For educators and education in India, this is one of the most critical budgets ever.

The passage of the Free & Compulsory Right to Education Act of 2009 is perhaps two months from being notified. With implementation imminent, educators are asking is if India is to train 1-1.25 million teachers in the next five years, to maintain the 1:30 teacher to student ration, does the India 2010 budget provide the cash?

The funds have been promised by none other than the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. The dynamic Union Minister for Education, Dr. Kapil Sibal, is also hard at work. So the first year’s funding will reflect if he is walking the walk.

What is the Free & Compulsory Right to Education Act of 2009 supposed to do? The act focuses on key elements of a child-centered education with values and pedagogy almost 180 degrees different than government schools in India today. These include values I personally endorse:

a)     all around development of the child;

b)    building up the child’s knowledge, potential and talent;

c)     development of physical and mental abilities of the child;

d)    learning through activities, discovery and exploration in a child friendly and child-centered manner;

e)     medium of instruction, as far as practical, in the child’s mother tongue;

f)     making the child free of fear, trauma, able to express views freely;

g)    comprehensive and continuous evaluation of the child’s understanding of knowledge.

This act will affect between 30 to 35 million children, not presently in India’s schools. The Right to Education Act 2009 specifies a new level of access for formerly unschooled children: “Every child from the age of six to fourteen year shall have a right to free and compulsory education in a neighborhood school until completion of elementary education.”

It also includes the further clause that:

“No child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education.

Provided further that a child so admitted to elementary education shall be entitled to free education till completion of elementary education after fourteen years the appropriate Government and the local authority shall establish, within such area or limits of neighborhood, a school where it is not so established, within a period of three years from the commencement of this Act.”

Any educator with experience can immediately tell this is a holistic law that deals with the rights of children to education, the quality of the education, the availability of the education free and locally, the pedagogical development of the teachers involved and the use of brick and mortars as well as technology and transformative pedagogy to make it happen. A great leap forward? Indeed. Revolutionary? For individuals at the middle and bottom of India’s pyramid society, absolutely.

The SIGTE group visit Auckland, Rotorua, and Christchurch and will also attend and present at the Learning@Schools Conference, one of the largest education conferences in Australasia.

You can follow their adventures at http://blog.core-ed.net/tours/.

What if a school’s success hinged on its ability to prepare students for an evolving, global society that demanded openness, peering, sharing, and acting globally? The culture that created the Read/Write Web is the same culture that favors openness and sharing, and is best typified by the open-source software movement. Volunteer programmers that created the Linux operating system worked together, piece-by-piece — each volunteer with a different and varied experience, and each in a different location across the world. This culture would do well to find a home in today’s schools, in order for our students to find success today and in the future.

The Read/Write Web ought to have a place in schools for a variety of reasons. For one, the Read/Write Web is where both business and society have turned to grow and learn. Whether our tool of choice is Google, Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org), or Ask Metafilter (http://ask.metafilter.com), we have access to a staggering amount of information online. The Read/Write Web is also a place where people make a living. “About one million of the most active traders on eBay have quit their day jobs and now make their living selling new and used goods full-time” (Tapscott & Williams, 2006, p. 100). “Lifelong learning” is frequently in the mission statements of schools and districts the country-over. During their school years and beyond, students will engage in endless opportunities to learn on their own. Teaching students how to self-educate using the Read/Write Web is an important new skill.

Students also deserve the experience of developing information and media literacies. The Center for Media Literacy (www.medialit.org) offers teachers resources for developing students’ media literacy, which now includes, among others, both traditional media (e.g., commercials on television) and the nontraditional Read/Write Web variety (bias in blog entries, YouTube videos, etc.). The American Association of School Librarians provides resources for addressing information literacy (www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/aaslinfolit/informationliteracy1.htm), and AT&T provides information on “21st Century Literacies” (www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/), broken into four areas: information, visual, cultural, and media.

