Matt’s Notes
Welcome everyone to the latest episode episode of the EnT! After a pair of awesome EnT conversations, we are back to the regular format… for now! On this outing we are talking about one of the most important processes in any educational enterprise… namely, preparation in education! Please check out the video and/or audio below!
We prepared the video… and brought the audio as well, just in case! #ednontech
The Passenger (Cormac McCarthy)
This book… and companion novel Stella Maris have devastated me… in the best possible way…
I put this down over two weeks ago… with thirty pages to go. I’ll sometimes do this with books that I literally don’t want to end.
What’s been going on since then… involving a former workplace and colleagues… Ed non-Tech Conversations… and some personal circumstances… have conspired to keep me from finding out where Cormac leaves Bobby Western and his doomed sister Alicia! And knowing that these will be the final pages in a lifetime of one of the most profound, influential American novelists of all time… let’s just say it’s a heavy proposition!
I’ve resolved to tuck in tonight and/or tomorrow, putting any and everything else aside but for putting this story to rest… and allowing myself to bask in the feelings of it all…
Likely this will lead to a final reflection of sorts in next episode’s podcast notes!
Blue Sky (Social app)
I discovered this through an Ontario-based ed tech developer on LinkedIn!
Whilst usually a social media laggard… I still refuse to use TikTok or Snapchat… I’ve still yet to try Meta’s Threads… BlueSky seems like it could have some potential for text-based sharing… much like the “old” / pre-Musk Twitter… in fact Jack Dorsey, former Twitter boss, is on the board of directors… and, as per Wikipedia, it began as sort of an off-shoot of Twitter… and now exists as an independent organization and standalone app… as of January, 2024 there were over 2.9 million users…
Image via: Wikipedia
My personal usage is likely to be minimal! I can see using this for the foreseeable future for amplifying professional sharing… such as podcast episodes and whatnot… I’ve included a link to my LinkTree page in my bio… thus making it a sort of “liminal” social media space… sitting between my “fully professional” presence on LinkedIn… and my “extra-professional” presences, including through podcasts, blog, media, and social links. I also tested the blocking function on a former colleague! Turns out it’s pretty easy to use…
So… if you feel like adding me… please check out @matt506!!
Finally, if you are interested in getting started with BS but not sure how… check out this Znet article with screen-by-screen instructions!
Pre-X-Twitter-y! #ednontech
Principles of Blended Learning (Athabasca University Press)
This is an excellent, necessary book by Mount Royal University education professor Norman D. Vaughan and colleagues!
Dr. Vaughan was an external examiner on my UCalgary Ed.D thesis defense back in 2017! Part of the reason for this was that he also completed his doctoral studies at UCalgary… another being that he and his colleagues have written extensively about the widely-used (and Canadian!) Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework for e-learning… CoI being the same framework informing my doctoral study!
There is much to like about this book… which likely deserves its own full blog post and/or podcast notes… but for now, I’ll limit my first takeaways to the following:
- Highly contemporary work, addressing key issues and lessons learned from the COVID 19 pandemic
- Seeking alignment between First Nations & Indigenous concepts and ways of knowing… including Medicine Wheel knowledge… with the BL principles being explored. Moreover, this is a significant thread which runs throughout the entire book. This is the first CoI literature which I’ve encountered which directly acknowledges and seeks to operationalize Indigenous knowledge and perspectives… as such, I think of this as a watershed kind of moment for CoI… and blended learning generally…
- Including the ADDIE model as a possible framework for blended learning group activities!
- Acknowledging that while CoI has mainly been used in Higher Ed settings and contexts, it is equally applicable to other areas including K-12, corporate learning, and more.
The book weaves deftly between conceptual frameworks and underpinnings… notably, but not exclusively, Community of Inquiry… and practices which can be implemented by educators of nearly any role, subject area, or position of responsibility.
I am sure that I will be referring to this, and other newer, contemporary CoI literature significantly in future episodes of the EnT!
Doug’s Notes
Preparation in Education
What students learn is directly related to what and how teachers teach; and what they teach depends on the knowledge, skills, and commitments they bring to their teaching and the opportunities they have to continue learning in and from their practice.
Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001). From preparation to practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen and sustain teaching. Teachers college record, 103(6), 1013-1055.
Lesson planning allows teachers to explore multiple aspects of pedagogical content knowledge. …
In developing lesson plans, teachers have opportunities to think deeply about the subject matterShen, J., Poppink, S., Cui, Y., & Fan, G. (2007). Lesson planning: A practice of professional responsibility and development. Educational horizons, 85(4), 248-258.
The reasons given for lesson planning mostly focus on the role that planning plays in enabling student teachers to cope with the immediate demands of the lesson itself (their improved confidence in knowing what they need to do during the lesson).
Rusznyak, L., & Walton, E. (2011). Lesson planning guidelines for student teachers: A scaffold for the development of pedagogical content knowledge. Education as change, 15(2), 271-285.
Planning provides a thoughtful blueprint to guide our instruction. However, remember the learning environment is dynamic and ever-changing.
Rice, A. H., & Mars, M. (2023). Planning for Effective Instruction. The Art and Science of Teaching Agriculture: Four Keys to Dynamic Learning. https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/teachagriculture/chapter/planning-for-effective-instruction/
Word of the Podcast
Preparation
Phrase of the Podcast
Wake up like you are doing it on purpose!
Question of the Podcast
How can educators adapt when their planning does not prepare them for what they are trying to teach?
We’re extremely grateful you joined us! Let’s do this again soon!!
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