How I (We) Became a Writer(s)

From Joel Heffner's Great Website "How We Became Writers" , my page...

"When I was a kid in school I always wanted to be a writer. I wasn’t a good student though. I was one of those well behaved, shy kids who just couldn’t find anything of interest in what the teacher set before me. I ended up drawing in my notebook instead of doing the assignments and reading books under the desk to ward off the terrible boredom of what the rest of the class was doing.

As a result of all this I ended up with extraordinarily high scores on the standardized reading tests, well developed abilities as an artist, and great desire to be a published author, although without the skills and discipline needed to ever pull that off. This last point was a great source of frustration to me. I also managed to just squeak through high school and get into college where I studied art and avoided the academic life as much as was humanly possible.

As the philosopher once said “what you resist… persists!’ and after graduation from college I entered a very unfavorable job market, and with little to offer. The only job paying a livable salary that I could land for myself was as an art teacher in public school. Irony!

I found the stuff that went on in the school where I taught in East Harlem to be so astounding. You just couldn’t make this kind of thing up. I continually wanted to write about it. Unfortunately, I had never learned to outline, revise, polish, all those things needed to render a good idea into a finished, publishable piece. It looked to me like writing would be a dream forever deferred.

Fast forward to my 10th year or so as a teacher. My wife, who was also a teacher, although a high school literacy instructor in a good school, came home one day and declared, “Every other staff member at my school has taken advantage of the Apple for the Teacher promotion and bought a Macintosh computer to use at home. We are going to buy one too!”

At the time I was no fan of computers, thought the price wanted for the MAC was outrageously high, and still labored under the misapprehension that husbands could win domestic arguments. The kicker was that when Maria and I finally got our new digital centerpiece home, she turned to me and said, “This looks much harder to learn than I thought, Mark. Why don’t YOU learn how to use it and teach me?”

Like a dutiful spouse I did just that. Along the way I became fascinated with word processing and how it could support an untrained, undisciplined writer like me in producing the kind of polished piece someone might actually publish. The wheels in my head continued to spin.

A short while later, Margo Jones, a colleague who had been listening to me belly aching about wanting to write for some time informed me that the New York State Department of Education had put out a call for educators to write short articles to inspire peers. These would be published in an important publication they would call their Educational Possibilities Catalog. Margot’s clear implication was that I should write a piece for it and shut up about wanting to write already!

I ran my ideas and voice through the word processor: outlining, drafting, revising, and re-revising, the way only a computer could coax me to do. Then I sent out my first submission. Over the next couple of months I received an acceptance letter, a few updates, and then one day on my doorstep in a big, brown package was the finished book with my article inside. I tore the wrapper off, checked the index, and flew through the pages to see a boyhood dream come true resting on the kitchen countertop. I was a PUBLISHED AUTHOR!

Now, 40 odd magazine articles later, 3 years of weekly contributions to a major daily newspaper, and books number 5 and 6 due out over the next few months, I consider my ability to write to be my most cherished possession. I write more and more every day as writing becomes less and less something I do and more and more who I am. By the way, I continue to write about education which never disappoints me in producing great subjects to wrestle with.

Mark Gura
http://www.markgura.blogspot.com/
http://www.tomorrowsclassroomstoday.com/

Free Guide to Student Digital Video Making FOUND!

I accidentally found an old friend while web surfing today. This 36 page - downloadable (PDF) teachers guide to student digital video projects was produced by the department I ran back in the day, the Office of Instructional Technology (OIT) - New York City Board of Education.

This was offeredFREE to the many thousands of teachers who used it to good effect over the years. I am glad to see that someone still has it running on a server somewhere!!! This was done at a period of time when producing curriculum, teaching guides, and content for students was something we took on regularly as part of the job. Ah, those WERE the days... At any rate, here it is... Easy to understand, rock solid approaches to guiding students in the production of digital video projects. Authentic, relevant activities for 21st Century students. I hope this one stays up for a long time to come.
Apparently you can still download it from:
http://www.evc.org/pdf/Hands_On_Guide.pdf

OR, if the above is not working go to:
http://web.archive.org/web/20020122022715/www.nycenet.edu/oit/video.htm

HANDS-ON: A GUIDE TO USING VIDEO AND MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION IN PROJECT-BASED WORK.

Podcasting for Teachers

From Converge Online:
http://www.convergemag.com/story.php?catid=422&storyid=106727
Podcasting for Teachers Creates Anytime, Anywhere Teacher Conferences
Digital Media is Answer for Teacher Time Crunch
By Jeana Graham
March 12, 2008

...It's a common conundrum in K-12 schools, says Mark Gura, a consulting advisor for Fordham University as well as an educator for 35 years. As technology advances at a near-dizzying pace, sporadic conferences become more and more inadequate. But more regular meetings require more time away from the classroom ? time that teachers don't have. "Podcasting is really a great answer to that because it's what we call time-shifting. People can make more time in their lives. What used to be down time can now be filled with good stuff," Gura says.

