The WASL

I teach third grade in Seattle, Washington. The high stakes test in our neck of the woods is called the WASL (wah' sel). I'll leave the description of it up to my kids. They wrote a little bit about it each day - and then posted their thoughts for the week today, after we finished.

I am just amazed at their ability in this medium. Remember, these are 8 and 9 year olds, reflecting on an extremely difficult test - over time - and then putting it together in one posting. What comes across so strongly to me is their sense of voice. They write with purpose, questionning, sense of humor, and much more. I am so proud of them. They will do well in this world.

Fifteen of my 22 kids published today at our classroom blog, roomtwelve.com Here are a few entries that just blew me away:

• Joey
• August
• Logan
• Danielle
• Jose
• Alice
• Jackson
• Ming

Could they have written this stuff and in this way before before we got into blogging? Probably.

Would I have assigned it? No way.

Is this type of writing important, and will they benefit from it? Duh.

Technology is changing not only the WAY we teach but WHAT we teach.

New direction

After last night's rant, the machine is still in motion. There is no turning back, it's definitely time to change direction. I will write more on this later. I just changed the rss feeds on the right side of this blog. Welcome to the up-to-the-minute thoughts from Doug Noon and Bud Hunt! More to follow soon.

Speaking with authority and credibility

I will not make many friends with this post. If I distance myself from those I admire and respect because I think they're off base and out of touch on this, well, that's the way it must be. It's just one of those things I must say, I believe it that strongly.

I have truly had it with the pontificating from various corners and from various levels about what the problem is with technology in the classroom.

If anyone wants to speak with authority and credibility on technology use in the classroom - and wants to be listened to by teachers, they must be involved in the classroom - now. It is changing so fast, life in the classroom of the 21st century. And technology within the classroom is changing faster than anything else in that classroom. If someone has not taught in a classroom within the last year, they have no idea what is going on there with technology right now. I'm talking everybody from college professors to computer lab teachers to keynote speakers at tech conferences. I cannot listen to them any longer. They do not know what is going on. They do not have anything to offer me.

So what should people do if they want to speak with authority and credibility about technology use - but they are not willing to be a classroom teacher? Well, my first response would be to tell them that they just can't. But if they REALLY want to get it, I would tell them they need to get themselves into a classroom, once a week, at the very least. Talk with a classroom teacher, F2F, once a week, at the very least. This will give them maybe a chance of understanding a little. Walk a mile in my Rockports...

Now, folks can continue to spew forth their technology-in-the-classroom ideas based on what they think are good ideas generally, or what they remember from who knows how many years ago when they were in the classroom. Being a computer lab teacher does not count, nor does being an "integration specialist". Many will be listened to by administrators (like George, maybe) - or not. This means less than nothing to me at this point. (I refer you to Charlotte's Web for Wilbur's delightful interpretation of what "less than nothing" means)

I will listen to and learn from classroom teachers. They live where the rubber meets the road. Time for new rss feeds, links, and all the rest.

Earth Day every day

No "good reading" for the week, been too busy with the Earth Day Groceries Project, approving/editing reports for the databases, and adding picture pages from the emails that are slamming me right now...

Started a "picture of the day" blog on the site. Hope to continue with that for a couple of weeks. Here's the first:

http://www.earthdaybags.org/blog/2006/04/picture-of-day-4-23-06.html

Big Check!

Big Check!,
originally uploaded by mahlness.

On Earth Day, April 22, 2006, I accepted a sponsorship donation to the Earth Day Groceries Project from Albertsons - at their Mercer Island, Washington store. A very nice Earth Day!

This was quite a deal for the fledgling nonprofit organization. I hope more grocery chains will join in. I was told there that 270 schools participated with Albertsons this year, and decorated over 49,000 Earth Day grocery bags - distributed to customers today.

What is really cool here is that store managers went out to schools to get them involved, and not the other way around - which is often a frustrating task for a teacher at a school - going begging to a store for bags, trying to "sell" the idea, etc. A very good sign for the future...

Blogs, lists, and audience

I've been thinking about writing this for some time. The events of the last two weeks have finally brought me to this point.

It's about blocking, censorship, MySpace, administrative vs. teacher leadership in technology - just a huge ball of wax. Will Richardson's post, Battling Censorship was what pushed me to writing here. Here's part of what he said:

...There are at best, what, 50? 100? 500? 1000? educators tuned into this conversation in a sea of hundreds of thousands. How many have posted? ....

Background: Here's Miguel Guhlin, leading the charge against censorship, after having both his blog and that of Wesley Fryer's blocked in some (many?) Texas school districts because they included the word MySpace in their postings. Content filtering of a really surprising magnitude - just incredible. Miguel has spoken out vociferously, is trying to get everybody to put "MySpace" on their blogs and web pages, so that those sitting at the blocker buttons will have no choice but to ease off, because nothing is getting through to schools.

OK. So Miguel's call to arms may seem unrealistic, but here is what he is doing that may indeed make a difference. He is getting his message out to educational discussion lists. I've seen his postings on wwwedu (2,000 members), edtech (3,500 email members), and I assume the digital divide list (3,000 members - Andy Carvin has pushed it out there for sure anyway). I'm sure the thread has spread to other lists by now. Easily, 10,000 people will have read what Miguel has had to say by now. Next, they will discuss it - with exponential numbers just around the corner, if people quote his postings and responses to them . Will R. is wrong when he suggests the numbers hearing this conversation are so small. That's if you only count the choir.

I say connect to the congregation, not just the choir. Miguel is truly taking it there. I wish other bloggers would start to realize the power and potential of the list medium. Just because it's not brand new and glitzy like blogging and rss is no reason to turn backs on the most powerful aggregator there is - the Inbox.

Posting to a list is a different art form from blogging. Man, once you send it, you can't EVER take it back on a list - can't just go into your blog and just delete the post. It's there for good. I find it so much easier to blog like this than to post to a list. It really takes me a long time, relatively, to put together my thoughts for a listserv.

So thanks for doing it, Miguel - taking on the somewhat stodgy establishment of lists, presenting a fresh approach, a new way of looking at things. There are wonderful writers out there posting incredible ideas on blogs right now. I wish their audience was bigger. It could be.

Good reading, 4/16/06

Just got back from the east coast, where I spent my spring vacation helping my folks and my brother move on to their next life chapters. So my reading has been light (also hindered by the slowness of dial-up AOL access - aargh), but I did come across some fascinating stuff, most of which I will have to come back to later to fully digest. I have been using del.icio.us to keep track of these things as I find them. This week's bunch is at readingapril2 - not all referenced below:

• Borderland - from Doug Noon. Very political, a teacher, out there... I will check back regularly. I love this stuff.
• Holistic and Integral Education: Flat Classrooms - from Roger Stack from Tasmania, Australia - need to check back later and read more...
• Moving at the Speed of Creativity » Blog Archive » People are the curriculum - Wesley Fryer. Not as much about technology as just education. A great point of view.
• The Seattle Times: Local News: Seattle ranks as nation's best-educated big city - not a blog, but a piece of info I will use in a future post. The local edtech scene is out of step with the people moving here, for sure...
• How-To Primers - lots of stuff on MySpace...
• How to Access Blocked Websites » Digital Inspiration: Software Reviews, Technology News, Downloads, Productivity Tips - let's see if my blog gets blocked now. Stuff I need to know.
• Groupthink - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Miguel Guhlin's (now deleted) post led me here....
• Moving at the Speed of Creativity » Blog Archive » Podcast52: Stories About Web 2.0 - from Wesley Fryer. Another great podcast, Wesley again mentions Danielle's blog post. I need to fill him in on more background for that story.
• Blackboard Blogging - Washington Post article about teacher bloggers
• Bud the Teacher: Podcast: The Post and Our Buddy George - from Bud Hunt, I want to listen asap.
• http://www.mguhlin.net/blog/archives/2006/04/entry_1363.htm - Miguel Guhlin's podcast. Maybe I'll do something similar - why not?
• (late addition) Andy Carvin's Waste of Bandwidth: Another Murder, Another Blogger: How Will the Media React? - Andy caught on first to the potential impact to the blogging world of this horrific story. The media will be obsessed with this....

