OTRK12: Ready to learn and share

March 31, 2014 markwcarbone Leave a comment

The On the Rise K12 conference is set to go for April 1/2 in Mississauga. There is an awesome lineup of workshops. Check out the Tuesday list and the Wednesday list.

Donna Fry and I will be there presenting about the OSSEMOOC project and also sharing the learning by live streaming some of the sessions. Video streams will be available [here] and/or [here] (you will need to sign up for a free account to watch). Some audio streams will be available at QueST Radio 1-14.

Watch the #otrk12 twitter stream for ‘on the fly’ details of which sessions will be streamed.

Enjoy the learning. Consider sharing your reflections by submitting an article to the OSSEMOOC 30 days of learning project.

~Mark

General, Tech

Free wifi, sort of

March 14, 2014 markwcarbone Leave a comment

Travelling is always an interesting time. For me, one of the perspectives I keep an eye on is technology use in other contexts.

Here in China, it seems that everyone has a cell phone, and some have smart phones. It appears that at least basic connectivity is deemed an important need. As a traveller of course you need to have an eagle eye (or an internal beacon) for free wifi opportunities. In conversation with tour guides, I believe that the cellular network is massive and quite robust. Three major telco’s dominant the market, and I will write more on this in a upcoming blog post. Wifi, and make that free wifi, is not readily available like it is in North America. Yes, hotel lobbies etc. but not necessarily in retail places.

I did come across a Starbucks in Beijing and HAD to check out the wifi. Of course, I have to admit to wanting a coffee too. While the venue offered free wifi access, the actual process to get access is controlled. In order to gain access, you must enter a mobile phone number and you are texted an access code. This process is oriented to cellular devices, not so handy for wifi only devices.

… you may prefer the translated version:

This verification approach seems to be used by a variety to vendors. So, no free wifi for my iPad on this attempt. Watch for my next connectivity update.

~Mark

OSSEMOOC, Uncategorized

From the Wall

March 12, 2014 markwcarbone Leave a comment

My most recent post is on the OSSEMOOC site.

Click [here] for an interesting perspective.

Thx @fryed for your assistance!

~Mark

21st century learning, Technology Enabled Learning, TEL

The Power of AB squared

March 6, 2014 markwcarbone 2 Comments

After hearing about this intriguing classroom collaboration project at EdCampWR, I was delighted to meet with elementary teacher Alison Bullock to learn more about this cross panel collaborative project with secondary teacher Andrew Bieronski.

The Learning Framework

The project framework is based on the new Ontario social studies curriculum. Alison’s grade 4 French immersion students will be partnered with Andrew’s grade 10 students. The grade 10’s will be mentoring with grade four students as they progress through a summative project which requires students:

create a physical structure of a museum artifact
produce audio guided tours in both English and French
generate a QR code linking to the audio files and
share about learning process

The Collaborating

The grade 10 students will provide mentorship to the grade 4 students as they research, plan and write the scripts needed for the audio guided tour files. Students will be collaborating through the WRDSB Google Apps for Educators (GAFE) environment. The role of the grade 10 students will be related to their civics and English courses.

All students, in both grades, will share about their experiences in this collaborative learning project through their blogs. Blogging platforms may include Google, WordPress or Weebly.

Bringing it all Together

As a conclusion to this learning process, the class museum will be created in the physical space in library, where all students connect for a grand finale. Projects will be displayed and the students of both classes involved will meet face to face.

This project is just getting underway. I look forward to following along this learning journey.

Note on the Title: I thought is was interesting that the two teachers involved in this project have the same initials. Given their interest in technology enabled learning and passions for forward thinking, I thought the notion of

was quite appropriate 🙂

~Mark

Digital Citizenship, Social Media

On or Off Line: a Perspective

March 3, 2014 markwcarbone 4 Comments

I happened to come across Aviva’s post yesterday, titled
online-offline-where-to-draw-the-line. Aviva makes that point that “students need a safe place to make mistakes, and I don’t know that social media provides this safe place.” Check out the comments from some of the readers [here].

We do live in interesting times for sure. Perhaps this is all a lesson in media literacy (& life). From my perspective, there are a few important points in the mix.

In my view blogs are indeed a social media tool. In today’s world, you DO have a voice through a variety of social media tools. One’s actions in a social media environment have reach and impact. This begs responsible and ethical use: do good, ask good questions, ‘poke’ at things in a respectful manner. It is likely safe to say that not all real life experiences will have these characteristics, and from this perspective, Aviva’s blog post raises a great point when considering the learning environment.

In response to Aviva’s post, Doug Peterson wrote a great blog post this morning called Learning about Social Media in which he makes a strong case for using blogs as an excellent entry point into this world. I certainly support Doug’s view that blogs are indeed an excellent starting point. I also think that the K12 educational experience needs to move beyond this. Our students live in a world where new online tools and platforms are ‘born’ all the time and having some appropriate experiences in new arenas is also important. I like the idea of gradual release of responsibility (age appropriate), and I am excited about the positive experiences I am seeing WRDSB students having within programs such as the Futures Forum Project (FFP).

I don’t think one can underestimate the power of positive role modelling. Do you see this as an opportunity for educators? or perhaps a responsibility? Either way, social media is here to stay. Reach, impact, connections, relationship building and establishing trust are all important aspects of this digital world in which we live, and important areas to develop in young people.

Great topic. Please weigh in. I welcome your thoughts on this discussion. Leave a comment or connect in some other way.

~Mark

21st century learning, Digital Citizenship

Digital Citizenship Remix

March 2, 2014 markwcarbone 1 Comment

Over the last few months, I have had the chance to participate in, listen to, and record a variety of discussions on digital citizenship. In each case, the discussion was rich and though provoking.

On Monday March 3rd, I am pulling 3 of these discussions together into a ‘remix’ for an internet radio broadcast 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. EST.

Why not sit down after dinner with a warm cup of coffee or tea, relax and listen to the conversation.

Join the radio broadcast [here] .

~Mark