Now’s the time of year when people look back, reflect, compile best-of lists, and so on. I thought I’d wrap up Friday Five for the year by taking a look at five new ways Stratepedia and the Center for Research on Learning put technology to use in 2009.
1. Less paper
2009 kicked off with one last printing of Stratedirectory, CRL’s index of SIM® professional developers. A brand new online version took its place and added search functionality not possible in a paper-only edition. PDers can also make updates to their directory profiles online, anytime, and make that new contact information available to other professional developers instantly.
At this summer’s SIM® conference, Patty Graner’s team took a bold leap and placed presenters’ slides and handouts on a portable flash drive, as opposed to sending reams of paper back with each attendee. Not only was this a more green (and economical) approach to dissemination, it probably saved some attendees the added costs of extra checked-in baggage or trips to the chiropractor!
Then, last October, CRL’s final issue of Strategram hit mailboxes in paper form. Our Communications Director, Julie Tollefson, pointed out in that issue that a paper-only format limited the overall message and means in which to communicate it to teachers using SIM®. In the coming months, Strategram’s replacement will go online-only and feature more multimedia and more accessibility to strategy and routine-specific supports. Archives of past issues of Strategram continue to be available in PDF format in SIMville.
2. More mobile
Did you know that if you look at the online Stratedirectory on an iPhone or Blackberry (or possibly other devices) you’ll see a nice, mobile-friendly version? If you’ve got access to such a device (or an iPod touch) check it out sometime. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we’re going mobile with Stratepedia apps as well (and our blog is iPhone-friendly, too!).
Also on the mobile front, Jim Knight’s Instructional Coaching Group has developed a Time on Task application exclusively for iPhone and iPod touch devices. You can buy it through the App Store, if interested.
3. More social
2009 was the year that social networking technologies went beyond their roots with Millennials and Gen-Xers as the Baby Boom generation latched on to tools like Facebook and Twitter to connect with old friends, family, and remote colleagues. Facebook groups for SIM Professional Developers and the Kansas Coaching Project launched, as did our own “fan” page, as means to help like-minded individuals stay in touch.
Usage of Twitter also jumped leaps and bounds as celebrities like Oprah joined the popular micro-messaging service. CRL began tweeting via @StrateTweets and @KUCRL, and a number of SIM professional developers and instructional coaches tried Twitter on for size. (Not to brag, but we’ve been posting from @stratepedia since 2007!)
Another point on the social networking landscape that grew quite a bit this year is Ning, a tool for essentially creating your own focused social networks. It’s become very popular with educators. The Big Four, a Ning network for instructional coaches, was started by Jim’s Instructional Coaching Group. This network currently boasts 792 members and includes downloadable materials, discussions boards, and links to interesting things Jim finds on the web. Sue Woodruff has also started a Ning group focused on doing action research with SIM®. This relatively new group is already 65 members strong. If you have any interest in either topic I highly recommend joining these Ning networks and collaborating with their members.
4. More video
If you attended the 2007 SIM conference, you may recall us predicting that cheap video cameras were going to change how we teach, learn, work, and share. Fast-forward to the end of 2009, and what’s happened? Between cheap, easy-to-use video devices like Flip cameras, built-in video cameras in mobile phones and computers, and online streaming video, it’s now quicker and cheaper than ever to get a message out with video. The CRL media team posted lots of great footage to the CRL Media Archives, making it available for review or to people who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to catch presentations.
5. Less travel
The private sector has long taken advantage of collaborative technology like webcasts to cut travel costs and extend reach. We did a few webcasts of our own earlier in the year to get a feel for the technology and explore how the CRL could use it in its own work. We’ve gotten a pretty good handle on it, for the most part, and have since held webcasts like one we recently held for the CLC® work going on in Virginia. I personally hope to continue using this technology in the coming year to help people stay up-to-date with the work we do at the CRL, as well as work happening out in the field.
We’re also looking at ways technology can help us connect one-on-one, over a distance. To this end, we’re developing protocols and best practices for coaching via iChat and Skype, including ways to share documents and video clips. With a few new, recently funded projects focusing on this, look for us to make major strides in 2010. You may never have to leave your house!
See you next year!
Friday Five will be back on January 8, 2010, but we’ll otherwise stick to our regular blog schedule between now and then.
Photo: spike55151 on Flickr
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Tags: Friday Five, mobile, social, Twitter
