile technology. In "Accessibility Trumps Design," author Reuben Tozman observes that mobile versions of websites have to have "the content structured in a way that lets mobile technologies take advantage of certain pieces of content that regular browsers ignore." This concern illustrates another reason why schools should have a team that meets on a regular basis to address the changes to not only content, but also technology and how users will access the content.

Finally, I think Reuben Tozman's article "Feeding the Web and Instructional Design" should be mandatory reading for any team looking at designing or redesigning their digital image. Tozman approaches the web experience as a community with a "network of relationships." I think it also takes a network of relationships for a school and district to create an effective image online. Web development and creating an online presence should never be left to one or two people; ideally, it should be a team effort that is regularly discussed and analyzed with feedback and contributions from users who access the content.

Photos from morguefile.com

Online school fundraising grows in popularity

Tired of rolling change from school fundraisers?
Online fundraising may be the solution...
Online commerce, online banking, online dating and even online education, but a new buzz is online fundraising.

Just recently wealthyschools.ca made a pitch on CBC's Dragon's Den explaining how their company helps schools make money by essentially making schools an outlet for picking up products purchased online.

Parents can order the product online through wealthyschools.ca and then pick it up at the school when they go get little Johnny or Sally. The school gets a cut off the profits made from selling the products.

While the idea was warmly received by some of the dragons on CBC's popular show, a few were hesitant to invest, citing a lot of work for the schools and the need for schools to have the space to store the products.

However, Wealthy Schools appears to be winning schools over since they now plan to expand outside of their original market in the greater Vancouver area to Calgary and Toronto. Additionally, they argue that most of the work is done by parents involved on school committees who utilize Wealthy School's online software that allows them to plan, organize and track their fundraising efforts.

Will school bake sales be a thing of the past?
Yet Wealthy Schools is not the only route for schools to raise money. Other sites include goschoolyard.com and schoola.com, to name a few. Each online service has its own angle and focus on how schools, students, or parents can raise money by using their sites.

Regardless of what online service schools decide to use, it appears that online fundraising is becoming a popular option for cash-strapped learning communities.

As schools continue to see cuts made to their budgets, sites like wealthyschools.ca might see more online traffic while schools that use the service hope real traffic arrives at their front doors not only to pick up students, but to pick up product.
Photos from morgue.com

Related sites:

  • See the pitch made by Canada's Wealthy Schools on CBC's the Dragon's Den. Click here.
  • Forbes looks at Schoola and how it works. Click here.
  • This blog entry discusses three online possibilities for schools to consider when planning fundraising. Click here.
  • This site is dedicated to providing advice to schools and other non-profit organizations on online fundraising and social media. Click here
  • When online fundraising is abused and goes horribly wrong. How a fraudulent website made money off other people's grief. Click here.
  • Using live stream feeds with notable personalities to raise money during a fundraising campaign. Click here.
  • Successful online fundraising site for non-profit organizations brings its services to public schools. Click here.
  • Solar panels for schools uses a mix of online and traditional fundraising in the United Kingdom with an educational component for the students. Click here.
  • A 10-year old student in Toronto focuses on fundraising for needy families and includes issuing challenges to other schools and an online campaign. Click here and here.
  • Is online fundraising the way to go, when there are creative ways to fundraise that also can build awareness and bring communities together? Click here to see an article in The Advertiser that explores one creative way a school is fundraising.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Web design, play time, and digital literacy

HTML code in a post for the school's online newspaper
As I surfed the information and tutorials on the Virtual Training Suite, I had to ask myself if the students I teach today would engage in this type of online tutorial design. I think they would, but they would certainly need some "offline" encouragement and direction. The tutorial I looked at provided concise information in easy to understand "chunks." It was designed in a simple easy to read manner with some graphics and the links were easy to find and the directions for navigation were clear. Essentially, this online tutorial avoids the design pitfalls discussed in the Top 10 Mistakes in Web Design site.

