Taste of Tech

To whom it may concern:

I would like to add my endorsement for Jeff Lebow as Technology & Learning Leader of the Year. Through his Worldbridges communities, he has made it possible for countless education professionals from all over the world to interact with one another, share resources, and build personal learning communities.

My involvement with Worldbridges began in 2005 while searching for education-related podcasts. Jeff was a pioneer in this area, producing the weekly Ed Tech Talk podcast. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this was the tip of a much larger iceburg.

Ed Tech Talk isn’t just a podcast. It’s an audio archive of a real-time conversation held by participants from all over the world. Listeners tune in live to the webcasts of these conversations, and can interact with the hosts and show participants in a text chat. This makes the show a uniquely interactive experience.

I soon found that Jeff had built an entire community of communities in Worldbridges. While Ed Tech Talk is one aspect of this diverse group, there are also groups devoted to professional development in the CMS Academy and Webcast Academy. The EducationBridges community is attempting to help teachers better incorporate technology in their teaching by providing support and funding for innovative projects. Puscanweb and TibetanBridges encourage free speech in Korea and Tibet. The Webheads in Action group represents an energetic and devoted collection of teachers from throughout the world who are embracing the need to improve our students’ knowlege of world cultures and global connections.

Within the Ed Tech Talk community, a number of shows have developed, following different formats. There are shows available for teachers at any grade level, and there are resources that will meet the needs of any teacher’s technological level. In addition, the community is not afraid to debate many of the controversial issues in educational technology.

As I gained a better understanding of Jeff’s work, I also became more involved. I have participated in several of his “webcastathon” marathons, where teachers are encouraged to share ideas, debate issues, and solve problems over the course of a 36-hour webcast. I have listened live to most of the nine weekly shows on the Ed Tech Talk network. I have also participated regularly in the Ed Tech Weekly roundup of news and resources. Thoughout this process, I’ve met some outstanding educators, learned about some wonderful resources, and changed my view of how professional development should be conducted. Jeff is responsible for all of these changes.

As a humble, unassuming person, Jeff downplays his importance in all this. The reality is that Worldbridges is his vision. He developed the idea, got it off the ground, and still pays the bills to keep it free. He contributes countless hours each week to make sure everything is running smoothly. He encourages people to get involved, and pushes them to provide more, better content for the community. He is a strong believer in collaboration, and is willing to help just about anyone with a good idea and a little ambition.

I know of no other person working in educational technology who is more deserving of this award.

John C. Schinker, M.Ed
Technology Coordinator
Brecksville-Broadview Hts (OH) City Schools
http://www.tasteoftech.net

Update: Lots of people agree, including Dave Cormier, Jennifer Maddrell, Alex Ragone, Sharon Peters, Dave Cormier, Lee Baber, Jeff Flynn, and probably many others.

The Worldbridges community is planning a an Equinox Webcastathon this weekend (September 21-23) to give webcast academy participants the opportunity to hone their skills. I’ll answer your questions now.

What is “the Worldbridges community?”
Worldbridges is a collection of communities that use new media tools to help people connect, learn, and collaborate. Let’s say you have a group of people who are all interested in the same subject, but they’re spread all over the world. They can come together in a Worldbridges community to share ideas and resources and interact with one another.

This is mostly done through a “webcast.” A webcast is an audio conversation that is streamed live over the Internet. While this is taking place, listeners can participate in a text chat on the Worldbridges site. The hosts of the webcast are also in the chat room, so you can interact with them while they’re talking. Additionally, they sometimes use screen sharing tools to do software demonstrations and other presentations. In many cases, listeners are encouraged to use Skype to call in to the show and provide their own perspectives. The audio is typically released in podcast form afterwards, so others can listen to it later. There are also online forums on the web site to continue the conversation.

Worldbridges encompasses a number of different communities that all use these types of technologies. I’m mostly involved in the EdTechTalk community, a group of people discussing educational technology. This active group produces nine weekly webcasts. But there are many Worldbridges groups as well.

What is a “webcastathon?”
Most webcasts are an hour long or so. There’s one nearly every day, but they’re on at different times and attract different audiences. A few times a year, the group gets together to present a continuous weekend-long webcast. This gives new webcasters the opportunity to hone their skills and try out new ideas. It also gives listeners the opportunity to see what this is all about without having to tune in at a specific time.

“Webcast Academy?” I’m still lost.
The Webcast Academy is the place to go to learn how to do all of this stuff. It’s taught by volunteers and it’s free. You can sign up, take the class, and become a webcaster. The problem is that you need some practical experience, and the webcastathon gives you the opportunity to get some of that experience. The shows are generally very informal. Mistakes are expected. Everyone’s learning here.

Why should I care?
What are the 21st Century Skills? Globalization. Innovation. Information. Collaboration. They’re all here. This is a very welcoming and helpful community. It doesn’t cost money to participate. What are you waiting for?

There is a community of passionate educational technology people out there. The community includes experts in everything from designing and maintaining computer networks to teaching people how to send email with attachments. They’re generally well-read, insightful professionals, and they’re all working to improve the use of technology in schools.

They’re also a very kind, welcoming, and helpful collection of people. If you want to improve what you’re doing with technology in the classroom, you should be part of this community. You don’t have to be an expert in anything. You just have to have the willingness to interact, ask questions, and provide your perspective.

