PermalinkSubmitted by a-FerdiS (not verified) on Tue, 04/24/2012 - 22:27
Thanks Pia,
This problem is widespread...perhaps people think that because many websites they use are "automatic" and only require a click to make something happen that their participation is "nice to have" rather than essential. In a community or a family, you know the people and you know the relationships...for some of us, the translation to online was obvious, that not only do you "give to get" but what you give is multiplied many times over. Echoes of kindness and caring become very strong, very fast in Kidlink. Contrast this with the isolation so many teachers report as their everyday experience. We must support people in learning new behaviors that will unlock the power of these new ways of learning, and perhaps that begins with creating a feeling and experience of belonging here and knowing how important "showing up" to support projects and communications is to both the health of the community and the results we seek to foster for our students.
Ferdi
PermalinkSubmitted by a-JoyceF on Wed, 04/25/2012 - 07:43
Hello Pia and Ferdi,
Perhaps we need to say what Ferdi suggest first. State that we are a supportive community that thrives on the principles of dialog and communication,. We must participate and communicate to produce the same results that we expect from our students. We must "Practice what we preach." We will still will have unexpected arise.
I also think we could use more Science and Math projects. First and foremost I must finish what I started. My personal work goal for the Project Committee this summer is to finish simplifying the Math Cats Project English directions so The Math Cats Project is translatable. My second goal is to make the Multi - Cultural Calendar a functional active project. I wish to add a detailed Google Calendar with all the submissions we have, then add dates and world cultural celebrations that need detail, and add our Kidlink logo that hyperlinks to the Kidlink Home page (with permission). Present the Calendar with the embedded calendar code so that schools and companies can use our Multi - Cultural calendar on their web-page. Multi - Cultural Calendar was number one in the search engine. It is what Diversity Committee’s from schools and companies are searching for. Let’s give them what they want.
PermalinkSubmitted by a-theresaa on Wed, 04/25/2012 - 12:03
I am involved in several global and local projects at the same time. It's not easy keeping up with the expecations and due dates, but with time management I can stay on top of things. I see that with many of the teachers I work with in these projects. They get overwhelmed and they stop or they get too many interruptions with school events and get behind and then stop. We as managers and participants need to keep that encouragement and positive reinforcement so that they have less of a chance to stop. You feel terrible when something doesn't go right, but sometimes they can't help what is happening. I like flexible dates, because of all of the different events that come up in school. I like simple, straightforward directions, which I think the D/D project has. I like the communication available with the manager and participating teacher in case things arise. Open communication, flexibility, and time management are important in these types of projects.
PermalinkSubmitted by a-piaa on Wed, 04/25/2012 - 21:15
You're rightand I have alwaysappreciated the flexibilityofdates.In factI proposedthis flexibilityfor manyprojectsincludingD/D.AndI understandthe problemsyou're talking... It happened to me too when I was a teacher. I found useful some tips to carry on better the project. We can give space to suggestions and tips to help the teachers in kidlink.
PermalinkSubmitted by a-JoyceF on Sun, 04/29/2012 - 05:56
I agree Theresa!
I am in the classroom helping the teachers for that reason. If I didn't do that I don't know if the teachers from my school would participate in Kidlink. One teacher needed three days of support the other needed me from the beginning until end of the project. There are many burdens placed on teachers. Many of us that are techno-savvy know how much time to allocate for these projects. Beginners of technology in the classroom haven't a clue. This last project one teacher was attempting to do three technology projects at one time. He may be able to pull it off. Had I not been there the Kidlink project would have failed.
In my emails alone I am inundated with different programs, lesson plans, webinars, and technology apps for classroom enhancement. What to do when, for the beginner that has not a clue of the time factor involved, equates to a conundrum. Maybe we should give an approximated time frame within each project. Then the teachers will know what they are in for before they agree to participate.
PermalinkSubmitted by a-piaa on Wed, 04/25/2012 - 20:34
Hello
Ferdi says: We must support people in learning new behaviors that will unlock the power of these new ways of learning, and perhaps that begins with creating a feeling and experience of belonging here and knowing how important "showing up" to support projects and communications is
Joyce says: State that we are a supportive community that thrives on the principles of dialog and communication,. We must participate and communicate to produce the same results that we expect from our students. We must "Practice what we preach." We will still will have unexpected arise.
These are words that I make my own and I feel like mine. I was delighted to read in this dialogue. Thanks Ferdi, Joyce and Theresa for your feedback.
I remember the first time I met Kidlink. I was a teacher searching of new horizons and terribly attracted to those objects, the computers, which were beginning to enter our homes and more modern schools. I, like many, I could see many opportunities in new technologies. But I was inexperienced and not so young anymore.
The aspect that impressed me most and that I caught rigt away, was Kidlink look like a close-knit community of people working for the same purpose, sharing the same problems . And in these first years, I always found people available, collaborative, helpful and engaging. And everything I learned and that I could convey to my students, started from there, being and working in Kidlink.
So I think we must try to rebuilt this sense of community that is currently restricted to a few active members .
