Twitter, Online Voice and Safe Learning Spaces

I commented on Mr. Robert Paris' blog a few days' ago. It was in response to his concerns about Twitter and how to provide a safe space for students to fail and not be subject to ridicule. My comment was so long that I think it's worth reproducing on my own blog for others to comment on.

Hi, I’m an ALT Labber who is currently teaching an online course (I do not use the term online class as I see an association of a “class” with a physical space). I use Twitter judiciously, as part of my online teaching kit. I sort of feel that gives me some credibility to jump into this conversation with all of you.

I’m a passionate advocate of inclusive teaching, which means creating safe spaces for my students is a priority for me. I encourage my students to use Twitter for immediate direct communication with me. In this way, I know they are present just as they know I’m present — creating online teaching and social presence is an online teacher’s attempt to humanize online learning. With the asynchronous nature of most online teaching, I appreciate Twitter technology and the immediacy it provides in letting me know I can indicate my presence and availability to my students.

That being said, I try to balance both — supporting inclusive safe spaces with open pedagogy. I don’t tweet everything nor expect my students to blabber without discernment. They know that there are some things they could Direct Message (DM) me about. If I know an issue would embarrass them, I DM them. Of course, there is that whole “dignity of risk” argument too. I quote this from my blog post:

“Supposedly, this phrase was coined in the 1970s regarding the subject of care for people with disabilities. I could see this applied in educational contexts. Allow students the liberty to try things for themselves, first. Don’t try to coddle them. Of course, we don’t like to see them get hurt and that’s where the discernment of the teacher is welcomed. I see this as an area of struggle for teachers as we move towards open pedagogy. We are fearful. We are anxious. We worry that they might get bullied, hurt, write or say the wrong things that backfire and brand them for life; leaving digital footprints that ruin their future prospects. Remember, we are the guide on the side, and we are there for them, consistently.” (http://justywk.blogspot.com/2015/05/quick-notes-vcuiit15.html)

I offer my students the opportunity to try something new because it’s a thinking disposition that supports productive thinking. Exploring the web with Twitter and blogs is quite an imperative I’d say in nurturing digital literacy. Helping students find their online voice is just as important as giving them the opportunity to have an audible voice in the classroom. Vicki Davis, an educator from whom I’ve learned much via Twitter, taught me that “a student without a blog is a student without a voice.” Here’s a funny but true meme:https://twitter.com/MitchChampagne/status/557555426321907716/photo/1

In elementary school, I wrote for one (maybe). Let your students #blog and write for the world. #edchat #literacy pic.twitter.com/bqYZAHXPcd

— Mitch Champagne (@MitchChampagne) January 20, 2015

I want my students to find their voice, using the best available technology out there. Having an online voice is not something teachers can ignore in the 21st C and letting them write for the world in 140 characters is one way to help them. Not the only way, of course.

I understand your hesitancy because using Twitter or a private web video chat session is a decision I sometimes struggle to make, regularly, as long as my course is on. Safe space, open space, both, or more? There is not a perfect ANSWER. There are questions I try to deal with a case at a time, a day at a time. My course is located at http://rampages.us/clearthinking/ if you would like to check it out.

Welcome to online teaching! Thanks for the space to articulate some of my thoughts.

 Quite a blog comment. It was written at the spur of the moment. Writing is without a word my favorite way to articulate my thinking. Now, moving on to a response to something about multimodality. 

Designing a Course Worth Learning 3: Course Video Make

Thinking and talking about the course has turned into action. Yes, UNIV 291 has begun. I did not create a navigation or orientation video because I had provided a lot of instructions on the website. The students didn't seem to be lost. They knew where to start. I had a Get Started button, to be sure.

Most of their questions centered around Learning Activity terms we use in Connected Learning. Were they doing things "right" and questions about social media. Why aren't my tweets showing up? There was anxiety and excitement at blasting off, but I wanted them to feel they belonged to a community right away. So I launched the site, let them navigate the course site a bit and then posted a video to let them know I'm present and available; always listening and responding. I also wanted to emphasize the affordances of the open web, knowing most of them were new to Twitter and were not familiar with Connected Learning.