A great way to introduce yourself to this community is through EdTechTalk. It’s part of the Worldbridges network, a truly impressive global network of people working in a variety of areas. The EdTechTalk community centers around webcasts. Typically, two or more hosts hold a live audio conference online. This conference is streamed, so anyone on the Internet can listen to it while it’s going on. In some cases, guests are invited to participate in the shows by using Skype to call in. Think of it as an online radio talk show.

While this is all happening, there’s a text chat. People listening to the show can comment on the show while it’s taking place. The hosts are also in the text chat, so they can respond to questions and issues raised there. Depending on the show, they may also use screen-sharing software that allows them to demonstrate applications and web sites. In a few cases, they also provide video.

After the show, the audio is bundled up into an RSS feed, making it a podcast. So even if you don’t show up for the live show, you can listen to it later, just like you would with any podcast. Since the web sites for these shows all encourage comments, you can provide your perspective even if the show isn’t offered at a convenient time for you.

So what kind of shows are there? Here’s a rundown:

EdTechWeekly (webcast) is a fast-paced roundup of news and resources related to educational technology. Hosts Jennifer Maddrell, Jeff Lebow, and Dave Cormier offer rapid-fire links, resources, and news items, typically covering 20-30 different topics during the 40 minute program. It’s on Sunday nights at 7:00 Eastern.

21st Century Learning (webcast) is a weekly show hosted by Alex Ragone and Arvind Grover, two teachers in New York City. They frequently host discussions and interviews with educators discussing the impact of new media and new technologies on education. This show is the only one offered during the day in the United States, taking place at 1:30 PM Eastern each Tuesday.

Making Connections (webcast) is a good place for teachers who want to learn new tools with others. Each week, they take a new technology, and work together to learn how to use it. Host Cathy Evanoff is extraordinarily helpful and patient. No prior experience with the tools is necessary for this informal show, which takes place each Tuesday night at 7:00 Eastern.

Women of Web 2.0 (webcast) is for all who are using the tools of the Internet whether it be in a classroom setting, leading seminars, authoring books, maintaining blogs or wikis, or just enjoying the tools of the Internet in an educational and exciting way. The show is brought to you by Vicki Davis, Cheryl Oakes, Sharon Peters, & Jennifer Wagner - four women who not only love using the tools of the Internet but also love sharing the tools with others. It’s on every Tuesday night at 9:00 Eastern.

Teachers Teaching Teachers (webcast) is hosted by four teachers: Paul Allison, Lee Baber, Susan Ettenheim, and Thomas Locke. Every Wednesday evening at 9:00 EST, they get together and discuss effective practices in technology, current research, and new media. Their focus is on developing teacher knowledge and leadership in their schools and putting this knowledge and leadership to work to improve student online reading and writing through the use of blogs, wikis, podcasts and webcasts.

EdTechBrainstorm (webcast) is a show hosted by Doug Symington. These are free-form discussions where anyone can chime in about projects they’re working on and challenges they’re facing. Join Doug each Thursday night at 9:00 Eastern.

EdTechTalk K12 (webcast) is a show focused on educational technology issues in the K-12 environment. It is hosted by Anne Leftwich and Jeff Flynn.

It’s Elementary is a new show planning to begin on July 9. It will highlight best practices and help teachers overcome obstacles to using technology in an elementary school environment. It will be hosted by Lisa Durff, Jose Rodriguez, and Alice Mercer. This show will air every other Monday, at 7:00 PM Eastern.

Assignment: Listen to at least two episodes, each from a different show. Pick a show, and tune in online while it’s being broadcast live. Join the chat at EdTechTalk.com. For extra credit, use Skype to join in the conversation.

In the last two years, there have been two technologies that have had a transformational effect on my personal professional development. The first of these was podcasting.

A podcast is a digital media file that is distributed through an RSS feed. I know, that’s a complicated, technical definition. Let me try again. A podcast is a an audio program that you can subscribe to. When new episodes are released, they are automatically downloaded to your computer. You use special software, called a podcast receiver, to manage these subscriptions. Personally, I use Juice because I have an aversion to most things Apple. You could just as easily (or even more easily) use iTunes. Once the shows are downloaded, you can listen to them right on your computer, transfer them to a CD for listening on a CD player, or sync them onto your MP3 player for ultimate portability. While they work pretty well with iPods, the digital media players are not really required.

Once you have installed a podcast receiver, you need to subscribe (for free) to some programs. You do this by adding feeds. Here are two podcasts about education and technology to get you started:

• Seedlings at Bit by Bit: This is a show by three teachers in Maine. They meet twice each month to discuss current topics in educational technology, and frequently have ideas, insights, and resources you can put to use right away. Here’s the feed.
• Connect Learning, with David Warlick: David is a well-respected speaker who travels around the country delivering lectures and keynote addresses on new media in education. He frequently records presentations and conversations with teachers from all over the country, and posts them as podcasts. Here’s the feed.

If you would prefer to find your own podcasts, here are some directories to get you started:

• Podcast Alley Education
• Curriculum Online Podcast Directory
• The Education Podcast Directory

Assignment: Download a podcast receiver, subscribe to at least one podcast, and listen to at least one episode.

This is just a test to make sure I can podcast and have it show up in the feed. I hope Andy doesn’t mind that I’m using his song.

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