jlearn2.0

Here’s my wish list for what I’d like to see this year in Jewish learning…

Change our community’s learning narrative. It’s not about technology. It’s about what it means to be learners and educators in today’s world. It’s about skills that we need as 21st century learners and professionals in the field. It’s about the creative resources that are available to us. It’s about opportunities for collaborating and creating. It’s about learning.

Acknowledging our capacity for capacities. Adults use technology. This is not so much an issue of digital natives and digital immigrants. That’s one way to think about it, but most of the people that I know who are blogging or using wikis or podcasting or twittering or playing with Wii or Second Life or World of Warcraft are, well, adults. Dare I say “middle aged” - whatever that means these days? I know it goes against the popular sentiment that new technologies are for kids and college upstarts who make millions from their dorm rooms. And it’s possible my world view is skewed based on the people I hang out with. But we need to acknowledge and respect that there are many accomplished people of all ages who are experimenting, integrating new media into their lives, and doing wonderful things, and that some of the resources and tools available to the younger generations are built on their work. We do ourselves a disservice by falling into the trap of popular myth (which taps into our insecurities and provides an easy out) rather than embracing the larger context of learning and challenges of change.

Beth Kanter summarizes an interesting discussion that redirects the so-called generational chasm over technology as exemplified by Marc Prensky’s thesis of digital natives and digital immigrants. In short, George Siemens frames the issues in another way:

- Technology use is determined by context, not age
- Our peer-group influences the manner in which we use technology for socialization

Read Beth’s posting and the links she refers to, especially George Siemens and Jamie McKenzie. And the work by Sue Bennet, Karl Maton, and Lisa Kervin which challenges some assumptions about learners (hat tip to Bronwyn Stuckey for the reference).

And by the way, web 2.0 culture facilitates interactions among participants of all ages. So we need to rethink our ideas about community. And we may need to rethink how we pigeon hole demographics all the way around. Pigeon holing being different than targeting. Just saying.

Open source Jewish learning. Where is it? Think MIT OpenCourseWare. Think Yale. Think MERLOT. Think iTunes U. Think “web stars.” Think of the possibilities!

Adults, children, homeschooled families, communities of learners. Design your own learning program. Access great minds. Expand your horizons. Share your expertise. You get the picture.

A virtual conference on the Jewish future. On the Future of Jewish Learning. On the Jewish Future is Now. On Jewish Learning. On anything along these lines that brings us together and moves us forward about how we interact and create our future.

For example:

K-12 Online Conference

Read more about it - here’s the info from the 2007 conference:

“The K-12 Online Conference invites participation from educators around the world interested in innovative ways Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to improve learning. This FREE conference is run by volunteers and open to everyone. The 2007 conference theme is “Playing with Boundaries”. This year’s conference begins with a pre-conference keynote the week of October 8, 2007. The following two weeks, October 15-19 and October 22-26, forty presentations will be posted online to the conference blog (this website) for participants to download and view. Live Events in the form of three “Fireside Chats” and a culminating “When Night Falls” event will be announced. Everyone is encouraged to participate in both live events during the conference as well as asynchronous conversations. More information about podcast channels and conference web feeds is available!”

Free. Volunteers. Keynotes. Live Events. Podcasts. Recordings. Archives. Continuing Conversation. Amazing Talent. Incredible Participants. Global.

Need I say more?

Why, yes. I’m on a roll.

Future of Education Online Conference 2007

Read on:

“Tumultuous change is creating new opportunities for schools, colleges, universities, and corporations to rethink their approaches to teaching and learning. Many buzzwords are used to describe the change: globalization, web 2.0, the world is flat, the wisdom of crowds, and the long tail. What exists beyond the hype? What is happening to education? What will be the shape of education in the future? Answering these questions is no easy task – the change drivers have not yet settled sufficiently to reveal a clear path forward. For academics, researchers, and leaders, it is important to begin exploring the trends emerging and potential implications and directions forward. The Future of Education is a free online conference exploring trends impacting education - K-12, higher education, and corporation training.

