Comments on The Fischbowl

Doesn't the aggregation argument come up in any us...

2009-11-07T12:38:16.496-07:00

Doesn't the aggregation argument come up in any user-contributed resource? If the division, or school, or even state/province Dept. solicits contributions from teachers, principals and others, does that make them responsible for the content?

I built a set of Pipes aggregators for my school, using Delicious & Diigo tags to list links that everyone thinks are valuable. While most of the shared tags are subject-specific, there is a "random" one that people use for articles they think their colleagues would be interested in.

Am I, or is the school, responsible for content that gets tagged through this list? I would hope not. My personal inclination is that each user is responsible for their own generated content, particularly when it can be identified as theirs.

Hi Karl, I found this topic and all of the comment...

2009-11-05T11:07:00.821-07:00

Hi Karl,
I found this topic and all of the comments very interesting. Here is an article that I noticed today that relates to your subject:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/10/21/08twitter_ep.h29.html?tkn=LS[FEE2sLZvk5Udzj5IQYaWWPqrJPydeJ1kx

I think it is something that we will not have an easy answer to, but the answer may have to evolve over time (by way of creating a more safe twitter environment for student and/ or more professional purposes?).

I find the idea of a separate personal and profess...

2009-11-04T21:06:50.209-07:00

I find the idea of a separate personal and professional life interesting. I don't have a separation, as Popeye said, "I yam what I yam!" This really is probably the biggest reason I feel I can be completely transparent.

Maybe because I live in the small town I grew up in and have such a history with my town and my school I feel more comfortable with my ability to not separate myself. My students are the children of people I grew up with. Think of a modern day Mayberry.

This is the way I want to live, as a teacher, church youth leader, and family friend. I want to have relationships with both my students and their parents and I want both to feel comfortable communicating with me. I bring this ideal to my classroom and also to the internet.

I can see that others have differing opinions and I realize their backgrounds and experiences do not match mine, but honestly I feel a sadness for them because of it.

So my vote goes to open up flood gates and let the students in.

Karl, That does make more sense, in the same way ...

2009-11-04T13:49:33.988-07:00

Karl,

That does make more sense, in the same way if I create a list of personal blogs and share them internally. I guess it's the location and endorsement of how this plays out.

If it were me, I'd either request the info via email or some other space disassociated with the district for reasons described in my original comment.

I can't help but think that this conversation also...

2009-11-04T10:35:24.157-07:00

I can't help but think that this conversation also applies to other online communities, like Facebook. In my district, Facebook is blocked by our filter, and yet we have a Facebook group centered around supporting the district that was created by a department director which anyone can join. Does this FB group fall under the same considerations as a Twitter list, or are there enough differences between the two community/conversation/collaboration tools?

@Dean - I agree, but since these are Twitter Lists...

2009-11-04T08:17:57.964-07:00

@Dean - I agree, but since these are Twitter Lists, don't you think the folks that follow them are likely to understand to a certain extent how Twitter is different? Just like our students can adapt their language between IM and formal writing, do you think folks can adapt their expectations between school-related blogs and Twitter accounts?

@Anne - I agree that the more we can get them invo...

2009-11-04T08:16:12.019-07:00

@Anne - I agree that the more we can get them involved in our learning network, the better it is. And that's why I like what St. Vrain is trying. But - for all the reasons I identified above - I still think we need to look at this more closely.

@Barbara - But blog lists are typically lists of b...

2009-11-04T08:14:37.867-07:00

@Barbara - But blog lists are typically lists of blogs students/teachers created for school purposes, not personal blogs. Twitter, by nature, tends to be personal (I know you could have students create school Twitter accounts, but that's not what St. Vrain is doing, at least at the moment).

That's a big part of why I think this is different. Again, not saying it's bad, but I think we need to examine this more closely.

I think the bluing of personal and professional is...

2009-11-04T08:05:06.806-07:00

I think the bluing of personal and professional is a key issue here.
On one hand a twitter list should not be any different than a blog list from a school perspective. So I am with Bud here one thing leads to another and we are back to closing things down.
On the other hand when I first started on twitter I used it mostly in a light hearted manner to stay connected with folks. Lately however I see it as a very valuable resource for learning, professional connections and pd. This also means I am more aware of what I twitter and use dm for other things.
So are we teaching our students about being professional learners in professional spaces? I agree there are potential pitfalls but I am not sure they are any greater than they are in other ways we encourage an online presence.

i love this 12 sec video by darren kuropatwa. htt...

