Comments on: K12 Fireside Chat – Elluminating? http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/ Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:39:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Graham http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/comment-page-1/#comment-5015 Graham Fri, 03 Nov 2006 05:52:11 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/#comment-5015 Now I know where that dot on the African east coast is coming from on my Clustr Map! Mike, I really think we need lots more grass roots educators like yourself to join conversations and talk just as much about the difficulties and reality of schools worldwide. It's another reason why I was interested in the Overcoming Obstacles strand - you can't change what you don't acknowledge (ugh - a Dr.Phil quote!) - and I think I'm a good example of how a regular teacher with a keen interest in computing and the web can crawl from under my rock and can connect and join in and learn and contribute to something much bigger - maybe the fuure of learning. All bloggers start from where you are, unsure and tentative, but if you can "overcome those obstacles" then you stand to personally gain more than you would get from just reading. But don't get me wrong, reading is a good place to start. And those of us who are at the actual chalkface in classrooms with kids as part of our job have a practical, does-it-really-work, how-about-this-idea type role to play that complements the theoretical, the visionary, the administrative, the technical and idealistic blogs already in existence. I think Mark Ahlness expressed this well a while back when <a href="http://www.halcyon.com/arborhts/mahlness/2006/05/speaking-with-authority-and.html">he highlighted</a> how classroom based bloggers can blog that other education bloggers can't - <blockquote><em>"They live where the rubber meets the road."</em></blockquote> Now I know where that dot on the African east coast is coming from on my Clustr Map! Mike, I really think we need lots more grass roots educators like yourself to join conversations and talk just as much about the difficulties and reality of schools worldwide. It’s another reason why I was interested in the Overcoming Obstacles strand – you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge (ugh – a Dr.Phil quote!) – and I think I’m a good example of how a regular teacher with a keen interest in computing and the web can crawl from under my rock and can connect and join in and learn and contribute to something much bigger – maybe the fuure of learning. All bloggers start from where you are, unsure and tentative, but if you can “overcome those obstacles” then you stand to personally gain more than you would get from just reading. But don’t get me wrong, reading is a good place to start. And those of us who are at the actual chalkface in classrooms with kids as part of our job have a practical, does-it-really-work, how-about-this-idea type role to play that complements the theoretical, the visionary, the administrative, the technical and idealistic blogs already in existence. I think Mark Ahlness expressed this well a while back when he highlighted how classroom based bloggers can blog that other education bloggers can’t -

“They live where the rubber meets the road.”

]]> By: Mike Dunlop http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/comment-page-1/#comment-4956 Mike Dunlop Thu, 02 Nov 2006 14:58:21 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/#comment-4956 Hi Graham.... I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this post! I've been following your blog for a while now, trying desperately to keep up, and feeling largely incompetent. I'm an IT teacher/co-ordinator, struggling with teaching "old fashioned stuff", never mind much of the web 2.0 stuff I'm learning about. Far too insecure to comment on most of what I read(let alone blog).... What a relief to know that keeping up with all the k12online info isn't easy for you either! Not sure what it is about that that's so comforting, but I've been mulling over this post for days. I'll probably just crawl back to my rock now, but wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your work (and that of other bloggers). Cheers, Mike Hi Graham….
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this post! I’ve been following your blog for a while now, trying desperately to keep up, and feeling largely incompetent. I’m an IT teacher/co-ordinator, struggling with teaching “old fashioned stuff”, never mind much of the web 2.0 stuff I’m learning about. Far too insecure to comment on most of what I read(let alone blog)….
What a relief to know that keeping up with all the k12online info isn’t easy for you either! Not sure what it is about that that’s so comforting, but I’ve been mulling over this post for days.
I’ll probably just crawl back to my rock now, but wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your work (and that of other bloggers).

