Stow away
A blog for all the little things I notice
Hi, My name is Dean Groom, and I write Design 4 Learning to help educator’s transition from traditional classrooms. I am interested in renewing curricula and professional practice by embedding new pedagogical classroom practice to create authentic, realistic and relevant learning for today’s learners.
I started my first blog in 2004, to help me better understand how technology changes learning. I now help educators deal with the rapid changes in technology, social media, games and virtual worlds.
I’ve co-authored two books about Learning with Technology with long time friend, Judy O’Connell, whom I regularly work with to provide professional learning for teachers and executives.
My career prior to education was in Advertising and Marketing, specializing in interactive design and media, as an Art Director and Typographer.
I am now Head of Educational Development Design at Macquarie University, and previously Head of Information Technology at a Sydney High School – passionate about creating workable ‘Web2.0’ classroom environments.
I run regular workshops, provide advice to educators and mentor teachers beginning to explore the pedagogical impact of technology – and blended, enquiry approaches to learning. I work with a diverse range of educators in all sectors, participate and speak at conferences and symposia. I have particular interest in virtual worlds and game based learning.
To contact me : please email deangroom@gmail.com
Sound effects at www.activehistory.co.uk
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Here's how it works. All of it, for everyone. The new cheese, the collective, web2.0, culture of Tang - whatever you want to call it.
There are no six degrees of separation. There is just connection. Those educators who are firsty proficient in ther craft are the proportional few who can even begin to see the potential, let alone access it to a degree that they can harness it and integrate it into their teaching strategy. And that is all about someone elses learning, not your own ideological teaching philosophy. Those educators who have embrased the culture, smash around the networks on a constant collision course with ideas and influences. It is absolutely intrinsic to the culture and deadly. Let me clarify. If I chose, I can jump through any academic hoop you like. I can adopt an academic tone, understand and undertake a research method, and trawl the journal archives too. If I want to learn code, I can find virtual code libraries, and more importantly talk to code poets. If I decide to learn to write teen stories as well as writing collision detection scripts, I don't look to institutions to do it. I just hurtle about the metaverse and use the forces it has an attractor. Within a few hours i've shared my story with a respected teen author, built a plasma shield with a digital artist, created a combat system and plugged into an existiting curricula. I don't care how many people you quote in your essay. If you can't do that then you have a big problem. If you participate soley on the basis of personal materialism, you also have a jaded idea of how the culture of pang works. Give it away, help people when and how you can and stop telling them hat to do. Nothing irritates me more than people who ask facile questions to gain the trust of others while the whole time are running a game plan which Is all about them working for and not with them. Education is not tied to any organisation, it's just one way to experience it. Where ever it doesn't allow mass connection it prevents people hurling into each other. It's critical to learn how to use networks in this way. I'm lucky I guess, I grew up in a dark era before computers and where the institution ruled everything. But my kids won't. And I would much rather see them learn about the metaverse than how we lived in the 1940s. History is measured in MHz and bps not years and decades. There are 10 kinds of teacher. Those who operate as spirits in the wireless and those who curate old ideas. This isn't a problem in Pang culture, it's the fact that teachers will only be found in wealthy schools. Schools that are connection and culture rich. For the reast, it is a slow march to graduation. Yes they'll get some paper to measure thier worth, but will be connected to nothing of Importance. Almost no kids stay connected to school now. Without legislation and tenure few would go at all. And we wonder why todays youth online is busy sending 1000s of texts each month but wont write a story. The culture of pang.Comments [0]
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