The greatest thing about being a teacher is that not any two days will ever be the same. There is always variety in the day. None more so than my day today. I started today with a 6:30am flash meeting call to discuss the Second Life education project skoolaborate. In the call there are at least 10 other teachers from all corners of the globe. We talk through some of the issues with our project and come together to solve different problems that we have been having. Vision is cast for the way forward and each person involved is on the edge of their seat, knowing that we are pioneering something that has never been done before. In this online meeting I see in front of me teachers who are willing to take a risk to better educational outcomes. The conference ends and I quickly add “to do” items to a productivity app which syncs to all my computers and iPhone. I start thinking about possibilities and begin changing the plan for the day. I have to get my kids into this virtual world and start trying new things. So more about that adventure later in the day.
The school day starts and I stand at a door waiting for a group of my year 9 students. They walk to me with down turned faces – Hang on you guys I have just had this awesome meeting that is exciting me about some innovative changes to education… How dare they be sad and miserable!! Then I realise what it is – they are lining up for a practice testing day for a series of Year 9 Standardised tests in a months time. Oh so innovation starts the day but reality smacks me in the face. I am in somewhat of a confused state as I line my students up in alphabetical order and make sure they have a HB pencil and a rubber. I am thinking – Only if the bureaucrats that push these tests saw what I saw this morning!!
I leave my students as they start their test and head off to a prep period. First up I search for Gary Stager’s thoughts on standardised testing – Ah Gary will give me some perspective on this and make me feel ok about my disappointment in what I just witnessed… Here it is www.pencilsdown.org – Perhaps I will start an Australian version!?!? So I twitter – “Students practicing for standaridised tests today. Greatest abomination in ed. Can’t wait 2c the stir when I don’t allow my boy 2 sit them!”
I quickly spent some time catching up on mailing lists and receiving answers to questions I had about some software. Of course I “Pay it forward” by helping a few other folk with issues I can solve. Finish that task off making a few controversial comments on issues people are discussing…. Stir the pot a bit and engage in some critical thinking about my much loved profession.
I left the emails there and went off to a committee meeting to discuss the technical progress our IT team are making on our systems. All positive talk and some great problems solved. Walk back to my classroom determined to finish the day on a positive.
Rainy lunch time… so students want to get into the computer lab. In come my students ready to do something that just topped my day off on a high….
Students at MLC Sydney who were advanced users of Second Life offer me and my students a tour of Skoolaborate and a basic tutorial on how to work in Second life. Myself and 1 other student log in and begin a tour – gradually more and more students in the class want to be a part of this (remember this is lunch time). I drop out of the tour and get 5 more students “in world” for the first time. I sit back and just watch with great joy. My students are now collaborating with students at MLC in Sydney, as well as students in Canada and the USA. This is interesting stuff – they are suddenly glued to problem solving their way through this virtual world. Ben one of my more enthusiastic students wants to start chatting with everyone in world – the voice chat isn’t working…. He doesn’t give up…. He begins a tutorial with the students at the other end on how to setup a skype conference call. So now they are all chatting away like they are next to each other at school. The lesson continues in world – “Hey great idea on the skype conference Ben” I hear on of the girls from MLC say. Ben replies with “No worries, now back to how to build buildings.” The collaboration continues…. More and more students are getting on board and working out how to interact in this world. I walk past another one of my students who is starting to build pyrimads, while another is looking at a virtual movie hall someone made. I hear a yell “Hey sir!!! Let’s have our movie night in world later this year!!” My response – sure thing but you have to organise it mate – “Sir, of course I will – like you know how to do this stuff!!” 
At this point I am seeing the potential just flow out of this project…. Other teachers walk in watching my students work away – Ben has to head to his next class, but he is too excited about what he is learning…. Runs to his teacher and negotiates a deal so he can stay working with the students in Sydney. He comes back to the room and doesn’t leave for another 2 hours. Never before have I seen a group of 15 year olds get so excited about a problem solving activity. These students were engaged in high level thinking and problem solving – REAL WORLD STUFF, for over 3 hours straight!! Only reason we stopped was because I needed to get home!
So I am now finishing this crazy day reflecting and posting…. I have just received an email from a student….
“Dear Sir,
Today was awesome. Can’t wait to get to school tomorrow and do this again. I am thinking of asking my history teacher if I could build a replica of the Egytian landscape in Second life as a part of my assignment. What do you think?”
Ah yes the day finishes as it started…. Innovation and excitement followed with reality smacking me again – Unfortunately, this student probably can’t do this for his assignment as it wouldn’t fit under the “appropriate assessment task” criteria for a senior subject. However, we continue to fight the good fight…..
Wow what a day!!
Massive thanks to the Westley Field and Students at MLC Sydney!! Thanks for taking us along on this journey. Just over 2 months ago my students had never experienced a class where they had access to computers every lesson – let alone this type of activity!
I guess the world needs people like you who are willing to lead the way. You can never be sure of anything but learning when you innovate and create. Great stuff Brett you have given your kids a chance to shine. Can’t wait for your other group to be on.
As a teacher myself, I really don’t know what’s the use of having these so-called tests and let students suffer in silence as pressure and stress set in everyday before the final day arrives. I mean it is just a test but it does not measure the over-all performance of a student in class or as a human being for that better. I strongly believe that change should be adopted in order to improve the lives of our students and not just hide in vain.