Gura, also a senior fellow for the Center for Digital Education, and Dr. Kathy King, a professor of adult education for Fordham University, started "The Teacher's Podcast" to help solve this problem. Originally produced under the name Podcasting for Teachers, it's now well past 3 million downloads and on its 105th episode since 2005. The two have also written a book about their experiences, Podcasting for Teachers: Using a New Technology to Revolutionize Teaching and Learning. Gura says that podcasting may not replace conferences, but if planned carefully, should free up conferences so more ground can be covered. He says a level of synergy can be obtained between the two.

Podcasting might be a bit intimidating to the individual educator with limited resources. But Lee Baber, one of the creators of "Teachers Teaching Teachers," (TTT) says that it is not an "insolvable problem." TTT, a part of the EdTechTalk family, launched in early 2006 with the help of the WorldBridges network. WorldBridges is a community focused on "homegrown webcasting." The TTT site saw nearly 120,000 visitors between September 2007 and November 2007, with almost 38,000 of them being new users.

Baber says a unique aspect of TTT is that it is live with teachers having online chat capabilities during the recording. This enables anyone to come and ask questions during the show. She describes it as a continuous conversation. "It's like a faculty meeting that doesn't end ? and there's no leader," Baber says. The podcast is later posted to the site to be downloaded. "I think what it is, is a whole lot of people trying to share their individual versions of expertise and all collectively, you know, we feel like we have a whole lot of strength in numbers."

Gura says it's crucial to remember the importance of planning to produce a quality podcast. "A good podcast is conceived as a podcast," he says, meaning that simply recording a conference will not produce the desired result. Background noise, raising of hands that the listener cannot hear and unexpected happenings are all things that can detract from the podcast experience.

Baber says the secrets to success are community and networks. For TTT, that help came from the Webcast Academy, part of the WorldBridges network. She says having someone to reach out to when problems arise is of the utmost importance. "It was a very hard learning curve, but it was easy to do because we had people to support us, to be our mentors and to help us get through that problem solving. We could always fall back on people that knew how to do it."

The technology may be taxing and the planning may be tedious, but both Gura and Baber would agree that the benefits outweigh the costs. Baber points to the valuable information and connections she has gleaned from her experiences. She says during one podcast, Sheryl Nusbaum-Beach, a technology and education consultant and adjunct instructor in the School of Education at The College of William and Mary, shared ideas from the K-12 Online Conference 2007. Since that time, Baber uses the conference for professional development on a daily basis.

For Gura, podcasting for professional development is not only a handy tool to have, it's a catalyst for great change. "I firmly believe that this is really part of a revolution for education, when teachers can get their PD in this kind of free or inexpensive, casual format. This is really important stuff we're working on. I've been an educator for 35 years. Trust me; this will make a difference in the end.

"It will be the collective groan heard 'round K-12 classrooms everywhere. Those glorious few days off for students ? also known as teachers' conferences ? might soon be a rare occurrence.Podcasting ? creating digital media files that can be listened to on demand by way of portable media devices ? was a buzzword in 2004 and has been increasing in popularity ever since. However, technology-adept teachers are just beginning to scratch the surface of its potentially huge implications for education.It's a common conundrum in K-12 schools, says Mark Gura, a consulting advisor for Fordham University as well as an educator for 35 years. As technology advances at a near-dizzying pace, sporadic conferences become more and more inadequate. But more regular meetings require more time away from the classroom ? time that teachers don't have. "Podcasting is really a great answer to that because it's what we call time-shifting. People can make more time in their lives. What used to be down time can now be filled with good stuff," Gura says.

Gura, also a senior fellow for the Center for Digital Education, and Dr. Kathy King, a professor of adult education for Fordham University, started "The Teacher's Podcast" to help solve this problem. Originally produced under the name Podcasting for Teachers, it's now well past 3 million downloads and on its 105th episode since 2005. The two have also written a book about their experiences, Podcasting for Teachers: Using a New Technology to Revolutionize Teaching and Learning. Gura says that podcasting may not replace conferences, but if planned carefully, should free up conferences so more ground can be covered. He says a level of synergy can be obtained between the two.

Podcasting might be a bit intimidating to the individual educator with limited resources. But Lee Baber, one of the creators of "Teachers Teaching Teachers," (TTT) says that it is not an "insolvable problem." TTT, a part of the EdTechTalk family, launched in early 2006 with the help of the WorldBridges network. WorldBridges is a community focused on "homegrown webcasting." The TTT site saw nearly 120,000 visitors between September 2007 and November 2007, with almost 38,000 of them being new users.

Baber says a unique aspect of TTT is that it is live with teachers having online chat capabilities during the recording. This enables anyone to come and ask questions during the show.