However, I think in some ways the online tutorial falls into an issue that was discussed in Evaluating Web-Based Instructional Design where "the content of instructional materials can be under-utilized by simply 'porting' the material from one medium to another without considering whether the medium requires a different design approach" (p.6).

While the tutorial I looked at was a good tutorial, I do not feel its effectiveness on the computer screen was much greater than if the information was presented in a textbook or as a handout. In order to engage students (at least most of the ones I have taught) an educator would have to combine the information with other classroom activities. Did the medium require a different design approach? Perhaps. But sometimes I think the presentation of information online is best supplemented with classroom activities and peer to peer interaction.

I think, for myself, one way that learning could be enhanced in my field is if educators had more "play time" with technology and applications. Additionally, if educators could have more time in professional development to discuss and share what has worked and has not worked when using technology in their classrooms.

Time and time again, I have been involved in professional development where educators are the passive observers as someone showcases a new software or technological device. Just recently, however, I attended a workshop, and the presenters spent half the time on presenting and instruction and the other half of the time the participants actually used the software. I found this format was much more helpful and more of this hands-on training is necessary. When educators do not fully understand the technology or are uncomfortable in applying it to the curriculum, then there is a great risk for the "porting" of materials from one medium to another as previously mentioned.

I also think that educators should be exposed more to programming. I know in my own career, I would like the opportunity to learn more about HTML code. My father was a programmer, and his understanding of how computers work (and should work) was always enlightening to me. Moreover, I listened to a repeat of an episode of CBC's Spark where author Douglas Rushkoff argues that young people should learn to code to understand the bias of digital technology. He states that "programming is the new literacy of the digital age." The question becomes whether "we direct technology, or do we let ourselves be directed by it and those who have mastered it?" If we accept that programming is a literacy, than educators have an obligation to become literate and to teach and encourage students to understand how it works and the implications that come with that knowledge.

Another cornerstone I think to digital literacy is understanding where technology has come from and where it is going. I really enjoyed John December's Internet Tools Summary because it was a peek into the Internet I used to know and also an exposure to all the current online technology that is available at our fingertips. Who knew ICQ has a mobile app?

The current students in the school system have grown up with the Internet and technology. It was never not there for them, and while the last twenty to thirty years of technological development may seem fresh to many of us, it is their history. For students to really come to an understanding of where technology can take them, I think it is important for them to become aware of where technology has come from. I also think it is a good refresher for those of us who lived during that development. The evolution of technology is, of course, still occurring and the more young people know of its origins and development, the better they can appreciate where we are today and where we will be tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

How trendy is technology?

From: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/156096
Over the past few years, "the noise" surrounding technology in the classroom has been loud. From my own experiences, however, I find it has recently been quieter. I am not certain if the quiet has more to do with the general acceptance of technology and the "shine" of it has dulled, or if the issue is deeper. Lately, I have found less talk about implementing technology as departments cut costs and students find the technology in their back pockets more sophisticated than the school-issued clunky laptop or computer that endlessly churns over and over, if it starts up at all.

I have found in my discussions with other teachers that one evident trend in technology is to open it up in the schools. In other words, allow students, particularly older students, to bring their own devices. Open up social media so educators can initiate classroom discussions with students  about its implications, and how we can use it properly and responsibly. How can we harness the wealth of online applications that students already use or would use if they could apply them to their studies in a relevant and meaningful way?

This trend among educators, at least in my own area, does not come without first showing acceptance of and being open minded towards the previous approaches that were tried. But over and over, when the department of education or the district implemented a plan, whether it be one to one net/notebooks or creating customized media servers for students and staff to use, it quickly became evident that long term management and financial commitment to these projects were going to become major barriers.

So educators were finding their own online resources. Yet, excited with what they discovered and eager to try it at school, they would soon realize that network restrictions would sometimes block some sites, or security preferences prevented students to fully use the services or slow down the services to the point that the only results witnessed were student frustration and disengagement.

