I am a graduate student, here at OISE/UT in CTL. My motivation in pursuing an EDD is to explore how deep self-knowledge influences or relates to an individual’s world view, and how we can encourage the development of both in elementary students. In addition to graduate studies, I teach Grade Six at a progressive independent school in Toronto and act as a Strategic Program Leader helping my colleagues implement inquiry-based learning across the curriculum. The school is committed to integrating technology throughout the curriculum and across all grades (JK-12). I have access to a full class-set of laptop computers and have the support of a knowledgeable and well-staffed IT department. All students have access to the school intranet system (Blackboard). By the end of grade six students are experts at using discussion boards and exchanging files. The schools expectations and resources have enabled me to try some exciting online projects with my own students and those in other grades (one of which, I share below). I am sure you can understand my enthusiasm for this course!
Prior to my current career
in teaching I worked in a variety of capacities in maternal-child health
– including being a member of the first regulatory councils that set standards
for midwifery in Ontario as fully legislated health profession. Like your
other guest speaker, I am a traveler and have learned as much from visiting
and living in other countries as I ever have in school. I also practice
yoga and meditation and, inspired by one of my colleagues in last term’s
CTL 1799, I am just starting to learn to belly-dance. My other interests
include hiking the Bruce Trail, long Sunday suppers with family and neighbours,
tea on the front porch and long walks with my dog, Orbit.
1. The Global Classroom
(Two sites for this one):
http://www.worldclassproject.org/kyoto
- this link no longer active
username kyoto
password otoyk
http://www.worldclassproject.org/electricity/
username: electron
password: nortcele
These projects are, I believe, good examples of how the internet can help facilitate authentic communication among students around the world. The first site is the second iteration of the project. Students in Arusha, Tanzania; Shepparton (near Victoria), Australia and Toronto engaged in dialogue about climate change, researched possible solutions and shared ideas with one another through discussion boards and file exchanges. Their cross-country discussions brought a more immediate and authentic sense of the impact of climate change on the world as well as developed greater cultural awareness. Course developer, Alan Zahara has also created a similar project for grade seven students on sustainable water.
Alan and I also collaborated
on another project, which is the second link. This project looked at Sustainable
Electricity and linked to the Grade Six Science curriculum. Students in
Arusha, Hong, Kong, Toronto and Montreal participated in this one. The
links I am providing lead you to the instructions the students followed
for the project. This was augmented in the classroom. Unfortunately, for
reasons of privacy, I can’t link you to Blackboard to actually view their
discussions and final proposals.
To support the teachers
Alan also provided a teacher’s site with useful tips, ideas and clarifications.
As well the teachers had access to their own discussion board where they
could discuss the project with each other as it evolved.
2. The Global Knowledge
Economy
http://sift.ca/shad/sift/index.jsp
- link no longer active
Last year I participated in the Shad Institute for Teachers (SIFT). The goal of the institute was to help teachers help prepare students for the coming “knowledge economy,” particularly through the integration of technology in the curriculum. In the institute we participated in online discussions and face-to-face workshops with representatives from industry and banking. While the emphasis was often in developing “soft” skills (team-building, cooperation, initiative, etc.) in students I had some concern that we were being encouraged to focus on producing highly skilled workers rather than well-rounded people. I recommend looking through some of the articles you will find by clicking along the left-hand side bar of the SIFT site. For all the project’s technological focus, the site is pretty clicky – but if you keep clicking I think you will find some interesting reads.
A must read for anyone interested on the impact of technology on work, health and wealth is: As the Future Catches You by Juan Enriquez (2001), Crown Business, New York.
3. Exciting Young People
http://www.takingitglobal.org
I didn’t know what else to call this section. One of the resources we were exposed to by SIFT was this organization and its site. We met with one of the co-founders of Taking IT Global (TIG) – Jennifer Coreira and several of the key young people who run the site and the programs associated with it. Jennifer is one dynamic young woman and hearing her speak about how TIG came into being I sense I was seeing a whole new way of doing things. These young people are out to change the world and they are not waiting for the rest of us to help them. They arranged sponsorship for their work – on their own terms. They work at all hours of the day in all kinds of interesting spaces. I think the people at TIG provide a really terrific reminder to educators and others that young people often have more to teach us, than we them.
4. Meditation and Technology
http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~whunsburger/WaterWebsite/mainframe.html
- link no longer active
In the mid-80s I worked as a free-lance writer and found myself needing to get on the computer bandwagon if I was going to get assignments. I climbed on with great reluctance. I soon found, however, that once I accepted that a computer allowed me to write in a different way than with a typewriter or a pen (it was just a different tool) my creativity was unleashed in all new ways. All the same, I continued to feel that full-on computer use was potentially depersonalizing and isolating.
I don’t think this is an uncommon suspicion or concern – especially among educators and those in the helping professions. The group I participated in, in CTL 1799 decided to investigate how the internet environment and meditation might interact – our question really was: “Can you have a holistic experience online?” In the process of working together and building a site together we learned a lot about creating community and authentic personal experiences. As well as finding some interesting meditation approaches online. The ultimate value of the project, for me, was experiencing the intense connectedness that developed between the four of us, despite the fact that we had never met.
5. Something Personal
http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~whunsburger/NothingIsPerfect
It seems ironic or unfair that while technology should have made life easier and given us more leisure time, it seems to coincide with increasing workloads, and less free time for many, many people. I constructed this site as my personal project for CTL 1799 and as a plea to myself, friends and colleagues to slow down. I hope you enjoy the site! Be sure to read the poem in 'inspiration for this site' at the bottom of the screen as you begin to explore the site.