Summer Pop Quiz: How Can I Serve You Better?
The summer is half-way over, and I imagine lots of you are in the midst of prepping for - gasp! - the 2007-2008 school year. So I thought I could do some prepping as well, but I’ll need your help. What I’d like to know is this: what would you like to see me planning for the blog over the coming months?
It’s actually a little hard to believe that learning.now has been online for almost 15 months now - time flies when you’re blogging about MySpace and faulty Internet filters, I guess. When I first set out with this blog, I imagined I’d be spending a lot of time essentially writing tutorials - blog entries about different types of Web 2.0 tools and their potential uses in the classroom. I also figured I’d dedicate a significant amount of column issues to teacher profiles - taking an in-depth look at educators who are using the Internet in creative ways.
For a while, it worked out that way, but then it seemed that education technology started popping up in the news a lot. Hardly a week could go by without an important research project or classroom controversy popping up in the headlines, and the timeliness of these stories made for great teachable moments. I’ve definitely had some reoccurring themes in the blog - the role of Wikipedia in the classroom, online safety, balancing student online free speech rights with discipline. And then there’s been the roller-coaster saga of Julie Amero, which could easily be the subject of an entire blog in its own right.
There are some things that I personally enjoy writing about, like when educational technology practices are impacted by law or policy, or the role of student-generated content in the classroom. Generally, the feedback from people commenting on the blog is overwhelmingly positive - and when it’s not, it’s because we’re debating an issue that lacks simple answers. And even if these discussions can be fun and illuminating, I wonder if all of this is helping you in your role as educators, parents or even concerned citizens.
How have all of you felt about the progress of the blog? Am I covering issues that you care about or are useful to you? Are there certain topics or things you wish I did more often - or things you felt I was covering too much in the first place? For example, is my analysis of edtech legal issues and research helpful to you? Are educator profiles and tutorials a benefit? Are there any issues I’ve totally neglected that I need to get on my radar? If you could change one thing about the blog, what would it be?
I know there’s no way I’ll be able to get a consensus from all of you. For every person who wants me to cover Julie Amero or online safety every week, there’s probably someone else who feels like I’m flogging a dead horse. I’m okay with that. But even if consensus isn’t possible, any feedback you can offer can help me think about what I can do to make this blog as useful as possible as the new school year gets under way.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. -andy
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Responses
My suggestion would be something like: How to use Web 2.0 technologies to improve test scores.
I’d love to see examples of schools doing just that - interesting to students and ALSO interesting to the administration :-)
By Chris Champion 4:10PM on 13 Jul 07
Perhaps a discussion or some harder evidence regarding the issue of the have’s and have not’s - in terms of web filtering. When one can point to districts where every site with the word ‘blog’ in it is blocked and where even Google Earth is blocked, it might make for interesting discussions on how that sort of filtering is hurting rather than helping our students.
I read your blog faithfully and point to it often.
By Jim Gates 11:45AM on 16 Jul 07
Andy, I’ve been reading (and learning) since your first posting, and I really enjoy it! My favorite postings are those that deal with new technologies (or at least new ways to use them) and real examples of how these technologies are used in the classroom. I’d love to see even more of this. Frankly, I could do with less coverage of the legal issues, but I do recognize that it’s important to be aware of them.
By Shelly 10:38AM on 17 Jul 07
I homeschool our children grades 4 - 12. This year we are combining our history, science and creative writing curriculum with a focus on the horse. Horses have been a part of all world history, and along with the barn environment, offer a wealth of teaching opportunities in science while inspiring creative writing about equine activities. Additionally, the rapidly growing field of Equine Assisted Activities is of interest to us. As the Executive Director of Dreams Therapeutic Riding, Inc., several homeschool families would like to see a series that explores the benefits and impact of this multi-facited industry.
By Leigh 12:14PM on 19 Jul 07
I’m new to your blog, but I am finding it more and more interesting each week. I would love to read more about schools that are going outside the box for education. Specifically, I’d be very interested in reading about schools using portfolios in addition to or in place of the typical standardized tests.
Keep up the good work!
By Michele 12:29PM on 26 Jul 07