The video took me considerable time to produce. The following are the tools I used and the production process:

1. PRE-PROD: I thought of what I wanted to say and wrote it out using MS Word. It would come in handy for close-captioning in YouTube later. 
2. I didn't read off the script. It was a guide so that I wouldn't have too many "Ums and Ahs." 
3. PROD: I created the raw videos in Quicktime Player on my iMac. There is an option for Movie recording. I saved both as MOV files. I had gone much longer than I intended to be - about 7 minutes. I split the first file and created another ending movie.  
4. I imported them into WeVideo for editing. [Note: I tried using iMovie but it didn't have the editing timeline I prefer to use but this option is available in WeVideo.] I have a paid account that allows me to have more storage space and editing features in WeVideo. The app didn't work too well with my older Windows machine. It worked better (without crashing) on my newer XP touchscreen laptop. (Just something to note.) In WeVideo, I clipped the videos and merged them with transitions, title and ending slides, audio and annotations.
5. I then published the final movie in WeVideo and YouTube (so that I could close caption it). 
6. POST-PROD: Close captioning was completed rather efficiently with a script in YouTube. 

I was reasonably pleased with the final outcome and what I could do in WeVideo. The whole video took longer than I intended to spend time on because I had not estimated how long my initial script would take. Mostly, it's also in the little details -- what font to use, what music, what transitions, etc. Let me know if you have any questions about creating your own course videos. It's highly doable these days with the available web technologies.

With more time, I would have captured the process with a software, but I'm short of time at the moment. Something to revisit later.
    

This is How I Tweet and Chirp

I use Twitter as part of my work and for professional development. I created an account in 2007 but wasn't actively participating in the web until ALT Lab came along. I have ways to go but there are several things I've learned from using Twitter actively since October 2014. I've summarized and illustrated them as 7 big ideas thus far.

1. I get the latest information from my Tweeps/Twends? (Twitter People/Twitter Friends)
2. My Twends tutor me when I need some help.
3. I reflect and wonder out loud on Twitter.
4. Let's not forget the social aspect. Many of my Twends are warm and helpful.
5. It's not all serious stuff for me. Twitter brightens up a dull day with its jokes and funny tweets....
6. And clever ideas abound.
7. I don't just wonder out loud. I reflect and share my written thoughts on Twitter.

But the biggest takeaway for me is that Twitter is all about participation. The more you participate in activities and connect with others, the more you will get out of it and the more you want to be in a position to give back to others for being so giving to you. So participate, connect, share and give back. Be authentic and courageous. Loosen up a bit and have fun!

1. I get the latest information from my Tweeps/Twends? (Twitter People/Twitter Friends)

For example, I'm interested in Reggio-inspired Visible Thinking and what Project Zero (at Harvard) is up to. I want to know the latest professional development opportunities and conferences they offer.

I didn't think I'd see this show up on Twitter but it did - Thinking Routines!

What are #Thinking Routines? This video explains what they are & how to use them: http://t.co/QkTOv7CkPj @contemplatethis #PZATL #edchat

— Project Zero (@ProjectZeroHGSE) May 8, 2015

Slow down to understand complexities by Shari Tishman http://t.co/m2UrSQs9dk #PZATL

— Ilse Ortega (@ilseort) May 9, 2015

Slowly as more thought leaders sign up on Twitter, I am able to get the latest information about their recent presentations and writings via Twitter. As a boundary crosser, my interests span education, instructional design, visible thinking, inclusive learning design, arts, French, leadership and creativity. Having been a teacher for many years of my life, at heart, I still see myself very much as a teacher. I participate in Twitter chats like the #satchatwc, #UDLchat, and any that I sometimes stumble across that interests me.

Our very own ALT Lab #TJC15 (Twitter Journal Club, run by @googleguacamole) chat is one I very much enjoy. Although I don't do research as much as I used to, I miss reading about the latest research in education. Twitter chats meet my need for shared community and online engagement beyond the posting of solitary tweets.

I even got the chance to contribute to a radio play and read a few lines. Talk about fun!

Keep your ears open for the premiere of the #rhizo15 Radio Play: Collaboratively Written/Collaboratively Performed pic.twitter.com/1X3uCsDk2B

— KevinHodgson (@dogtrax) April 25, 2015

There are opportunities to write articles. I was honored to be invited to write a blogpost by a Twitter friend, Maha Bali who runs EdConteXts with a group of colleagues.