She describes it as a continuous conversation. "It's like a faculty meeting that doesn't end ? and there's no leader," Baber says. The podcast is later posted to the site to be downloaded. "I think what it is, is a whole lot of people trying to share their individual versions of expertise and all collectively, you know, we feel like we have a whole lot of strength in numbers."

Gura says it's crucial to remember the importance of planning to produce a quality podcast. "A good podcast is conceived as a podcast," he says, meaning that simply recording a conference will not produce the desired result. Background noise, raising of hands that the listener cannot hear and unexpected happenings are all things that can detract from the podcast experience.

Baber says the secrets to success are community and networks. For TTT, that help came from the Webcast Academy, part of the WorldBridges network. She says having someone to reach out to when problems arise is of the utmost importance. "It was a very hard learning curve, but it was easy to do because we had people to support us, to be our mentors and to help us get through that problem solving. We could always fall back on people that knew how to do it."

The technology may be taxing and the planning may be tedious, but both Gura and Baber would agree that the benefits outweigh the costs. Baber points to the valuable information and connections she has gleaned from her experiences. She says during one podcast, Sheryl Nusbaum-Beach, a technology and education consultant and adjunct instructor in the School of Education at The College of William and Mary, shared ideas from the K-12 Online Conference 2007. Since that time, Baber uses the conference for professional development on a daily basis.

For Gura, podcasting for professional development is not only a handy tool to have, it's a catalyst for great change. "I firmly believe that this is really part of a revolution for education, when teachers can get their PD in this kind of free or inexpensive, casual format. This is really important stuff we're working on. I've been an educator for 35 years. Trust me; this will make a difference in the end."

Resources:
edtechtalk.com/teachersteachingteachers

www.infoagepub.com/products/content/p45f87061c70e9.php
(where Gura's book is located)

http://www.worldbridges.com/www.webcastacademy.net/
http://www.teacherspodcast.org/

Published in the Special Issue 2007 of Converge

Podcasting for Teachers (the book)

Podcasting for Teachers
Using a New Technology to Revolutionize Teaching and Learning
Kathleen P. King, Fordham University
Mark Gura, Fordham University
2007. A volume in the series:
Emerging Technologies for Evolving Learners.
Series Editor(s): Kathleen P. King, Fordham University and
Mark Gura, Fordham University

ORDER Direct from Authorsmailto:AuthorsTransformationed@gmail.com

10% discount paperback copies and signed if requested

ORDER FROM PUB by phone(704)-752-9125

Notable Achievements of Podcasting for Teachers·
The first book published on podcasting and education· Reveals how to use podcasting across content areas· Easy to read and oriented to teacher needs· Adopted as a textbook at teacher education colleges within 6 months of publication· Written by experienced podcasters and producers (5 series, over 160 hrs of podcasting)· Already adopted by 150 libraries around the world

Podcasting for Teachers is the first volume of a new series from Dr. Kathleen P. King and Mark Gura- Emerging Technologies for Evolving Learners and is based on their successful educational technology podcast, The Teachers’ Podcast and Podcast for Teachers, Techpod (sm). Their podcast work has reached over 3.25 million people as of 11/07 and branched into virtual seminars, publications, and additional innovations.

This book introduces and explains this important new technology from the perspective of educators. It also provides new insights into the ways that technology can provide solutions to instructional needs that have not been sufficiently addressed until now. Not only does it provide concrete explanations, examples, models, and details about methods and resources that are not currently illustrated in other publications, but it also reveals a new rationale for the use of technology in education.

Directors of curriculum and instruction, faculty development, as well as faculty, classroom teachers, administrators, and instructional supervisors across the core curriculum and in the area of Instructional Technology; and teacher educators and other college faculty will find this book a valuable resource. Readers may use the book as part of their own efforts to expand their teaching or staff development practice. It can also be an important resource for Education courses in content instruction and Instructional Technology and serve as a valuable reference for educators interested in educational applications of technology.

CONTENTS: Acknowledgments. About the Authors. Preface.PART I. A Revolution in Our Pockets. From the Front Lines: Drafting New Technologies to Revolutionize Education. What’s this Podcasting Revolution All About? From Pop Culture to Killer Application for Education.PART II. Podcasting 'How To' Basics: THE PFT Model of Podcasting. Podcasting Cost/Benefit Decisions. Demystifying Podcast “Tech Talk”. Talking to the World: Podcast Format Possibilities. The World is Listening: Finding and Keeping Your Podcast Audience.

Part III Becoming a Podcasting Educator. The Educator’s Learning Curve in Podcasting Mastery. How to Create Podcasts as Teaching Resources. How to Set Up the Classroom for Podcasting. Who’s Using Podcasting Technology in Education? How to Plan Podcasting-based Activities for Students. Curricular Connections: Podcasting for Teaching and Learning. Podcasting for Professional Development. Beyond Coursecasting: Using Podcasting to Expand Learning Experiences.