This is the third posting of this type I've done. When I started out, this was to be a listing of my weekend reading. Now it appears it will be a listing of my memorable reading during the week.

Texas inspiration

You had to have been asleep at the screen to have missed the Doug/George Johnson episode last week on ed blogs. Lots of passion there.

But that's nothing compared to what I'm reading from Miguel Guhlin and Wesley Fryer. What are they putting in the water down there in Texas, anyway? These two are writing just some inspired stuff right now. How do they do it? Wish I had the way with the word they have. I'll just have to settle for sharing their passion. Some examples:

Censored for relevance (and here)- Fryer
Put Fear Aside - Guhlin
(edited on 4/16/06, as Miguel has just redone his blog, and articles previously listed here are no more)

They also have left provocative thoughts and supportive encouragements in comments all over the place, in many discussions, very much enriching this cool space. Miguel left this for me after a downer post I wrote about MySpace:

Blog in the face of oppression, speak truth to power even though it isn't effective. These acts may not change the environment you're in, but they will change you. And, changing you is all you CAN do. . .it is the most powerful transformation you can model for your children, as well as your students and colleagues.

Thanks, guys!

Good reading, 4/10/06

I've spent more time writing than reading this past week, it seems. Still, I found some good reads:

• Learning Is Messy - Blog - from Brian Crosby, 6th grade teacher in Nevada
• Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog - Blue Skunk Blog - Becoming George - I spent WAY too much time here - and on following posts and comments. Stimulating, frustrating discussions ignited by Doug
• The Thinking Stick from Jeff Utecht, over in Shanghai, China. Jeff is really out there on a different plane from most - in a very good way. Think I'll add an rss feed to his blog from this page...
• Tech learning blog - not sure if the articles written here are merely repeats from their own blogs - will check this out more later

Sadly, that's it for the week/weekend. I'm headed back to the east coast for a few days on family stuff, but the flights (5 airports in 5 days - aaargh) will go more quickly, as my mp3 player is loaded up with podcats from Miguel Guhlin, Andy Carvin, Tim Wilson, Wesley Fryer, Bob Sprankle (and his kids), and David Warlick. And just in case any of that gets boring (ha), I have Will Richardson's new book. The hours will fly by...

Finally, I set up a myspace account a couple of weeks ago, to see what it was like, learn about the dangers, potential, etc, etc. I finally started up my blog there - and I noticed a coupla guys from the above list are also there :) I think all teachers ought to do the same. Have to understand the nature of the beast...

Enough

I have to stop. I've been engaged in conversations about administrative control of technology, the role of teachers in it, etc. I got sucked in way too far, have been over my head more than once. Some enjoy the dialogue, the debate. I do as well, but only to a point. It is much more than a debate to me, it is what I believe and practice every day in my job. My philosophy guides every word I utter in my classroom. I am too close, care too much, believe too strongly, and want things to change too quickly - to debate anybody about it. I absolutely believe in what I am doing with technology in the classroom, that it is right, and that I am obligated to push forward. I believe that not doing so actually hurts my kids. Frustrated, discouraged, close to fits of rage and tears of anguish, I have to stop.

I've really had way enough of the assumption that teachers do not know what they are doing, do not know anything about technology, ought not to be trusted to make informed decisions, shouldn't need to be creative, should blindly follow edicts they know to be folly, etc.

I will retreat to what I have done for the past 12 years in April and May - running the largest educational activity on the Internet. I'll put in the 20 hour work days. In spite of my exhaustion, I will begin to feel good again about what I do, because I will be in touch with teachers, my peers. The teachers I will work with - from all over the world - will be thrilled for, excited about, and proud of their students. They get it. I am able to help them do that, and share in their joy. For that I am eternally grateful.

Responding to George

So Doug Johnson over at his Blue Skunk Blog wrote an article about how he's becoming George, the network admin who is really clamping down on student uses of web stuff - for security reasons. I responded, with a few others, and Doug came right back with another post, where he asked the following:

• Does technology management come down to a choice between reliability/security and creativity/experimentation? If it is not possible to have both, which best serves student interests?
• Why should a teacher be given any more latitude to be "creative" with a computer than an accountant? Why should a teacher not be required to use district adopted software, much as they are required to use district adopted reading series or textbooks?
• Should a teacher experiment rather using established best practices? (A medical doctor who "experiments" on his patients would be considered unethical - that job is for specially trained research scientists.)

Here's my response:

OK, Doug, I'll bite hard on these questions. I know you are in part only playing devil's advocate here, but the bait looks so tasty!

1. the choice between reliability/security and creativity/experimentation...
   Creativity and experimentation. The other gets us safety (maybe). We become stale, dry up and wither away. Management will of course never choose this. But how about putting some classroom teachers in with the group of admins who determine security parameters? I'm not talking about teacher consultants, tech integration specialists, computer lab teachers - I'm talking classroom teachers.
   
2. why should teachers be allowed to be creative, why should they not have to be required to use district adopted texts, software, etc?
   This goes way beyond the question of technology use. Administrators at many levels are contsantly in search of the perfect answer to improving education. "Apply this one to our schools, and now we'll really have something!" But the answer to excellence in teaching and learning does not lie in mandating the perfect textbook, demanding the teaching of the "ultimate social skills curriculum," or insisting on the exclusive use of a piece of software. The answer to excellence in education lies in having excellent, excited, talented, and passionate teachers in the classroom. Top down mandates stifle creativity - and drive out talented teachers in droves. If creativity in teachers is cultivated, not squashed, you will see an incredible surge in talented teachers returning to the profession - and the resulting upswing in student achievement and engagement.
   
3. why should teachers be allowed to experiment rather using established best practices?
   This one I love. Because established best practices are not getting us anywhere right now. Because established best practices are dated, are dead in the water right now, are slow to develop and spread, are built on tools and methods of instruction dating back at least a century. If I teach my current third graders using established best practices, then I am not preparing them for the future, I am teaching them information and skills they may never use, and I am wasting their time. If I experiment, communicate with others around the world, collaborate on developing new approaches, and pass this on to my kids - well then, I might be making a difference for them.
   
   Now this last point requires two things: trust and freedom. I must have the trust of the parents in my classroom - and I must have the freedom to pursue alternatives to established best practices. I consider myself a very lucky guy to have both of those right now. I know many of my colleagues do not. It is in part for them that I take the time to write this.

So Doug, thanks for the conversation. The questions you asked are good ones, because they are so natural to ask. I hope the folks making decisions will look beyond their own circles for answers beyond the obvious. In peace - Mark

Oh, the places you'll go...

...and the things you'll talk about. I posted this last night on my classroom blog:

Today in class we talked about blog comments. We had talked about what makes a good comment before. Everybody is pretty solid on that - and I think they are doing a great job leaving comments for others.

We also talked about "What happens when you get a comment?" Do you HAVE to comment back to the writer? What if they don't have a blog, etc. Do you leave a comment on an article on their blog that doesn't have anything to do with the article they are writing? All very good questions. Hmmm....

Which led to this.... I suggested that when people leave QUESTIONS on Room 12 kids' blogs, room 12 kids ought to respond to those questions ON THEIR OWN BLOGS. That's what grown-ups do, I said.