2009-11-04T02:06:21.930-07:00

i love this 12 sec video by darren kuropatwa. http://12seconds.tv/channel/dkuropatwa/239256

I struggle with the idea of an organization aggreg...

2009-11-03T22:52:49.155-07:00

I struggle with the idea of an organization aggregating streams of information posted by its members (staff and students,in this case) not from the perspective of being responsible, while that is one consideration but more from the point of value.

Twitter, for most people contains the blurring of personal and professional more than most publishing spaces. I don't display my twitter stream on my blog because, for the most part my blog is my professional learning space. I will tend to get visitors to my blog who don't understand twitter and should they see me tweeted about the silliness with which I"m prone to natter about, may, from their perspective make me less credible.

It's one very small way in which I try and separate personal and professional but I realize that may be a useless effort.

All that to say, twitter may not be the best way to showcase or display organizational efforts. Most personal blogs have some disclaimer which states, "the view here don't necessarily reflect that of my employer". Publishing them outside the servers of the institution is intentional. It's not that we're ashamed of our work, it's just saying this is my space and it may or may not fully align or relate to the work I do for my organization.

I understand the idea of wanting to use aggregation to share, celebrate or acknowledge the ideas and efforts of all members of an organization, I just see lots of issues with this. We're asking a lot of constituents to sort through the fluff and silliness from the substance. I don't think most tax payers are ready for that.

As retiring as I tend to be, I agree with @budthet...

2009-11-03T15:14:25.824-07:00

As retiring as I tend to be, I agree with @budtheteacher that the kindergarten model of all of us sharing would be the ideal toward which we all work. I love the idea that I need to model, I hope the fact that I struggle to participate (even though I firmly believe in the worth of the network) makes students feel like they can struggle as well.

Something I think might add to this conversation is this: "it is apparent that the more students are involved in the social and intellectual life of a [school], the more frequently they make contact with faculty and other students about learning issues, especially outside the class, the more students are likely to learn" from http://www.ccsse.org/aboutccsse/engage.cfm , though I've read similar elsewhere. So, to extend, the more students participate in the online community, the more frequently they stay in contact with each other and their teachers (mentors?) the better they will do in school.

So, if lists and posts and tweets need to be monitored, it may be a very worthwhile use of our time, if we can engage students as part of our learning communities.

Karl, I've referred to your survey here: http://ww...

2009-11-02T17:31:49.750-07:00

Karl, I've referred to your survey here:
http://www.ictineducation.org/home-page/2009/11/2/10-reasons-to-use-diigo.html

@Bill and @mrsjgarcia - thanks so much for sharing...

2009-10-31T12:04:43.919-06:00

@Bill and @mrsjgarcia - thanks so much for sharing. I'm going to add what you wrote to the google form (if you haven't already) if that's okay with you.

Hi, I just came across this at the classroom 2.0 ...

2009-10-31T11:18:59.803-06:00

Hi,
I just came across this at the classroom 2.0 session and wanted to share my thoughts on it.
I have just started using Diigo with my 8th grade class and will soon be using it with 7th and 10th too.

I created a group in Diigo for each class, based on a research topic. The students had 2 lessons to search out as much important information they could, highlight, sticky note and comment on the pages. They then had some time to comment back and answer questions, or elaborate on the annotations of others. This work was then used for the next lesson in which they needed to find "nuggets" of information in the bookmarked, annotated pages of their group and post these to Twitter in 140 words of less, synthesizing their information and understanding. We created a hashtag for them to use in tweeting and can now access the info when doing their note cards and citations in Noodlbib. I also backed the twitter work up just in case in a Google doc.

I love what Diigo can do and the kids seem to appreciate this method of note taking too.

No sweat, Peggy.... I wish I could join the Ellum...

2009-10-30T05:08:58.458-06:00

No sweat, Peggy....

I wish I could join the Elluminate session tomorrow, but I'll be busy! I work too many part time jobs, that's for sure.

