Comments for Graham Wegner - Open Educator http://gwegner.edublogs.org Fri, 17 May 2013 07:38:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://edublogs.org/?v=3.4.1 Comment on What Your Classroom Says About You, The Educator by kumara swamy http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2013/01/28/what-your-classroom-says-about-you-the-educator/comment-page-1/#comment-16979 kumara swamy Fri, 17 May 2013 07:38:01 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=1608#comment-16979 Keep posting, teachers should know the students activity. 100% i would agree with you, its really keep updating, thanks for sharing. <a href="http://www.shinecoe.com/BusinessAnalyst-certification.php" rel="nofollow">Certified Software business analyst certification</a> Keep posting, teachers should know the students activity. 100% i would agree with you, its really keep updating, thanks for sharing.
Certified Software business analyst certification

]]> Comment on Sliding Into Apathy by Graham http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2013/05/02/sliding-into-apathy/comment-page-1/#comment-16976 Graham Fri, 03 May 2013 23:16:11 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=1631#comment-16976 Thanks for your words of wisdom, John. Every thing you write here is so true - and deep down, I know that I should leave this alone for a while. Writing when the moment is right is more important than forcing anything out. Counter-balancing this is the Stephen Downes approach where he advises that regular (almost daily) writing is the only way to get better at this most enjoyable (when done right) of intellectual crafts. Thanks for dropping by. Thanks for your words of wisdom, John. Every thing you write here is so true – and deep down, I know that I should leave this alone for a while. Writing when the moment is right is more important than forcing anything out. Counter-balancing this is the Stephen Downes approach where he advises that regular (almost daily) writing is the only way to get better at this most enjoyable (when done right) of intellectual crafts. Thanks for dropping by.

]]> Comment on Sliding Into Apathy by johnlarkin http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2013/05/02/sliding-into-apathy/comment-page-1/#comment-16975 johnlarkin Fri, 03 May 2013 22:44:05 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=1631#comment-16975 Graham, do not worry about it. It is really not that important. I posted maybe half a dozen items in 2009 or 2010. The world still turned around and the sun went up and down each day. I was revitalised in 2011. Treat yourself to a sabbatical from all of this. Much of what is shared, published in this education sphere is over exaggerated and unrealistic anyway. When I see an exclamation mark at the end of a post or tweet I generally ignore it. The audience is actually small when one thinks of the hundreds of thousands of teachers that do not use the Internet to connect with or read the ideas of other educators. I personally would steer clear of Tumblr. Too many variables. You are under no obligation to "recharge your enthusiasm". Walk away from this for a while in the full knowledge that it is okay to do. Just give yourself a break. Twelve months. Eighteen months. It will be okay. All of this is edublog stuff so tenuous. Even meaningless at times. We are not. Focus on yourself, your relatives, your friends and then your career. All of this edublog stuff will still be here, rambling along, when you return, with a bunch of new people to get you thinking probably. Cheers, John <a href="http://www.larkin.net.au" rel="nofollow">http://www.larkin.net.au</a> Graham, do not worry about it. It is really not that important. I posted maybe half a dozen items in 2009 or 2010. The world still turned around and the sun went up and down each day. I was revitalised in 2011.

Treat yourself to a sabbatical from all of this. Much of what is shared, published in this education sphere is over exaggerated and unrealistic anyway. When I see an exclamation mark at the end of a post or tweet I generally ignore it.

The audience is actually small when one thinks of the hundreds of thousands of teachers that do not use the Internet to connect with or read the ideas of other educators.

I personally would steer clear of Tumblr. Too many variables.

You are under no obligation to “recharge your enthusiasm”. Walk away from this for a while in the full knowledge that it is okay to do. Just give yourself a break. Twelve months. Eighteen months. It will be okay.

All of this is edublog stuff so tenuous. Even meaningless at times.

We are not. Focus on yourself, your relatives, your friends and then your career. All of this edublog stuff will still be here, rambling along, when you return, with a bunch of new people to get you thinking probably.

Cheers, John
http://www.larkin.net.au

]]> Comment on Middle Aged Gaming by Daryl Owen http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2013/03/23/middle-aged-gaming/comment-page-1/#comment-16973 Daryl Owen Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:50:47 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=1622#comment-16973 I think you are really enjoying playing this game. I am crazy about playing car games and Forza is my all time favorite. Thanks for sharing your great experience of game playing with us. I loved reading it. I think you are really enjoying playing this game. I am crazy about playing car games and Forza is my all time favorite. Thanks for sharing your great experience of game playing with us. I loved reading it.

]]> Comment on Put The Spoon Away by Scott Foale http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2013/03/06/put-the-spoon-away/comment-page-1/#comment-16972 Scott Foale Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:06 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=1618#comment-16972 This is a great piece graham. Can you please email the link to all staff for me? :) (I am obviously using the spoon to stir with...) This is a great piece graham. Can you please email the link to all staff for me? :) (I am obviously using the spoon to stir with…)

]]> Comment on What Your Classroom Says About You, The Educator by CHolt http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2013/01/28/what-your-classroom-says-about-you-the-educator/comment-page-1/#comment-16968 CHolt Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:29:19 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=1608#comment-16968 I agree that the teacher must know the students in every way. Everything that is done should take this into consideration. There shouldn't be any cookie cutter classrooms and teaching methods. This is the day where the individual needs of the students and the data must drive the instruction and activities inside of the classroom. I agree that the teacher must know the students in every way. Everything that is done should take this into consideration. There shouldn’t be any cookie cutter classrooms and teaching methods. This is the day where the individual needs of the students and the data must drive the instruction and activities inside of the classroom.

