The PBL Cohort at Learning 2.011

If we're serious about leading educators in order to leverage technology in ways that are innovative and engaging, then it falls to us to model appropriate lessons in our work with teachers. The adoption of a cohort model is one of the innovations at Learning 2.011 that confirmed for me that we would be in for a memorable learning experience. Cohorts emerged as participants highlighted their preferences upon registration. My cohort consisted of 22 teachers eager to explore project-based learning.

As an advocate of both project-based learning and experiential learning, it was with great anticipation that I prepared to lead the PBL Cohort. While I was prepared to lead the group to develop a collaborative publication, I didn't anticipate that it would be such a challenge to decide upon a culminating project. Although I've worked on a number of large group projects in my own professional learning, I could never have guessed how wonderfully engaging our PBL product and workflow would be.

Thursday evening, cohort meeting #1:
After the official opening of the conference, our cohort had an opportunity to gather in what would later become our classroom and media centre. We used this time to meet one another, and to discover the learning styles, hobbies, and tech literacies of fellow group members. Our cohort had a high number of athletes, and a wide range of skills that included drawing, writing, video-editing, audio-recording, directing and more.

Friday morning, cohort meeting #2:
Participants knew ahead of time that this session would be used to share personal profiles on our cohort blog, http://lrn2pbl.posterous.com. Since this site was intended to be an artifact of our learning, participants had to be briefed on the many ways they might contribute to our public learning space. Individuals were invited to post by 1] sending an email to the blog address; 2] bookmarking a site with the cohort hashtag; 3] sending a tweet along with the cohort hashtag; 4] posting a photo or video to Flickr using the cohort hashtag.

We used the latter half of the session to brainstorm a potential project towards which we might apply our varied skills. Five potential topics and themes were suggested, but when each of four sub-groups was asked to highlight one preferred topic, we ended up with four very different ideas. I left the session assuming we would be creating and publishing an e-book on project-based learning, but I had no idea of what the book would be about! This made me more than a bit nervous, knowing we had to hit the ground running on Saturday.

Friday afternoon, cohort meeting #3:
In this second working session, we attempted to nail down a focus for our pending e-book. To me, the most interesting of the five options, was "World with PBL; World without PBL". Although none of the groups gravitated to this topic at the previous session, I suggested that in my head I heard a movie trailer voiceover guy when I read the topic "In a world where project-based learning...".

Suddenly the mood of the room shifted, and more than a few participants agreed that making a movie based on this theme, would be a good way to leverage the talent in the room. After brainstorming roles that included writers, prop managers, equipment technicians, location scouts, video-editors, sound mixers, directors, and actors, cohort participants self-selected roles and dove into preparations for the next day's shoot.

Saturday morning, cohort meeting #4:
After a short briefing, I found myself on the sidelines as teams set to work. In no time, groups dove into their roles simultaneously taking care of set decoration, camera set-up, soundtrack development, rehearsal and filming. Completed media was imported by our video-editing team during scene changeovers. Members of the writing team used this time to brief the director and actors in preparation for the next scene.



Saturday afternoon, cohort meeting #5:
Our final session together, began with the screening of the first draft of our film. When some of the footage appeared out of order, we realized the value in having one of the writers work directly with the video-editing team. After a quick shuffle of clips, the group brainstormed titles that would help clarify the intended message of the piece. The synchronization of the soundtrack and export of the final film was completed while remaining members of the group participated debriefed the experience.



The completion of a project like this is highly rewarding to the participants which may be why members of my cohort commonly showed up well in advance of each session. With each participant having a distinct role to play, there is evidence of each person's contribution in the final product. I hope my 'production team' enjoyed the experience as much as I enjoyed facilitating this cohort. It was certainly a memorable way to teach and learn about project-based learning.

UnPlug'd Approaches...

In recent weeks and months, I've been thinking and creating with a terrific group of Canadian collaborators who are breathing life into a first-of-its-kind event. Very soon, we will be taking a collective pause from our virtual learning networks, in order to connect face-to-face, and to think deeply about what it means to be a teacher; learner; and change agent.

“If a teacher thinks in the forest, does he/she make a sound?”

