Friday Chat: Partial Transcript of 'Listening to Students about Tech'

Interesting Friday Chat today. This is a new tradition here at TP. Each Friday at 1PM EST, I open up a chat at Today's Meet. You are welcome to join in.

This week, the topic was 'Talking to Students About Technology'. We covered everything from the ways in which students perceive the uses of technology to the ways in which blocking student use of technology can actually be harmful.

Here are some highlights. I haven't corrected any spelling, but I have moved a couple of things around to make sense in this post-chat format. The original chat will be archived at Today's Meet for 12 hours if you want to scour the whole thing.

The chat started with a discussion of using Twitter in the Classroom. In my own experience running Twitter-enhanced high school classes for the last month or so, I've seen the students respond in tremendous ways.

I ran a twitter-based review session today for our final exam and the students responded very well. I'll definitely do that more next year. Nate at 1:10 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I've been using Twitter daily in class for about a month. Been using for general back-channel as well as primary assessment. Shelly at 1:10 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Like to hear a little more about the twitter-based review Joanne at 1:11 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I'd say 95% of my students are 100% crazy about using Twitter in class. Skype also for review and collab work. Shelly at 1:11 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Twitter-based review: two styles... 1) students in Latin class parsing verbs can use TW as a 'lifeline' to their peers. 2) Collab assesmnt. Shelly at 1:14 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

In collab, we use Twitter and Twitter Search to facilitate making wikis and online bibliographies. Shelly at 1:15 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I primarily used Twitter today for the students to get feedback on potential essay questions. They posed their question and peers responded Nate at 1:16 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

We used hashtags today to run a feed of each class's discussion. If you're interested they're #WHDP and #WHEP Nate at 1:18 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Nate, good thinking. I've had them do a similar, but they were required to cite sources in the feed. Then we collected the hashtaged sources Shelly at 1:17 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Most of the critiques were very constructive and on point. Hopefully the students saw how they needed to improve/refine their questions. Nate at 1:16 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

One of my colleagues followed along and even interjected a few comments about the students' progress. Nate at 1:18 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Discussion then turned to the day's topic:

Now, to the purpose of today's chat. What are some things that you've learned from your students about tech? Shelly at 1:19 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

That they're quite receptive to it, are fast learners, and certainly prefer communicating via it than other means. Nate at 1:20 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I had a student yesterday during student interviews who told a funny story about a party where all 30 kids there at one point were texting.. Shelly at 1:20 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

.. kids who weren't. Shelly at 1:20 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Gives a bit of insight into the idea of 'presence' our kids understand. Shelly at 1:20 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Tech in general. They liked Twitter today (and realized its utility), but they also like Edmodo and Wikis. Nate at 1:23 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I think the kids break down tech into three areas: instant communication / grouping; search; and visual/audio. Basically all forms... Shelly at 1:23 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

... fit into those three. Shelly at 1:24 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I think we'd be wise to understand the implications in terms of what they then think is important and worth 'keeping' from classtime. Shelly at 1:24 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I don't remember if you said what Edmodo is. Ann at 1:24 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

It's a self-contained micro-blogging, social network designed specifically for education (e.g. privacy of students) http://www.edmodo.com Nate at 1:24 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Thanks. Ann at 1:25 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

In terms of IM: kids now are perhaps more accepting of collaboration. It's not an 'auxilary' form of learning. It's a way of life. Shelly at 1:25 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

IM itself has become, esp SKYPE, collab conferencing. Shelly at 1:26 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

In terms of search, with Wolfram and Twitter Search -- that is computational organizing and real-time info, we're into new territory. Shelly at 1:26 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I also think its important for students to understand the nuance between acceptable collaboration and plagiarism/copying. Nate at 1:26 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I've actually had less plagiarism the more I have students online. Shelly at 1:27 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

When I started teaching it was a real problem. But now, in the right classroom approach to tech, students are more apt to take ownership. Shelly at 1:28 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Plagiarism becomes lame. Shelly at 1:28 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

And that fits into their views on multimedia Web 2.0. Shelly at 1:28 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Like Pixton, xTranormal... Shelly at 1:28 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

That's a really interesting finding. I think many educators fear that the exact opposite will happen (largely due to underlying technophobia Nate at 1:28 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Web 2.0 is all about 'ownership' and 'customization'. These are kids growing up on MySpace and WoW. They understand the value of identity. Shelly at 1:29 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

They might look like we did back in school, but they are experiencing culture in a fundamentally different way. Shelly at 1:30 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Conversation turned to the results of students' use of technology.

I had a student tell me a while back that studying for 'vocab quizzes' was impossible until he was introduced to Pixton.com. Shelly at 1:31 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Now he studies by making short comic-book stories using the vocab words. Shelly at 1:32 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

An he trades them with friends and they remix them. Shelly at 1:32 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

In real-time. Shelly at 1:32 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

That's pretty cool. Ann at 1:32 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I have another student who didn't start to bloom until we got his class on Skype. Now he's studying with friends and isn't scared of quizzes Shelly at 1:33 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

As ed tech discussions often go when talking about students and social media, ours turned to blocking and filtering. I think it's really important to understand filtering from the student's point of view and think about what kind of message filtering sends. After all, it's sort of cruel to sit a kid in front of the most powerful tool humanity has ever produced and tell the student how great it is and then not let the student use it.

I got stuck in a techless space this yr. and that's what's making me realize how much I wanted more tech integration into my class... butwait at 1:38 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Starting working with Glogster.com/edu, but was blocked after first week. John at 1:38 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Hmm. We've talked about this before, but what were the reasons you were given for blocks? Shelly at 1:39 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I had a situation when we started using Twitter in class where a student said her mother would be angry if she knew we were using TW... Shelly at 1:39 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Only then to find out mom used Twitter and was hugely supportive. Shelly at 1:40 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

But I think Twitter and social media in general is actually going to quickly become as common (and at times as much a bother) as the phone. Shelly at 1:41 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Comes down to the 'use' of the technology and not the technology itself. Shelly at 1:42 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I had one student, as I've been doing student interviews, who said she was 'shocked' when she found out Twitter was not an 'education' site Shelly at 1:43 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Because the only place she'd used it up to that point was in my classroom for Latin. Shelly at 1:43 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Shelly - Is your school progressive in terms of using technology? John at 1:46 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

John, that's a loaded question isn't it! Ha! Shelly at 1:47 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Let me put it this way: our admin fully supports our use of Twitter and Web 2.0 in a 1:1 setting. Shelly at 1:48 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

That said, let's just say that keeping on top of getting sites 'unblocked' can be work intensive. Shelly at 1:49 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Our tech folks have been very very helpful in unblocking sites. I'm lucky to have them on my side. My biggest problem is just how many... Shelly at 1:54 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

...sites the filtering software automatically blocks. Shelly at 1:54 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

But, it's been a process over the last four or so years. And I really can't complain. Shelly at 1:54 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

I know. For a long time anything categorized as a blog was out of reach. John at 1:55 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Funny... blogging is my primary form of assessment. Without blogs, I wouldn't be able to function. Shelly at 1:56 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Even had one student who swore her college admission was in direct relation to her blogging. Shelly at 1:57 PM, 22 May 2009 via web

Thanks to the participants in the chat and I hope to see more of you each Friday at 1PM EST.