I always thought that Kidlink is not only a good opportunity for the children, but also an opportunity for teachers to enrich their pupils' experience , to grow professionally in an open and international enviroment.
PermalinkSubmitted by a-stellank on Wed, 04/25/2012 - 23:02
It is really important that I get one login system for drupal and kidspace soon. Back to programming php again. :)
I think that the Kidlink Facebook page and group are very important. We must to make good use of these. Groups are for teaching issues, where we share interesting teaching methods and experiences, not only about online projects. The Kidlink Page to share our projects and the students good works.
And we must show the comunity of teachers that Kidlink is the arena where you get good support and ideas not only about projects but about teaching overall.
PermalinkSubmitted by a-FerdiS (not verified) on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 00:39
Thanks Stellan, Pia, Joyce and all kidlinkers!
The new survey is a great way to gather what we know, and what we're learning along the way. It is important that we make sure that the time we ask teachers to invest in completing the survey results in knowledge creation, and that this new knowledge is shared. So often, we are asked to "fill out a form" and all we ever see is "thanks for submitting this survey". If we could provide feedback (here were the percentages of people responding to each prompt on the multiple choice type questions) or synthesize the comments provided in the text boxes, we are modeling the reflective practice that makes online communities come alive and crackle with energy. Right now the survey is structured as anonymous, so we will need to do the synthesis ourselves and find a way to make the "learnings" available to the community. Let's make sure we set the expectation that this is "give to get" and that within a short time people should come back to a designated spot on our site to see what the Kidlink community collectively thinks, and what we may do with our new knowledge.
Later, we may want to provide other tools and processes that allow us to do "knowledge capture and transfer" in ways that are more focused on each person...the ideal is that whenever one of us learns something new or masters a new skill or ability we ought to be able to coach or mentor someone else who is seeking to learn that skill....and as we identify what we want (and need) to learn, we ought to be able to connect with someone eager to help us on our way. Communities organized like this are vibrant centers of learning, on a "pay it forward" basis...and the problems of people not following up or following through are dim memories of the past in such places ;->
Making the journey of transformation together will be exciting and rewarding!
PermalinkSubmitted by a-piaa on Sun, 04/29/2012 - 10:49
We mustfind abalancein the flexibilityof ourprojects. Givingtoo rigiddeadlines does not helpteacherswho get often overwhelmedwith too manycommitmentsand often suddenly. Givingtoo much flexibility, however,does not allow us to manage and coordinate multipleschoolstogether andyou risk losingthe dialogue. InD/D we offered theflexibility,but onlya few (more experienced? More responsible?)teacherswere able totake advantageof this toreach agreement onworking time.Others simplyhavecontinuedas they could, in their own time withoutworrying aboutorrespondto the needs andexpectations of theirpartners. Surely we must support more our teachers with tips and suggestions about time management... So Rules and Tips pages.
PermalinkSubmitted by a-JoyceF on Sun, 05/06/2012 - 04:29
I agree Pia we need to provide an estmated time frame for the teachers to have an approximation of the project duration for lesson planning. We must also permit grace period for personal crisis, internet outage, holidays, firedrills, etc...
Belonging
Thanks Pia,
This problem is widespread...perhaps people think that because many websites they use are "automatic" and only require a click to make something happen that their participation is "nice to have" rather than essential. In a community or a family, you know the people and you know the relationships...for some of us, the translation to online was obvious, that not only do you "give to get" but what you give is multiplied many times over. Echoes of kindness and caring become very strong, very fast in Kidlink. Contrast this with the isolation so many teachers report as their everyday experience. We must support people in learning new behaviors that will unlock the power of these new ways of learning, and perhaps that begins with creating a feeling and experience of belonging here and knowing how important "showing up" to support projects and communications is to both the health of the community and the results we seek to foster for our students.
Ferdi
Hello Pia and Ferdi,
Perhaps we need to say what Ferdi suggest first. State that we are a supportive community that thrives on the principles of dialog and communication,. We must participate and communicate to produce the same results that we expect from our students. We must "Practice what we preach." We will still will have unexpected arise.
I also think we could use more Science and Math projects. First and foremost I must finish what I started. My personal work goal for the Project Committee this summer is to finish simplifying the Math Cats Project English directions so The Math Cats Project is translatable. My second goal is to make the Multi - Cultural Calendar a functional active project. I wish to add a detailed Google Calendar with all the submissions we have, then add dates and world cultural celebrations that need detail, and add our Kidlink logo that hyperlinks to the Kidlink Home page (with permission). Present the Calendar with the embedded calendar code so that schools and companies can use our Multi - Cultural calendar on their web-page. Multi - Cultural Calendar was number one in the search engine. It is what Diversity Committee’s from schools and companies are searching for. Let’s give them what they want.
