Lagniappe for Learning » Uncategorized

Earth-shattering Trio

learninglagniappe — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:21:59 +0000

Imagine a threesome of earth-shattering events (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration, but rare and exciting nonetheless) all crammed into a 24-hour period! Here’s mine for today:

8:30am Tilt-Wall: Lifting of the first 3-story concrete panel of our future Lorenzo Walker Technical High School – followed by an additional half-dozen or so! After months of watching worker bees doing ’something’ behind the fence and with a looming August 2008 completion date, it was a relief to see the basic structure of the building actually appear. The crane was assembled over the weekend and by Monday, all 43 panels should be up – amazing!

9:00am Sonic boom (double pop) of the shuttle reentering the earth’s atmosphere – on schedule and another reminder of our role in the universe. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any trace of space flight, but still a neat event – even the construction workers took note and looked up to the sky!
10:00pm Total Lunar Eclipse Another look skyward – what an awesome sight!

Technorati Tags: construction LWTHS sonic eclipse

K12 Online Conference

learninglagniappe — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 02:09:07 +0000

3 Reasons Meme

Time for a new blog meme to help spread the word about the upcoming K12 Online Conference 2007. When you are tagged– simply create a blog post where you link to this flickr photo. Then write your 3 reasons and tag several others who will do the same thing. After you tag someone in your post, please email them to let them know so they can help spread the word.

Please share either three reasons to participate based on your experience from last
year or (if you didn’t attend last year) three things you hope to gain from the experience this year.

My Three Reasons

No travel $ = No problem! *BONUS* You can learn in your pj’s or with a glass of vino!
New features in 2007: Take My Hand (for newbies) and Attendr Map (for personal collaborative opportunities)
Last year’s sessions are still available for ongoing reflection!

Tag – You’re It! to: Jeanette, Karen, Carey, Dennis, Bridget, Howard

Technorati Tags: k12online07

Engaging the Masses

learninglagniappe — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 02:08:40 +0000

As I begin to wind down my marathon of classroom Media Orientation presentations, I’m wondering about the value and efficacy of this time. On the positive side:

For me to have face-to-face contact with students across the campus is a reward in and of itself, so that alone might make the visits worthwhile.
Another immediate feedback in evidence is the increased circulation of books – though I don’t do formal booktalks, I bring appropriate materials to “show off” some of the available resources.
Using interactive techniques to prompt discussion and feedback has sometimes yielded absolutely dynamic and relevant conversation about digital citizenship and information literacy.
Instructors have often remarked how much they have learned from the presentation themselves, which is a ‘win-win’ indeed.
Modeling technological tools (’clickers’ and online links to wikis) and creative commons licensing sets the stage for faculty and students to increase content creation.

The need to improve is also evidenced by:

The same interactive techniques that prompted ‘dynamic and relevant conversation’ in some classrooms brought deadpan stares or inappropriate off-task chatting in other classrooms.
A few instructors sensing the opportunity for my classroom visit to allow them planning time rather than participating in the presentation.

Time will tell whether or not the message of searching, evaluating and using information ethically makes an impact. I’ve recently asked faculty to provide a bit more formal feedback via an online survey which may yield additional and more specific information. In addition, I’ll continue to try to adapt what I’ve learned from this experience and plug it into the cycle of improvement.

Photo credit to John Morton at Flickr