An international group of leading thinkers and visionaries will present on topics such as knowledge and authority, technology and art, self-organized learning systems, and complexity science. Daily live discussions (which will be recorded) will be held June 4 – 8. In addition to daily keynote presentations, a series of 20 minute presentations will address how various experts perceive tomorrow’s education system and processes.

To extend the live presentations, ongoing discussions will be held in Moodle – allowing conference attendees to participate actively in the conference, regardless of schedule or time zone differences.”

Free. Volunteers. Keynotes. Live Events. Podcasts. Recordings. Archives. Continuing Conversation. Amazing Talent. Incredible Participants. Global.

You get the idea.

Establishing presence on the community agenda. It’s been a decade since the world wide event, Jewish Web Week (see also here), was held in February 1998. Yes, 1998. It was an incredible effort, and many of the people who created and supported it are still very much involved in Jewish life online and off. Two other Jewish Web Weeks were held in 1999 and 2000. What should we be doing in 2008 that celebrates the richness and diversity of Jewish culture and learning, showcases our community’s talent and resources, and sparks the communal imagination? Maybe Jewish Web Week isn’t the venue. But let’s think of one. (Yes, it’s called “the Internet.” I get it. But you know what I mean).

Think systemic change. Think professional skills for the 21st century / 58th century professional. Ditto for our constituents. Ditto for us all as learners.

Need a conversation starter? Try this: White Paper: Jewish Learning in the Digital Age.

Social media in support of communities of practice, education, non-profits, learning. Things to consider:

Noontime Web Video Revitalizes Lunch at Desk, by Brian Stelter, New York Times, January 5, 2008

Online communities of practice for educators:

EdTechTalk hosts regular podcasts by teachers for teachers
The Edublogger community for educational bloggers

Social networks: Facebook, Ning

Other social media: YouTube, JewTube, TeacherTube

elearning: mobile learning, Howard Rheingold and SmartMobs, webinars

Judaism 2.0 by Gail Hyman, a report from the Jewish Funders Network in partnership with the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies (a tip of the kipah to Jon Woocher for the sharing this resource).

Virtual = Real. Social networking in multi-user virtual environments is real (Second Life, Active Worlds, etc.). Learning is real. Professional development is real. “Do it yourself” Jewish is real. It’s another venue, a platform, an entry point, a palette. The 3D web is here. Be here now.

Experimenting with new meeting, conference, and idea formats. Yes, even face to face. Unconferences. Meet-ups. “Ask Later” a la Ignite Seattle. TED-type events. And while we’re at it, how about making face to face events available online. For example, the recent Educon 2.0 conference in Philadelphia also happened on Ustream TV in real time. Sessions were archived for viewing by anyone, anywhere with a good Internet connection, at their convenience.

Get ideas out there. Build on the strength of weak ties. Learn from the web 2.0, open source communities. This is what it’s about. Converse! Collaborate! Create! Let’s learn more from each other, with each other!

Newly articulated forms of learning. Consider the following and what it means for Jewish learning.

2008 Horizon Report by the The New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative.
Jay Cross. Informal Learning: Rediscovering the Natural Pathways that Inspire Innovation and Practice
Henry Jenkins. “Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century.”
Daniel Pink
Insert favorite here. Discussion anyone?

Tachlis and vision. Develop strategies for systemic change. Provide multiple means for educators and learners to integrate these resources into their work. Redefine teaching and learning. Raise the level of discourse in the community. Support initiatives. Share information and ideas. Work together on projects. Read together. Learn together. Have Serious Fun.

Change our community’s narrative, part 2. What’s your vision? Here’s to an exciting new year together!

My personal learning network has expanded exponentially these past few months. This is due in no small part to my participation in an online workshop on communities of practice sponsored by CPsquare. Sometimes things just click – for me, the workshop helped contextualize my work and interests in a way that has helped me grow personally and professionally.

