Stress or Cheese ?

The reason for the title is my search for an explanation to my waking this morning at 4.04 am instead of the usual 6.30a.m.!All I do know is that my head was full of work related messages that I desperately wanted to remember - I realise dear reader that this way madness lies, however, I now see the need for a hard wired memo or note device which would enable these thoughts to be captured before they evaporate. Great thinkers of the past I know would sleep with a notebook and pen beside the bed and jot down these thoughts - In my case divorce would swiftly follow ( one had best not awake Mrs H before her normal 7.30a.m. !). Hence the need for aa device that does not require to be turned on thus waking spouses?

The second thought which had lodged itself in my head was 'Twitter' related ( please don't ask why). I hate the random jumble of Twitter which can distract ones thoughts and leads to often ill thought out responses - I want a means to select a person and then to have the option of seeing a discussion thread that I can follow and respond to in a timely fashion, the only way to achieve somrthing like this is to carry on an @ conversation with 'Twitter'. I don't want an all singing app like the soon to appear 'Google Wave' but want something lighter - a Wavelet if you will, a branch or threaded app......... you see what can fill your head at 4.04 am!!!!!!!!The one saving grace is flexi time at the IB allowing us to start at 7am and leave at 3pm. I feel sure that by the time everyone else is awake my brain will be mush! Ah well mustn't grumble 6.28am time to go to work? Now what was it I was trying to remember?

CarCast on EdTech

Carcast on Tech in Education

Podfather's podcast

I have been struck recently while listening to the podcasts recorded by David Noble (http://booruch.libsyn.com/ ) as part of his Edonis Project ( http://edonis.ning.com/ )about the quality of ICT Professional Development. David has spoken with many of the UK's cutting edge Education IT community and as part of his sequence of questions has asked his participants about their ICT PD experiences. It is hugely revealing and I would hazard not news to report that the vast majority of interviewees report very little directed formal ICT education as part of their intial traing and/or following their qualification. I would also echo that experience as it is very similar to my own. It is telling that David has spoken to a cross section of teachers with a wide range of teaching experience, all of which paints a less than hopeful situation for formal ICT training for teachers as it does not appear at present to be keeping pace.
Many of those spoken to have actually achieved their most transformational PD through the power of new technology ( Web2.0)which has enabled these teachers to connect in informal PD networks with like minded professionals globally.
It must be time that formal ICT training makes use of the experience of these highly motivated teachers, who have a passion to improve teaching through the use of technology in innovative ways in a more formal environment.
I know that I have joined the ranks of this formal educational training, however I would say that I firmaly believe that the online professional development that we at the IB offer our teachers comes from a sound understanding of the use of new technology can be used to build professional networks of teachers who can work collaboratively on the development of subject based wikis and also use of social networking sites such as Ning(http://ning.com/).
Both of these tools were used by Julie Lindsay and Barbara Stephanics in their recent online workshop for teachers called - Web 2.0 in the IB Classroom (http://tripleaworkshops.ibo.org/file.php/1/mar_09/web_20/page_01_summary.html ). I believe that the use of this type of workshop can work in a virally informal way within a formal setting, I look forward to seeing more innovations like this appearing in PD.