Well, this idea seemed a little strange to some kids in class.

Comments made during this discussion:
"But how will they know I answered their question?"
"I guess they'll have to check back on your blog"

(and everybody is thinking.... I guess I better make my blog worth coming back to!)

A very good conversation! Lots of good thoughts and ideas.So, for those who have left questions on Room 12 blogs, maybe you want to start checking back to see if the authors answered your questions. We started looking back through our blogs today, and several students have started answering. - Mr. A.

The Real Tragedy of MySpace

The real tragedy of MySpace is not what kids are doing on it. The tragedy is that the backlash over MySpace, born of fear and lack of understanding, is destroying a golden educational opportunity.

The net effect of the paranoia surrounding MySpace is that any and all social networking opportunities are being blocked by school districts - at an increasingly alarming rate. It's so easy. Flip a switch and Flickr is blocked, another one, and all blogspot domains are blocked. At a time when teachers should be clamoring to use the new tools, school districts are reinforcing fear among teachers and the public and making it next to imposssible for teachers to use them. There is no education going on around this. Just the preaching of fear.

The tragedy is the rapidly growing polarization between schools and the real worlds of students.

The tragedy is that our kids are missing a wonderful opportunity to learn.

The tragedy is that the politics of fear once again trump enlightenment.

What to do? I don't know. Shouting back doesn't work, teachers are in a position of weakness to begin with. Speak our minds on a blog? - well sure, if preaching to the choir gets us anywhere.

This is what I will do. I will continue to blog with my third graders - for as long as we are allowed. If we are shut down in a week, a month - whatever - I will feel good that I gave them an opportunity they will always remember. That their eyes were opened to possibility, promise, trust, and responsibility for a while. They will remember that.

Good reading, 4/02/06

Here's what I came across this weekend while roaming around. Writings I want to remember, return to later, etc:

• Is audience important? - from Gordon Brune, fifth grade teacher/blogger. Super post encouraging readers to leave comments for his kids!
• Filtering, in Practice from Bud Hunt, HS teacher in CO, on MySpace, with nice framing of thoughts from Miguel Guhlin, Doug Johnson, Will Richardson.
• Frames and MySpace - Miguel Guhlin's response to MySpace, outlining two response types, archetypes
• MabryOnline.org: Teacher Blogs: Teacher Blogs - a middle school in Marietta, GA. Seems like every teacher has a blog. Don't be put off by the "updated" dates - these teachers are into it. Inspirational.
• Categorizing People: Technology Activism - KnowProSE.com - from Taran Rampersad. Good ideas, I like his writing - links to wiki stuff...
• Conn McQuinn - Educational Technology Support Center of the Puget Sound ESD, great views and reviews on what's happening out there - wish he had comments enabled. Got to write to him about that...
• volcanoes - by Bryson, fifth grader at my school. The comment by my student Logan made my week!

That's all I had this week/weekend. Very busy with other impending events, like The Earth Day Groceries Project - yikes! Hoping the new database for reports for 2006 is ready to go...

Student newsletter podcast

I've been thinking for some time about how to get more than my classroom involved in a podcast, blog, whatever. Yesterday I met with the student reporters at my school for a special podcasting session. They each read the article they had written for the March edition of the Jr. Seahawk Newsletter (which I've been publishing online since 1994). Thankfully, it was one of those months where not every classroom remembered to write a report, so there were only eight reports to be read. They did a wonderful job, we had several redo's, and a couple of perfect reads. It was fun - especially getting to know and work with kids in other classes, different grade levels, etc. Managed to get eight clips recorded, using Audacity, during recess and my prep period.

After school I recorded an intro and ending - I had really wanted to have kids do this, but there simply was no time to get that together - next month, for sure! Anyway, while I had an hour before my second Family Internet Night, I figured out how to put the clips in order on one new track, and I added my own to the beginning and end. Burned it all on a CD after the meeting, and brought it home.

That's when the fun began - not. I found this music I wanted to use as a lead in/out - a midi track - which of course I found out will not play or record in Audacity. So I used my little Total Recorder program, Winamp, and Audacity - to play, record, save in different formats, equalize volume levels on all the different reports, resample the audio in at a lower mp3 quality, etc. It was crazy, and extremely frustrating at times. At 11 PM I started to get somewhere. At 1:30 AM I had something I could present to the world as a first attempt. Nowhere to go but up:

The March 2006 edition of the Jr. Seahawk Newsletter, as a podcast. Best way to enjoy is by following along with the pdf version -

Links to it from:

• my classroom blog
• news reporter blog
• school web page
  

But will I remember what I did in April?!!!

Blocking Flickr - can't get past it

Having a terrible time dealing with having Flickr blocked in my school. Blogs using it look awful, and there are quite a few (!) - including my own classroom blog. All this energy into getting set up there, getting proficient at it, installing uploading tools, upgrading to "pro", etc, etc, etc - and for what? It's nothing my kids will ever see. Promises I've made that I now have to break and explain with...?

Happened about a month ago. No warning. A teacher complained, and now all of flickr is blocked in my school district. Decision made by technical staff, not educators. No discussion. The end.

I have protested, sent emails. Nothing. It's a done deal. Paranoia is so much easier than common sense. It requires so many less brain cells...

Those who preach the gospel of web 2.0 and wonder why teachers are not embracing it enthusiastically need a serious reality check.

Of course, MySpace.com has been blocked for some time, and all blogger.com domain sites have been blocked since the first of the year.

Just waiting for the next big block....

Good reading, 3/26/06

Going to try and establish a routine here. I've been spending so much time reading wonderful things on blogs - mostly on the weekends, when I have a little time. So my thought is so start an open blog Saturday, and close it out Sunday, listing basically the places I've been, with brief comment or two. Why? Two reasons:

• to help me remember, come back to later, etc. - some of the great stuff I'm reading
• to share this good reading with others who happen by here

Here goes:

• Blogs are changing education from Wesley Fryer - finishing up a whirlwind of great ideas from a coupla FL conferences - many great links
• To Blog or Not to Blog... from Will Richardson - great comments!
• Young bloggers - can we stop them? can we steer them? from Doug Johnson - also his "Banning pencils" - updated for iPods, etc. - interesting thoughts about blogs vs. listservs at the end. Am very interested in this, lots to say
• A Clayton’s Blogging Post - from Graham Wegner, elementary teacher in Australia
• A Time to Kill (figuratively) - Miguel Guhlin - with the perspective of an administrator, cool ideas. A link to TellRaven, - one of my kids got a comment this week from a TellRaven kid, want to find out more about this
• Ed Tech Coast to Coast #7 -Tim Lauer - got the podcast, ready to listen Monday at school. Links there to a very cool web based online player
• SITE2006Keynote - Janet Swensen - tons of comments on her wonderful keynote address
• Nancy Willard's MySpace Adventure - from Andy Carvin. I am working on my response, which I owe to the wwwedu list
• Weekly Roundup (26 March 2006) - from Doug Belshaw, UK. Why do we blog, the value of feedback, etc.
• Thinking of an Article - by August. Just to remind me that my kids do indeed get it, even in third grade.

There. By no means all that I've read, just some worth remembering. Will see if I can do it again next weekend - or if that's enough. It's not like I don't read stuff during the week!

One more blogging teacher

So there is one more teacher out there, blogging with her students - not monumental news any more - but it is at my school! Welcome to Kelly Fullerton and her ten fifth grade writers! Congratulations, Kelly! They are using the wonderful tool offered by David Warlick, classblogmeister.

I just added an rss feed to her group at the bottom of our school's web page at www.arborheights.com I don't know why more people don't use this tool - makes old boring web pages into aggregators - seems very powerful to me.

