Thanks to those of you who contributed feedback for my K12 Online Conference proposal titled “Effective Criticism in 21st Century Education Technology.”
Unfortunately, that proposal has been denied:
Hi,
Thank you so much for the recent submission of your presentation proposal for the upcoming K12 Online 2008 Conference. We appreciate your interest and the time you spent creating your abstract.
The review committees had a tough time making their selections with so many quality submissions from which to choose. Unfortunately, your abstract for the Kicking it Up a Notch strand, was not selected for this year’s conference.
One of the new features of this year’s conference is something we’re calling “Not K12 Online Conference”. While we don’t know exactly what it will look like, we want it to be a space where anyone can present and share. Unlike the formal conference, there will not be any restrictions on these presentations. We see this as a complimentary space and would love to have you share here. While we recognize the value of a formal conference with strands and limited presentations, we think there is tremendous value in developing this space. Please consider sharing here. If you have any questions about this part of the conference, contact Bud Hunt ([email protected]) who is chairing the oversight committee for notK12 Online 2008.
We do hope you will join us by participating in the conference and will consider attending one or more of the live events that are scheduled. We look forward to getting to know you and collaborating together online.
Sincerely,
Darren, Sheryl, Wes, and DeanK12Online Conference Conveners
http://www.k12onlineconference.org/
As per Wesley Fryer’s comment, I’ve put together a proposal for the K12 Online Conference, 2008.
The topic is ‘Effective Criticism in 21st Century Education Technology’ and draws on both past analysis and the excellent dialog re: NECC 2008.
Before submitting, I’d like to get some feedback on this proposal from those who participated in NECC, are actively involved in K-12 new media and/or take an interest, public or private, in education technology.
I look forward to your comments, and thanks in advance. For reference, please see the proposal guidelines.
1. What is your first and last name?
Matthew K. Tabor
2. What is your email address?
3. What is your website or blog address, if you have one?
4. In what city, state, and country do you live?
Cooperstown, New York, USA
5. Please share a short bio about yourself and your role as it relates to your presentation topic.
Matthew’s background includes work in higher education, executive recruiting, consulting and government. He consults on graduate/professional school admissions, academic media and educates privately. He writes out of Cooperstown, New York.
6. For which strand are you submitting this proposal?
‘Kicking It Up a Notch’
7. What is the title of your proposed session?
‘Effective Criticism in 21st Century Education Technology’
8. In less than 250 words, please describe what you plan to share and do in your presentation. Clarify how you plan to produce your presentation (podcast, screencast, video, PPT, etc.) Remember, your presentation must be submitted in a downloadable and convertable file format, and have a length of 20 minutes or less. Please refer to the online call for proposals for additional requirements.
With Web 2.0 technologies and digital media comes criticism – the good, the bad and the ugly. Ed-tech professionals face a host of challenges: convincing peers that new ventures have unique value; selling communities on the benefits of fiscal obligations; combating centuries of education practice and theory, etc. Education technology professionals, in short, are steering a ship into uncharted waters, and they must take care not to make its passengers seasick, or worse – tipping it altogether.
Such a complex undertaking necessitates a new approach to criticism – an authentic, honest approach that addresses proactively the challenges, both conceptual and factual, to education technology programs. I plan to explore how bloggers, podcasters and other practitioners of new media can seek out and make use of the criticism of peers and the community at large to add value to their programs.
I will present an audio podcast that draws upon relevant examples of criticism in education media – what works, what doesn’t, and how education technology professionals can develop an outgoing, forward-thinking regimen for criticism and eliminate the worry and weight from even the most brash analysis. I will include some personal criticism - some that I have given, some that I have received - and examples from various education professionals [anonymity and/or consent of the authors will be required] so that we all might benefit from our diverse experiences.
9. Goals.
Purpose: To re-evaluate the role of criticism in education technology; to present an honest examination of everyday assessment.
Goals: To encourage K-12 new media authors and education technology professionals to re-examine attitudes toward criticism and embrace the benefits of criticism/analysis from a host of constituencies.
Objectives: To provide a brief summary of the role of public criticism in education; to discuss strategies for drawing upon the talents and offerings of various stakeholders in K-12 education; to examine strategies for coping with and utilizing public criticism.
Outcomes: Listeners will come away with a solid reflection on the role of public criticism in their own professional and personal capacities in K-12 education; they will be equipped with new strategies for inviting and channeling criticism so that it works for, rather than against, themselves and their projects..
10 Justification.
An important part of ‘Kicking it up a notch’ is developing the resilience necessary to withstand serious challenges from both the inside and outside, as well as utilizing strategies to take the bane of many professionals’ existence - criticism - and re-channel it into a feedback system that, over time, increases the value of the offering and the impact of the individual. Too often the perspectives of those outside the K-12 establishment are avoided; rather than marginalize those stakeholders, we must discuss approaches that encompass their feedback and make use of their insight.
As we amplify our efforts, so do our critics - and the result can be either a symphony or cacophony. It is necessary to examine the complex relationships between the differing visions of K-12 education - the administrator’s, the teacher’s, the student’s, the parent’s, the taxpayer’s, those of boards of education - and the common ground shared by all those stakeholders. With the proliferation of Web 2.0 and technology use in classrooms, friction increasingly develops between these players; the effect of our ‘amplified possibilities’ rests on our ability to make use of those challenges.
12. Full Disclosure.
Nothing to disclose.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Miguel Guhlin 08.09.08 at 5:38 pm
Go ahead and do your presentation, post it here, and I’ll link to you (favor: send email/tweet to let me know when you’ve done it).
Wishing you well,
Miguel
Mathew 09.16.08 at 1:14 am
I’d be interested in seeing this preso too. I hope you’ll still create it and share.