Conversation+and+Innovation

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Essential Questions:

 * 1)  Is communication essential to student learning?
 * 2)  Does technology help students' communication skills?
 * 3)  How do we change our schools to foster innovation?
 * __8.1 Opener__**

Follow the link below to access our Wallwisher discussion and post your thoughts: [|Wallwisher/Summer 2011]


 * Double click anywhere on the Wall to add a sticky with your comment. Make sure you put your name in place of where it says "Anonymous". Also, realize you have a character limit to your sticky, so be concise! (You can always add another sticky if necessary.)
 * As soon as you have commented you should find the place to access the embed code - at last check it was under the "Do More..." tab, then "embed." Embed this Wall to your Session 8 page. It will update in your wiki as people comment.
 * If the Wall does not show up after you've clicked Save, try refreshing your browser or giving it a little more time to load


 * __8.2 Teacher Conversations__**

Please follow the link below and read the article by Sara Bernard on Edutopia.org: Collaborative Crusader: Creating a Twenty-First-Century Learning Community for Teachers

After reading the article, create a link to it in your Session 8 notebook page and then answer the following questions below the link. Make sure you label the link appropriately and the assignment as 8.2 (did you mark the Wallwisher as 8.1???).
 * How does your school/district currently support and or encourage collaboration between teachers?
 * How much do you seek to collaborate with teachers and how do you accomplish this?
 * To what extent do you think collaboration is of growing importance for teachers seeking to implement a 21st century classroom?
 * In what ways, if any, do you see the thoughts in this article applying to student conversation?


 * __8.3 Innovation in Education__**

Read the quote below then create a new post in the **__discussion tab__** of your ** Session 8 ** page to respond to the questions that follow:

//"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew//." **Abraham Lincoln**


 * What is the general meaning of this quote by Lincoln?
 * Does this quote apply to education? Explain your answer.

[] Having seen the video, go back to your initial Session 8 page discussion tab post, and create a second post in order to reflect on the video in relation to Lincoln's quote. Try to make specific references to Sir Ken Robinson's ideas.
 * Next, follow the link below to view a related video:
 * __Read and reply__** to two of your classmates' reflections. (The Discussion Tab can be a great place for teacher-teacher, teacher-student and/or student-student conversations.)


 * Lastly, in the Session 8 page of your notebook, put a heading in for 8.3 and then copy in the Lincoln quote, create a link to Robinson's TED.com talk and note that reflections on both can be found in the Discussion tab.


 * __8.4 Collaboration activity__**

Google offers a great range of tools for use in the classroom. Among our favorites are google documents (docs), which include word processing documents, presentations (similar to powerpoint), spreadsheets, and more. These applications are a great tool for collaboration. To use google docs you will need a google account. (A gmail account is a good place to start and gives you access to all of google's range of products)
 * Sign up for a google account (through gmail might be the best route, though you can sign up through google docs) if you don't have one already
 * next go to google documents
 * Take some time to browse - explore google docs and the various links and menus

Each participant in this course will now __add a new slide__ to the same google presentation.

Follow the google doc presentation link below to visit, then edit our group doc: __[]__

Take two minutes to watch the video on the title slide, check out the slides others have added, and then go ahead and add your slide.

On your slide. . . Once other classmates have added their slides, review the entire presentation and think about how you might use these strategies in your classroom and/or lesson.
 * identify a teaching strategy or activity used in this course
 * explain the purpose of this strategy
 * explain the application of how it was or could be used....before, during, or after reading
 * share how could you use this strategy in your class tomorrow
 * be creative -- use words, visuals, color, etc.

1. Create new document/presentation 2. Name the document 3. Click where it says "private to me" 4. This will bring up a sharing settings window - where it states "add people" you may add the email addresses of anyone you'd like to share the document with - only those with google accounts will be able to edit, assuming you also give them permission to edit... 5. Make sure it says "can edit" then hit share 6. All editors may start working together - all can edit the document and changes occur in real time
 * //For Reference only// - to create your own google doc to share, follow these steps:**


 * 8.5 __Forum Post__**

Create a new Forum post: Based on your new understandings and thoughts on the need to innovate in our educational system, how might we do this?

In your response, consider changes to. ..

Respond to two other posts.
 * the school structure
 * your initial vision of a 21st Century classroom
 * your classroom practice