Digital Overload

I think I am suffering from digital overload. I mean really, how much technology is too much? I manage a virtual charter school which means I spend my entire work day in front of a computer. I typically have so many programs and windows and tabs open that I need two large monitors to see it all. When I'm not on my my computer, I'm on my smart phone tapping out a text message or recording a voice memo. And now my head is spinning with all of the Web 2.0 tools I have investigated in the past few weeks. Let's make a quick list, shall we?

Image courtesy of i/8681/i02/digital-overload-stress-101109-02.jpg?1296144628

Blogger, edmodo, ThinkQuest, EduBlogs, Xanga, WikiSpaces, WetPaint, PB Works, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, Google reader, Bloglines, Google Sites, Screenr, ScreenJelly, EyeJot, Jing, Ning, Diigo, Delicious, micromobs and Facebook. And that is just the very tippy top of the iceberg when it comes to what is all available out there. How does one make sense of it all?

I know, I'll create an RSS feed to organize it all in one convenient location. Except that now I have 729 articles in my aggregator waiting for me to read them.
Wait, I have a better idea. I'll start following some Web 2.0 experts on Twitter so that I can keep up to date on the latest and greatest tools. I mean that's got to be easier right? How long can it take to read a 140-character tweet? Hold on now, each one of these tweets contains a link to another blog or website to read. And half these things look like they are written in a foreign language. What's with all the @'s and #'s? I'm following 40 people and they are all posting 10 times a day so that's, ummm, 400 tweets! No time for that.
OK, I've got it. I will just friend everyone and like every website and organization I'm interested in on Facebook so I can keep up with what's happening that way. Only now my newsfeed is so clogged up I can't find out what my second cousin needs for Farmville...

Time For Virtual Schools To Practice What They Preach

This week I had an opportunity to spend a few days with my virtual school colleagues from all over the country at a school leaders summit meeting in Virginia. I always enjoy getting together with this group because they are some of the best and the brightest people working in K-12 virtual education today. For two days, I heard about plans and visions for improving student achievement, new curriculum initiatives, teacher training programs, pilot projects, political and regulatory challenges, new management systems and how virtual schools are making education opportunities available to all students regardless of geography or socio-economic conditions. All good things to be sure.
But what I didn't hear, was any mention of how virtual schools are incorporating Web 2.0 tools to help individualize the educational experience and prepare students for the challenges they will likely face in a global, digital workplace of the near future. No talk about classroom blogs, wikis or websites, no creative uses of video, audio podcasts or mobile devices, no Eyejot, Edmoto, Flickr, Jing, Ning, Twitter, Oovoo, ThinkQuest, Facebook, Posterous, WetPaint, RSS Feeds, Google Sites, etc., etc. What they were describing for the most part, are ways to take the classroom experience and put it online, rather than taking the online experience and bringing it into the classroom. I found this dichotomy curious and disappointing.
It seems to me that we are missing a golden opportunity. We have a platform that is tailor-made for using digital tools to improve the educational experience for thousands of students and engage them in new and creative ways, but that doesn't seem to be happening. And I think part of the problem is that there is a disconnect between curriculum and systems development and teaching.
Imagine what would happen if hundreds of virtual teachers were connected in a social learning network where they could share ideas and best practices for using digital tools in the virtual learning environment. That information could be used to inform and direct the efforts of the systems and product development teams. There is an article in eSchool News this week about a project to try and standardize metadata for e-learning resources to make them easier for teachers to search out and find. Applying that same concept could allow teachers to locate learning assets specifically suited for an individual student's needs at the precise time that students needs it. That is the true potential of virtual schools - the ability to provide a truly personalized learning program for each child.
We've taken an important first step in eliminating the classroom walls that limit students' opportunities and imagination. Now we have to figure out how to take the next step.

Adding to My Ever-Expanding Web 2.0 Toolbox

I used to consider myself relatively well-versed in the use of tech tools. I mean, I send/receive 100 emails a day, work at a virtual school, participate in web conferences, IM, text, have 5 pages of apps on my iPhone (although I still have a 3GS and Apple is introducing the iPhone 5 today), and I even have a Facebook account. However, I am beginning to realize that when it comes to Web 2.0, I don't even know enough to know what I don't know yet. Part of the problem is that before I can catch up on the latest new thing, something newer is being invented. Another challenge for me has been that even the tools I am more or less familiar with have additional features and benefits that I haven't fully explored yet.
Some examples from this past week:

RSS Feeds
I set up an RSS Feed in Outlook about a year ago at the suggestion of my school principal to track news reports related to some virtual school bills that were making their way through the state legislature. Articles were delivered right to my inbox and I was able to keep up with the latest developments. I was able to take advantage of this tool even though I didn't fully understand how it worked.
This week I did a deeper dive into what RSS Feeds are, how they work and the benefits of using them. I set up a Google Reader account and in a few minutes, my aggregator was loaded with useful and interesting websites, new articles and blogs. This information would have taken my hours to accumulate if I had to search each site and I most certainly would have missed something. I am still a novice at using RSS Feeds but I am confident my skill level will improve and I will continue to discover more features that will make this technology even more useful. Will Richardson in his book Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts regards utilizing RSS Feeds to manage web content as a must-have skill for educators and students and know I can see why.

Photo Sharing
Photo Sharing is another Web 2.0 tool that is not new to me, but one that I discovered new applications and features for this week. Professionally, I have shared photos on Snapfish and Flickr many times. This works well in a virtual school where students are geographically separated from one another. I was able to upload pictures from prom and graduation for example, email the link and password to a closed Snapfish account and allow families to copy or print photos from those events. We have a link to our Flickr page on our school web page so that visitors or prospective new families can see some of the things we are doing. Personally, I have been known to share photos on Facebook (much to my daughter's chagrin), but creating an account on Flickr allows me to back up all my digital photos and share them with friends and family (even those who are not on Facebook). I also had no idea that I could link my Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and Blogger accounts together and share digital media across platforms. I'm sure I have only scratched the surface here as well.

Creating in a Connected World

cpschulteis' photostream on Flickr.

This is my first attempt at connecting across social media platforms. Enjoy some photos of one of my favorite photo subjects...