Tweets that show me being invited to blog for an webzine. 

Sometimes, professional development ideas for and with faculty arise out of unplanned spontaneous tweets. I recall posting a tweet about my training at Sabot and included the hashtag for my summer course. Suddenly, a conversation developed about crafting a faculty version of the course. 

Tweets that show a conversation developing around an idea for professional development

2. My Twends tutor me when I need some help. 

I struggle to learn French at my grand old age, but I have a couple of Twends (Nadia, and Tania Sheko) who will jump in to help me. (I do curate a vast amount of resources but nothing beats a live tutor.)

Tweets that show a Twitter friend helping me with my French

There are too many people to mention who have taught me and tutored me (see blogpost on Hypothes.is which was introduced to me by Greg McVerry). Pardon me if I fail to mention all of you in this blogpost. All my Twends from #rhizo15, #et4online, #satchatwc, #udlchat, folks from #a11y where I've been lurking... Thank you from the depths of my heart!

3. I reflect and wonder out loud on Twitter. 

Sometimes, someone will pick up my idea, join me in an extended conversation and provide fresh perspectives and resources on the idea.

@yinbk @mlshelden interesting idea. Some would say they enable but not guarantee wider collaboration. Why exclusive?

— Simon Warren (@worried_teacher) April 23, 2015

Even when I couldn't present at a conference, I received some feedback about my presentation via Twitter.

Tweets that show feedback for a presentation I was unable to be present in person

4. Let's not forget the social aspect. Many of my Twends are warm and helpful. 

After all, Twitter is part of social media.

Tweets that show casual conversations with Twitter friends

You get to connect with new and old friends.

Tweets that show I met a fellow alumnus from Syracuse University

5. It's not all serious stuff for me. Twitter brightens up a dull day with its jokes and funny tweets....

Ryan McHenry had a great sense of humor. The"@RyanGosling Won’t Eat His Cereal" guy couldn't ask for a better tribute http://t.co/4DZqmAzcLH

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) May 5, 2015

6. And clever ideas abound. 

Oh, Those Clever Librarians and Their #Bookface http://t.co/qB2l1NNAZB @pkittle #clmooc

— Joe Dillon (@onewheeljoe) May 2, 2015

Are you using cinemagraphs in #elearning? http://t.co/3SvKVS7DKO #elhchallenge #edtech pic.twitter.com/EdTsvGmwwR

— Melissa Milloway (@MelMilloway) May 1, 2015

@yinbk You're welcome. I did make some too! Not too difficult http://t.co/sU7aDDIWiz

— Melissa Milloway (@MelMilloway) May 8, 2015

7. I don't just wonder out loud. I reflect and share my written thoughts on Twitter. 

I blog and share reflections of my work on Twitter. This doesn't get me much feedback but I see that sometimes, some tweeted blogposts get more hits than blogposts that I don't disseminate via Twitter.

I can ramble on. This is my first draft and I'll likely revise it a bit. It's amazing how much I have learned from Twitter and am learning to give back to my Twends. Merci all!

Poetry Practice Pieces 2.25.15

Five Not-So-Easy Pieces

My head hurt in my effort to complete these assignments. Ils contestaient missions! And so, I'm still working on the Dickinson one. Enjoy!

1.Five Liner

Stiff knotty hands misshapen by age
Sculpts earthy tators with black steel blade
Practicing the presence of God, he says
Can I tempt you to rest your gnarled aching grip
His neck stretches, recoils, bent on his sacred toil


2.  Sound and Sense (A la Peyton Manning -"Nationwide is on Your Side")

I picked this line from one of Barry Manilow's popular hit, I Write the Song:

I write the songs that make the whole world sing..

I uploaded to SoundCloud the recording of me humming to the tune to get the rhythm in my head and heart. Tried Vocaroo and it didn't work so well for this purpose.

Based on that tune, I ad libbed these words -- depicting sensory images -- to fit the rhythm, or as Randy calls it, "the sonic footprint." Seriously, Peyton Manning makes it look too easy! I'm learning that poetry writing is a discipline that trains the mind to become more precise and concise. One must be willing to put up with the frustration of not finding the right word at the time one needs it.