Many things

Had a very fun time listening to Bob Sprankle this morning with “It’s Not About the Technology” Oh my goodness! Tomorrow I listen to another one of his. He is doing such amazing stuff!

Two more kids posted podcasts on roomtwelve.com today at morning recess. Still experimenting with my new little mp3 player/recorder. The kids think it's real cool. I'm trying to keep up with them :)

Posted a note for the News reporters at school on their blog that we're doing a podcast edition of the Jr. Seahawk Newsletter for March. This will be the first one, and I'm only a little sure how to proceed. Got to figure out how to do a couple of tracks using Audacity. I know it's possible, just have to find the time to sit down, read the documentation, and try it out a bit. And then find some free music, of course!

Biggest news of all is that there is ANOTHER BLOGGING TEACHER - with classroom - at my school! On David Warlick's Classblogmeister. Links to follow for sure, when she lets me know she is ready to meet the world. Isn't it funny? You can have conversations with folks halfway around the world, but when a colleague just down the hall joins in on the new conversation, it almost means more.

Podcast for breakfast

I just entered this comment to Wesley Fryer's post, Podcast42: Can you hear me now? Composing Connections between Classrooms and Communities:

--------------------------------------------

Wesley, thanks so much for publishing this podcast - and all the others! Last night I saved the podcast, dragged it over to my little mp3 player, hooked up my earbuds as I went about the mindless but frantic 1+1/2 hours before school this morning, and had a wonderful hour listening to a dynamic, inspirational speaker! At a keynote at a conference in Orlando!

The technology is so easy. Any teacher in any classroom anywhere could prep for school listening to Janet Swensen, as I did today.

And tomorrow, who knows? And the next day? Find a way to make this happen easily and seamlessly, and web 2.0 begins to make a difference to mainstream teachers.

Now to find another good one for tomorrow… - Mark

Slowing down

I've shot my mouth off way more than I'm comfortable with during the past week. It stems from being involved in this really exciting, motivational Skypecast from Wesley Fryer - and then dealing with things working against all the stuff we talked about in my classroom. For instance, my district now blocks of all blogger.com sites. Then last week Flickr was put on the global block list as well. That was a real heart breaker for me - and it will be for my kids, as the promises I made them about their artwork on their bogs just went out the window - but they don't know yet. Next - how about del.icio.us? Not long on the unblocked list, I bet. Skype? Not long, either. It gets me down. Then Nancy Willard posted another warning to the wwedu list about all the dangers of MySpace.com. I wrote back saying it was discouraging to see that message, another nail in the coffin of education embracing web 2.0 stuff, and now I must write back saying why. Don't have the time or energy tonight.

So, going from sky high to bummed out has put me in a contrary, cynical mood. I should know better than to blog at that point - and should certainly not be posting comments on blogs. Time to take a deep breath and slow down.

Stuff I'll do very soon that WILL make a difference:

• Work with my kids on discussing what makes an interesting blog posting - finish up the conversation that started when a boy asked in class, "why do the girls get all the comments?" Then we'll write/blog about it, of course!
• Schedule and do a second Family Internet Night - for the families that couldn't make the first one.

Got to leave the other stuff behind, let the world go where it wants, make a difference where I can.

Warlick responds - in blog and podcast

David Warlick just posted a very thoughtful blog response to the skypecast from March 16 - and not surprisingly, left even more thought-provoking ideas than he had expressed from his post which spawned the skypecast. David also produced a podcast of his blog response, which is definitely worth a listen.

Blogging and report cards

I'm sitting here at the kitchen table on one of the unfunnest weekends of the school year - report card weekend. Yecch. But I did have some fun yesterday when I was doing writing evaluations. I had sent this email to the teachers in my school Friday afternoon, I called it "report card smile":

Hi teachers,
It's Friday, 4 PM, I'm not done with those suckers - not even
close, but I had to share a moment that made me smile, in light of my little
presentation today... You know that place on the report card where you're
supposed to put little checks in the boxes telling what measures you used to
assess with this period? There's a box for "Other" at the end that I've never
used before - until today. Now I put a check in the box and write on the line
"blog". Then I smile and go on to the next one. Wonder when they'll add it in? Ha! Have a good weekend, all - Mark

So what fun was it to call up roomtwelve.com when I did those writing evaluations. I have never had such a depth of writing samples at my fingertips. Back and forth from the report card form to the student's blog on my laptop. No more digging around in file folders, rustling through all kinds of papers. What a great way to review my kids' writing! Another score for blogging. Now back to the mill.... math grades (:

Skype Notes

Skype Notes,
originally uploaded by mahlness.

Frenetic scribblings during my part of the skypecast - Defining and Telling the New Story - on any pieces of paper I could grab close to where I was sitting. Trying hard to stay tuned in on the conversaton and say something reasonable when my turn came 'round again.

The New Story - The Skypecast

So many things have happened in the last few days, life has been so absolutely packed, that I cannot possibly recount it all here. I will just mention the Skypecast I participated in today. See Wesley Fryer's posting, Defining and Telling the New Story For half an hour in the middle of my school day I was lucky enough to be a part of an hour long Skypecast organized by Wesley Fryer, featuring Darren Kuropatwa, Ewan Mcintsoh, Miguel Guhlin, Jeff Allen, and me. Incredibly exciting and stimulating, it was so wonderful to be in the company of such forward thinking folks. Here's the direct link to the podcast:

Program Length: 58 min, 09 sec
File size: 14.0 MB
(Click here to listen to this podcast)

Visit to Helen Keller Center

Video relay system,
originally uploaded by mahlness.

One of the most amazing parts of the visit that my brother Dave and I made to the Helen Keller Center was seeing their state of the art Video relay system in action. In this picture Dave is having a conversation with a relay interpreter - who is connected with a hearing person making a phone call to Dave. Dave took to this real easily, having a conversation to somebody on the TV. Kind of leaves TTY technology in the dust. Plenty of other wonderful stuff from our visit in pictures at Flickr

Family Internet Night

On March 7, I hosted a Family Internet Night in Room 12. Nine families - about 25 people - attended. It was a wonderful time, great to share successes and challenges with such receptive and perceptive families. I will have more to say about this in the future, but I wanted to share the PowerPoint presentation that guided the evening here. I did record the event. Not sure if it's worthy of a podcast. We'll see...

Earth Day Groceries Project update

(Just posted to the Earth Day Groceries Project blog)

One of the most exciting times for me running this project is when I get to unveil the new desktop wallpaper for the year. Well, 2006 is now ready to go - and it is by far the most exciting we've ever had to offer! Thanks to the wonderful generosity of expert birder and project friend Marv Breece, we have some incredible photographs of birds, for use as desktop wallpaper.

The picture here is of a northern saw-whet owl - one of over a dozen exquisite photos ready to go.

Head over to The Project Starter kit, and click on "Desktop Wallpaper".

Local connections

Have had a little email exchange recently with Conn McQuinn, a nearby ed-tech leader I've known for many years. Conn mentioned my classroom blog in a workshop he recently offered, and asked teachers to send comments to my kids - to encourage, reinforce, etc - their writing. Kind of like what Wesley Fryer suggested teachers of teachers should do in his podcast... Several of my kids received comments from Conn's group and were so excited! One of my kids even mentioned the comments I received from the group of teachers - they DO read beyond their own blogs - even in third grade. Anyway, it has been a great lead-up week to Family Internet Night, next Tuesday. Gotta get busy on the "presentation" this weekend.