Another reason to embrace the Read/Write Web? “Young People Urgently Need New Skills to Succeed in the Global Economy,” reads the title of a report from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=276&Itemid=64). The report cites 70% of human resource officials feel that high school graduates fall short in critical-thinking skills, and 81% of human resource officials believe high school graduates are deficient in written communications. The good news is that by applying the Read/Write Web into the curriculum, teachers can provide students with opportunities to improve critical thinking, as well as both written and verbal communication. Beyond that, students can creatively explore other forms of communication, including film, music, and visual art. A podcast, for instance, requires planning, storyboarding, and writing before the podcast is published.

(pic from flickr.com/photos/dbdbrobot)

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills also calls for using “21st Century Assessments.” The Read/Write Web can make an excellent medium for assessing student learning beyond the now-popular standardized test. Student blogs can become student digital portfolios. Student video projects can reveal, among many things, the student’s attainment of critical-thinking skills. Collaborative, student-centered projects promote interaction with students from faraway schools, testing a student’s progress in working with peers.

I agree with John. It’s vital for our students to be able to use Web 2.0 if they want a successful future. I’d be interested in hearing other arguments for the Read/Write Web. Why do you find it critical that your students know how to use Web 2.0 tools and take part generating information through blogs, podcasts, wikis, and more?

Copyright 2008, ISTE ® (International Society for Technology in Education), RSS for Educators, John G. Hendron. 1.800.336.5191 or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Distribution and copying of this excerpt is allowed for educational purposes and use with full attribution to ISTE.

A vital element of 1-to-1 is that every teacher have a laptop, along with every student. In order for this to work well and be a transformative element in a school, district, or state, teachers need to embrace education technology in their practice. This means, even for the innovators and early adopters, continuous, varied, well-supported and adequately funded professional development.

Which brings up the topic of adult learners. The work of Malcolm Knowles continues to resonate even though he did not write about technology or the field of education per se – he wrote about andragogy – or adult learning. Knowles explains that adults have a wealth of knowledge, want involvement in learning, want hands-on experience, are practical, are motivated by their own needs, want their own learning styles maximized, and need time to think and reflect. The book I use most by Knowles is The Adult Learner which is now in its 6th edition.

When professional development is designed for an adult learner – it works. It’s important to keep in mind that adults need opportunities to be hands-on; that they have an average attention span of between 8 and 20 minutes; that they have a wealth of knowledge; that they are highly practical; that they need to see the value of the learning.

Here are some ideas that have worked for education technology working sessions:

• Getting participants hands-on as quickly as possible. Brief intros and a broad stroke of purpose and goals – possibly turning to participants for purpose and goals.
• Changing activities and approaches frequently.
• Adjusting as needed – paying attention to the body language of participants and having some activities ready should the session lag.
• Breaks. This may seem obvious but adults need to stretch, move, and walk away in order to return fresh.
• Getting feedback and participation different ways. Some will feel comfortable speaking out, others will prefer reflecting on paper, others will like an online survey or a back channel.
• Sparing use of Powerpoint – but – not so spare that there is nothing to follow or see for your visual learners.
• An electronic version of it all somewhere – a Wiki, a Ning, etc.
• Some type of paper handout. We don’t want to kill trees but we are in this interesting in-between stage right now involving adults who are “paper-trained” and those who are immersed and comfortable in the fully-electronic delivery of media. Give them something to hold in their hands and you will see relief on the faces of many participants.
• Reasonable times for all activities – not too long or too short – adjust if you start seeing people taking a break when it’s time for working hands-on.
• A reinforced theme – go back to that whenever possible.
• A “parking lot” for ideas or tangents that are brought up.
• A positive activity describing the intent of the session and asking people to buy in somehow – we posted a large smiley face, gave out star stickers, and asked people to post 2 things on how they will be ensuring that they stay positive at their schools while managing change.
• Participant sharing in different ways – not just talking – showing, demonstrating, sending out links, etc.
• A druther – 2 projectors in every room – one for the presenter/s with a screen and one for the participants with a screen/wall as well – speakers for both – jump drives if needed and a spare laptop.
• If PD is interesting, varied, practical, relevant and adheres to theories of adult learning, teachers will have the tools to transform teaching and learning through 1-to-1.

