1. Minds On Media
Learning to Play, or Playing to Learn?
slide deck can be found online at:
http://www.slideshare.net/jaccalder/minds-on-media-pecha-kucha
2. Peter Skillen Brenda Sherry
@peterskillen @brendasherry
http://theconstructionzone.wordpress.com/ http://bsherry.wordpress.com
16. Sources of Information:
• Minds On Media: www.mindsonmedia.ca
• ECOO: ecoo.org
• Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. . New
York, NY.: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from http://
www.kindle.amazon.com .
• Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (1998). Hundred languages
of children: The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood. (2nd
ed.). Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing Company. Retrieved from
http://www.kindle.amazon.com
• Mergel, B. (1998). Instructional design and learning theory.
Informally published manuscript, Educational communications and
technology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Retrieved on October 30, 2011 from http://www.usask.ca/education/
coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm
17. Note on Creative Commons
• all images used were licensed by their creator with a
creative commons (cc)license.
• the images are attributed and their names are
hyperlinked to their Flickr accounts (access online
version of slide deck to access links).
• the book cover images were not licensed with a cc
license, but are sourced to where you can buy the
book
• my work is licensed with a cc license
Editor's Notes
- model for professional development for educators wanting support in integrating various media and web 2.0 tools into their classroom \n- created for ECOO, OTF, etc. \n- full-day, culminating\n
created by Peter Skillen (Manager of Social Media and Professional Development with the YMCA of Greater Toronto)\nBrenda Sherry is a Technology Coach with the GEDSB. \n- designed to return the locus of control for the learning back to the teachers hands\n- build and foster the idea that teachers can continue to learn on their own as they desire. You don’t always need the workshop, there are experts among us. \n
- When walking into a Minds on Media session it is loud, noisy and messy. there are stations set up around the room, each led by a facilitator. \n- The stations can include things such as voicethreads, google apps, blogging, personal learning networks, etc. \n-Participants go where they choose, when they choose. \n- No bells, no set rotation. Some stay at one station the entire time and create lessons using the tool. \n
- as a facilitator it is difficult to manage the needs of every participant as they flow in and flow out, each with different levels of comfortability with the tool\n- this is done by recognizing that we are not the providers of all knowledge, \n- there is a wiki with links to basic resources for participants to get started\n- teachers support each other\n
- participants each come with a piece of technology to use\n- participants are required to have some level of self-direction.\n- this is often the biggest hurdle of the day-teachers usually expect to be told where to go and what to learn.\n\n
Community of Learning\n- Every educator at Minds On Media brings a different set of skills and level of readiness. Some are quite competent and comfortable using the laptop or tablet device they have. Others are quite intimidated\n- A community of learning is required to support everyone. It cannot be the sole responsibility of the station facilitator to pass on all knowledge to participants. \n\n
Reggio Emilia\n- Brenda Sherry and Peter Skillen have modeled the Minds On Media format after the early childhood learning centres in the Reggio Emilia region of Italy . \n- These learning centres support young students through long-term projects\n- students are not involved in whole class instruction, nor are they instructed to complete projects on the same topics at the same time. \n- they naturally find topics that interest them and are encouraged to continue investigating these topics and working on their projects. \n\n
Pedagogistas\n- pedagogistas in Reggio Emilia work with the local community and teachers to help support the learning centres. \n- they create and support the community of learners\n- In Minds On Media, pedagogistas support the station facilitators during preparation in addition to on the day of the event. \n- They help participants make the transition to self-directed learning and have conversations to help choose what their next steps might be. \n- They also document the day and collect evidence of learning for later reflection. \n\n
Constructivism\n- I think Minds On Media represents a constructivist approach to learning. \n- it promotes a more open-ended learning experience where the methods and results of learning are not easily measured and may not be the same for each learner\n- Organizers know that each participant will move ahead in their ability to use technology, but cannot prescribe the exact, specific learning taken home by each teacher. \n- A second, often less-explicitly stated goal of MoM is to model for teachers one possible way to support this type of self-directed learning for students in their own classrooms. \n\n
Connectivism\n- minds on media also supports a connectivist approach to learning. \n- it supports the development of learning networks\n- the knowledge does not solely come from the node, or the station facilitators, but from everyone on the room\n
Future of Minds on Media\n- with a few tweaks, Minds on Media could continue to be used to meet the needs of teachers\n- right now a group is in the process of expanding Minds On Media into a broad series of webinars for the Ontario Teachers Federation where ongoing support will be available\n- Some of us have also adapted it for school board use - where the relationships can be ongoing instead of a one-time conference\n
- in the future some attention to developing a growth mindset in participants will be required\n- Carol Dweck says: This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. \n- In contrast, a fixed mindset is believing that your abilities are fixed, leaving little room for the possibility to improve and learn.. \n- In the same way that students require a growth mindset, teachers learning new teaching strategies and technological tools need it as well. \n- In many instances, Minds On Media participants will naturally be teachers with a growth mindset. Teachers come by choice with a desire and belief they can learn. \n- In other instances this is not the case. \n-For example, the Simcoe Country has held Minds On Media events for entire secondary school staffs. These educators are not attending by choice and some will have a fixed mindset\n- In the future, it will become increasingly important for the facilitators and organizers of Minds On Media events to consider the mindset of the unique group of participants\n- perhaps spend some time explicitly connecting to the concept of neuroplasticity \n
-In Reggio Emilia, students work with the same teacher for three continuous years allowing them to develop relationships of trust and support \n- Minds on Media events held at conferences will never be able to maintain this level of ongoing support.\n-For school boards who are running Minds On Media events it will be easier to provide ongoing support. Consultants and administrators who work with the teachers on a regular basis should be in attendance and acting in the role of pedagogista. \n- This will allow those relationships of support and trust to build while establishing a community of learners. \n\n
Conclusion\n- In the past it would have been unheard of to run a pd session in which the organizers apparently had so little control. \n-Teachers would have been invited to sit down and follow along as someone led them through the steps to using the tools deemed most important. \n- This type of professional development is still important for some, but needs to become voluntary. \n- If not optional, then it does not value the starting point, previous knowledge and different goals of individual teachers. \n-As they learn how to use more and more of these tools, they will become more competent in using web 2.0 tools in general and likely opt out of sessions that walk them through step-by-step. \n\n
Conclusion\n-Minds On Media is a model of professional development that both allows teachers to “play to learn” and “learn to play”. \n-It provides a less-structured environment that provides flexibility and respect to each teacher’s starting point and learning goals. \n-In this sense it allows the playing with tools to learn how to effectively use them \n-The learning to play, which perhaps is a secondary goal of Minds On Media, truly supports teachers in developing skills of self-direction which will serve them long after the specific technology they are learning becomes obsolete. \n- I think with a few adaptations, Minds On Media should continue to well-serve teachers in developing skills needed to become lifelong learners and to use relevant tools to support learning. \n\n