The article Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Activity Types: Curriculum-based Technology Integration Reframed by Judith Harris, Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler, articulates well the problem with "trickle down" technology integration. The articles states "...there is no single technological solution that will function equally well for every teacher, every course, or ever pedagogical approach. Rather a solution's success lies in a teacher's ability to flexibly navigate the spaces delimited by content, pedagogy, and technology, and the complex interactions among these elements as they play out in specific instructional situations and contexts."

There is a troubling trend where teachers are frustrated with cumbersome networks and outdated equipment while department and districts offer "one stop" solutions. Two years ago I sat in a session where two members from the department of education plugged an online platform they developed where students could go and create a personal space. It was similar to MySpace, they explained. One teacher raised his hand and asked how he could access it. A puzzled look came over one of the presenter's face as he explained the site is for the students, not the teachers. I watched teachers turn and look at each other and shake their heads. How did the department expect us to present this to students if we could not play with it? Further, how did the department want us to implement its use in our classrooms if we could not be exposed to the platform to consider how it might be possible to implement it in what we taught? Unsurprisingly, I never heard anyone talk about it again.

There is, as the article states, no single technological solution, and educators realize or are quickly realizing this. Additionally, educators also observe how quickly technology is changing and evolving. Another trend among many educators is working alongside students to determine what equipment or platform would be best to use. Sometimes allowing students to determine which application they will use to present a project or work on an assignment is one of the best lessons for both the student and the teacher. I have been in situations where I have suggested an online tool for students to use, only to have a few hands shoot up with other suggestions, which, in some cases, were more versatile and useful than the one I recommended. In such circumstances, the teacher becomes the student, as a student introduces and explains the resource to his/her classmates.

From: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/67265 
  But there is, as mentioned in the beginning, a trend toward teachers being exhausted with trying to integrate new technologies in suffocating environments where old standards are still being enforced. I recently started reading The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil. Kurzweil argues that "within several decades information-based technologies will encompass all human knowledge and proficiency, ultimately including the pattern-recognition powers, problem-solving skills, and emotional and moral intelligence of the human brain itself" (p. 33). He further states that progress is now happening at an exponential rate where "we won't experience one hundred years of technological advance in the twenty-first century; we will witness in the order of twenty thousand years of progress...or about one thousand times greater than what was achieved in the twentieth century (p. 37, 38).

Whether one agrees completely with Kurzweil's arguments, there is no denying the pace of developments in technology is sometimes mind-boggling. Additionally, how we define who we are as a society is also changing. While I do not think educators are claiming they have all the answers, many do recognize the need for us to acknowledge these realities in our classrooms. Many of our educational institutions need to seriously rethink how we integrate technology in our settings so that what we do continues to be relevant and meaningful to the students we teach. Educators have to play a big part in the shift from"trickle down" technology integration to a system that effectively reflects what is happening (and will happen) in the world our students live in.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

We are currently experiencing gender issues, please stand by

I have to say that I found many of the issues brought up in the provided sources on gender did not always relate to my own experiences as a teacher. I am not arguing that technology is not typically  a male dominated area in our culture. I think, however, technology and attitudes have evolved, thus the gender issues, while still present, have evolved as well.

From my own experiences and observations, I have found that female students actually tend to embrace certain aspects of present day technology more than male students. The female students I teach are typically more active in social media, and they quickly find practical uses for Web 2.0 applications.  In contrast, I have dealt with a surprisingly large number of high school male students who would prefer not to use technology in the classroom, and the moment they run into a problem they give up. In fact, recently I had a male student who was experiencing difficultly and expressing frustration with a computer. Before I could make my way over to him, a female student had solved his problem.

In terms of mobile devices, I do find that both male and female students enjoy their technology. But when it comes to anything related to more challenging operating systems or online navigation, many female students tend to stick with it until they find a solution, or they will confer with another student or ask for help. Whereas a good number of my male students will mentally shut down and waste time until I discover they are having a problem. In some cases, these are also male students who are heavily involved in gaming, so I am surprised at their lack of using a critical thinking approach when trying to solve a technical problem. I suspect (or know) that sometimes it has more to do with lack of motivation and/or engagement.