Note: This is a slightly rewritten piece from my blog which is available at http://www.1-to-1learning.blogspot.com

(pic from foundphotoslj’s)

When I announced the Newbie project in April I thought it would be a one time event.  It was really intended to be an experiment to help prove that there is an up side to social networking.  Richard Byrne was the original Newbie.  His blog, FreeTech4Teachers,  was the top resource sharing blog last year.  My strategy was to blog about it a few times then have my PLN spread the word. I crossed my fingers and hoped that we would get to our goal of $1500. Exactly two weeks after I first blogged about the project we hit the goal after VoiceThread made a huge donation. If they had not stepped forward I am not sure we would have met the goal.

In the weeks leading up to the conference people started asking me if I would repeat the project.  Once I realized that the Newbie Project was popular enough that it could be used to make a real difference there was no question I would do it again.  My biggest challenge was figuring out who would be the best choice to be the Newbie for 2010. Whoever it was going to be would have big shoes to fill! I spent lots of time mulling over the people in my PLN, but just like the year before, there was one clear choice.  I decided Jason Schrage would be the Newbie for ISTE10.  Please check  out his blog,  Connections.

At the time I selected Jason I was not really sure what direction I wanted to take the project.  I decided that I wanted to capture Jason’s passion and curiosity. I wanted everyone to have the opportunity to be inspired by him much like I had been.  I decided the best way to do this was to have him blog about his experience throughout the year.  To give back to his PLN, Jason will write about his experiences on a regular basis throughout the year. He will serve as a mentor to teachers around the country.

I want people to have the chance to get to know Jason before we officially kick off the drive for donations. However, if you are excited about this project and want to make a donation now you are more than welcome to do so.  The donation link is on both Nebraska Change Agent and Connections. Please consider supporting the project by adding a badge to your blog or website.  You can also help by telling fellow educators about the project.  I created some cards that you can print and distribute as well to help promote the Newbie Project.

If you want to learn more about Jason then please keep reading.  I recently had the chance to interview him and here is what he had to say:

Where were you born?
Naval base in Groton, Connecticut.

Could you tell me about your family?
Married with two wonderful boys. One is two and the other is four.

Tell me about your interests outside of school.
Love outdoor adventures and just being outside – primitive skills, fishing, hiking camping, canoeing. I also enjoy practicing martial arts.

Educational Background:
SUNY Oswego- Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education (Social Studies)

SUNY Cortlans – Master’s degree in Outdoor and Environmental Education

Who is your employer and what is your position?
Horseheads Central School District – 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher

How long have you been teaching?
Started teaching in September of 1998

What is your favorite unit/topic and why?
WWII – The WWII Teach-In Day. Growing up my grandparents often talked of this period in history – Studying WWII reminds me of them – Its almost like honoring them.

What are some ways that you are currently using technology to enhance your classroom?
I use a course management system called Tool Box Pro. I utilize it for almost every assignment. Students also use Tool Box Pro to take tests, write their individual blog, and edit the class wiki.

We use Gaggle for email communication. I also have used VoiceThread, Promethean Activ Studio, Activ Vote, PhotoStory3, UStream, and Elluminate.

What are some of your goals for the school year?
To do more video conferences with other classes and experts as part of my lessons. I am thinking about finding a motivational speaker to visit with my students about study skills and the importance of being a self-motivated learner.

I might also use videoconferencing to connect with another classroom to prep for the NY State exams. l also could use IVC to bring in someone who is an expert on their subject – Another k-12 teacher, professor that can relate to the kids, or a museum curator to talk about a topic.

What are several things that you are looking forward to at ISTE 10?