Connecting with parents

I'm planning a family education night in my classroom. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks. This is all about Internet safety, as I'm worried that safety at home may not always be as tight as it is in the classroom. I also want to show the parents firsthand how classblogmeister works - how I get notification of every change to their blogs, how every word must be approved by me, etc. And last, I want to show how truly revolutionary and exciting this all is - the potential, the future, etc. Families all together. I don't think it'll be hard to come up with material - the hard part will be keeping it to an hour, which is all I can reasonably expect busy families to give during the school week.

This education has to happen at many levels - for instance need to tell and show them that MySpace.com is indeed blocked on our school computers. We do not have open access to it, as Nicole Brodeur recently wrote in her Seattle Times column. That kind of misinformation really needs to be corrected. I'm sure we'll have a discussion about myspace. We need to.

Wireless access everywhere?

Sitting here in the Hartford airport, waiting to get on the first leg plane of my trip back to Seattle. Decide to plug in my laptop and try a "what the hey?" look for a wireless network. Obviously, there is one - very speedy - and free. Why are there no signs around letting folks know it's here? Is it just assumed everybody knows? Or are they truly everywhere these days? I tried the same thing a couple days ago at the Helen Keller Center on Long Island and also found an open network. For those who travel constantly, this is no big deal, I guess. But for those occasional travelers like me, it sure is an exciting development. I've been suffering away (whine, whine) on dial up to AOL access from my parents' home the last few days. It's nice to be back to what I'm used to.

Flurry of loose ends

Have spent the last two days frantically getting things in order for my trip back to CT. Finishing up things for school, sending emails, getting sponsorship for the Earth Day Groceries Project, getting AOL on my laptop (ish!), taking care of household obligations. Mid winter break is here, and normally this would be a week of catch up - so I'm doing it on the weekend.

Will be great to see Mom and Dad, sister Kristin, and brother Dave. Main reason for the trip is to accompany Dave on a visit to the Helen Keller National Center on Long Island. Hopefully we can get him in there for an evaluation/training stay soon. And then the folks are getting ready to move out of their house to assisted living in a month or so. Another big chapter...

Leaving in a few hours, most things in order. Books! About the only time I ever really get to read anything these days is on a plane. Will finish The World is Flat - finally, but I need some trashy spy thriller. Will save that selection for the airport gift shops, I guess...

Will be interested to see if any of my kids are blogging this week on roomtwelve.com

Updates to blog

No big news here, but I did add an rss feed to Wesley Fryer's blog on this page - so he's there along with feeds to the blogs of Andy Carvin, Tim Lauer, Will Richardson, and David Warlick. Wesley has been very supportive lately, and I really appreciate his voice, perspective, and passion. Man, can he crank out blogwrite! Tidied up the right side of this blog as well. Looks matter so much :)

Now it REALLY starts...

I've been worrying about this for some time. The Earth Day Groceries Project is now swinging into gear - this year marking it's 13th year on the Internet. Dozens of extra hours for me each spring. Lots of hard work, but much joy as well. With all the blogging - personal and classroom - already asking for much more time from me, I'm worried at this point about even a little bit more added on. But alas, alack, there is no choice, so here we go...

The first thing I did for the project, outside of updating dates on all the web pages I could quickly find, was to set up a blog - of course! Last year I started a discussion list for the project on Yahoo! Groups, but it basically went nowhere. I'm hoping this blog will be useful for many. I know it will be MUCH easier to update the latest info. And I'm also hoping it will reduce some of the email I get every year - which is basically the single biggest time sucker of them all. Got all the rss feeds set up, posted a couple of articles, got it linked from the project home page, etc.

http://www.earthdaybags.org/blog

One near disaster. Decided to use the blogger.com front end and host it on the project server. I managed to overwrite the project home page with the first test post! Aaargh. Now, I did have a backup - but it was a couple of years old, so it required a fair bit of html reconstruction to get the home page back to where (I think) it was. One little extra "/" in my blog publishing settings - yikes! A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Eventually, I think I'll add an rss feed from the blog to the project home page, to give it a much more dynamic look. I do have a good feeling about all of this, in spite of the worries. And I'm quite sure I'll have a couple more web 2.0 influences on the project web site before the spring is over.

Room 12 - in Texas!

I just posted this to my classroom blog at roomtwelve.com:

Room 12 - in Texas!

Yesterday at the TCEA 2006 technology conference in Austin, Texas, Wesley Fryer gave a presentation about blogging and podcasting - and he mentioned us! For about five minutes he talked about our blog, who were are, and he spent some time actually reading an article posted by Danielle! We listened to it in class today. It was so exciting! If you'd like to listen to his presentation, you can tune into his podcast here. The section where he talks about Room 12 is about 20 minutes into his presentation.

Third grade tech problem solvers

Today I had a serious problem with network connectivity in my classroom - I think the network folk were working on stuff. We couldn't get to our local network consistently (e.g, no printing or saving). I watched one of my third graders solve a problem in a way that just made me shake my head in wonder.

She was typing in Word - wanted to print, but could not - and could not save to her network folder. But she had Internet access. There was only one computer in the room that had access to our printer at that time. She turned to me and said, "Couldn't I just copy and paste this to my blog - like not ask for it to be published or anything? Just save it there.... and then I could go to that other computer that can print, log on to my blog, open that saved article, copy and paste my writing from my blog article into Word - and then print? Like, would that work?"

Like, my goodness. What comes so naturally to our nine year olds these days. Of course it worked. She was pleased - got her important writing printed out. Interesting to note that she didn't even consider using a floppy disk (ancient history, there - even though we have a Mavica that uses floppies).

Understanding how systems work. Not exactly the lesson plan goal (heck, this was during recess anyway) - but when I think how far that understanding will carry her and her classmates in the future, that's when I know I'm on the right track with my kids.

Will Richardson bows out

Tonight I read on Will Richardson's blog that he has decided to hang it up as an educator. I have really enjoyed reading his posts, especially because he is (until May 15) teaching in a school. Something about the credibility of a person who actually does what I do. Doesn't just write about what they THINK it's like. They know it like I do.

I wish him well, but gosh, I will miss his authentic voice. Being out of the classroom - even for a month these days - puts a person in the position of not fully understanding what is going on in the classroom today. Especially in technology. It is changing that fast. Good luck, Will.

On the bottom-right of this page there are rss feeds to the blogs of Will, Andy Carvin, Tim Lauer, and David Warlick.

Comment that got to me

Last week was very successful, with Inspiration and our first podcasting experience. But one thing happened at the very end of the last day that I almost forgot about - and yet it means more to me than all the other stuff.

One of my kids got a comment on his blog from another student at our school - during school hours. May not seem like much to many out there, but this one got to me. It happened just as the kids were about to go home for the weekend. They all know and like this kid - another third grader. I have no idea how he got the word - or how he figured out how to send a comment.

As I sat down at my desk with the usual exhaustion of the end of the week throbbing slowly through my body, I had a big smile on my face, I know I did.

A good week

Last weekend I set out two tech goals for the classroom this week. Done.

Made good progress on Inspiration. The kids got it very quickly - and are not pushing real hard right now to find out about all the bells and whistles - they're too busy laying out the chapter map of their "how to" book. And frankly, they'd rather be blogging!

The big news was actually getting a couple of podcasts going on student blogs! Using a mike that I've had around for years, Audacity, and a freebee ftp program, we produced two Seahawks cheers. Everybody in Seattle is just a little bit worked up about the Super Bowl this Sunday, so this one just fell in our laps, in terms of what would be the first podcast from Room 12. Now that the technical hurdles have been identified and answers found, I'm really looking forward to the possibilities that will open up with podcasting.

The kids continue to amaze me. On Wednesday afternoon, I gave most of the class an idea and half an hour on their blogs. Nine students published reasonable articles (all about the Super Bowl). A couple more have articles they need to spiff up a bit before they get published.

