TEDtalk - Patrick Awuah: Educating Leaders

1. What is the purpose of this media/information resource? 

This video, “Patrick Awuah on Educating Leaders,” is intended--as the TED motto indicates--to “spread ideas.”  It asks us to consider the role of critical thinking in leadership, and the role of Africa in the world. 

2. How is this produced? 

TEDtalks in general are recorded in front of live audiences.  They are published free on the internet by the TED foundation.

3. Who created it?

The TED foundation gave Mr. Awuah the opportunity to speak.  Mr. Awuah wrote and gave his own speech.  The speech was filmed.  TED published it online.

4. Who is the intended audience? How do you know?

The intended audience are people who are open to information in order to incite change and people who are willing to learn about topics they may not necessarily already know a lot about.  We know this because the TEDtalk was about lack of effective leadership in Africa.  Members of the audience may be inspired to help facilitate the education of effective leaders in Africa or at the very least, become aware that this problem exists.  If you paid to attend a TEDtalk, it is because you want to learn something.

5. What is the main message?

The main message is that lack of effective leadership in Africa is negatively affecting the economy and society.  By changing the education system to educate students to think critically rather than passively in Africa, one can contribute to a solution.  Another important point made is that all leaders, African and otherwise, in all areas of society, need to be educated purposefully and capable of complex problem solving and creativity.

6. Who benefits and what do they gain?

Mr. Awuah benefits from the exposure, personally and professionally.  His college probably also receives publicity and prestige.  TED benefits by hooking more of us with another interesting talk.  And we benefit by being exposed to new ideas.  If the right person watches this TEDtalk, areas of African society may benefit from being the focus of a person ready to make a difference.

7. What would have been my information needs that would have led me to this video?

If I was interested in issues within African society, specifically economically and socially, this may be a good video to watch.  This video also expresses how lack of critical thinking skills affects society as a whole and how education is a key solution to this problem.  

8. How would I understand, organize and assess the information found?

To understand the information, I would simply watch the video.  Mr. Awuah explains his purpose well.  To organize and assess, I could complete this activity, which encourages me to question what I have watched.  Having a discussion about the video, and answering questions, can be an integral part of the synthesis step.

9. Identify and explain the Big6 steps you're applying in this activity.

Task Definition: We had to find the assignment and rubric on Moodle, choose a video, and divide up the tasks between us.

Information Seeking Strategies and Location & Access: We looked through the list of TEDtalks online and chose one we were interested in.

Use of Information: We used the information in the video to answer these questions.

Synthesis: We had a discussion about the video and organized our thoughts and ideas by answering the questions.

Evaluation: We formed opinions about the speaker and his message.

Assignment 5 Reflection

Incorporating Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and the Super 3 into my unit planner was fairly simple.  I can see how concentrating on these two important critical thinking foci really enhances your lessons for an entire unit.  Teaching lessons day by day, you would never have the time or mental energy to stop and reflect on how these strategies can be incorporated.  By focusing on an entire previously completed unit at a time, for a short period of time, a teacher can ensure that Bloom's is dispersed appropriately for specific steps of learning to occur (especially since Blooms builds on itself).  Additionally, making a concerted effort to focus on the steps of the Super 3 ensures that your students are getting at least some exposure to information literacy.

What's the moral of the story here?  If you want to teach effectively, you need to plan effectively and conscientiously.  Take some current unit planners, and boost their worth by adding two important strategies, Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and the Super 3, to increase your students' ability to think critically, think creatively, problem solve and use their higher-order thinking skills.  Even if you only change/add a few things, you can revisit the unit planner the next year to complete the process again.

WebQuest


The WebQuest was fun.  I haven't seen that many elbows thrown since the 2010 Men's Olympic Gold Medal Hockey Game.

It got us out of the classroom, working in groups, team-building, adventuring, searching, integrating technology into our learning experience and showed us a great activity many teachers can integrate into their classroom.

I think the best way to find new teaching strategies is to experience them first hand.  This allows you to be reflective of the process and to use your experience to design your lesson accordingly.  This certainly allowed us to have that first-hand experience.

I especially enjoyed seeing how well technology can be integrated into a very fun learning experience.  When I think of integrating technology, I think of having the students take pictures, make a video, use the internet, etc.  I learned how using QR codes can really enhance the experience and it is a great way to have students using this skill.  Prior to this, the only uses I knew for QR codes was for donating money on charity websites or getting coupons in American super-stores.

I have been inspired to try to incorporate QR codes into my Circle Time activities as part of my Masters Research Project.  I normally find adjusting what we learned in class (all Masters classes) to kindergarten to be difficult, but this seems completely fathomable.  This activity was effective and fun - a great foundation for a lesson.

Google vs. Database

There is a clear winner here and it rhymes with Boogle.

Searching for the term "using differentiation in the classroom for ADD students" on both ASF's US and MS library databases led me to nothing.  Well, that is not entirely true - it led me to "student financial aid", "math differentiation for high school students" and "students for a democratic society" on Encyclopedia Britannica's database.  Not exactly what I was looking for, but thanks anyway.

