And here we are: final project scope - thinking aloud

comic from: http://tbdteacher.tumblr.com/post/90871407364/forget-21st-century-learning-make-it-real

I have been putting this assignment off all week as I have been feeling overwhelmed by ideas, shooting my ideas down, starting from scratch, and feeling apprehensive about my lack of ideas! What has been an amazing help this morning, is reading all my Bears' blog posts and seeing the broad range of ideas being put forth - thanks, guys!

A lot of my ideas feel small - like, these are just for my own benefit or the benefit of a few.  Some of my ideas seem to lack vision of the future but they meet the criteria of being a digital resource that I can share.  I feel like this whole blog/course has been a brainstorm for this project therefore repeating my ideas here will seem redundant.  I could use some honest feedback but no one I've talked to "gets it" because they're not in the class!  So where should I go for feedback?  To you, my LIBE447 colleagues.  This is just intended to be a brainstorm - not THE final project so are are three main ideas that I've thought most about.  Don't hold back.  :)


Idea 1: Build community by getting my personal library ONLINE as a local resource for families who homeschool.  

Here's an idea that seems maybe too self-benefiting but would be totally amazing for me, my school, and the families I work with:

> What if I catalogue all my personal books (I have a ton of novels and picture books) PLUS all my teacher resources into a website of some kind?  When a child wants to learn about oceans, mom or dad can open my site as a starting place to see what I have about oceans.  When mom or dad need art project ideas, they can open my site to see what books I have about artists or art lesson teacher resources I have to borrow.  I'm local, I don't charge late fees, and I have experience with the resource that I have shared on the site.  

    -- this project gives me a platform for helping parents develop meaningful learning experiences using the resources that I have and know.
    -- the technology would entail a Pinterest account that would have folders (or pages) such as "Teaching Art", "Novels for grade 4/5", etc. with photos of my resources in them.  Then the link from the picture would take a person to my blog where I've blogged about that resource, written a description, or showed photos of how it has been used in the past.

> audience: parents and other teachers I work with

Do you think this project meets the criteria for this final project?  Or any idea on how I could make this project fit the criteria?

Idea 2: Create a "course" for DL teachers in our school.

> I've blogged about this numerous times now but this idea has stemmed from my discovery of the 23Things courses created as "...a self-discovery program which encourages staff to take control of their own learning and to utilize their lifelong learning skills through exploration and PLAY.  There will be no classes or workshops offered to support this program.  Instead, staff are encouraged to work together and share with each other their discoveries, techniques, and "how to's" both in person and through their blogs."  
> For this project, I would brainstorm with colleagues and administration about the main 23 things to learn about that would be the best technologies to aid in our job as DL teachers and I would develop a "course" for working through these 23 "things".  I could incorporate new technologies that I have learned from this class in with ones that we need to know for our job.

-- I think this would work best as a blog?

> audience: DL teachers that I work with

Is this too narrow?

Idea 3: Develop a PD workshop to teach colleagues about the main ideas from Will Richardson's Why School?.

This is an idea that encompasses what I have learned from this course plus embodies my vision for learning in the 21st century plus, teaching a workshop scares me.  That seems to be part of this final project... ;)  I would teach this workshop either in one of our online staff meetings or during our January staff conference.  But how do I present it as a digital artifact?  Would it be a video?  A PowerPoint?  What are your thoughts?

Also, my first reaction to this proposed idea is that I'm definitely not an expert in this area.  I've literally never tried most of the things that Richardson suggests for "new school" learners because I'm not currently teaching in a classroom.  Is this worth my time to create a presentation around this topic when Will Richardson has created videos/TedTalks about this topic and presents it much better?  I suppose I would bring my own DL spin on it.

Hmm...thinking aloud.  It's most helpful when someone is around to respond!  :)  Thanks in advance for your opinions.