Up and down

Seems to be a pattern here, good news, bad news. Today I finally figured how we could listen to podcasts at our school. Not the best, most elegant fix, but it looks like upgrading student computers to Windows Media Player 9.0 will do the trick - at least we can hear them. I did 7 machines today, need to upgrade 10 more tomorrow - hopefully in time for the kids to take a listen, see how this works, etc. I don't think it's just my classroom - and probably not just my school that is having this problem. We are likely just the only ones trying out podcasting...

Another setback in the student department, as one more student directory was deleted on our server. This is just unbelievable to me for a couple of reasons:
1) I do not know who did it - and whether it was intentional or accidental - it WAS somebody in our class, I'm pretty sure
2) There is still no back up in place, no way to retrieve the data
3) There is still a MAJOR problem with student permissions - that a student could even do this is just plain unbelievable to me

But tomorrow is another day. I had a backup I burned to a CD from a couple of weeks ago, so I could put at least a few docs back in the folder - but there are about a dozen documents written by this student that are lost forever. This kind of thing is so destructive of trust - on so many levels. This hurts and angers me as much as it does the kids.

Good news, bad news

Well, the Inspiration intro went well. The kids got that it was about content. They also got that there is a lot more for them to have fun with in the program. Several mapped a couple of chapter outlines. Everybody figured out (really quickly!) how to navigate to save their work to their folders on the server - through several directory levels.

Bad news was that none of the 17 computers in my classroom could hear the podcast made by Billy (me!). I showed them what it would look like - a few had listened to some other kids' podcasts from home, so they were VERY excited to hear we were going to be doing this. Well, I hope we are. I've put out a plea to tictech, asking for help. It's a software issue, having to do with win2k in our building, I'm pretty sure - it's driving me nuts.

Plans for the week

Am hoping, no, make that planning, to start up a couple new things this week in class.

First will be teaching the kids how to use Inspiration to map/plan ideas for their upcoming "book" in writer's workshop. I spent $300 last summer for the licenses, but haven't gotten around to using it yet. I know the kids will get it pretty quickly - and I'll soon be learning from them, because my knowledge of the program is pretty shallow - but my biggest concern is how they will be swept away by all the glitzy possibilities, wasting precious class time on look, not content. Very much like PowerPoint. I'll just have to be up front with them about my concerns. And then closely monitor, let them use the glitz in stages, after they've accomplished a certain amount on content creation, etc.

Next comes podcasting. Just gotta try it. The major reason I've not moved on this before is that I've had problems getting mp3's to play on our school computers. Think I'll try a sample one from home today, put it on Billy's blog - which all my kids know is really me - and see if I can hear me from school. Now I've got to come up with some content.

Small step

Yesterday another teacher at school asked about setting up a blog like I have at roomtwelve.com on classblogmeister. After I picked myself up off the floor from the shock, I told her a little about it. Today she successfully logged in to her new blog. She will do it.

I have been so low key and careful about pushing student blogging on my colleagues. I occasionally send everyone an email about something exciting, like Wesley Freyer's blog about us But I know, because I am one, how the job of us teachers is becoming overburdened almost daily by "just one more thing". I know how discouraging and overwhelming it is becoming. Mostly, I keep my mouth shut about blogging, because I don't want it to be lumped in with all the other unsavory one more things.

But if anybody actually ASKS me about blogging, well, they just better have some time to listen :) Not my usual laid back self, it does not take much to get me going, if blogging comes up. I can go on for way too long. My colleagues are really very understanding :)

Anyway, it has been a good week in my classroom, with my kids publishing lots of articles, sending and receiving comments, writing, reading, learning. That teacher today was a small step, but it meant a lot to me.

Amazing student bloggers

My third graders continue to amaze me over at roomtwelve.com So we're making "expert" lists, writing short pieces about how to do stuff - both on paper and in Word. Today I tell them when they are done with today's entry, if they have time, they can put some of their writing on their blogs. Six kids published an article, like it was nothing. Three others posted, but have errors to correct before their writing is ready for the world to see. In a matter of minutes.

At this point they are independent in copy/paste, having multiple applications open and switching between them, how to copy/paste their own blog url in appropriate fields for commenting on other writing. It's no sweat for them to log in, change the look of their blogs, edit pending articles, etc, etc, etc. Kids beg to stay in at recess to work on their blogs and read others. Many times I have to either say no or cut them off early so I can get a few minutes of quiet time for myself. This is just plain unbelievable.

Today a couple of kids got a comment from Carrie Turner, a k-12 librarian in Nebraska. This was quite cool for everybody, as I share this sort of thing with all on our projector/laptop when it happens - and we all "feel the comment love", as another blogmeister user has put it (thanks, Gordon). Then one kid tracked down her web site from the other student's comment, because he just had to reply to her about the comment she had made about the Seahawks (actually, it was the Broncos) - then he posted it on her blog. On his own. Not bad writing, either.

They get it. It is coming so easily to them. They amaze me every day.

Snow buntings!

We saw seven snow buntings today at Lummi Dike, Washington - north of Bellingham near the Canadian border, 1-21-06. These cuties were pretty friendly, coming within a few yards a couple of times. A lifer bird for us! Later we saw dozens of ancient murrelets - another lifer for us - from a ferry on the run from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend. Amazing day - and the sun even came out!

Nice comments

Received some very nice comments from Wesley Fryer on several student blogs at roomtwelve.com today. Really thoughtful, meaningful comments. Followed the link back to his blog and was delighted to read the following:

Edifying student bloggers

Mark Ahlness’ Mighty Writers are 3rd grade students at Arbor Heights Elementary School in Seattle, Washington.

I think pre-service teachers in certification courses should be required to visit classroom blogs like Mighty Writers and leave positive, supportive comments and feedback for the students. This assignment can potentially both edify the young student writers, and educate the pre-service teachers about the powerful and effective ways web 2.0 technologies can be utilized in the “real” classroom. I did this last fall with my students in Microcomputer Applications. They read and commented on posts by Bob Sprankle’s Room 208 3rd and 4th graders in Wells, Maine.
Mark also maintains a professional blog titled, “Mark’s edtechblog,” social bookmarks, and a personal homepage.

Go Mark and go Mighty Writers!!!

I am hoping wherever our family moves this summer, we’ll be able to find innovative teachers like Mark and Bob who are integrating technology creatively with students to help them become better communicators in the 21st century! We need to be championing the work of classroom teachers like Mark and Bob not only in the blogosphere, but also “out there” in the face to face world. I will be sharing both Mark and Bob’s classroom blogs with campus technology integration specialists next month at our state TCEA conference. If you know of other good examples of teachers and students using blogs in the classroom to improve student writing/communication skills, please comment here and share the links.

It's more than a little scary to be mentioned with Bob Sprankle, somebody I'm in absolute awe of - the stuff he's been doing with his classes is just phenomenal! Anyway, very nice comments, for one and all.

Another try at a school blog

After setting up a school blog through blogger.com, I started looking around for another option because our district blocks all web sites hosted there (there HAVE to be others, right?). Found that edublogs.org had the best offering. Free, and very easy to add additional authors (like the principal, other teachers). Set it up at http://arborheights.edublogs.org My hope is that it can be an information portal to our school. If enough important players believe, well, we'll see...

News reporters and other stuff...

The school news reporters have been submitting their information on the blog I set up on Alan November's site. They have got the hang of entering their info as "comments", including first names and room numbers. I had hoped they'd blog from their classrooms - or even home, but no dice. So they all come down to my room and do it at once during recess and my prep period. I keep hoping they'll break away and send in stuff on their own. I think it'll happen before the year's out.....