Down coats in winter feel so snug and warm

Space heaters roar and drown Queen's melodies

Hot soups banish bone-chilling bitter cold

Fresh made popcorn smells tart and heavenly

A Saab zips by and wrecks her pristine Dior  



3. Dickinson Inspiration (c. 1862)

The clouds blocked out the sun --
They did not think I cared --
The smiling sun displeased the clouds
And five sullen days was had

And then, the snow came down
The waters in the sky --
Frozen into ice, pelted earth a foot high
Lunar New Year hit town with no glad cry

The plans to huddle, cook and eat
Were threatened and subdued
No firecrackers, steamboat feasts or greets
I wrote my friends, celebrate we ought


[Sorry, Randy, unfinished, still under construction]

I'll go and try redrafting the older pieces now.

March 2, 2015 Update:

This is an original old draft where we were instructed to translate an idea into an image, which I didn't do so well at. It was too abstract and Randy wanted more specific details.

February 18, 2015

What is Self
A lonely, single figure
Huddled up on an island
With no complications
Free of interwoven dependencies
No part in a tapestry of complexity
And conspiracy
Self is at liberty to worship
Kneel, express,
Move in thankfulness
For gratitude

Collaborative Learning Activity: Poetry Writing

We sat around a table with interesting objects we had brought from home. A community of poet wannabes. Or poetry machines, Randy Marshall our chief instigator cheekily called us. He led us to write poems inspired by the stories we shared about the items. A good activity that I could use one day with my students, if Randy doesn't mind.

Poetry writing sharpens our minds and writing. I like the opportunity it provides for us to be precise and playful with words. It is a great learning activity to try in classes. I recommend it highly, not just in literature classes.

Here is mine, slightly edited from the first draft written on Feb 4 evening.

Some of the objects of inspiration: jade cat, brass bell, seagull feather, my red macrame knot

Objects of Interest

A friendship in Beijing
Solidified by a dark green jade cat
"An exotic city," R professed
Her love for that Forbidden City
Swiftly the gemstone transported me to my unspoken grief

"The first one was damaged
The second one stolen"
So a third ring her mother offered
A sparkling aquamarine set in silver
A symbol of T's childhood in Japan

Where has this bottle roamed
Whose lips have pursed against this rim
A chipped whiskey bottle top
Plucked from the grounds of Rappahannock Station
A decade and a half in L's keeping

A brown seagull's feather
From the shores of a Polly Island Beach
She recalled the loudness of the placidity
Life had become too big and clamorous
The ocean could swallow H
Like a hushed hiccup no one knows
Everything will be okay

Soft crystal clear peals
Of a miniature brass bell
With claws and etched with flowers
A gem found at Paul's Place of timeworn treasures
A renewed friendship from M's years in graduate school

I unveiled my dad's prosperity-red macrame knot
Don't weep, I will be brave
"My dad used it as a key-holder"
Words slow and deliberate, I uttered
Him who I can no longer hold
His effects, his assets, my objects of affection

Photowalks

Intricate Gate

Doing the Selfie

The above two photos were taken on July 30, 2014, on my first photo safari with my colleagues.

The next 4 were taken on January 16, 2015 with my new colleagues, Emma and Max, with Tom leading. All photos were taken using my Samsung Galaxy phone.

The Throne

I find this throne-like chair that is blocking the doorway curious.

Winter Tree

I have a penchant for snapping pictures of trees -- blooming, withered, snarling. They are easily symbols of life and death.

1005 and 1007

Architecture is another fave subject. "Don't they all look the same after a while?" my husband asks. Not really.

Spire

I could have shifted myself so that the little bit of another building would be out of the picture. But I find imperfection in photos sometimes rather peculiarly endearing and real. I've added another painted layer over the original photo to make it more imperfect, :-P.

New Faculty Academy 1-9-15

Stan and I were there with Tom. I was happy to find that several participants found ALT Lab's services interesting despite the food distraction.

Down the Street Where I Work

I saw with fresh eyes how lovely these houses were to the left of the building where I work. New eyes are good.