I had difficulty using passwords on the MS database.  It would not let me log-in to the newspaper database.  The US had a variety of available databases, but databases that I do not feel apply to my search, such as "The New Yorker".  JStor probably would have been appropriate, but required me to create my own account, not use the one from the school.  At least, that is what the website said to me.  With limited time, I was not going to press the issue.

So where did those ASF searches lead me?  Down a dark lonely street to no where.

Google.  Ah, sweet, sweet easy to use Google.  Yes, I know that Google lists information according to hits but in this case, many applied.  The listed websites when I searched "using differentiation in the classroom for ADD students" led me to multiple sources.  Some credible, some not, but at least I had a choice.  Using the rubric provided in class, I could evaluate the websites offered to me and this certainly helped in the searching process.  In general for these terms, the websites were designed well, had pertinent content, appropriate technical elements and adequate credibility.  Please refer to the rubric link provided above for a more detailed description of each category.

The benefit of using Google is rather than linear searching, Google encourages and facilitates multi-faceted, non-linear searches.  One thing leads you to another and another, you hone your search words, continue searching, refer to the elements provided in the rubric and voila!  There you have it.  Information.  Pertinent sift-able information.

Don't forget that you can also use more specific Google searches such as Google Earth, Google Scholar, Google Reader, etc.  Thanks Google.  We appreciate it.

Side note:
This was my first choice for my search above search in the limited time I was given:
ADD/ADHD and School

The Super 3: Incorporating “Plan, Do Review” into a Kinder Lesson

During My Creative Self, a PYP unit of inquiry, students complete the following summative assessment: students organize an art exhibit of their artwork to share with each other and guests and to reflect on what they have learned in the unit about expressing themselves creatively using a variety of media.

This unit is a reflective unit to begin with, although there can certainly be a more concentrated and directed focus on the reflective process.  Further, this unit has a lot of room for students to actively "plan" and then "do".

In terms of the summative assessment itself, students can work collaboratively or independently to first plan their exhibit (plan), have the exhibit (do) and then reflect on what worked and what they learned (review).

Teachers may begin the planning process by explaining the purpose and questioning direction of the art exhibit.  What artwork do students want to show?  Where do they want to show it?  How many pieces should each student share?  What day should we have the exhibit?  Who should we invite?  Questions may be student-generated and/or teacher-guided.  The most important question in this planning process is “What art work do you wish to show and why?”  Students can work individually when choosing artwork and cooperatively when they choose the specifics of the art exhibit.  This can be achieved with the use of individual student worksheets and a group-generated plan.

Secondly, students will be required to “do” the art exhibit.  This includes setting up art work, inviting guests, choosing a venue, picking a day, etc.  While this may have a lot of steps, it should be fairly easy to do.  Students refer to their plans as guides.

Lastly, students will review/reflect on the experience.  What worked?  What did not work?  For example, perhaps not many guests could come because of a planned field trip in another grade.  The lessons learned from this group or small group reflection can be the pre-cursor to the individual review: What did you learn during this process of designing the art exhibit?  What did you learn about the creative process of making and choosing the artwork?  Teachers my guide students using questions that they feel most pertinent to their group and age-range.

This lesson was hardly changed in order to incorporate the Super 3.  In fact, it was really quite simple!  A more directed and formal review process was added, as was a formal planning session for the art exhibit.  Each of these new steps could be incorporated using less than a day each.  It should be very easy for teachers to re-iterate the Super 3 into many of their lessons.

A Compare and Contrast of Media and Information Literacies

Media & Information Literacy: Curriculum for Teachers, p. 18

At the most obvious level, both of the above are literacies - one dealing with information and one dealing with media.  But what does this mean specifically?  What are their differences?

Information literacy, as the name suggests, deals with information.  Do you know how to use the information you find?  The information you are given?  Can you successfully evaluate it and determine if it is valid and useful for your purpose?  Without this literacy, one cannot successfully navigate the multitude of information now available at the click of a mouse.  The skills you need to be literate in this realm include using the Big 6: Task Definition, Information Seeking Strategies, Location & Access, Use of Information, Evaluation.

Media literacy requires one to understand and evaluate media as a tool.  How do we use media in our society?  How does society use media to shape our views?  How can we use media to share our own information?  How can we ensure that our internet use is safe and low-risk?  Without media literacy, one can find themselves in trouble professionally and personally on both a local and global scale.

In my personal opinion, these two literacies go hand-in-hand.  Once versed in how to effectively define your task, decide where and how to look, and evaluate your information (information literacy) you can apply these same higher-order and critical thinking strategies to enhance your media literacy.  Although different, they compliment each other nicely.

Click this link to view my Information Literacy Mind Map!

Pre-Assignment 7: Information Literacy - A Neglected Core Competency

We can ensure that there is a progressive development of information literacy competency in the formal education settings from kindergarten though post secondary education through exposure, interaction and teacher training.

