Update on our Teen Second Life estate

Here's how things have been going...

Before Christmas we placed an order for a Private Estate in Teen Second Life, which is a 3D virtual world that users themselves create and build.

The order came through a few weeks ago, with me set up as the estate owner. From that point only I could access our virtual estate! Since then we've transferred about 5 of my colleagues who showed interest last year. In a few more days we'll transfer another 20 or so who've shown interest in the new year.

We still have to set up a system to allow the creation of student accounts. I'm waiting on Linden Lab to get that set up for me at the moment.

In the meantime, I've been terraforming our estate, ready for its first inhabitants!

I've set it up as an island covered with forest. There's only one small building... as if we're settlers in a new land.

Today I've spent some time creating special surprises for students (& teachers). I want to create a lot more before our settlers arrive.

Click on the images below to make them open in their full size in a new window:

A view of the island. Hmmm the mountains look a bit ridiculous and pointy, don't they?

This looks like just water... but...

even though under the water looks normal too... there is a hidden cavern under this sand!

So how to you get in? Well there's a hidden entrance to be found...

And after following a long, windy passage you get to the cavern under the sea...

So, next I thought I'd try something more ambitious - a much bigger hidden cavern in the middle of a mountain. As you can see, to create these hidden caverns you have to dig a ditch in the landscape and then cover it up with a ceiling... you then disguise the ceiling to look like the landscape.

Here I've just added the first parts of the ceiling over two huge, steep arms that I've extended from the mountain.

A few minutes later...

And now we jump to the final version... I had huge troubles disguising both the ceiling and the front covering. I ended up shoving trees everywhere! This will have to do for now, oh well!

Finally, I've noticed little shapes appearing around the island. A good sign that my colleagues are beginning to experiment with building.

I've have plenty of conversations with a range of teachers who are keen to give this a go with their students. I'll blog as it happens!

Punishing Students for Behaving like Adults

I often wonder about how teachers set up rules for students that adults never have to worry about. Lateness, in particular, comes to mind. Adults show up a little late to stuff all the time... but they're on time for important things, and sometimes they're early. So why do I put so much mental energy into maintaining a military regime of punctuality? Sure, punctuality has some worth, but have we perhaps lost a bit of a sense of proportion?

Anyway that's not what's on my mind right now. I ran a whole series of 30 minute training sessions for our school conference this week. The sessions went wonderfully, with my colleagues attending in droves and having a ball, and learning heaps. By all measures I couldn't be happier with what was achieved.

But I noticed a whole series of interesting behaviours in my class of colleagues. Some didn't read the instructions on the board and got stuck for this reason, some raced far ahead of me, and some remained several steps behind. When I gave instructions, in my assertive, clear teacher voice, many of my colleagues were clearly tuned out, focused as they were on what they were doing at the time. Indeed they'd talk over me, incessantly.

I smiled to myself about this even at the time. All my colleagues wanted to learn, and they were getting on with it, in their own way, through experimentation, asking the person next to them, and yelling out for me to come over and help. It was very loud and chaotic, and wonderfully fruitful. They learnt far more than if I had insisted on confining them to some rigid master-plan, relying on an  'all eyes on me, listen to me!' approach.

The punchline, obviously, is that teachers try to eradicate the very behaviours that, from what I saw this week, go hand in hand with great organic learning.

I think we do this because we assume bad faith, like we're trying to get students to do something they don't want to do. Therefore, we have to wrench control of student behaviour. In the result, we sell ourselves and our students short, and learning limps along slowly and stressfully.

But if you assume good faith, then there's no need for control, and from the chaos springs great, often unexpected, and always idiosyncratic learning.

We shouldn't
               
          stamp on our students

                                    when they display behaviours

                                                                        that we ourselves display

                                                                                                      when we're learning!

My Hands-On Teacher Session on 'Twitter'

Today I ran a training session on Twitter. Quite a large number of teachers elected to attend. I don't think they had any idea what Twitter was before the session.

Twitter is a simple, free, text messaging website that allows you to connect to other educators around the world. Here's a video explaining it. You can send and receive short messages via your web browser. (To join, go to twitter.com now and register, and follow me and other people: www.twitter.com/steve_collis).

