Dialogue with the experts @ lunchtime

Dr. Sam Hastings kicked off & introduced panelists Alan November and Stephen Bajjaly.  Alan demonstrated Skype — Cathy Nelson called in to him   Funny moment – real/virtual combo.  How do we introduce global perspective?  Demonstrated using host country in search (example — host:tr to limit to Turkey).

Question to panel: How do we as info specialists stay current? 
Stephen — Most professions are worried about this. Implication — lifelong learners
Alan — people are NOT lifelong learners.  Overseas he finds a hunger for learning new things that outstrips what he sees in U.S.  Rome??? Complacent???
(1) Change staff development:
No more teachers going to a tech workshop unless they bring 2 kids with them.  The teacher has to watch the kids learn.  STOP TEACHING TEACHERS TECHNOLOGY.  We have to teach teachers to manage kids using a lot of technology.
(2) Determine problems using data — apply technology to defined ed. problems. Ex:  don’t give a blogging workshop, give a workshop for math teachers on using blogging.
(3) Social bookmarking – del.icio.us  is an example.  Tagging (every kid becomes Dewey  
Philosophy — work of the individual becomes the whole.
Patty Bynum asks — technology is one part of public school system — curric design important — school culture important. It’s discouraging because we get excited about a new technology, but go back home to many other aspects of education.  How can we stay excited and current IN OUR REAL WORLD?
Stephen:  recognize 2 aspects of tech in schools — (1) what kids need to learn for real world and (2) student learning outcomes in other areas — technology is just a means to an end. What is the content? 
Alan:  Read Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink http://tinyurl.com/2bpy89 – go to Alan November Weblog <nlcommunities.com/communities/alannovember/default.aspx> to find the podcast in which Alan interviews Daniel Pink.  Can get on his blog, or via iTunes. (iTunes great resource for teachers.)

Question — where can you learn about these new social technologies?  -ask kids  -Wikipedia -professional journals & association as gateway to new things.

Ida’s Question to Alan — what types of audiences do you work with?
Involve students in teacher inservice.  Get parents to request access and technology and services.

Question: How to grab kids’ attention about what they post online?

Wayback Machine — Web pages are archived every few months.  Search and get URL for a page no longer available.  Type that URL into Wayback machine to locate in their archives.  www.archive.org   Message to teens:  Whatever you put on the Internet will follow you for the rest of your life.

Dr. Sam:  Keep this discussion alive!