Edited Trannie from June 18

This Collaborative Web is the archive of our collaboration for our Scenario 2012: Global Transport Project during Spring 2002

=== Look to the Future CoWeb Home === Attachments ===

Edited Trannie from June 18

DerrelF asks, "So, what's our compelling story?"

DerrelF says, "The assignment starts with "Align with a group that is
interested in a specific technology. ""

DonSe says, "I'm reading the assignment over again now too."

BarbG says, "I read it a little while ago. It sounded to me pretty much
like what we were thinking about..... I don't think Sparks
will have a problem with it, do you? I mean staying in more
general terms instead of "a specific technology""

DerrelF says, "I think we can live with it."

DonSe says, "be very specific about how the technology affects your
practice."

DonSe says, "from his assignment"

BarbG says, "We do need an interesting story line, though...."

DerrelF says, "Oops, you're right."

BarbG says, "But if our practice is the classroom, all of the technology
will fit into it...."

DerrelF says, "So, students-teaching-students remotely: that's really
distance collaboration."

DonSe asks, "The technology is connecting to other students remotely,
right?"

DonSe says, "We might paint a picture of a new 3D TI like described in
"Snow Crash" by Stephenson. He mentioned we could use SciFi
books."

DerrelF says, "Do we still call it "teaching"? Or maybe something like
"recipricol learning?""

DonSe says, "students create 3D avitars and meet in a place where they
can see each others avitars and communicate."

BarbG says, "That sounds like that game I tried to describe in class
last fall. Reeves and his friends used to play it way too
much"

BarbG says, "Remember - I was watching him play one night, and this
player ran by us dressed only in beach shorts."

BarbG says, "Everyone else playing had on suits of colorful armor,
etc......"

BarbG says, "They have weapons and velvet bags with magic stuff in it,
etc...."

BarbG says, "and they go on quests...."

BarbG says, "Oh well - interesting to think of something like that for
the classroom -"

DerrelF says, "Hmmm--sounds familiar."

DerrelF says, "I just read a short story called "Chichen Itza" where
people have implants that connect them to a global net, so
anything they think or say gets a look-up with information
returned--kind of like google-in-your-head."

DonSe says, "whoa"

BarbG exclaims, "wow - that's interesting, too!"

BarbG says, "or maybe like the new search engine that Margaret posted -
Kartoo"

DerrelF says, "They end up subvocalizing the information without
realizing it."

DerrelF says, "One scene in the book opens with a woman weeding, and
she's muttering the latin names for each weed as she pulls
it, but has no idea that she's making a sound."

DonSe says, "brainstorming......"

BarbG asks, "Or will there even BE a classroom?"

BarbG says, "Maybe there won't be a classroom and everyone will meet
online"

DerrelF says, "If we look out 10 years, I don't see the classroom
totally disappearing and we know the value of f2f. Hmm,
what if school becomes a once-weekly f2f (or maybe
semi-monthly) with students working on projects between
times."

DonSe asks, "Everyone would have to have good internet access at home
though right?"

DerrelF says, "Yes--that's an assumption to put down."

DonSe asks, "Think everyone will have a fast connection in 10 years?"

BarbG says, "Oh, I definitely think so, Don."

BarbG says, "Like everyone has TV now"

DonSe says, "I sure hope so"

DerrelF says, "Let's focus on cutting-edge schools."

DerrelF asks, "Umm, and because of this, every class is assigned two or
three older mentors who help? Or maybe all work is
cross-grade?"

BarbG says, "I think all work would be cross-grade."

BarbG says, "I can't see them separating groups just because of age"

DerrelF asks, "How much productive work do students do a day right now?
Two hours max?"

DerrelF says, "Maybe instead of older we use the term "more experienced"
gettting back to LPP"

DonSe says, "Maybe it will evolve into a home school merge with a school
they attend once a week."

BarbG says, "Wouldn't matter about time in the future - they would do it
both synchronously and asynchronously - whenever the project
worked out for the group"

BarbG says, "How about once every two weeks - or whenever they have to
present"

DerrelF says, "Okay, but what about working with others who are not
physically in the same local? Maybe high speed video/audio
connections so that it has the appearance of being f2f"

BarbG asks, "Would there be anything like we think of a library?"