I have been on Twitter for 6 months or so now and have found Twitter to be invaluable. Apart from anything else, my interactions on Twitter have made me much more aware of the global education community. I feel part of a global teaching movement.

I also get a string of brilliant ideas dished up to me!

Anyway, I was delighted by the 26 people who replied to me in a matter of hours!

The training session went really well! My colleagues had a ball and seem quite enthusiastic about continuing with Twitter.

Below, I'm going to post three different things.

1. A list of my colleagues who are now on Twitter. Please feel free to 'follow' them!

2. A list of the replies I got on Twitter.

3. A google map actually showing where people replied to me from. This is what I mean by a global community! (by the way it was easy to make this map. I went to www.umapper.com and copied the text from the twitter messages into it, and it generated the google map, cleverly, by scouring the text for recognisable locations)

1. A list of my colleagues who are now on Twitter. Please feel free to 'follow' them!

http://www.twitter.com/imma65

http://www.twitter.com/jenny289

http://www.twitter.com/Clive_Thomas

http://www.twitter.com/markliddell

http://www.twitter.com/SueSk

http://www.twitter.com/shhartley

http://www.twitter.com/Lillipilly

http://www.twitter.com/gharbor

http://www.twitter.com/jennyscotney

http://www.twitter.com/DanielDawes

http://www.twitter.com/peter_robson

http://www.twitter.com/spot_dog

http://www.twitter.com/The_Norman

http://www.twitter.com/TimBrownSnr

http://www.twitter.com/connorc

http://www.twitter.com/chimofee

http://www.twitter.com/anne_sharkey

http://www.twitter.com/cwoldhuis

http://www.twitter.com/Stephen_H

http://www.twitter.com/Tim_Barrett

http://www.twitter.com/linfoot

http://www.twitter.com/krblom

http://www.twitter.com/sadam

http://www.twitter.com/schultzie86

2. A list of the replies I got on Twitter.

What I find really interesting about people's replies here are their reasons for using Twitter.

# 4ngel4 @Steve_Collis location:

England,
Weather: raining, twitter is great for discussing ideas with like minded people.
Enjoy your training about 4 hours ago

 # barton1875 @Steve_Collis New to twitter
but can see that it has great opportunities to find resources, methods and
ideas to help children to learn. about 4 hours ago

 # barton1875 @Steve_Collis Birmingham

England,
cold and raining. Now there's a shock! about 4 hours ago

 # dehohulin @Steve_Collis Hello from

Tinley Park,Illinois!
Sunny and 34 F today. I ♥ Twitter b/c I learn so much from the brilliant minds I follow! about 9 hours
ago

 # LisaSuhr @Steve_Collis I am the only tech
support person in a small rural district. Twitter allows me to "find"
my colleagues frm all over the world. about 12 hours ago

 # LisaSuhr @Steve_Collis Hello from NE
Kansas,

USA,
1/21 weather was 50 dgrs F and today it shld be down to 35 dgrs F! No snow on
ground about 12 hours ago

 # weatherhead @Steve_Collis Tweeting from
my deck in Warrimoo. Twitter is short news bursts from people that count. It is
very moist and sticky indeed. about 12 hours ago

 # MylesCarrick @Steve_Collis oh, and it's
really hot here in

Sydney ...
but you knew that! Have a great PD workshop! about 12 hours ago

 # MylesCarrick @Steve_Collis Tweeting from
my Nokia in Chiswick - Twitter helps me never miss little and big discoveries
by the people I _really_ follow! about 12 hours ago

 # edueyeview @Steve_Collis Currently in

Lisbon ,Maine;
+8F(-14C) and overcast. Love twitter for PLN connections, new ideas, tools, resources.
about 12 hours ago

 # lucybarrow @Steve_Collis Hi from a
beautiful & cool evening in Ballarat! Love twitter because it keeps me up-to-date
with ed & world issues. about 13 hours ago

 # nstone @Steve_Collis Hi from

Elstree, UK.
Weather grey and wet, twitter is great company when you're sick at home! Also
good 4 resources about 13 hours ago