Diigo is one of those tools that are perfect for classrooms, though, because it allows teachers to expand on the kinds of traditional instructional practices that make a difference....Annotating and group conversations around ideas aren't new. Diigo just makes them easy.

Rock on,
Bill

Bill, Thanks a lot for sharing the link to your wi...

2009-10-29T11:57:30.314-06:00

Bill,
Thanks a lot for sharing the link to your wiki here in your comment! It is an incredible resource for teachers wanting to learn more about how Diigo can help them in their classrooms! I have added the link to the follow-up resources for our Classroom 2.0 LIVE show and you can access them here on gl.am. We will share the gl.am resources during the show and post them with the archived recording.
http://gl.am/a72vd

Peggy

Please be aware that "Miguel Guhlin" won't be part...

2009-10-29T09:45:21.942-06:00

Please be aware that "Miguel Guhlin" won't be participating in the Saturday session. I am looking forward to listening to the recorded audio since new version of the Diigo toolbar will be released prior or near to Saturday.

Diigo is great for social bookmarking and highlighting.

Thank you,
Miguel Guhlin

@jnece - Yes, very similar to a Socratic seminar. ...

2009-10-28T12:06:47.838-06:00

@jnece - Yes, very similar to a Socratic seminar. More info at http://learningandlaptops.blogspot.com/2006/10/fishbowl-101.html and http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/10/learning-at-speed-of-thought.html and example at http://smith9h0708.blogspot.com/2007/10/fahrenheit-fishbowl-25-40-period-5.html

Very cool! Is this fishbowl set-up like a socratic...

2009-10-28T05:39:48.780-06:00

Very cool!
Is this fishbowl set-up like a socratic seminar? Please share details about the specific roles of those in the inner and outer circles. Many thanks!

Hey Karl, Class is just starting, so I don't hav...

2009-10-27T05:35:29.728-06:00

Hey Karl,

Class is just starting, so I don't have long to talk---but I wanted to share my Diigo in the classroom resources with you:

http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/Social-Bookmarking-and-Annotating

There's a ton of how-to handouts there. Probably the most valuable materials on the entire page. I've got some tip sheets and tricks, and also some directions for using Diigo (in it's current form).

Now, PBworks hasn't been working this morning----ironic----so you may not be able to load the page yet. If the problem continues, I'd be glad to send you PDFs of everything.

Hope this helps....and I'll be back to the Google Form once the day ends.

Rock on,
Bill

Hi Karl, Your timing on creating this survey is pe...

2009-10-27T00:04:57.030-06:00

Hi Karl,
Your timing on creating this survey is perfect! We are doing a show this Saturday on Classroom 2.0 LIVE about the new features on Diigo v. 4 with Maggie Tsai, Miguel Guhlin and Russ Goerend. The focus will be on using Diigo instructionally and I'm sure there will be lots of sharing in the chat room and via the mic in the Elluminate session. We will announce your survey during the session and invite people to contribute to it. We'd love to have you and your readers join us to participate in the conversation/presentation. Saturday, October 31, 9:00am PDT, http://live.classroom20.com for additional information and login link.

Your survey is going to provide some really valuable ideas for teachers! Thanks a lot!
Peggy George, Classroom 2.0 LIVE co-host

Inspiring and thrilling on the one hand. Sobering...

2009-10-26T13:52:28.081-06:00

Inspiring and thrilling on the one hand. Sobering and a bit depressing on the other. Inspiring of course because of all the possibilities before us. Depressing because educational institutions (like mine)are already so far behind... in mindset and technology. Nevertheless, I spread the word and pass on the video and move things forward as best I can. Thanks for the fuel to add to the debate. Nancy

Hi my name is Katherine Duren and I am a student a...

2009-10-26T11:16:49.886-06:00

Hi my name is Katherine Duren and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. You can visit my blog at http://durenkedm310fall2009.blogspot.com/

Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class

Hi Karl, Thanks for the post. I'd note that in...

2009-10-21T05:57:45.663-06:00

Hi Karl,

Thanks for the post.

I'd note that in terms of complexity, there are plenty of examples of other ELA standards which cover a lot more territory with no greater length and much clearer organization.

--Tom