Cheers,
Mike

]]> By: Mark Ahlness http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/comment-page-1/#comment-4444 Mark Ahlness Sat, 28 Oct 2006 03:44:52 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/#comment-4444 Hi Graham, It was great to hear you again, even for just a bit. Yes, I agree the large group, one mike, situation is tough. I was mostly just (very) happy to sit back, watch, listen, and read. Until, from out of the blue, I get the urge to say something (where in the world does this come from?). Then it gets all serious and sitting up straight. Am hoping more experiences in this environment will make each successive one easier, more meaningful, and rewarding. Will be there again in a few hours. Hope to see you there. - Mark Hi Graham,
It was great to hear you again, even for just a bit. Yes, I agree the large group, one mike, situation is tough. I was mostly just (very) happy to sit back, watch, listen, and read. Until, from out of the blue, I get the urge to say something (where in the world does this come from?). Then it gets all serious and sitting up straight. Am hoping more experiences in this environment will make each successive one easier, more meaningful, and rewarding. Will be there again in a few hours. Hope to see you there. – Mark

]]> By: Graham http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/comment-page-1/#comment-4438 Graham Sat, 28 Oct 2006 01:38:36 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/#comment-4438 Sheryl, I hope you read my disclaimer. It did feel like a lot of people knew each other and that's OK - hopefully, it met a lot of other people's needs. I hope to be there for Saturday's - it depends on how tired I am and if me being on the computer disturbs other family members. Thanks for responding to my post - I don't usually tag my blog so you did well to find it! Thanks for your encouragement and support. At least I might get to check some more presentations tonight as I wait.... Sheryl, I hope you read my disclaimer. It did feel like a lot of people knew each other and that’s OK – hopefully, it met a lot of other people’s needs. I hope to be there for Saturday’s – it depends on how tired I am and if me being on the computer disturbs other family members. Thanks for responding to my post – I don’t usually tag my blog so you did well to find it! Thanks for your encouragement and support. At least I might get to check some more presentations tonight as I wait….

]]> By: Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/comment-page-1/#comment-4377 Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach Fri, 27 Oct 2006 13:23:32 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/10/27/k12-fireside-chat-elluminating/#comment-4377 Hi Graham, I was so excited to see you in the Fireside Chat! I waved and said hi ...but you must have missed it with so much going by so fast. I also mistakenly asked you to introduce yourself, thinking your presentation was set to go on Friday-- my mistake, sorry. Thanks for handling it so graciously. I love your idea about breaking into groups. I had suggested that when we were thinking how we would go about this chat. We struggled with how many folks would attend. If as many as with David Warlick's chat showed (178 tried) and we had removed the cap so we could have had 100s-- no way we could have managed breakout groups. It is a great idea though and I have used it many times with great success. We also thought some participants might not be thrilled with their group placement if they came to be with a specific keynote or presenter. So we decided not to structure it that way. Speaking of structure... Alan was in favor of it being really loose and organic and just seeing what would happen. I had just arrived a few minutes before we began (coming in from an Elluminate session where I was training National Board teachers to facilitate for an upcoming f2f policy summit) so I was feeling a little more off than normal in that environment. The conversation did jump around a bit, and having 3 moderators was a bit trying...but we are learning. It is tough to plan with so many unknown variables and only 1 hour of time. Thanks for your feedback though. It really helps me understand what we need to change for Saturday's fireside chat. I hope you will consider attending. I look forward to talking on Skype again soon. Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach K12 Online Organizer Hi Graham,

I was so excited to see you in the Fireside Chat! I waved and said hi …but you must have missed it with so much going by so fast. I also mistakenly asked you to introduce yourself, thinking your presentation was set to go on Friday– my mistake, sorry. Thanks for handling it so graciously.

I love your idea about breaking into groups. I had suggested that when we were thinking how we would go about this chat. We struggled with how many folks would attend. If as many as with David Warlick’s chat showed (178 tried) and we had removed the cap so we could have had 100s– no way we could have managed
breakout groups. It is a great idea though and I have used it many times with great success.

We also thought some participants might not be thrilled with their group placement if they came to be with a specific keynote or presenter. So we decided not to structure it that way.

Speaking of structure… Alan was in favor of it being really loose and organic and just seeing what would happen. I had just arrived a few minutes before we began (coming in from an Elluminate session where I was training National Board teachers to facilitate for an upcoming f2f policy summit) so I was feeling a little more off than normal in that environment.

The conversation did jump around a bit, and having 3 moderators was a bit trying…but we are learning. It is tough to plan with so many unknown variables and only 1 hour of time.

Thanks for your feedback though. It really helps me understand what we need to change for Saturday’s fireside chat. I hope you will consider attending.

I look forward to talking on Skype again soon.

Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
K12 Online Organizer

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