Alec Couros describes how school filters blocked nearly every educational web service teachers wanted to use. He loaded USB drives with portable apps so they could bypass the blocks. The next day, teachers suddenly had access to the tools and content they chose.
April 10, 2010
About a dozen (he bought approximately 12 USB sticks).
At our first session, I gave an overview of the possibilities and discussed what it means to teach in the digital age. These teachers were inspired and motivated to try new things. We were ready to dive right into the tools. And then it happened. Every single tool we wanted to use was blocked. Educational blogs, wikis, video services, microblogging, everything blocked. You could really feel a sense of deflation in the room. We went from visions of infinite possibility to. To a silver reassessment of the current reality.
Kevin.
I've met someone.
So frustrated with the experience. I did what any kid would do. I checked to see if I could get around the filter. It didn't take me long to realize that a proxy could be defeated if we could just access the web via Firefox. The teachers weren't technically able to install new programs, but they could access them with USB sticks.
So I went to the electronics store, bought about a dozen USB sticks, loaded each with a set of portable apps, including Firefox, and handed these freedom sticks to the teachers. The next day, it worked. The filter was no longer an issue. And this new freedom really marked the beginning of a transformation amongst the teachers. Better access to social tools and free resources. And from that point on, the teachers were able to make their decisions around the content, tools and resources that they could use in the classroom and for their own learning.
Episode 14 - Dr. Alec Couros: The EdTech Explorer – Rethinking Education with AI
Online Learning in a Hurry Guest episode 6 - Alec Couros - Student's in spaces
