International Week

Around this time last weekend I set up a Posterous blog called internatweek so that my class could use it to blog their learning for our ‘International Week’ project at school. I had no idea how amazing the week was going to turn out nor how much a response the blog would receive. It’s almost the end of term here in Leicestershire, and the children as well as the staff are already feeling that summer holiday vibe and winding down. Classrooms are being tidied, books moved to other rooms and with the hotter than average weather to contend with, motivating a class can be tiring.

So a project was devised in our school that would give the children a chance to explore and learn for themselves; ‘International Week’ was unleashed upon the school and each class allowed to develop their own teaching and learning approach. I thought about using a wiki with the class but it would have required more time to ‘teach’ how to use it than actually using it, and after a few more considerations (wallwisher, voicethread, blogger) I went for Posterous due to it’s simplicity and being able to post anything to it quickly (and with a mobile phone too).

The learning

I demonstrated how to post to Posterous by using the web interface, by emailing or by using my iPhone. I organised my groups so that each had an ‘expert’ in using each method thereby giving me more time to help groups with their researching and writing for the project. Children not only used reference books and online material but first hand interviews as part of their research which helped bring it alive. As they worked other experts used Easi Speak Mics to record interviews with each other and some used digital cameras to photograph their work. Another two experts would transfer the images from the cameras and retrieve the audio from the Easi Speak mics. I used Audacity to edit the interviews but then let the children upload it to their blog.

audio upload to posterous

This type of learning was possible because everyone was moving around. I explained to my class that I wanted them to work with other groups, sit where they wanted and use the tools that they felt they needed to achieve the results they were looking for. There was a hum of busy activity throughout each day and I interspersed it with additional playtimes, 5-10 minute recollection sessions where we could relax and think about the next steps and always had music playing in the background. Oh, how I would love my class to be like this more often but timetabled curriculums don’t usually offer such freedoms in learning.

The use of technology
We used netbooks and extra sessions in the ICT suite to help with researching online; my laptop was taken over by the class for the week and they also used my iPad whenever I sat with a group. Children helped each other with searching for information and we always made sure we respected copyright. We used Google forms to collect information for use in class discussions and Google Maps was perfect for plotting our own internationalism. The children used Easi Speak mics to record interviews with each other and digital cameras to photograph their work for posting online. Most already knew how to transfer images and audio from these and the project allowed them to develop these skills further. Posterous is such an easy blogging platform that my experts could be left to post images, text, audio and video to it on their own although I did check that they had everything in place before allowing them to finally press the post button. They also used email to post to the blog and some even used PicPosterous on my iPhone too. It was a wonderful opportunity to combine a lot of the technology we have used throughout the year in one learning theme.

The outcome
In terms of learning outcomes and meeting objectives everything that was first discussed before the project by the staff was reached and surpassed during the week. What made this more than just meeting targets was the whole experience. Too often learning is controlled due to an over subscribed curriculum or time constraints with timetabled ‘learning sessions’.

Learning Map

My plan for the week can be seen here.

Yes, it’s purposefully limited which allowed me freedom to explore learning with the class and go where the learning would take us. At times I changed the direction and sometimes there seemed to be no direction until we reached a destination that was even better than I had envisioned. This week has taught me more than any other this year that learning should never be a closed and controlled experience. Children have such a limitless enthusiasm for learning if they are given the freedom to explore it in their own time and in their own way. This week I took the role as a facilitator to their learning, introducing tools they could use, editing their writing only when I felt it was required but always ensuring they were in control. The final outcome was in their hands and it was such a refreshing and exhilarating experience. My class have inspired me.
Go on, have a look at the blog to see the brilliant work the children have created for yourself.

A wider audience
During the week I received the following message from Richie Pearson, VP marketing for Posterous.

Posterous enquiry

My class were ecstatic and after sending Posterous some further details site visits started increasing quickly. We never envisaged that our blog would reach such a large audience of almost 1300 hits in one week of blogging. Everyday they asked how many more visits they had and this inspired them further to create more posts. They were excited that their words were been read and listened to by such a large audience.

Blogging is such a useful platform and one that I am sure is underused and misunderstood by many teachers. I hope my post can go some way to redressing this imbalance and perhaps inspire some to see it as another powerful tool that can be used as part of any teachers teaching and learning toolkit.