Comments on Adventures in Ed Tech: About "Drop Box" Collaboration

I appreciate your comments, Wes and Miguel. Like I...

2008-10-31T11:54:00.000-05:00

I appreciate your comments, Wes and Miguel.

Like I said in my post, I don't think that the LifeRoundHere is a bad project, but I feel that it is exemplary of how collaboration is still in it's infancy right now in America.

Right now we in the tech field seem to be saying that any collaboration is good, because it's bringing people into the fold. I understand that argument completely, and I agree with it to a point. But, as a teacher who is really not quite satisfied with the quality of OTHER teachers, process skills are foremost on my mind. Too often teachers are focused on what the end product is, or what it's going to be or look like. Especially with technology, teachers can now get really off task in creating projects that look super on the surface and look really good to their districts or admin, but ultimately don't reach the possibilities of where Digital Citizenship can take them. I'm not satisfied.

I created this conversation because I want other teachers to question their motives behind their teaching, to question who they are serving, themselves or their students?

For you, Wes, it's obvious to you because you put students and education first as your motivation for what you do. I've seen it in your practice. That's why you're "not following me." That's a good thing.

But to educators who don't have the same priorities, the question of "Me vs. Us" might have some resonance.

I think collaboration has many faces and many poss...

2008-10-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

I think collaboration has many faces and many possibilities. It certainly can, as you define it, mean working toward a common goal. It also, however, can mean sharing what we learn as we create. That creative process can be together, or the sharing can be together. Either way it can be collaboration, in my view.

I hadn't seen the Life Round Here project before and am glad to know about it. I'm not sure I see project participation as a negative in terms of teachers doing it for themselves / their resume building. Personally where I live in Oklahoma, I'd LOVE to see teachers striving to build personal resumes of online project collaboration, whether that is strictly teacher-to-teacher or it involves student created media. This project involves student-created media, so I guess I'm not following why this is a suspicious or not necessarily a good thing?

How could facilitating student involvement in a project that involves students in other places become teachers "trying to serve ourselves" / themselves? I'm not following you here.

Excellent point! I've incorporated it and you into...

2008-10-30T18:23:00.000-05:00

Excellent point! I've incorporated it and you into my article:
http://mguhlin.net/2008/10/reach-maelstrom-of-mundane.html

Hope you don't mind,
miguel