Mount Hood, originally uploaded by klmontgomery.

If you have yet to put on snow skis, are you a beginning skier? When a beginning skier decides to take lessons to learn to ski, their skiing ability needs to be determined in order to place them in a class at the appropriate level. Skiing ability is based on a scale of ability levels from Level 1 to Level 9. In general, you might assume, Levels 1-3 are for beginners, Levels 4-6 are for intermediate skiers and Levels 7-9 are for advanced skiers. There is no Level 0. In order to be a beginner, you have to put on skis. You need to learn how to fasten your ski boots, step into your bindings and get your balance before you really begin. Beginner lessons focus on how to gain control, go at an easy pace and most importantly how to stop. Even after mastering these simple skills you are still very much a beginner, but well on your way! Whether you are four years old or 28 years old, if you just sit in the lodge drinking hot chocolate and watching the bustle on the mountain you are not a beginner, but an observer.

Over the past few years, it has often occurred to me when I am working with educators that when it comes to the use of technology by teachers and administrators we have to start redefining beginner. The Internet is loaded with websites dedicated to computer literacy for both students and adults. In computer classes everywhere, schools focus on computer literacy skills for students that include both fundamental hardware and software knowledge.

Computers are commonplace in our society and have been for a very long time. Can teachers be expected to use online applications and resources with their students if they are not even “computer literate” and comfortable with basic computer skills and using web-based applications? Are you a beginner if you cannot attached a document to an e-mail, save a file and find it later, tab browse or work in multiple browser windows, copy and paste or sign up for an account online? Is it a beginner or an intermediate user that can download photos to a computer from their camera? Should a beginner know how to save to a flash drive or the desktop? What about administrators who only read their e-mail from the hard copy printed by their secretary? I would argue that knowing how to carry out these activities are analogous to strapping on the skis before you start your first lesson. Never mind integrating the technology into the curriculum if the beginners have not learned how to accomplish basic tasks.

Instruction on how to use blogs, wikis, photo sharing, VoiceThread and social bookmarking with students inherently starts at an intermediate level. But is signing in to your Yahoo! account an intermediate skill? Teachers who do not use online applications personally will certainly struggle with using them for the first time in an in-service or workshop setting. Frustration is imminent in these situations when some participants lag behind. It frustrates the lagging participant and other participants and often the instructor. It is frequently not the function or use of the online resource that creates this frustration but the lack of familiarity with using the computer.

Just like in snow skiing, several levels of beginners are going to exist. There is a range of proficiencies and abilities at every level, but if you are at Level 0, you are not yet a beginner. As part of our Powerful Ingredients for Blended Learning (PI4BL) framework, Wes Fryer and I have divided our levels of use into four levels: awareness, personal use, adoption and invention. At Level 1, awareness, “PI4BL educators may comment on a blog or forum post created in the Powerful Ingredients Learning Community” We feel a beginner be able to comment on a blog post written by someone else. Setting up their own blog comes at the personal use level and using a blog with students at Level 3.

So how do you define beginner? Is a beginner someone who observes and watches others engaged in an activity? Is a beginner someone who knows about goings-on, but doesn’t actually participate? Is a beginner someone who is aware that technology exists but is not engaged in exploring and using technology? Are you really a beginner if you haven’t yet begun? Would love you to contribute your thoughts.

Digital Magic Tricks is a two day(+) learning experience based on the Powerful Ingredients for Blended Learning Framework by Wesley Fryer and Karen Montgomery. To schedule a workshop or obtain more information, please contact Karen.

WHY EDUCATORS SHOULD ATTEND:

To become digital learning leaders, educators need opportunities to be STUDENTS in digitally blended classrooms. Our two(+) part “Digital Magic Tricks” workshop series provides that opportunity.

To meet ISTE NETS, learners in your school must:

• Communicate with media
• Collaborate with others
• Share their work
• Design active lessons

OVERVIEW:

Big digital concepts participants will experience:

1. Working in the cloud
2. Safely publishing online
3. Organizing with tags
4. Talking with pictures
5. Power of voice
6. Interactive, moderated discussions
7. Building a personal learning network

Participants will experience “quick victories for blended learning” using:

1. Social bookmarks
2. Copyright friendly images
3. Digital storytelling
4. Collaborative document writing
5. Online polls
6. Screencasting
7. Phonecasting
8. Geo-mapping text and media
9. Synchronous conferencing

Educators should attend who:

• Are learning leaders
• Are willing to take instructional risks
• Like digital magic!
• Are willing to be a “digital bridge”

THE DETAILS:

Select six learning leaders from your school district (ideally two elementary, two middle, and two high school teachers or librarians) to attend a TWO DAY, face-to-face workshop focusing on QUICK VICTORIES for blended learning.* Participants will engage in a variety of hands-on, digital learning activities and see actual examples of classroom lessons using these digital magic tricks.

The afternoon of day 2, at least two district administrators (principal, superintendent, IT Director/CIO, Curriculum director, school board member) will attend to engage in a conversation about blended learning and digital access at school. This will highlight the importance of engaging, collaborating, learning, and sharing in digital environments for students and teachers. It will empower district leaders to develop local “social media guidelines” in conjunction with parents, teachers, students, and the community following the face-to-face workshop.

In the two months which follow the workshop, participants will use at least one “powerful ingredient” with students. They will share these experiences on the Powerful Ingredients Learning Community.

A follow-up videoconference with participants will be scheduled approximately two months following completion of the face-to-face workshop, at the same location. In addition to original participants, at least two administrators from participating districts are required to attend. In the interactive videoconference, participants will share their experiences and learning take-aways using powerful ingredients for blended learning with students. An agenda for presenters will be coordinated in advance.

SCHEDULE A PI4BL WORKSHOP TODAY:

To schedule a workshop or obtain more information, please contact Karen.

* The term “quick victories” in the context of educational technology workshops was coined by Marco Torres. (As far as we know!)

Content licensed  by Wesley Fryer and Karen Montgomery. CC licensed photos on this post by Marco Torres. (one, two and three) CC licensed phone image from Iconfinder.net.

This information is also available on our PI4BL wiki.

The curriculum for our 3 hour METC PreCon Workshop, “Powerful Ingredients for Blended Learning,” has been updated for today’s workshop!

photo credit: randymalta