Clifford Nass ... multitasking ... having a conversation

I was very sad to hear that Clifford Nass, Stanford professor, died this past weekend. I have been introducing his work on multitasking to my students for several years – both as they explore the topic from a research perspective and from a personal struggle with balancing screen-time and their own relationships with friends and family.  Nass was an especially engaging professor who will definitely be missed far beyond 'the Farm' in Palo Alto.  Here is a short video in which he passionately discusses his work:

I found it especially appropriate to see that Edutopia had also just published an essay about learning to communicate, focusing on the ways that we as educators can help students with this ongoing challenge:

• Model a Good Conversation; 
• Encourage Physical Cues;
• Challenge Put-Downs or Hurtful Comments;
• Ask Open-Ended Questions;
• Put Thinking Ahead of Knowing;
• Have Informal Chats;
• Make Eye Contact and
• Encourage Turn-Taking.

If the topic interests YOU and you are not familiar with Nass' work, begin by reading more at The New York Times where Clifford Nass is described as "A Force for Face-to-Face Communication" and “instrumental in helping us understand how modern technology is changing who and what we are.” 

Or pick up his book, The Man Who Lied to His Laptop: What We Can Learn About Ourselves from Our Machines.  Look someone in the eye and share the information - it would make Professor Nass smile. 

world-wide access to the Internet

Internet.org – a new initiative from Mark Zuckerberg, who has partnered with some big competitors, to connect everyone, and he means everyone - especially the billions of people around the world who do not have access to the Internet.

The video on the web site seems to be directed towards emotional appeal, with a focus on connecting people; one could easily mistake it for a social justice initiative.  And, that just might be what Mark Zuckerberg has in mind.
Video is short and certainly sweet; interesting statements said and not said in interview.

Really?? Web 3.0

Tim O'Reilly, who's media company coined Web 2.0, says it's not a version number. So, basically we need to stop referring to the dramatic evolutionary rise of the web in education as web 3.0.

See EDTech Magazine article from 2012.

In an interview, EdTech asked: What changes do you see that are most likely to affect education?

O'Reilly: "The first is the rise of video as a learning medium — Stanford University's artificial intelligence classes, for example, or Khan Academy".

He thinks that another change the web will bring is to drive down the cost of higher education.

Karen Cator predicts that students will become more engaged in their learning and that teachers [who work with librarians] will be able to develop more interesting and complex assighments supported by more resources [with knowledgeable librarians].

I added my own librarian take to Cator's comments because teachers will need support to make this shift happen. As assignments grow more complex, use of substantive resources also needs to grow more complex.  This means that librarians need to help shape assignments so that the use of scholarly articles and primary sources are included as requirements.

When O'Reilly speaks to the rise of video in education, we have to remember that many schools still block media channels such as YouTube.

Another thing we need to reflect on are the findings of the 2012 Pew Survey: How Teens Do Research in the Digital World.

Some key findings:

In descending order, the sources teachers in our survey say students are “very likely” to use in a typical research assignment:

• Google or other online search engine (94%)
• Wikipedia or other online encyclopedia (75%)
• YouTube or other social media sites (52%)
• Their peers (42%)
• Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, or other study guides (41%)
• News sites of major news organizations (25%)
• Print or electronic textbooks (18%)
• Online databases such as EBSCO, JSTOR, or Grolier (17%)
• A research librarian at their school or public library (16%)
• Printed books other than textbooks (12%)
• Student-oriented search engines such as Sweet Search (10%

My question is this:  Where are all the librarians hiding?

Judy Gressel, you make a difference!

As Judy Gressel retires, we say thanks ...
There has been some internet “buzz” over the last few weeks about 7 Habits of Highly-Effective Teachers Who Use Technology.  At New Trier, we have been so fortunate to have had years of learning from just such a teacher/librarian, Judy Gressel. 

Looking at those seven habits, we cannot help but think of Judy Gressel – always asking “why?” –since she has been a significant contributor to curricular units at our Integrated Global Studies School (IGSS) and through the many other lessons and projects she has developed and refined throughout her tenure. “Malleable” and “always embracing change” describe her, too.  Judy is THE consummate early adopter – she has brought so many wonderful tools to our attention and keeps a lively online presence through Twitter and her PLN.  Can you guess Judy's mantra? “Learn one new thing a day!”

 

The habit that says so much about Judy for me is “share, share, and share some more.” She has tirelessly stepped up with colleagues not only at our high school, but also locally through a long relationship with Illinois Computing Educators, with the Illinois School Library Association and nationally through countless webinars.

“Win, Win, Win” and its reference to administrators, parents and students reminds us of the quality relationships she has with each of those communities and how a few years ago when we saw administrators using Prezi on an Institute Day, we knew it was due to Judy’s influence. “Thinking two steps ahead” is probably a minimum for Judy – I am always amazed when I bring her an idea and she starts to tweak it, saying, “why don’t we … ” and we are off and running in at least a couple of exciting directions.

Finally, the 7^th habit: Judy Gressel “actively cares” about students! Often here late working one-on-one, she is relentless in reviewing bibliographies, suggesting additional sources and framing essential questions.  For all of us, Judy has had a major impact and has truly made a HUGE difference.  Thank you.