• Meeting people in my PLN
• Learning new cool web 2.0 tools
• Sharing ideas and learning from others
• Being around other highly motivated and excited individuals

We’ve had some excellent contributors to the ISTEconnects blog, and we want to keep it open – making it a community driven place for you to connect with other educational technology enthusiasts.  We’ve created a simple guest blogger functionality, and all you have to do to get published here is to sign up to be a “contributor” and you’ll be able submit your own blog posts.

You can write as few, or as many posts as you like – just keep in mind that we’ll have to moderate these before they go live to make sure there’s nothing ‘touchy’ in there. We will then tweet your post to the rest of the Connex community! To be considered for publishing, a post must cover a relevant ed tech topic and be at least 200 words in length. Happy Blogging!

If you have any question you can find me on twitter @isteconnects or email me here.

Signup to Guest Blog Today!

Thing got off to a triumphant start with a keynote address (for the second year in a row) from famed author and New Yorker staff writer, Malcolm Gladwell.  Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point (2000) and Outliers (2008), used some obscure triva about Fleetwood Mac, the British-born rock band, to argue that effort — and not talent — is the cornerstone of a successful adult.  To see a video of Gladwell’s complete speech, click here.  To read my live-blogging from Gladwell’s keynote address, follow this link. (For those who are interested, all of my live-blogging was done using coveritlive.com.)

Throughout the week, Joe Corbett, the man behind @isteconnects, interviewed countless NECC participants throughout ISTE Central and streamed hours and hours of footage direct to your favorite website, isteconnects.org.  Check out the highlights at ISTE Central Interviews, Part I and ISTE Central Interviews, Part II.  Here’s a little sample for your viewing pleasure:

On Tuesday, June 30th, the flagship event was the “Oxford-style debate” held in the grand ballroom.  Moderated by NPR’s Robert Siegel in front of a crowd of thousands, the debate featured two teams of three who attempted to answer the question: “Are brick-and-mortar schools harmful to the future of education?”  Much to the surprise of some, the bricks-and-mortar team trounced the digitalistas on the other side.  But there were really compelling points made on both sides.  You can check out my live-blogging of the event here.

One of NECC 09’s most memorable moments actually took place outside of the Washington Convention Center: on Wednesday, a squad of hundreds of blue-shirted ISTE volunteers took to Capitol Hill and lobbied their local representatives on behalf of educators everywhere.  I was tagging along with a team of teachers from the Boston area as they addressed one of Sen. Ted Kennedy’s senior staffers.  You can see photos I live-tweeted from our journey through the capital here.  And below is a an edited video documenting ISTE’s “storming of the Hill”:

And of course, there were the sessions.  I was really impressed by the level of depth, and forward-looking quality of the presentations I attended.  I live-blogged as many as I could, and you can read through some of my accounts here:

• Live Blogging: “Digital Citizenship: Tools, Tips and Ideas”
• Live-Blogging: “Video in the Classroom”
• Live-Blogging: “Blogs, Wikis and RSS in the Classroom”
• Live-Blogging: “Communication and Creativity: Using TuxPaint”
• Live-Blogging: “Tablet PCs in Action: Experience the Possibilities”
• Live-Blogging: “Using Games and Simulations in Learning”
• Live-blogging: “A Meeting of Moodlers”

While I was attending sessions and blogging like a madman, the @isteconnects team was walking every inch of the Washington Convention Center, recording practically everything worth seeing.  Below I’m posting a small sample of the all the videos we shot over the last four days — but you can see the everything here:

If you still haven’t had your fill of ISTE NECC ‘09 (and trust me, I understand where you’re coming from!), check out the post we compiled last night that features 26 blog posts about the conference by attendees, and our article about iPhone / iPod Touch in the classroom.  You can also read The Daily Leader (NECC09’s official newspaper)  here.

I hope everyone else learned as much — and had as much fun — as the @isteconnects team did.  See you all next year!

Zach

@zbgoodwin