Personal Learning Networks by Richardson Will;Mancabelli Rob; & Rob Mancabelli

Author:Richardson, Will;Mancabelli, Rob; & Rob Mancabelli
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Solution Tree
Published: 2017-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Transparency

We noted earlier that transparency brings great value to the learning interaction. It’s also a challenge, however, as it’s difficult for many to open up their classrooms and, to some extent, their students to the world online. Often, the transparency of the networked classroom is initially uncomfortable, but it’s necessary for making those connections happen. Transparency can take many forms, depending on the comfort level of the district, the teacher, and the general school community. We’ve seen any number of variations. At the most transparent end of the spectrum are classrooms like the live-streamed classroom of fifth-grade teacher William Chamberlain at Noel Elementary School in Missouri. Anyone can hop over to Mr. C’s Class Blog (http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com) and watch what’s going on in his classroom at any time during the day. In addition, readers can find all sorts of other links to student projects, blog posts, videos, and more. It’s easy to find comments on the site from places like the Melville Intermediate School in New Zealand and a host of other schools around the world, as well as a list of global student blogs that William’s own students read on a regular basis.

“For me and my students it is about being part of a larger community; it’s a constant reminder of the world outside our classroom,” William says. “My students quickly come to realize our world is literally an Internet connection away” (W. Chamberlain, personal communication, November 4, 2010).

Other classrooms may not be as transparent as his, but there are many examples of students blogging to the world, producing podcasts, and working collaboratively in public with students in other parts of the globe. Take, for instance, kindergarten teacher Maria Knee’s blog (http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=51141), whose tagline reads “We want to share our work with our families and the world.” She regularly posts videos of classroom happenings as well as student art and writing, many of which get comments from other teachers and classrooms from around the world.

To meet the challenges of transparency, everyone—students, parents, teachers, and administrators—needs to be on the same page regarding the benefits of sharing work online. In addition to that responsible-use policy we’ve already mentioned, we need to be clear with those participating exactly how open we intend these spaces to be and why. The why question, as always, is best answered by a teacher-learner who has participated in these spaces already and clearly understands the potentials and pitfalls.

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