http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog from Tom March Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:51:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 en hourly 1 from Tom March Tom March http://www.tommarch.com/graphics/bright_ideas_podcast_logo.jpghttp://www.tommarch.com/ozblog Tom March, WebQuests, WebQuest, the New WWW, no Tom March tom@ozline.com http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/2009/10/28/edtechcrew/ http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/2009/10/28/edtechcrew/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:20:16 +0000 tom http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/?p=582 http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/2009/10/28/edtechcrew/feed/ 0 <p>Continuing on the NML de-brief, I had a really nice chat with the <a href="http://www.edtechcrew.net/2009/10/27/ed-tech-crew-104-an-interview-with-tom-march/">Ed Tech Crew</a>: Darrel Branson (<a href="http://smsn.vic.edu.au/ictguy" target="_blank">The ICT Guy</a>) and Tony Richards (from <a href="http://itmadesimple.com/">itmadesimple.com</a>).</p> <p>Here’s the podcast:</p> <p>Don’t forget to look for links and further discussions on the NML Conference <a href="http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/2009/10/18/nml-debrief/">de-brief post</a> itself.</p> Continuing on the NML de-brief, I had a really nice chat with the Ed Tech Crew: Darrel Branson (The ICT Guy) and Tony Richards (from itmadesimple.com). Here’s the podcast: Don’t forget to look for links and further discussions on the NML [...] http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/2009/10/18/nml-debrief/ http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/2009/10/18/nml-debrief/#comments Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:42:32 +0000 tom http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/?p=464 http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/2009/10/18/nml-debrief/feed/ 5 <p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-470" style="border: 0pt none; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" title="panel_clip" src="http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/panel_clip1.jpg" alt="panel_clip" width="446" height="194" /></p> <p>Attending the <a href="http://www.nml-conference.be/">New Millennium Learners Conference</a> in Brussels was a professional highpoint and profound experience for me.  Much of what I learned confirmed  understandings I have come to regarding issues in the US and Australia, but hearing them voiced in an international context – and with data-backed evidence – prompts me to post highlights from the sessions.  Please understand that these are my impressions and interpretations, not an unbiased or comprehensive digest of the proceedings.  Here is a <a href="http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/16/32/43737014.pdf">press release for the conference</a> that provides a good overview.</p> <p>I only meant this post to be a quick conference de-brief, but my interest has expanded it into a fairly major piece of writing and analysis.  Apologies to my colleagues whose presentations receive only light treatment when they actually represent deep bodies of work and years of effort.  Thanks to Jan Craemer and those who organized the <a href="http://www.nml-conference.be/?page_id=5">sessions and Web site</a> – your insightful ordering of the days’ topics and presenters emerged as I looked closer.  For those who did not attend, I post this to invite your discussion and participation in an initiative that I believe will contribute to education’s evolution to something better.</p> <h4>Day 1 Focus: “New Millennium Learners”</h4> <p><a href="http://www.nml-conference.be/?p=17">Dr Barbara Ischinger,</a> who is the Director for Education for the OECD, began the discussion on New Millennium Learners by focusing on a historical review of how education has seen its role in relation to goals and expectation for technology.  This set a context for where we are now, this far into the 21st Century.  Especially useful are four points that offer a new framework to focus current debate:</p> <p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-481" title="ischinger" src="http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/ischinger.jpg" alt="ischinger" width="450" height="327" /></p> <p>Of the four points, I believe that the first is an aspiration based on significant case studies (see day three) and recognition that <em><strong>not</strong></em> to be at the forefront of our cultures’ learning resources relegates this institution to history.  The second point is a clear observation of what has been too-long obscured by educational marveling at what <em><strong>can</strong></em> be achieved through expert use of current technologies coupled with children’s quick adoption of gadgets and lifestyle software.  It’s been my contention (as argued in 2005’s <a href="http://www.tommarch.com/writings/newwww.php">New WWW article</a> for Educational Leadership), that these technologies ensure access to “Whatever, Whenever, Wherever” but not, necessarily, amazing learning experiences.  The third point identifies a key finding of the New Millennium  Learners project that will be discussed in the next section while the fourth point draws attention to an area that is in its infancy but holds great promise and was mentioned by a number of speakers at the conference. Dr Ischinger’s presentation <a [...] Attending the New Millennium Learners Conference in Brussels was a professional highpoint and profound experience for me.  Much of what I learned confirmed  understandings I have come to regarding issues in the US and Australia, but hearing [...]