I can also attest to the power of social networking media. I have had the privilege of meeting new friends and colleagues through various online media, some of whom I have subsequently met face to face, most of whom I might never have otherwise bumped into in a meaningful way, if at all. I’ve also had opportunities to interact with friends and colleagues whom I have known for many years in ways that have deepened our learning together.

We all have people we turn to and learn from, but we don’t always articulate these relationships in terms of our own professional and personal growth. Who is in your personal learning network?

In recognition of the first year anniversary of this blog, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thank you and look forward to what the next year brings.

Although the blog has been quiet, jlearn2.0 has been actively working behind the scenes to develop a new site (coming soon here it is…!) with new resources (coming a little later…!).

Things I’ve been thinking about lately in no particular order (coming soon… - really!): professional development 2.0, web cubed, social networking, communities of practice, facebook, sukkah building in Second Life, online conferences, web 2.0, technology stewardship, site visits to schools, cherishing colleagues, and, yes, anchovies.

Stay tuned…

Although I am not at this year’s CAJE conference physically, I have been following it online. This year’s conference theme is “Engaging 21st Century Jewish Learners.” As previously noted, there is quite a selection of sessions that address issues of technology. Some of these are specifically listed as part of the conference track, “Technology as a means of engaging the learner.” Several are listed under different tracks, which, to my mind, is a good thing. In general, the sessions include a mix of curriculum integration, “how-tos,” case studies, and showcases for resources and products. Technology is just one of the areas explored regarding the engagement of the learner. Other tracks include “Adult Learners,” “Hebrew,” “G-d, Spirituality and Prayer,” “Israel and Klal Yisrael,” “Tikkun Olam/Social Action,” “Young Adults,” and much, much more.

We learn and teach in a variety of different settings. In his opening remarks, Peter Eckstein, co-chair of the CAJE 32 conference, challenged participants to redefine their frames of reference to include virtual classrooms, communities, friends and communities.

Iris Petroff, CAJE”s president, asks attendees to consider: “What was your best CAJE moment?“

Here’s a spin on that question: How has your experience at CAJE / in the classroom / in academia / at home / in your learning setting / as a learner / as an educator contributed to your thinking about how to engage Jewish learners? What tools can we use? What infrastructures do we need? What are new ways to think about transforming Jewish learning - and what does that mean, anyway :)? What are core values at the heart of Jewish learning? What could Jewish learning look like – and what will it take to get us there? What are other, better questions we should be asking?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how to make the case for Second Life (SL) and education. I recently returned from the annual NECC conference. There were a few sessions on SL, and a special playground area and lounge set aside for SLers. I was not able to spend a lot of time there, but it seemed like there was a lot of enthusiasm and cheerleading and assistance in signing people up. Docents for ISTE in SL presented demonstrations to individuals and groups in real life. What I found, based on my limited observations, is that many of these demonstrations were “evangelical” in nature and more about the cool, fun features of SL rather than on educational substance. Which is a start – it is always good to get people excited about a new medium – but certainly not sufficient or, ultimately, satisfying. Questions arise: “Where’s the beef?” “Is there a ‘there’ there?”

I came away from NECC with the sense that what the educational community needs is a so-called elevator pitch that describes general concepts of SL succinctly and which focuses on what it could mean for education in concrete terms. This pitch, or explanation, should answer the question, “What can SL do for me, as an educator?” Which translates into “What can SL do for learners?”

I haven’t formulated that pitch quite yet – and I welcome any ideas. But looking at SL and at resources like the Educational Uses of Second Life Wiki and the Second Life Education Wiki, I have been able to identify the following types of SL activities for education:

• Broadcast media such as film, radio, television, and video
• Community socials to meet with others with similar interests
• Creative writing and literature
• Data visualizations and simulations
• Design projects
• Elearning courses and workshops
• Exhibits and galleries on art, history, photography, and specific content areas
• Historic recreations and reenactments
• Inter-cultural collaborations
• Language learning
• Performing arts including dance, music, and theater
• Philanthropy
• Presentations and conferences
• Professional development and skills development
• Role playing
• Scavenger hunts
• Simulation games and training
• Social action
• Tutorials
• Videoconferencing