Then I produced the usual paper copy for distribution at school, using Publisher - created a pdf, and uploaded it to the school web site. After catching up on a few missing back issues, I added this byline - which I'm going to include on all future paper copies as well:

"The oldest continuously published elementary school student newspaper on the Internet!"

Of course I had to look through a few old editions - back to '95 and 94. What a kick to be able to go on a Memory Lane trip so easily. Meanwhile, a few hours later....!

Today Dave and I helped unload a donation of 27 PIII's for our school's computer lab. Considering we're running PII's (laptops hooked up to monitors), it will be a great upgrade. They have win2k on them, but this will still require many hours of work, to swap them out with what's there.

Today I set up a school blog - just for the heck of it arborheights.blogspot.com Figured I might as well have it ready for the day when folks are ready to come on board.

November/Richardson podcast

A wonderful podcast interview with Alan November and Will Richardson:

http://www.blc05.com/audio/alan_will.mp3 (7 MB, 17 min)

The topics are blogging, teaching, rss, change, and much more. A great introduction, and very encouraging to those who are doing it right now. Thanks to David Warlick for the heads up. - Mark

The Shining Place

The Shining Place,
originally uploaded by mahlness.

A definite bright spot over the past couple of weeks:

Cover of Janeanne's CD, which came out on Christmas Eve, 2005: http://theshiningplace.com

Struggling just to stay even

The new year has started off with a bang - of one tech hurdle after another. At a time when I'd really like to be discovering and trying out new things in my classroom and professionally, I find myself barely hanging in there. Here are a few of the hurdles:

• the school district started blocking the school ptsa blog (which I set up), as they now have a global block of anything at blogspot.com - took some time to get this ironed out, and I still have to ask if they can allow the rss feed - which is not showing up on the school web site.
• one of my kids deleted the writing directories of two kids in my classroom (four months worth of saved docs) from our school server - and there is no backup, no way to retrieve the files - this just amazes me! So I find myself burning a cd every week of my kids' work - because there is still no answer to protecting files from students deleting them, and no recovery or backup plan in place - aaargh!
• my kids continue to do well with their blogs, but the website hosting the blog has undergone some significant changes - actually, it happened just as I was doing a lesson about their blogs on the classroom projector - boy, was that lesson shot to heck! The new site has some definite pluses, and a couple of minuses that I'm trying to html my way around - but this all comes at a time when blogging teachers are backpedaling over the paranoia around student bloggers, lawsuits, etc. I did find time to post a note on a list expressing my frustration: hang on to the baby I will need to devote some more class time teaching my kids how to use the new web site.
• the computers at my school are being shut down again at night - this is a very long story, going back over a year, involving dozens of hours of work on my own time to get my school exempt from this district policy. No word on this happening - it just started this week. I'm trying to track down what is happening, but this will take more time for sure.
• we still do not have a U-Wired tech support person at our school, which means classroom computers are in disarray, underused (many are not even plugged in), and I am keeping the lab running, but just barely. No surprise that this year is the lowest for computer use by teachers that I have seen in the last five years at my school. I'm sure the mandated writing curriculum with no tech component is also playing a large part in this, also.

There are good things happening, of course, but I've gotten myself into a pretty good funk here, so I'll write about the good stuff later. I just wanted to document some of the things happening... Thank goodness for the kids!

End of the year tech thoughts

As I think back trying to sum up the year in technology - within my classroom, at least - the developments at the start of this school year this fall just plain eclipse whatever memories I have of have of the last half of the previous school year. Student bloggers, for goodness sake!

The same could be said of my personal growth and development in technology. Until NECC at the end of June - which I attended virtually, thanks to some wonderful bloggers - I felt like I had been treading water with tech use and integration for the past five years.

So, I look forward to continuing to learn, continuing to be inspired by others leading the way with all the new stuff, learning to use the new apps that are sure to appear in 2006, and passing all this on to my third graders! It will be a good year! Happy New Year!

Flickr, finally

I finally decided to go with Flickr - pro - and pay $25/year. I'd been playing around with it, deciding how I might use it, learning the ins and outs, seeing how much I could get for free, etc. What really changed my mind was needing to have more than the three "set" maximum you get with the free account. Some of the sets I hope to create are collections of the kids' artwork - for display on their blogs at roomtwelve.com - there are kids right now who I'm pretty sure could get the html coding thing down well enough to add pics to their blogs. And then, of course, it will be a nice place to leave pics for anybody - particularly family. Like I just set up 18 from our trip to Iron Springs. I just ordered a few prints from Flickr, will see how that one goes.... I can see having them sent to Mom and Dad. And the url isn't too bad:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahlness/

Christmas Greetings

We finally finished, on the day after Christmas, our letter for the year. We'll get it in the mail on the 27th. It's also here, if you'd like to take a look. Merry Christmas! - Mark

Snowy Owl at Ocean Shores

Snowy Owl at Ocean Shores,
originally uploaded by mahlness.

One of the five snowy owls we saw today, 12-22-05, at Damon Point in Ocean Shores, WA. It was worth the rain, cold, and wind to see these beautiful birds - and to be so close! We had seen six a couple of days earlier, but had forgotten the camera...

Off to the ocean!

Today Janeanne and I head off for three days of isolation and regeneration - on the Washington coast, at Iron Springs. No phone, no TV - just the sound of the surf below, an incredible view west, and a fireplace to stare into and ponder things on the shortest day of the year.

Since the weather forecast calls for lots of rain, we'll probably do more book reading than bird watching - maybe. We certainly hope to see a few of the snowy owls that have been reported there.

Men's Cookie Exchange

Men's Cookie Exchange,
originally uploaded by mahlness.

A small but determined group carried on the tradition of the Men's Cookie Exchange this year at Arbor Heights Elementary. More at www.menbakebetter.com

tictech

Tictech, the list I moderate in Seattle, carried a couple of negative responses to a message I posted about blogging Very upsetting to me, as I would love to see more folks involved in discussions locally. So, after some (probably too much) thought, I posted this message to the list:

There was some negative response to a message I posted today. The whole reason I do tictech is to give folks one more way to communicate, discuss, share ideas, etc. - to encourage discussion, not to limit it. So I'm really sorry I offended anybody. My message was one of excitement and enthusiasm. Obviously, it did not work that way for everyone - but another viewpoint was expressed in the process, and as Martha would say, that's a good thing. I encourage folks to freely express ideas, share discoveries, ask questions, and engage in debate. There is a lot to discuss in edtech land right now, and that's what tictech is here for. - Mark

Mark Ahlness
mahlness@halcyon.com
http://ahlness.com
http://roomtwelve.com

Email flurry

Very little time to post here lately, mostly because all my writing energy has gone to discussion lists. I have definitely had thoughts to express:

• 12/1, to classblogmeister:Re: Promoting Blogging to parents
• 12/3, to wwwedu: How can a blog hurt? (was Re: [WWWEDU] School Blogging Policies)
• 12/5, to wwwedu: student blogging
• 12/5, to tictech: FW: student blogging
• 12/7, to classblogmeister: Re: starbucks gift card
• 12/7, to classblogmeister: Re: Looking for students blogging ideas...

Plus a few forwards of some of these to other lists, minor comments, etc

What's good about blogging, part 1

Yesterday I posted a note to wwwedu and classblogmeister in reaction to a lengthy messsage listing and detailing all the dangers of students blogging. I'm sure many will read my response and think, "touchy, isn't he?" I suppose I am. There are many things I take for granted that I probably should have noted. Before I start with my list of what's good about blogging, here are some things that most folks don't know...

They don't know that when my kids write, I approve every word before it appears on their blog. That I can and do edit, that I send their writing back to them with comments about how it needs to be improved before it can appear on their blog.

They don't know that I can approve, edit, or delete any comments to student blogs before they appear.