DonSe says, "Totally project based work."

DerrelF says, "They would have to have the resources available, and
books will still be present in that short time frame..."

DerrelF says, "But, what if we posit that current books are all
electronic..."

DonSe says, "How about the connection with experts in the field they are
studying about? Apprenticeship opportunities."

DerrelF says, "And older books are being scanned and converted...."

DerrelF asks, "Hmm, what experience level of student?"

BarbG says, "like Gutenberg, Derrel? (Spelling wrong, I know)"

DerrelF says, "Yeah, something like that, but that then implies vastly
improved displays."

BarbG says, "entirely possible in ten years, I think."

DonSe says, "I like the idea of service learning projects where they
connect with experts in the field and actually do valuable
work."

DerrelF says, "Ganged displays on walls or desks so that I can see
whatever I wanted, and I could just call the reference
out--voice activated."

DerrelF asks, "How do we reconcile that with the fact that most experts
have to make money for their companies/universities?"

DerrelF says, "And students, being apprentices, are still learning so
their data isn't necessarily as reliable"

DonSe says, "We provide them with cheap labor for the mundane tasks."

DerrelF says, "Look at 8th grade science projects--there's some valuable
learning about the process occurring, but the end result
is often dubious"

DonSe says, "good point"

DerrelF says, "But the tasks still have to be engaging and worthwhile."

BarbG says, "but they won't be separated by grade level or age - just
interest."

DerrelF says, "But we also have to assure that students get a balanced
exposure, not to just things that interest them."

DonSe says, "Under the guidence of the teacher facilitator they might be
able to provide a service of some kind that would be
appreciated."

DerrelF says, "Yes--Rethinking High School had that component."

BarbG says, "Service Learning - big area"

DonSe says, "I was reading today something about how in the past kids
did more work that actually mattered, they contributed more
to society than they do today."

BarbG says, "Maybe some places, but Service Learning is a huge thing
here. Our high school won a national award for it last
year."

DonSe says, "Yeah, put 'em to work...child labor laws, get rid of 'em."

DerrelF says, "What about work that requires equipment and proximity?
e.g, ceramics, art, drama"

BarbG says, "could be part of the twice-monthly times"

BarbG says, "We can make it weekly, if you want"

DonSe asks, "How is the technology that we are interested in going to
specifically effect service learning?"

DerrelF says, "Or have classes that meet in a "compressed" schedule,
e.g., every other day, but only for a couple of months."

BarbG says, "Students could perform service learning projects with
people in other countries or across the US"

BarbG says, "instead of local"

BarbG says, "Looks like 'flexibility' is the key component in this
scenario"

DerrelF says, "But they also would have more time to, for example, help
out at hospitals, retirement centers, care facilities,
etc."

DonSe says, "Maybe some kind of data collection and analysis that could
be done remotely in collaboration with others."

DerrelF says, "It can be done, but there must be more they can do--most
data collection and analysis is scientific..."

DonSe asks, "Ever see that site where you catagorize craters on Mars?"

DerrelF exclaims, "but they could do histories of their areas!"

DerrelF says, "Yes, I think I even categorized a couple."

DonSe says, "You are helping the scientists with an overwhelming amount
of data"

BarbG says, "or adopt the elderly in remote areas"

BarbG says, "or tutor kids thousands of miles away who need help"

DerrelF asks, "Hmm, shouldn't that arise naturally in the correct
structure?"

DonSe says, "The kids teaching or helping other kids remotely could be
service learning."

DerrelF asks, "If you are working on a project with someone thousands of
miles away, shouldn't the tutoring arise naturally?"

BarbG says, "Sure - but I mean that as a service learning activity, it
could be arranged for someone who needed it"

BarbG asks, "OK - so we're eliminating busing and school lunches....
:-) what else?"

BarbG exclaims, "We're really affecting the economy when you think about
it!"

DerrelF says, "Okay--I hate to sound like a broken record, but while we
were chatting I created a Swiki:
http://asij.homeip.net:8000/Future "

Last maintained 01/17/2012