Immersive worlds are platforms with which to build experiences. They are particularly conducive to supporting constructivist learning. I can see where virtual recreations of a specific time and place might help students better appreciate the culture of that era. Navigating a fairly accurate recreation of the ancient world on SL could better contextualize traditional texts, for example. Role playing historical or fictional characters could also provide another window into the subject matter. Similarly, learners could critique the accuracy of such an environment, or collaborate on building one based on historic research. Or students can practice their written or oral Hebrew language skills using text or Skype (audio will be integrated more fully into SL shortly) while touring a contemporary virtual Jerusalem or Tel Aviv or kibbutz with native speakers. Jewish learners from around the world can come together and share local customs related to holidays and observances, or just exchange favorite music files and hang out together online.

I recognize that different media may be more appropriate or efficient for different types of learning and I don’t make any special claims about virtual worlds, except that the potential for re-envisioning Jewish education inworld is intriguing and it is more than an intellectual exercise. Immersive worlds have an almost tangible socio-emotional character that should not be underestimated.

Take a look at Ryan Bretag’s (Existential Paine in SL) recent article, “MUVE about Everything and Nothing” on the Techlearning blog. Ryan compares SL to the Seinfeld television series – it’s about everything and nothing. Once you get past the buzz and the hype, Second Life is, ultimately, what you make of it.

Similarly, I believe SL is nothing if not social interaction and content (created and/or consumed and/ or interacted with). It is up to us as educators to identify resources and activities appropriate to learning objectives and to frame the content accordingly for successful, meaningful learning experiences.

Note: I refer specifically to SL because there is a growing and active educational community promoting its work there. It is not clear that SL will remain in the forefront as other MUVEs – multi-user virtual environments – emerge and develop. These questions apply equally to them.

Virtual environments, specifically multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs), have been around for awhile. MUVEs and their predecessors are commonly thought to be the domain of online gaming communities or esoteric science fiction-like academic projects. Recently, however, there has been a shift in how these immersive worlds are perceived.

There is increasing buzz about these environments in the blogosphere and in more traditional media, especially among the business and education sectors. Cultural artifacts of virtual environments are bleeding into the vocabulary of so-called “real life.” Stuffed animals are marketed in concert with an online community (Webkinz). Television commercials urge tweens and teens to personalize and accessorize their presence in online activities through the creation of avatars. They are also invited to interact through their avatar by joining a virtual world (Zwinky). The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and other mainstream publications publish articles that describe commerce and entertainment in the metaverse, Second Life. Reuters has a bureau chief posted there.

Similarly, there appears to be a gain in momentum among certain education circles as educators increasingly engage and experiment with different Internet-based tools and online learning environments. A core group of educators are actively building sites for learning and exploration on Second Life, including college campuses, museums, libraries, and classroom teachers. Organizations like ISTE and the New Media Consortium have established presences on Second Life in the form of virtual meeting space, social gatherings, presentations, and conferences.

It is not clear how the current landscape of virtual environments will develop or how it will transform into something new. Sites like Second Life or There may hit their peak at some point, or may be used as a launching pad for new initiatives. Other venues might be created for specialized arenas like education or business.

What is evident, however, is that the genie is out of the bottle. A critical mass of early adopters appears to be forming and initiating the development of new online experiences on the 3D Internet. The vocabulary and other artifacts of virtual worlds are converging back into “real life.” More people are logging on, or becoming increasingly familiar with aspects of virtual environments without even participating in them. Although individual participants have been central driving forces behind many of these worlds, organizations are taking notice and diving in. The environments are offering new tools that are constantly being refined: graphics, scripting, chat, presentations, video and audio streams. Participants are not only consumers of these worlds, but active producers of resources, objects, and knowledge. And perhaps most powerful of all are the social aspects of these settings. People around the world, across oceans and time zones, are regularly establishing relationships and social networks which would otherwise be impractical.