They don't know that we have a blogger's contract, thanks to David Warlick, that all kids have signed, and that we refer to contantly.

They don't know how much I worry about my kids' safety online.

They don't know that my classroom computers all face the center of the room, so that I can see all of them all the time.

They don't know that my kids have absolutely taken off with this, that they blog from home. That they stay in from recess, reading blogs from other kids, writing comments on other kids' writing, composing their own next entries.

They don't know that I have never seen more motivation to write well in 14 years of teaching third graders. That kids blog from home, that their parents are commenting on their blogs, aunts and grandmas, cousins and siblings - all giving public feedback.

They don't know that I am a capable teacher, someone they can trust with kids.

They don't know that blogging, along with rss, holds the biggest potential for positive educational experiences using technology since - well, since web pages became commonplace. Like about 10 years ago.

It's clear to me that what I've just said here isn't so much about what's good about blogging, as it is just providing background, setting the table for my answer - which will come later.

Progress and struggles

There has been so much progress lately, but it's tough to remember sometimes.

First the progress. My class is doing an incredible job in their new blogging environment at roomtwelve.com. I've never seen so much enthusiasm for writing. We're talking kids wanting to come in at recess, read their writing and the writing of other kids - from Seattle to New York to New Zealand, write comments on the writing of others - or add new content to their own blogs. It is absolutely incredible. Many grownups are writing eloquently about this, and I try my best to stay current with a few, but it does take time. Still, every time I look at the blogs of David Warlick, Andy Carvin, Will Richardson, and Tim Lauer, I find something fantastic, some new tool, some great way of thinking about what's going on in tech right now in school, etc. Rss feeds to those guys' blogs are on the right of this page.

The struggle has been to fit all this in to the school day. Kids shouldn't have to come in at recess to write, for goodness sake. They ought to be able to do it right in class. So what are we doing in class that's so much more important than blogging? Gosh, I'm digging myself into a hole it will take way too long to get out of.

I will say the biggest impediment is to have to spend so much class time implementing a mandated (schoolwide) writing curriculum that has no tech component. Not a mention of a computer - ever. Kids are expected to write with pencil and paper for an hour a day, five days a week, much of it in those little Mead notebooks we all remember from our childhood. I feel like I'm back in 1956.

So I've tried to re-create, re-constitute, or whatever this curriculum into a classroom environment that has 17 multimedia computers with high speed Internet access, an LCD projector - and where the third graders, after two months, are extremely facile and fluid with a computer. They learn new things quickly. They share, they teach each other, and they enjoy it, take pride in their ownership and prowess.

Adapting this tech-less writing curriculum while starting the kids out blogging has been a challenge, to say the least. Sometimes it's too much. The kids want to spend more time writing on their blogs. They struggle gamely with the one story they have been working on for over a month in our writing curriculum. We'll finish the story up, but their hearts are not in it. It's a struggle.

Broken window

Broken window,
originally uploaded by mahlness.

How upsetting, for us to return to our car after a beautiful 45 minute walk in the woods (Lincoln Park)... aaargh. Was a good thing I had the trunk release locked. Nothing taken, but what a pain to get fixed, pay for, etc. - and Janeanne had to cancel a day of teaching at PLU.

Turkey escape stories

turkey escape,
originally uploaded by mahlness.

For the last several years I've had my kids write on the day before Thanksgiving, responding to "Pretend you are a turkey. How will you escape being served for Thanksgiving dinner?" Off the tops of their heads in about 20 minutes, these have always been fun. This year I introduced the idea a couple of days ago, to get the wheels turning - and also to give my kids a chance to publish their stories on their blogs.

If you are looking for some entertaining kid storytelling, head over to http://roomtwelve.com and read what they said. They will start appearing there by 1:00 Wed, and should all be there by Thanksgiving morning. You might even find a few good "leads" and "hot spots" :) Feel free to add comments! Several of my kids blog from home, and would be very excited to hear from folks. Happy Thanksgiving! - Mark

Barred owl loss in Lincoln Park

Barred owl in LIncoln Park,
originally uploaded by mahlness.

Sad news to report today. Janeanne and I were walking in Lincoln Park today, ran into park regular and friend Chris... who had sad news to tell. A couple of weeks ago he had told us that the barred owl (he called her Sophie) was sitting on the ground in a field, and he was able to walk right up to her. Turns out, later that day, someone else actually picked up the owl, took her to a shelter - but she died before she got there. They think maybe of internal injuries - might have been hit by a car.

Anyway, we are very sad today. We had seen her in the park for the last six years or so, hunting on at least three occasions, eating on a few more... We will still look at her roost atop a tree in the redwood grove, where we saw her dozens of times. That's where she sits in this picture, which I took about a month before she died.

Classroom bloggers doing well!

Sitting here in between parent conferences in an early evening. My third graders are doing an incredible job with their blogs! They are so motivated, I really can't believe it. This is at roomtwelve.com. I knew they would get into it, but some have really just taken off. I have kids blogging in wonderful articles from home, for goodness sake. What really gets me though, is being able to comment on their writing, and send it back to them for repairs. This is just truly amazing. Somebody just tonight sent in an article on "what it takes to be a champion". It'll be published when the author takes care of a few technical details, which I was able to give him on line. Much more exciting stuff to come....

chilly start

chilly start,
originally uploaded by mahlness.

My watch and my classroom thermostat this morning. Yes, it does say 50 degrees. It warmed up to a balmy 54 by 8:15.

Re: blogger's contract

my message to Classblogmeister, Nov 5

Re: blogger's contract

RE: [WWWEDU] Pew report on teen-age blogging

my post to wwwedu on Nov 5:

RE: [WWWEDU] Pew report on teen-age blogging

Getting all the writing together - reporting online

I've been posting a lot to discussion lists lately. So it seems the blog gets overlooked, and I've been trying to think of a way to bring it all together - easily and quickly.

Here's what I'll try. I'll post the title of the message, linked to the archived message, so if it looks interesting enough, somebody can go from this space to my list message.

Here's what I posted to tictech, the list I moderate, tonight:
reporting online

Bloggers' contract

Forgot to mention this in my previous post. Before going to their blogs, all the kids signed a "Blogger's Contract", which I adapted from David Warlick's on Blogmeister. We had a good discussion about all the points, I think. The kids only asked a few questions, but they were good ones. A link to my version is here, for a while. I'm happy to have this as a guide. We'll refer to it a lot.

Student bloggers, finally

Well, I finally bit the bullet and said the kids were ready to use their blog. The space has been there since August. It's taken this long for them to get to the point where they can actually use the space productively. On Wed and Thurs they each took a few minutes to type up a little "welcome" message, saving it, hopefully. Then, Friday was launch day. In a couple of hours, most everyone had their intial blog posting.

http://roomtwelve.com

Naturally, it was very chaotic, but a lot of fun at the same time. It didn't take long for somebody to figure out how to change their blog template, and pretty soon everybody had to give that a try. Then there were a few who got their message posted in their description field - but I think we managed to get everybody straightened out. A couple of kids were not there for this, and a couple more did not actually get theirs posted, so I will work with them individually on Monday.

At the end of the day, I mentioned making comments to blogs. In retrospect, I should not have done that - just too much to talk about before suggesting they try commenting on each others' writing. Anyway, several kids posted comments from home on Friday. A couple were ok, but most had several errors in spelling, punctuation, and capitalization - but the main reason I did not approve them was because they were simply not appropriate for our blog. Sounded more like chat room or IM stuff - which their blog will definitely not become. So I deleted all the comments. I'll have some explaining to do on Monday :)

But I am very proud of my kids. In their articles, they wrote well, and they wrote with purpose. I'm VERY excited to see where this will take us.