 # zecool @Steve_Collis Bon matin! It's a 'relatively'
mild -11 C in

FrederictonNB.
Twitter for me is 2 things: connect and learn. about 13 hours ago

,Canada

 # shortcomp @steve_collis

Sydney

, darn hot. I like the conversation. Like
ringing someone and asking their opinion times 1000 about 13 hours ago

 # APKC @Steve_Collis Is a major element in
my personal learning network, and provides opportunities to broaden areas of
interest, understanding about 13 hours ago

 # APKC @Steve_Collis Tasmania, weather
galeforce with fires, now calm with rain ; enables immediate contact with
friends, contacts, quick research about 13 hours ago

 # annemareemoore @Steve_Collis I like
twitter because it is relaxing and it is amazing how much important and new
information is generated on Twitter about 13 hours ago

 # deantregenza @Steve_Collis i like twitter
because its mobility and capacity to put forward ideas as they come out of your
head... not losing the moment. about 13 hours ago

 # annemareemoore @Steve_Collis hi from hot
sultry NSW Australia. Violent storms and much needed rain - hoping it will be
fine for water skiing on the weekend about 13 hours ago

 # dannynic @Steve_Collis hi from a cold, (8oC)
grey, wet and windy Southend on

Sea ,UK

. Twitter is
like 24 tv show - "events occur in real time" about 14 hours ago

 # ajep @Steve_Collis from a hot & humid

Sydney at, share ideas & learn - its PD &
more about 14 hours ago

. Twitter
helps u connect far & wide, c beyond where

u

 #juler @Steve_Collis Love the connections
and learning with lots of people. In Brisbane Aus. Going to be hot 2tomoorow. about
14 hours ago

 # Darcy1968 @steve_collis Hi Steve & crew.
I'm in Kiama NSW & like Twitter as it is a fun professional & personal (up
to the minute) networking tool. about 14 hours ago

 # warrick_w @Steve_Collis I like the immediacy
of it about 14 hours ago

 # point2five @Steve_Collis gold coast, rain,
cooler finally- like twitter because verbosity is verboten & tweets are
entertaining and sometimes valuable about 14 hours ago

 # etalbert @Steve_Collis Lower Blue Mtns-Like
Twitter for its global reach,ease of cross industry sharing, great information
filter for busy educators. about 14 hours ago

 # carolrainbow @Steve_Collis Hi All I am
based in

Oxfordshire , UK

. Twitter keeps me up to date
with tech news, world news, colleague's news and is fun :-) about 14 hours ago

 # tombarrett @Steve_Collis hi from cold and
wet

Nottingham , England

. Twitter is great to
connect with people in the simplest way. Hope you have good day about 14 hours
ago

 # nrwatkins @steve_collis hi from
Launceston,

Tasmania ,
where it is cool, overcast, raining :-) I like Twitter because there is always
more to learn about 14 hours ago

 # ackygirl @Steve_Collis I like twitter coz
it lead to meeting you at a conference.. and you said "yay you're ackygirl
- can I give you a hug" lol about 14 hours ago

 # paulrwood @Steve_Collis and I am having a
great deal of trouble sleeping tonight/this morning. about 14 hours ago

 # paulrwood @Steve_Collis From Dallas but
currently in

Philadelphia

for Educon. It is 24 F here and I learn so much from the collective knowledge
of PLN about 14 hours ago

3. A google map actually showing where people replied to me from, around the globe!

Web 2.0 in Education Song - "Log them In"

I have to give a short presentation at school about my role, so I've recorded a music video promoting the web for use in education.

Here is the music video. All the projects featured are from my school, but I had in mind to make a video others could use, to play to staff to encourage them about the potential of the web.

In making the video I was again reminded, and now believe more strongly than ever, that the internet can give students an awareness that they have something to contribute. Nothing beats the little visitor map you put up on a class website showing where people are visiting from. When such a powerful platform exists that we can provide our students, it is an awful shame to deprive them of it.