A diverse collection of Canadian educators with experience that spans primary, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary classrooms, will answer that very question at ‘UnPlug’d: Canadian Education Summit’.

UnPlug’d delegates will gather amidst the concrete of downtown Toronto, before making their way to Northern Edge Algonquin, a retreat on the northwest corner of Algonquin Park. By the time the weekend is over, participants will have traveled by plane, train, bus, kayak, canoe, and mountain bike, all in order to connect with transparent learners who embrace opportunities to think, learn, and teach.

By unplugging from their highly networked personal and professional lives, participating Canadian change agents will:

- reflect on personal and professional learning while forging connections to the learning stories of other participants;
- share stories of small scale innovation with colleagues who are similarly engaged in discovering what matters most in teaching and learning;
- transform digital relationships through face-to-face encounters, strengthening the loose ties that bind us as networked Canadian educators;
- go deeper with ideas than might otherwise be possible, amidst the hush of a natural, purely Canadian setting;
- come to appreciate what it means to be a teacher and learner, in Canada, both today, and for tomorrow.


“But will it make a sound?”

A multitude of conversations, stories, and ideas will resonate from the UnPlug’d experience. The collective wisdom of the group will become evident through the digital release of “UnPlug’d: Why _________ Matters” which will follow on the heels of the summit. Throughout the days and weeks that follow, blog posts, audio reflections and multimedia pieces can be anticipated from particpating delegates.

To discover more about UnPlug’d and to meet the participants, visit www.unplugd.ca
To tour the venue we’ll be meeting at, visit www.algonquincanada.com
To receive UnPlug’d updates, follow @unplugdca
To learn from the delegates before and after they unplug, follow the group: http://twitter.com/#!/unplugdca/unplugd-2011

My EduContext

I arrived home from Philadelphia just before 1:00 a.m., and rested well. When I awoke, I found myself in a downright giddy mood as images kept floating into my minds-eye. These are some of the things I'll most remember about Educon 2.3.

Community
Snow, What snow? With schools officially closed in the region due to poor weather, you'd think there would be cause for concern. In the end, it wasn't nearly enough to impede the staff, students or parents of Science Leadership Academy. For details on how Educon came together, check out Chris Lehmann's post that highlights how the community rallied.

Student Engagement
Emblematic of the fullness of student participation in Educon, was the first and final person we saw at SLA. Jeff Kessler, also known as EduConcierge, demonstrated a true passion for addressing the travel needs of attendees. His efforts exceeded all expectations. Don't be surprised if Jeff reaches his goal of becoming Secretary of Transportation. In the words of Michael Wacker: "I heart Educoncierge".



Collaboration
Working under the direction of Darren Kuropatwa and Dean Shareski, our group was in stitches throughout the recording of our trick-the-senses video: "A Nice Light Snack - with Added Crunch". A big thanks to Andy Forgrave for leading Kim McGill, Colin Jagoe, Zoe Branigan-Pipe, Alec Couros, Brian C. Smith, and myself through the project. Be sure to check out the other completed works.

Transparency
As you likely know, conversations from SLA were streamed to the World Wide Web, allowing a distant audience to participate by auditing the sessions. In a number of sessions, remote participants were invited to actively engage in the co-creation of products and resources. Although most small group conversations were only heard by the participants, you're invited to eavesdrop on this 6 minute conversation from Brian C. Smith's session Share the Joy. The voices you'll hear are Michael Wacker, Alec Couros, and Rodd Lucier.

Celebration
The song "Bad Romance" keeps running through my head. It was one of many rocking good time songs performed by LiQuid A at Field House Philly. The Saturday evening social turned into a great way to celebrate the birthday of Science Leadership Academy principal, Chris Lehmann.

Authenticity
Powerful stories were the order of the day. Perhaps the most compelling, was shared during Alec Couros and Dean Shareski's session: 'The Obligation to Share...'. Consider the story shared by Sarah Edson: an account of an English teacher who long ago, had fostered the speaker's passion for writing. After the teacher-mentor suffered a catastrophic loss of memory, it was the very student that he had enabled, now a teacher, who was able rekindle the former teacher's memory, through a descriptive thank you letter.


If you attended in person or online, I can't help but wonder: What were your take-aways?