]]> Comment on What Your Classroom Says About You, The Educator by Graham http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2013/01/28/what-your-classroom-says-about-you-the-educator/comment-page-1/#comment-16966 Graham Sat, 23 Mar 2013 04:24:49 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=1608#comment-16966 Thanks, loubee, for your comment. You are so right - learning is the main feature, and anything to do with re-design has to further that goal. Thanks, loubee, for your comment. You are so right – learning is the main feature, and anything to do with re-design has to further that goal.

]]> Comment on What Your Classroom Says About You, The Educator by Graham http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2013/01/28/what-your-classroom-says-about-you-the-educator/comment-page-1/#comment-16965 Graham Sat, 23 Mar 2013 04:23:27 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=1608#comment-16965 I definitely would agree that a bare classroom is not an inspiring place for students to want to spend time in. I think photography, of the students and of them at work, is a really powerful way to document and reinforce a sense of belonging and ownership of learning. I have also heard a train of thought when it comes to displaying kids work in that what is displayed can either be a gallery or a journey of learning. When I was back in a the classroom a few years back, my co-teacher and the teacher next door created a display based on our Inquiry on human impact on the environment. The display grew over the weeks of the unit and contained samples of the kids thinking, work and ideas along the way. This was more powerful as others could look through the display as a form of learning timeline - rather than just putting up 30 final reports or 30 pieces of dolphin art. Displays need to be purposeful - and not static. I hate the generic "motivational posters" and English component posters (that I don't think kids actually refer to much anyway) and think that both the teacher and the students need a heavy dose of themselves in whatever adorns their classroom walls and windows. I definitely would agree that a bare classroom is not an inspiring place for students to want to spend time in. I think photography, of the students and of them at work, is a really powerful way to document and reinforce a sense of belonging and ownership of learning. I have also heard a train of thought when it comes to displaying kids work in that what is displayed can either be a gallery or a journey of learning. When I was back in a the classroom a few years back, my co-teacher and the teacher next door created a display based on our Inquiry on human impact on the environment. The display grew over the weeks of the unit and contained samples of the kids thinking, work and ideas along the way. This was more powerful as others could look through the display as a form of learning timeline – rather than just putting up 30 final reports or 30 pieces of dolphin art. Displays need to be purposeful – and not static. I hate the generic “motivational posters” and English component posters (that I don’t think kids actually refer to much anyway) and think that both the teacher and the students need a heavy dose of themselves in whatever adorns their classroom walls and windows.

]]> Comment on What Your Classroom Says About You, The Educator by Graham http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2013/01/28/what-your-classroom-says-about-you-the-educator/comment-page-1/#comment-16964 Graham Sat, 23 Mar 2013 04:16:00 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=1608#comment-16964 Thanks for your comment - I will add in that classrooms do need to serve the learners who are part of that learning community. So doing a re-design without considering what the learners need is fraught with pitfalls. For example, I know of a quite complex class where the teacher has had to reign in her desires for an open, collaborative classroom because her students have struggled with the freedoms and found the choices for seating and activities to be quite overwhelming. She has gone back to a more whole class, teacher directed approach until she has built in the routines required for successful learning and the children have matured as a group to handle the choices that the classroom could potentially offer. Another teacher I know did a redesign and found that one area of her class was being shunned by her students and another was popular and over-populated by students wanting access, so this has forced her hand to evolve her original use of space. Thanks for your comment – I will add in that classrooms do need to serve the learners who are part of that learning community. So doing a re-design without considering what the learners need is fraught with pitfalls. For example, I know of a quite complex class where the teacher has had to reign in her desires for an open, collaborative classroom because her students have struggled with the freedoms and found the choices for seating and activities to be quite overwhelming. She has gone back to a more whole class, teacher directed approach until she has built in the routines required for successful learning and the children have matured as a group to handle the choices that the classroom could potentially offer. Another teacher I know did a redesign and found that one area of her class was being shunned by her students and another was popular and over-populated by students wanting access, so this has forced her hand to evolve her original use of space.

]]> Comment on What Your Classroom Says About You, The Educator by CHolt http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2013/01/28/what-your-classroom-says-about-you-the-educator/comment-page-1/#comment-16963 CHolt Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:29:26 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=1608#comment-16963 This article is so on point with the idea that the classroom tells a story about the students, the teacher and the type of learning that is takes place inside of the room. Some teachers still have the mindset that the teacher is in control and students are passive learners to need to listen to lectures. These classes are generally set up with the teacher's desk in the front and all of the students facing the teachers. Those classrooms where there are desks in smaller groups, tables scattered in different locations and materials strategically placed around the room seem to be classes where teachers have a more modern approach to learning. These seem to be the classes where students are engaged in peer learning, collaborative projects and individualized learning. Students seem to perform better when they are in these types of environment. I hope that this is the growing trend for classrooms. Good article. This article is so on point with the idea that the classroom tells a story about the students, the teacher and the type of learning that is takes place inside of the room. Some teachers still have the mindset that the teacher is in control and students are passive learners to need to listen to lectures. These classes are generally set up with the teacher’s desk in the front and all of the students facing the teachers. Those classrooms where there are desks in smaller groups, tables scattered in different locations and materials strategically placed around the room seem to be classes where teachers have a more modern approach to learning. These seem to be the classes where students are engaged in peer learning, collaborative projects and individualized learning. Students seem to perform better when they are in these types of environment. I hope that this is the growing trend for classrooms. Good article.

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