Classroom 2.0 Set Panel for Office 2.0 Conference

Details on our panel discussion set for the Office 2.0 Conference in San Francisco have been posted. Ours is the longest session with the most panelists--should be very interesting!

(This is the same conference where the attendees all receive an iPhone or a PlayStation 3. I chose the iPhone, and have been paying with it for a couple of days. I did not activate the phone service, but have just been using local wifi to test it out. Very fun. Not perfect, but very fun.)

From the conference website:

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Time & Location

Thursday, September 6, 2007, 3:30PM - 5:00PM, Conservatory

Speakers

Steve Hargadon (Moderator), Editor, Classroom 2.0
Kyle Brumbaugh, Technology Coordinator, San Mateo Union High School District
Steve Dembo, Online Community Manager, Discovery Communications
Josie Fraser, Advisor, Childnet International
Adam Frey, Founder, Tangient
Anastasia Goodstein, Editor, Ypulse
Karen Greenwood Henke, Founder, Nimble Press
Rushton Hurley, Founder, Next Vista for Learning
Sylvia Martinez, President, Generation YES

Abstract

Schools and educational institutions are finding significant practical applications for the tools of Web/Office 2.0, but the hurdles to adoption are as large as the potential for change (and possibly directly correlated). As in the Enterprise, there are significant practical challenges to overcome--security, filtering, and comfort with and appropriateness of openness--but there is a great potential for a dramatic rethinking of the role of formal institutions in teaching and learning.

The promise of Web 2.0 technologies is so great that almost all of the basic types of online collaborative software are being used by teachers somewhere, whose own use of the tools is minimizing their sense of isolation and creating a strong communities of practice and professional development. But while these tools open new vistas of collaborative learning, distance education, differentiated or individualized instruction, and proactive educational paths, they also inherently challenge our culturally entrenched and traditional learning structures.

Blogs have been the primary entry point of Web 2.0 into education, but educators in growing numbers are also now engaging students by using wikis, podcasting, collaborative documents, social networking, social bookmarking, photo- and video-sharing, and other tools of user-generated content. In many (but not all) cases, students are coming to school with a broad familiarity with these technologies, but not necessarily with the depth of understanding to use them thoughtfully or carefully. Do they park these skills at the door before coming into the classroom, or can schools help students to learn to use them in productive educational ways? Can we afford to have enough computing technology in schools to do so? Can and should we train existing teachers to use the tools themselves so that they, in turn, can help the students understand and incorporate them into their educational lives? How does collaborative technology change the role of the teacher? How relevant is formal education when access to the world's knowlege-base is often more accessible at home than at school? How significant will collaborative technologies become for the administrative side of education? What role will commercial organizations play in filling in the gaps?

Many feel that educational computing has been the great unfulfilled promise of the last twenty years. Come join us as we discuss how this may be changing, and fast, because of Web/Office 2.0.

Starting a New "Ning in Education" Network

In the months since I started the Classroom 2.0 social network, I have come to appreciate social networking as a tool for education. Our Classroom 2.0 network would likely be generally categorized as professional development, but it also seems to provide a rich environment for "conversation," support, encouragement, idea generation, and resource locating.

I've watched educators struggle through their first posts as they've bravely jumped into the world of the collaborative web, only to see them fast become significant contributors. I've watched some pretty deep, amazing conversations about teaching and learning, and have just really been amazed at the potential benefits of social networking and Web 2.0 for education. In fact, it's hard to remember that just a few months ago there was a serious question about whether a social network for educators would be valuable.

I've also interviewed both Gina Bianchini and Marc Andreessen, the founders of Ning, and have been taken with the vision that they have for Ning and social networking in general. As well, they have expressed appreciation for the use of their product in education. And so, earlier this month, I suggested to Gina that they contract with me to provide help and support to educators specifically interested in using Ning. She was very excited about it, and so education.ning.com has been born.

The goal of education.ning.com will be to provide a network of support for educators: philosphical, pedagogical, and practical. I've started a list on the site of educational social networks that are already running--I know is just the tip of the iceberg and you are likely aware of many more, but hope the list will quickly be added to and become a valuable resource in it's own right.

I also plan on holding regular (weekly?) Elluminate/Skypecast sessions as part of education.ning.com that will be open for those who want special help or tutorials on different ways to customize Ning. I'm hopeful that the forum will provide a way for those who have dealt with issues specific to education will be able to document and share their solutions. And I'm sure some of you will have other ideas of things that I can do with education.ning.com that will be of benefit to you.

Classroom 2.0 will, I hope, continue to grow and flourish, and I plan on continuing my avid interest in it. Education.ning.com will be specific to the use of Ning networks in education.

Looking forward to continued adventures...