Meeting of Minds: Technology Tools to Access Shared Thinking and Strengthen Collaboration Drs. Angela and Brian Housand

1. Technology Tools to Access Shared
Thinking and Strengthen Collaborations
http://tinyurl.com/nagc2010-motm
Dr. Angela Housand & Dr. Brian Housand
NAGC 2010 – Atlanta

11. More than 500 million active users
50% of our active users log on to
Facebook in any given day
Average user has 130 friends
People spend over 700 billion minutes
per month on Facebook

12. Average user is connected to 80
community pages, groups and events.
Average user creates 90 pieces of
content each month.
More than 30 billion pieces of content
(web links, news stories, blog posts,
notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each

13. 1. Don't be afraid to fall in love with
something and pursue it with intensity.
2. Know, understand, take pride in,
practice, develop, exploit and enjoy your
greatest strengths.
3. Learn to free yourself from the
expectations of others and to walk away
from the games they impose on you.
Free yourself to play your own game.
4. Find a great teacher or mentor who
will help you.
5. Don't waste energy trying to be well
rounded.
6. Do what you love and can do well.
7. Learn the skills
of interdependence.

14. New Skills For
A New Age
What students must
master to succeed.

15. LEARN
Access, evaluate, and use
different forms of information.
Exercise critical thinking.
Exhibit fluency with tech tools.

16. Use various forms of media
when presenting ideas.
Display originality.
Employ problem solving skills.
CREATE

17. Work successfully as a team.
Demonstrate cross-cultural
awareness.
Communicate complex ideas
effectively.
COLLABORA
TE

18. www.p21.org
Collaborate with Others
Demonstrate ability to work effectively and
respectfully with diverse teams
Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in
making necessary compromises to accomplish a
common goal
Assume shared responsibility for collaborative
work, and value the individual contributions made
by each team member

19. http://www.iste.org/nets
http://nets-implementation.
iste.wikispaces.net/

20. Students use digital media and
environments to communicate and
work collaboratively, including at a
distance, to support individual
learning and contribute to the
learning of others.
Communication
and Collaboration

21. A. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or
others employing a variety of digital environments and
media.
B. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple
audiences using a variety of media and formats.
C. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by
engaging with learners of other cultures.
D. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or
solve problems.
Communication
and Collaboration

22. “Alone we can
do so little;
together we
can do so
much.”
- Helen Keller

25. 19%
Percentage of
Americans who have
tried a video call.

29. Screen Sharing
Group Video Calling
Send Files
More Than Just A Video Phone!

30. Ideas for Using Skype
•Skype an Expert
•Classroom Exchange
•Virtual Field Trips
•Social Network Building for G/T
•Face to Face Interactions

31. •Plan ahead!
•Schedule a TEST RUN.
•Prepare questions ahead of time.
•Expect the unexpected.
•Have a Plan B, C, D, and possibly E.
Avoiding Potential Pitfalls

33. http://www.diigo.com

36. •Annotate, Archive,
Organize
My Library
•Build a Personal Learning
Network
My Network
•Create a Group Knowledge
Repository
My Groups
•Research, Share,
CollaborateCommunity

39. Google Docs
http://docs.google.co
m
•No software to purchase or install!
•LIVES in the CLOUD! Work is
automatically saved.
•Allows access to files from any
computer that connects to the
Internet.
•Collaborate on documents in REAL
TIME. Instantly see what your
collaborators are typing.
•FORM function allows you to create
and deploy web-based surveys with
results that are automatically
compiled in a spreadsheet.
•FOLDER function allows you to store
ANY file online. You can access from
anywhere and share with anyone.

40. Ideas for Using Google Docs
•Collaborative writing projects
•Peer editing
•Project planning
•Brainstorming
•Group presentation creation
•Data gathering and analysis
•Survey creation
•Mind mapping

42. Dropbox is software that syncs your
files online and across your computers.

45. How Much Space?
2GB FREE
Install on
another
computer.
Share
a
folder.
Invite
a friend or
colleague.
Install
on your
phone.

49. Ideas for Calendar
•Group task monitoring
•Creating a class / group calendar
•Assignment Due Dates
•Project Timelines
•Parent Communication

61. Observations
From the Field

62. The Program
Elementary – 5th Grade
Enrichment pull-out program
Environmental science focus
 Coastal region
 Nearby lake and stream

63. 10 Fifth Grade Students
Gender
 6 female
 4 male
Identified
 7 formal district
procedures
 3 teacher
recommendation
Ethnic Diversity
 6 European-white
 2 Latino
 2 African American

64. Complete Autonomy to:
• Engage in high-level content and
real world learning focused on
local, regional, and global contexts
• Research and critically examine
the impacts of regional growth on
complex ecosystems

65. Complete Autonomy to:
• Apply skills of leadership,
responsibility, productivity, and
self-direction to achieve self-
determined goals
• Communicate and collaborate via
the Internet with students from
Norway

66. The Instructor
PhD in Gifted Education
In depth knowledge of:
 Dynamic learning communities
 Curriculum for gifted and talented
 Environmental science

67. Connection to Norway
Gifted students
Advanced contact and planning
between instructors
Surrounded by similar water bodies
Different climate

68. The Researcher
27 visits
February through June 2009
Exploratory study looking for
emerging themes
Non-participatory
Non-instructional

69. What happened?

70. Major Finding #1
Insufficient access to the internet
Too few computers in classroom
Inadequate computer hardware
and software
iPhone used to circumvent
school firewall
Difficulty accessing technology

71. Inadequate technology may have contributed to the failure of
effectively creating a dynamic learning community with
students’ in Norway.

72. Enable NOT Disable
Technology Should...

73. Think Mobility

75. One
Laptop per
Child

76. (Eduventures)

77. Major Finding #2
Certain students emerged as
leaders
Led to distractions
Impacted access to technology
and tools
Impacted opportunities to
contribute
Impacted group assignment
Self-advocacy and Self-promotion

79. Major Finding #3
Instruction varied by learning
style, process, and product
Almost no whole group
instruction
Student groups were self-
selected
Increased student engagement
when products and processes
were authentic
Differentiated Instruction

80. Engage
Students Authentically
Present students with real-
world challenges that require
them to apply their relevant
skills and knowledge.

81. Engage
Students Authentically
Have students engage
problems in the same ways
that professionals in the
associated fields do.

82. If you have an apple and I have an
apple and we exchange these
apples then you and I will still each
have one apple.
-George Bernard Shaw
But if you have an idea and I have
an idea and we exchange these
ideas, then each of us will have two
ideas.

84. One more thing…

86. Collaborative Mind Mapping Tools

87. But Wait…

88. Technology Tools to Access Shared
Thinking and Strengthen Collaborations
http://tinyurl.com/nagc2010-motm
Dr. Angela Housand & Dr. Brian Housand
NAGC 2010 – Atlanta