Most of the courses I teach do not involve a lot of computer programming. However, we do get into some basic HTML for tweaking blogs or web pages. I do find, generally, male students are more interested in this aspect of technology. Although it is a very small portion of male students in my class who express an interest in HTML or have any knowledge on how it works. In fact, some semesters I receive no interest from students in taking on the task.

Circumstances in computer-mediation have changed dramatically over the past ten years. I was not surprised by the New York Times's article from 2000 which stated that results from a study indicated that gender switching is far less popular than what has been suggested. Even ten years ago computer users were much more anonymous on the Internet, and I think that anonymity probably encouraged    gender switching. Yet today anonymity is not as common, particularly among social networks. In fact, from my own observations, I would argue that many Internet users, including students, are too open in what they share on social media. At the same time, however, I think people struggling with gender issues or sexual identity can find legitimate support online to discuss and explore issues with like-minded people. Such support systems may negate the need for gender switching.

An opportunity for more than one perspective
One area where I have found technology to be useful in regard to gender bias has been in dealing with outdated resources.  As indicated in "Gender Bias in Education" by Amanda Chapman, "far too many of our classroom examples, storybooks, and texts describe a world in which boys and men are bright, curious, brave, inventive, and powerful, but girls and women are silent, passive and invisible." Online access to resources can complement or even replace limited classroom examples. For instance, when I taught ancient history there was always a lot of discussion around the fact that many of the leaders of ancient civilizations were male. Yet a lot of new discoveries in archeology, etc. has painted a different picture in how some of these men ruled, and the fact that while many older textbooks make little if any mention of female rulers, they did exist. With online access, students have the opportunity to be exposed to different historical perspectives and new findings.

In terms of online behaviour, my own observations are limited as many of the courses I teach centre around classroom discussions versus online interaction. However, when students are required to make comments or peer conference online, I find female students are generally more focused and organized. Seldom do I have to remind a female student to complete an online task or add their comments to a discussion.

Does an online discussion allow female students an opportunity to express their opinions which they might not have shared in real time? According to the article "Cross-Gender Communication in Cyberspace" (1994) by Gladys We it apparently does. The article states that "both men and women felt that women had more of a 'presence' online and that it is easier for women to make their voices heard online than in face-to-face conversations..." I think, however, much has changed since this study was done, and I would argue that the opportunity for some to express themselves more freely online might have more to do with personality types than gender. For example, I had one male student who seldom engaged in classroom discussion, but wrote profusely on his blog in a very convincing and commanding manner. I think it had more to do with his personality type than it did his gender.

Feminine Technology?
 I cannot help but include the stubborn "perceived" notions in our society on how females use technology. While I think gains have been made when it comes to gender bias, the male dominance of technology still strongly exists and the old (yet certainly not dead) stereotypes of what it means to be a woman live on in marketing. One example of this comes from Dell which I heard about on CBC's Spark. In 2009 the company marketed a computer system exclusively for women. The "Della"model was available in pink, and Dell provided tips for how women could find information on how to eat better and get recipes online. Oh, and women could track their exercise and food intake too.

Nifty, eh? As Lisa R. Hoffman stated in her article "Gender and the Internet: Sex, Sexism, and Sexuality" (1999), the Internet and gender represent another example of "how the more things change, the more they stay the same."

Lastly, Jessica Ivins discussed designing for women on CBC's Spark, and her slide share on the issue, while massive, is worth checking out. One point she makes is that we should care about what women want because they "make or influence 80% of consumer purchases in the US" and they "spend more time using social media than men do." Of course, as educators, there are a lot of other reasons why we should care what our female students need and want. I think, however, it is clear that what while the area of technology may currently be dominated by men, it has becoming increasingly important to women as well.