Here's the song:

And here's the lyrics:

Lyrics of the Song:
Our hustle bustle world is spinning in infinity
With multifarious ways of reconnecting to each other such as Facebook
Bebo FriendFeed YouTube Twitter Second Life Utterli Wikipedia Flickr Skype and rate my poo.com

The God of Pedagogy doth demand that we devote ourselves
To leading on our young ones so they thrive in this connected world of Facebook
Voicethread FriendFeed YouTube Twitter Second Life Utterli Wikipedia Flickr Skype and rate my poo.com

The four walls of our classroom hold the roof up, keep us warm and shut us in,
But
as Shakespeare said about the Web 'The world's a stage' log on, perform,
promote, engage, The world's a stage, dont lock your daughters up, just
log them in.

Our students have so much to say, to offer, give, compose, create,
The
internet provides the perfect platform for empowering kids to take the
lead, define a voice, contribute something, something useful, something far superior to what's on ratemypoo.com

Its the Wild Wild West, the Wild Wild Web, were well aware of lurking dangers,
Students must be guided, trained, equipped, instructed, left to wander,
They should seize their salad days, surf the web, avoid the rips, and make a page, avoid the rocks, and make a betterworld.com  (deliberately corny, kk?)

My Step by Step Mobile Audio Blogging for High School Classes

I've created this page to bring together everything I've learnt about using mobile (cell) phones for audio blogging. You can set this up easily, and for free. Students only pay for a local call.

Warning =  AS OF MARCH 2009 THIS WILL ONLY WORK IN THE USA, SINCE UTTERLI HAVE CANCELLED THEIR NON-USA NUMBERS

Students ring a local number, and what they say is recorded and then published at the class website. The two pilot projects I've been involved with are http://wordsworthreflections.wordpress.com and http://australianenvironment.wordpress.com . In each case we added a map with red dots representing visitors to the website, so students could see they had a global audience.

I've created two tutorial videos, below, showing you how to set this up. Importantly, in the tutorials I assume no technical expertise. You should be able to follow the instructions exactly as shown, and have yourself set up within half an hour or so. To set up the students will take a little longer, but it's very easy, just time consuming. A class of 20 students might take an hour to set up, once you've passed around a bit of paper for them to write down their mobile phone number and email address.

Parental permission is a good idea, especially because there is a small cost involved with students ringing a local number from their phone. You can see a letter I used here.

Before I go further I had better post the tutorial videos. They go for about 18 minutes and show you exactly what to do, including how to set up a pin number for the student so they can audio blog from any phone, even a landline, and how to put one of those maps on your website. Here they are:

PART ONE

PART TWO

A summary of the steps:

1. Get parental permission.

2. Create your wordpress.com website.

3. Gather student information - their mobile phones and email addresses.

4. Set up the students at utterli.com and set up cross posting from utterli.com to your wordpress website.

Then you're away!

There are SO many applications for this technique:

- students could be roving journalists, posting one audio story a week about local events and issues

- students could interview family, friends, local community members or experts, with their phones

- students could broadcast persuasive political speeches each week

- or poetry, or short, dramatic stories

- they could give a 'position statement' on a particular issue

- they can record their reflections

- they can role play important historical or fictional people

- they could record 'good ideas', i.e. the whole class, over many weeks, rings and records whenever they get a great idea. The class website would become a repository of the class' great ideas.

Why bother with mobile phone blogging?

In all of these cases, students are developing their oral literacy, learning to speak deliberately for different audiences, contexts and purposes. I have a feeling that a lot of schools don't do oral literacy well. We focus on writing as a means of expression, and then 'do' oral literacy once a year with class speeches, which scare the students to death. Or is that just me??

Please, if you try this system with your students, let me know how it goes.

Below I'll link all my previous posts about mobile phone blogging:

1. My first post, before the projects launched.

2. A report on the first day with the students.

3. An audio blog recorded by myself on an excursion with the students.

4. A video blog recorded by myself on the same excursion.

5. A word of warning about using your mobile phone to record ambient conversations, such as a presentation - I found the volume wasn't high enough.

I still have some footage of the students talking about the value of the mobile phone blogging. I'll put this footage up on this page at a later date once I have permission.