First, we need to expose students to the various forms of information literacy.  This can happen as early as kindergarten in two ways: teachers can model the use of this information to students in individual or group settings and students can explore information while using a classroom computer in a restricted setting (access to certain sites only).  As students get older, they can take more ownership in the searching and selecting of different forms of information literacy.  Teachers will continue to guide this process until post-secondary.

Secondly, students need to be able to interact with the information in order to learn how to use it and apply it in their daily lives and to see the value of the process as a form of education and not just for getting a grade.  Teachers need to develop meaningful uses of the literacy in order for it to be most effective.

None of this can occur without teacher education.  Until teachers are fully literate in this field, they cannot be effective educators in this subject.  School boards need to develop their staff professionally or else this is a lost cause.  In addition, we should not forget the value of knowledge that students bring to the classroom - we can also learn from them.

Pre-Assignment 6: Google Reader Bundle

Pre-Assignment 4: Making Time to Build Your PLN

1.     At present, I have a social media PLN.  Multiple times a day, I check in with twitter, facebook, emails and various blogs.  I have recently begun to appreciate and actively seek out more blogs.  I am drawn to sites that have lots of pictures and enjoy reading blogs and articles that include relevant images to support understanding and comprehension.

2.     Reading blogs are natural to me as is checking in with facebook.  I have a smartphone and with the click of a button I can be linked in.  As a result, reading statuses and information during my daily bus ride is very easy.  It is less natural for me to use one site to find new information, i.e. following other people’s links, although I am beginning to do this more frequently as I find interesting people to follow.

3.     I am very comfortable with twitter and facebook but I do not ever actively seek out e-zines.  A goal of mine is to find an e-zine that relates to kindergarten and begin to frequent the site.

4.     After my students leave school for the day, I have a 30-minute lunch break.  When I am not collaborating with colleagues, I enjoy spending the time on the internet.  This would be an excellent time for me to devote to finding new resources and to follow more links.

5.     My top tip is to read one resource a day.  Do not allow yourself to get overwhelmed by trying to do everything at once.  Bookmark what you like and disregard what is uninteresting or irrelevant to your interests. 

Pre-Assigment 3: Twitter/Google Chrome Apps

Here are the apps that I have added to my Google Chrome Browser.

Not all of them are displayed directly above, some are only visible in the top right corner of this image, adjacent to the address bar (Shareaholic, Awesome Screenshot, Diigo Web Highlighter and Google Reader Notifier).

Pre-Assignment 2: Personal Learning Network

As a result of my Personal Learning Network infancy, I have yet to truly discover how to make this process easier and I am in no position to be offering advice or tips on how to create a PLN.  What I have learned for certain is that there is much left to learn. Where do I want my learning to occur? Through blogs?  Twitter?  Personal collaboration?  Facebook page?  These questions will answer themselves as I proceed with this new professional process.  Who do I want to learn from?  Veterans in the field or newbies?  Teachers from my geographic location? My grade level?  My interests?  Will I make this a daily habit?  A weekly event?  Although my learning process was only just initiated, I can begin to anticipate some of the lessons I will learn.

Generally, I hope to learn how to find valuable and relevant information to share with my own PLN.  This will require me to do some serious Internet exploration.  Specifically, I hope to learn effective teaching strategies for teaching reading within primary years to give me some fresh and effective ideas.

Connecting with and creating a PLN will help me to be a more aware and relevant teacher through the use of a 21^st-century skill: technology.  Global connections can be made with colleagues from near and far and illustrates teaching by example; if we want our students to be global learners, we need to be as well.  Connecting the two challenges together is simple – once you know what you want to know, you can search for a PLN that satisfies your professional needs.

Pre-Assignment 1: A Reflection on Sir Kenneth Robinson’s Changing Education Paradigms

Reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

As a kindergarten teacher, I work each day with geniuses.  At least, according to Sir Ken Robinson, I do.  He states that when given a test on divergent thinking, 98% of kindergarten students in a particular study scored at the genius level.  As they became older and more educated, the rates of genius went down.  This begs the question, “How do we educate our children to take their place in the economies of the 21^st century?”  Clearly the traditional system is failing.  One challenge is that we do not know what the economies of the 21^st century will even look like.  Preparing my kindergarten students today for the economy of today will not help them twenty years from now when they enter an entirely different workforce.

Sir Ken Robinson argues that traditional education systems are based on the factory model of the industrial age: bells, hours, subjects and age.  This belief was also reiterated by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs in her keynote address, at the Tri-Association Conference in Panama City this past year.  She argued that we are using a 19^th century factory schedule and a 20^th century curriculum on a 21^st century learner.  We are preparing our students for 1982!  Our challenge here is how to we even begin to address this backwards model?

Education needs a huge reform in order to bring teaching and learning to the 21^st century through an aesthetic lens.  When approached as a whole, this is a daunting and seemingly impossible task.  What one thing can you do, today, to help your students for the economies of tomorrow?  Teach them how to think and create so that they can adapt easily to economic changes.