Media Credits: EduConcierge video and Snickers photo, captured by Andrew Forgrave; other images by Rodd Lucier.

So, What Did You Learn?

Thanks for visiting the blog today, I'm not here. I'm in Philadelphia attending Educon 2.3 where Zoe Branigan-Pipe and I are facilitating "Classrooms of Tomorrow" as a culminating task for attendees.

Our session takes place today at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time and even if you can't be with us in person, you can participate virtually. Attendees on site will be creating learning spaces with LiveScribe technology, while remote participants will design collaboratively using Scribblar Rooms (links are included in the slidedeck).

Classrooms of Educon

View more presentations from Rodd Lucier.

Classroom Sample
brought to you by Livescribe

2011: The Year of the Cloud

While I'm not a fan of Microsoft's 'To the Cloud' ad campaign, there is little doubt that my use of communications technologies in 2011, will regularly leverage cloud tools. My digital life will be accessed, edited, and shared through a range of devices including my iPhone, iPad, notebook computers, and desktop computers. As we begin the 'Year of the Cloud', here is a brief rundown of my favourite air-powered tools.

Mobile Devices
MacBook Air: I begin the new year, doing most of my work on a new computer that is nimble, and well-suited to travel. With the minimal component space of every MacBook Air taken up primarily by batteries, my intention is to minimize the use of the machine's flash storage space.

iPhone: For the two most recent conferences I attended, my iPhone was my lone 'communicator'. This one device allows me to capture audio, video, and text without being weighed down by the luggage that normally accompanies my MacBook Pro. As a side benefit, this untethered approach makes it much easier to connect in person with attending colleagues.

Content Hosting
Diigo: With questions surrounding the potential demise of Delicious, I've duplicated my bookmark database at Diigo. Although I've yet to make good use of the community tools there, I do hope make use of the embedded annotation tools in 2011.

Flickr: Over the holiday break, I made the leap to Flickr Pro. With cameras and phones synching photos to many computers both at home and at work, it just makes sense to upload photos to a commonly accessible web space. By backing images up on portable drives, I hope to preserve valuable disk space on my devices.

Workflow Adaptations
Tethered Web Access: Thanks to a generous 6 GB data allowance, I've made a habit of bringing my own Internet service to work. Personal computers are restricted from accessing our school network, so this is the only way I can reliably access my cloud resources in partnership with the Mac tools I've grown to love.

DropBox: Managing my digital life from at least 5 devices, DropBox allows me to access 'active' documents from any given machine, meaning portable drives are no longer a necessity in my daily work. Even better: If you keep your digital locker under 2 GB, it's free!

Creativity Tools
Animoto: With unlimited videos for teachers and students, Animoto is an incredible free resource. As text, audio and transition tools have been added, Animoto has become the standard-bearer for automating the creation of captivating multimedia films.

Aviary: This free audio-editing tool allows users to create unique products with tools very similar to those built into GarageBand. Polished tools such as these are rarely free in the cloud.

Broadcasting Channels
Posterous: Although I've hosted my blog at Blogger for the past 3 years, Posterous is the first tool I recommend to others for creating blogs, e-portfolios, or classroom websites. With a simple email to post@posterous.com, you can begin sharing text, audio, video, and a range of e-documents with students or with a global audience.

ipadio: While I still post audio to Libsyn and feed the stream to iTunes, I heartily recommend ipadio as a simple and free broadcast service. Added bonus: Though imperfect, posted audio is automatically transcribed as text!

Network Tools
Twitter: The tools I use to access my personal staffroom varies from device to device, but whether I use the Twitter App; Tweetdeck; and the Twitter domain, the streamed thinking of distant colleagues continues to play a key role in my professional learning.

Skype in the Classroom: In a few weeks, this social media channel will be available to educators around the globe who will be able to build personal networks face-to-face. This is my pick for the tool that has the greatest potential to ignite large-scale classroom collaboration.

Keeping Current
Clever App: I created this app to bring together the most prominent ed-tech news stories of the day, and to archive my slidedecks, podcast episodes and blog entries. The app is designed for iPad or iPhone and is available as a free download from iTunes.


I'm very interested to discover other tools that can help me manage my digital life. Which cloud tools are most necessary in managing your personal and professional learning?


Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff