My Connections

Here are some low-tech connections that have been floating in my head. They have nothing to do with teaching, or ed tech, but it’s interesting to me how I’ve made these connections:

I’m pretty good at skiing. I’m not so good a riding my bike really fast. When you ski, you’re supposed to use your hips to guide your body. It occurred to me that the same technique could be applied to riding a bike. Yep. Now, I’m better at riding a road bike.

I’m pretty good at playing the guitar. I’m not so good at playing the flute. I need to teach students how to play the flute. When you play the guitar, you’re supposed to have your hands relaxed, in a natural way. Same with piano. It occurred to me that the same technique could be applied to playing the flute. Yep. Now, I’m better at playing the flute.

The human brain loves making connections. It looks for them everywhere. Brain research shows that when you can connect new knowledge to prior knowledge, learning happens. The goal of a teacher is to change the brain of their students. This is how to do it!

Technology is really about making connections. Web 1.0 was about connecting computers; web 2.0 is about connecting people. It’s all about what you are doing with the technology. That’s why I love educational technology so much. And why I think it’s a perfect fit for social media.

What’s this look like in the classroom?

There are simple high-tech ways to immediately engage students in the classroom, and to show them the connections.

Show them YouTube videos. Right off the bat, they are excited to watch anything from YouTube in the classroom. It’s not enough to just throw fluff (YouTube) at them, though. Engage them, and make a connection. Last week, a fifth grade teacher asked me (the music teacher) to teach her kids “that 50 states song.” I found the Animaniacs states and capitols video on YouTube» . So, where’s the connection? My students love cartoons, and sort of know the Animaniacs. They’ve been exposed to the 50 states, especially in fifth grade. So, I took all this prior knowledge and put it together to teach them the song.

Ask students to make the connections. Have them start a blog or wiki, and get them writing. Have them write about a book you just read. Have them make the connections. It might sound like this, “Hey, that part of that book reminds me of…”.  Yes, this could be done in a journal. Think of the analyzing that happens, though, when students are writing together. Soon, I think every classroom will be part of Google Wave. You are able to write collaboratively, and in real time. As one student types, others see the letters getting typed. If you remember Bloom’s Taxonomy, you’ll see right how to get students into higher-ordered thinking.

Making connections is crucial to professional development. As an ed tech teacher, you need to always be on the cutting edge of technology in the classroom. Build your own learning network by using social media. Connect to other teachers. Connect to other social media folks. Connect to other technology people. Here’s the tip of the iceberg of my social media connections:

• http://twitter.com/billselak/edtech
• http://groups.diigo.com/group/Web2
• http://groups.diigo.com/group/educ515
• http://www.billselak.com/wiki
• http://www.google.com/reader/shared/billselak
• http://snipurl.com/edtechrss (my rss feeds for ed tech)

How do you connect with other teachers? How can I better connect with other ed tech teachers?

Yes, topics will be haphazard. Yes, there are already tutorials online. Yes, I know these things. But I have not found a good ed tech resource that walks teachers through step-by-step. Soon, this will be an amazing resource for teachers. For now, email me, and I’ll add the topic to the new page.

tutorials@billselak.com