Mark Arnold of the Deer Isle – Stonington schools recently wrote an article in the Electronic Educator, the official newsletter of ACTEM, the Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine. The article is not posted (yet) on their web site, but I’ll let you know when it gets there because Maine educators should give it a read.
Arnold proposes the development of a statewide collaborative “to develop, support, and help sustain communities of professional educators in a broad spectrum of academic subject areas.” He has suggested the name, “The Maine Academic Coalition” and goes on to describe how the system would involve “peer-to-peer collaboration, professional development and support.”
Not surprisingly this concept and idea is not new and indeed has been discussed by many others over the years. As far back as 1995 when I was working for the Maine Department of Education, the idea of a technology-based solution was discussed. In fact, the DOE had invested in a First Class (FC) server and was attempting to create such a coalition among special educators. The DOE server was linked to other similar FC systems around the state using “gateways.” I believe it was called Mainenet or something similar, but the system ultimately did not succeed. BTW, some of the more “senior” ACTEM members were leaders in this program and the lack of ultimate success was not a reflection of lack of effort. Many people tried to make it work and knowing more about why it failed will be important if this dream is to come to fruition.
Here’s what I think a new system needs to be successful:
1. Open Source and Neutral Technology: The old system I referenced above was built upon a proprietary operating environment. In that case it used First Class, a collaboration tool which is a wonderful product with many powerful assets, but one that required special software and licenses to operate. Many schools did not have FC and were left out of the system which contributed to its failure. This system also required a series of “gateways” to connect among the various FC systems around the state. Failures in this technology also led to failure of the overall collaboration system.
In his article, Mark Arnold suggests the use of NoteShare as the medium. But this is an Apple Mac-only proprietary product. Thus a system built around this product and a singular operating system is bound to fail. Using past history as a guide, this is not recommended.
The new system needs to be web-based, requiring only a browser (of any flavor) and some kind of basic, yet strong, authentication system. Ideally the new system could be constructed using some new Web 2.0 methods including RSS feeds and have both a “push” and “pull” methodology available allowing folks multiple ways of accessing the information and engaging in the process.
The old system was also plagued by student “interference” and ultimately spam. The First Class system was embedded in the schools’ FC servers so students who had accounts often had access to the same groups and this caused a problem. Eventually the spammers also found the gateways and some of the forums became full of unsavory materials. The maintenance of cleaning this up became too much and the gateways were eventually shut down.
A new system will likely still need to contend with Spam and possibly infiltration, but a well developed authentication system should keep this in check. But the budgeting of such a system will need to include this as a cost.
2. Open Participation: A new collaborative system must be open to all Maine educators and allow for free and unfettered access. If it were to be operated by any agency or organization, there is the risk of censorship real or imagined. For example, would educators feel free to criticize the Commissioner of Education, or the policies of the Department in a discussion group that was being provided by the DOE?
The same would likely be true regarding discussions even among educators in the same community. The new system would need to be designed as to not be identified with any single group. This means that it will need to be supported by many groups including universities, private and public, agencies and organizations, and possible corporate sponsors. Pulling together all of these folks to work together will be a task in itself – but very possible.
3. Open Ideas and Trust: To use the words of Roland Barth, there are many “nondiscussables” in public education. Within the confines of public education there are many ideas that never get discussed because of a culture that rewards tradition and eschews innovation. The proposed system will need work in way that embraces change and new ideas if it is to be successful.
The whole concept of Professional Learning Communities being promoted heavily by this organization and many others is based upon the development of a trusting and professional relationship among colleagues. An open system built around this value will help to create this kind of environment.
If Mark Arnold’s idea for the Maine Academic Coalition, or any other similar system is to be successful, we need to work together. And I for one am ready for the challenge.
~John Brandt
Over 360 educators arrived in Boston today for the pre-conference session of the 10th Annual Northeast ASCD Affiliate Conference. Sessions included Bob Marzano presenting "Teacher, School and District Practices that Enhance Student Achievement," the most popular. Other sessions included Kylene Beers and Robert Probst presenting "Closing the Reading Achievement Gap: Strategies that Build Success in Grades 6-12," Peter Lancia presenting Providing A Balance: Reaching All Learners Through Reading Workshop," and John D'Auria & Matt King presenting, "Transforming Learning Communities."