Joyce
Time Management
I am involved in several global and local projects at the same time. It's not easy keeping up with the expecations and due dates, but with time management I can stay on top of things. I see that with many of the teachers I work with in these projects. They get overwhelmed and they stop or they get too many interruptions with school events and get behind and then stop. We as managers and participants need to keep that encouragement and positive reinforcement so that they have less of a chance to stop. You feel terrible when something doesn't go right, but sometimes they can't help what is happening. I like flexible dates, because of all of the different events that come up in school. I like simple, straightforward directions, which I think the D/D project has. I like the communication available with the manager and participating teacher in case things arise. Open communication, flexibility, and time management are important in these types of projects.
...They get overwhelmed
You're right and I have always appreciated the flexibility of dates. In fact I proposedthis flexibility for many projects including D / D. And I understand the problems you're talking... It happened to me too when I was a teacher. I found useful some tips to carry on better the project. We can give space to suggestions and tips to help the teachers in kidlink.
Kidlink is not the reason.
I agree Theresa!
I am in the classroom helping the teachers for that reason. If I didn't do that I don't know if the teachers from my school would participate in Kidlink. One teacher needed three days of support the other needed me from the beginning until end of the project. There are many burdens placed on teachers. Many of us that are techno-savvy know how much time to allocate for these projects. Beginners of technology in the classroom haven't a clue. This last project one teacher was attempting to do three technology projects at one time. He may be able to pull it off. Had I not been there the Kidlink project would have failed.
In my emails alone I am inundated with different programs, lesson plans, webinars, and technology apps for classroom enhancement. What to do when, for the beginner that has not a clue of the time factor involved, equates to a conundrum. Maybe we should give an approximated time frame within each project. Then the teachers will know what they are in for before they agree to participate.
Just a thought,
Joyce
Belonging again
Hello
Ferdi says: We must support people in learning new behaviors that will unlock the power of these new ways of learning, and perhaps that begins with creating a feeling and experience of belonging here and knowing how important "showing up" to support projects and communications is
Joyce says: State that we are a supportive community that thrives on the principles of dialog and communication,. We must participate and communicate to produce the same results that we expect from our students. We must "Practice what we preach." We will still will have unexpected arise.
These are words that I make my own and I feel like mine. I was delighted to read in this dialogue. Thanks Ferdi, Joyce and Theresa for your feedback.
I remember the first time I met Kidlink. I was a teacher searching of new horizons and terribly attracted to those objects, the computers, which were beginning to enter our homes and more modern schools. I, like many, I could see many opportunities in new technologies. But I was inexperienced and not so young anymore.
The aspect that impressed me most and that I caught rigt away, was Kidlink look like a close-knit community of people working for the same purpose, sharing the same problems . And in these first years, I always found people available, collaborative, helpful and engaging. And everything I learned and that I could convey to my students, started from there, being and working in Kidlink.
So I think we must try to rebuilt this sense of community that is currently restricted to a few active members .
I always thought that Kidlink is not only a good opportunity for the children, but also an opportunity for teachers to enrich their pupils' experience , to grow professionally in an open and international enviroment.
Reading your posts, I have these conclusions:
Giving and Getting
Thanks Stellan, Pia, Joyce and all kidlinkers!
The new survey is a great way to gather what we know, and what we're learning along the way. It is important that we make sure that the time we ask teachers to invest in completing the survey results in knowledge creation, and that this new knowledge is shared. So often, we are asked to "fill out a form" and all we ever see is "thanks for submitting this survey". If we could provide feedback (here were the percentages of people responding to each prompt on the multiple choice type questions) or synthesize the comments provided in the text boxes, we are modeling the reflective practice that makes online communities come alive and crackle with energy. Right now the survey is structured as anonymous, so we will need to do the synthesis ourselves and find a way to make the "learnings" available to the community. Let's make sure we set the expectation that this is "give to get" and that within a short time people should come back to a designated spot on our site to see what the Kidlink community collectively thinks, and what we may do with our new knowledge.
Later, we may want to provide other tools and processes that allow us to do "knowledge capture and transfer" in ways that are more focused on each person...the ideal is that whenever one of us learns something new or masters a new skill or ability we ought to be able to coach or mentor someone else who is seeking to learn that skill....and as we identify what we want (and need) to learn, we ought to be able to connect with someone eager to help us on our way. Communities organized like this are vibrant centers of learning, on a "pay it forward" basis...and the problems of people not following up or following through are dim memories of the past in such places ;->
Making the journey of transformation together will be exciting and rewarding!
about flexibility
We must find a balance in the flexibility of our projects. Giving too rigid deadlines does not help teachers who get often overwhelmed with too many commitments and often suddenly. Giving too much flexibility, however, does not allow us to manage and coordinate multiple schools together and you risk losing the dialogue. In D / D we offered the flexibility, but only a few (more experienced? More responsible?)teachers were able to take advantage of this to reach agreement on working time.Others simply have continued as they could, in their own time without worrying about or respond to the needs and expectations of their partners. Surely we must support more our teachers with tips and suggestions about time management... So Rules and Tips pages.
I agree Pia we need to
I agree Pia we need to provide an estmated time frame for the teachers to have an approximation of the project duration for lesson planning. We must also permit grace period for personal crisis, internet outage, holidays, firedrills, etc...