And so… what might this mean for Jewish learning?

More to come…

Resources for Learning More:

Introduction to Second Life

Second Life (recommendation: upon membership, select NMC as orientation preference)
Second Life Introduction video
Second Seeker – Unofficial Second Life Reviews
2Life – The Jewish Magazine in Second Life

Education in Second Life

Angel Learning Introduction video
Beth’s Second Life: Teaching English and Women’s Studies in Second Life
Chronicle of Higher Education: Wired Campus Blog: Second Life
Educational Uses of Second Life Wiki
Keith Jarrett’s Second Life in Education slideshare presentation
Second Life Education Wiki
Second Life Education Wiki: Working with Teens
The SLED Picayune
The Story of My “Second Life,” a k-20 educator’s… exploration of… Second Life
Suffern Middle School in Second Life

Social Action in Second Life

Global Kids Online Leadership Program
MacArthur Foundation: Building the Field of Digital Learning and Media (see especially “Doing the Impossible in Digital Worlds” and Invitation to Virtual World Event on Philanthropy)

Articles

“A Brave New World for TV? Virtually” by Dave Itzkoff, New York Times, June 24, 2007.
“A Job Interview You Don’t Have to Show Up For: Microsoft, Verizon, Others Use Virtual Worlds to Recruit; Dressing Avatars for Success” by Anjali Athavaley, Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2007.
“Doll Web Sites Drive Girls to Stay Home and Play” by Matt Richtel and Brad Stone, New York Times, June 6, 2007.
“Foundation With Real Money Ventures Into Virtual World” by Stephanie Strom, New York Times, June 22, 2007.
“My Daughter, the Burger-Flipping Penguin” by Michelle Slatalla, New York Times, May 3, 2007.
“Now, Virtual Fashion” by Andrew Lavallee, Wall Street Journal, September 22, 2006 “Pepperdine in a Treehouse” by Christine Lagorio, New York Times, January 7, 2007. Registration required.
“Real-Life Migrants on the Muve: Stories of Virtual Transitions” by Ross A. Perkins and Cathy Arreguin, Learning and Leading with Technology, May 2007. Membership login required.

“[T]hese instruments are not uncommon, but are little resorted to by the teacher.”
(Observations on the chalkboard, 1840)

In the early 1800’s a new technology emerged which, along with changes in society, would radically help alter the way in which education was designed. It was used in schools, colleges, and military institutions like West Point. This tool was instrumental as a presentation and demonstration tool. It helped to support learning; engaged students in interactive learning; facilitated the organization of class work; and supported new learning strategies that took advantage of visual tools such as text and graphics. Learning was more easily accessed by the entire class and class time could be used more efficiently through whole group instruction by engaging the entire class at once, rather than focusing on only a few students at a time. A sense of community was created through the sharing and presentation of student work.

Its integration into common educational use was not immediate. It took time and circumstances for educators to realize its potential. Its adaptation into normative teaching practice was made through incremental changes that in turn reflected shifts in educational philosophy and vision, architecture and learning culture. Training manuals were developed with step-by-step guidelines, and staff development was provided in schools of education. Eventually, the technology became so widespread and normative that it was seamlessly integrated into the architecture of most classrooms.

This technology, the chalkboard, maintains its place in traditional educational settings. The chalkboard was notable for its ease of use, low technical and maintenance requirements, and relatively low cost. Today, in addition to the familiar low-tech chalkboard, there are updated electronic versions of interactive whiteboards that allow users to digitally manipulate data (literally and figuratively), store it, and make it available to download, print, or email to the class.

It is worth remembering that it takes time, vision, resources, and training for educational technologies to develop.
___
Sources:
Dockterman, David A. Great Teaching in the One Computer Classroom. Watertown, MA: Tom Snyder Productions, 1998.
Dockterman, David A. Tools for Teachers: An Historical Analysis of Classroom Technology. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, 1998.