Teachers Teaching Teachers #254 - What happens when a brewer becomes a teacher? Meet Tommy Buteau (plus Chad Sansing) 07.06.11

Post-Show description: 
On this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers, meet Tommy Buteau and learn more about Chad Sansing and the Cooperative Catalyst. Tommy recently wrote Paul Allison.
Paul,

I read about the Youth Voices project at the Digital Is site, and I think it sounds very interesting, like something I would use with my 9th and 11th grade English classes here in Windsor, CO. So, I visited the site and signed up, but it seems like I do not have access to everything. I can only see three of the guides that you use, and the directions for most of the activities seem limited. I enjoyed the free-writing article by Peter Elbow, and I also like the 10 questions activity. I am wondering if there is a description of how teachers use this site somewhere. 
Thanks, 
Tommy Buteau 
That’s not all, a couple of days later Tommy wrote:
Have you ever used your site for cross-campus peer reviews before? I found that when students from another school did a peer review, the results were great. We used google docs for it. You can see what I did with a creative writing class at https://sites.google.com/site/101wright1/creative-writing-2010-2. Then, we did a similar process with speech podcasts athttp://schoolweb.psdschools.org/frhs/LangArts/SP/Buteau/index.html. I think the key is that it was completely anonymous.
Thanks, 

We couldn't wait to welcome Tommy into our community and to learn more about his work. We were also delighted to welcome Chad Sansing back to TTT. You can see the results of the challenge we threw to him on TTT #256 - Cooperative Catalyst.

Click Read more to see a copy of the chat that was happening during the webcast.


20:51:30 paulallison: Hi Tommy, you found your way here too. Great.
20:52:02 paulallison: I was looking at the speeches. Are there a couple that you particularly like? We might be able to play them.
20:52:26 paulallison: Hi Juramsay. Do we know you?
20:52:34 paulallison: Welcome!
20:52:42 juramsay: I don't think so. This is my first time.
20:53:07 paulallison: That's great. Summer can be slow. Where do you teach/learn?
20:53:11 juramsay: I am here to listen/view the Teachers Teaching Teachers series.
20:53:21 paulallison: Coming up soon.
20:53:24 juramsay: I teach in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
20:53:34 paulallison: Were you at ISTE?
20:53:53 juramsay: No but a colleague of mine attended. I was very jealous
20:54:05 paulallison: Got it.
20:54:23 paulallison: SusanEttenheim will be along soon.
20:54:28 juramsay: Is there something that I will need to do to join the webcast?
20:55:59 SusanEttenheim: hi juramsay welcome!
20:56:11 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach?
20:56:13 juramsay: Hello, Susan
20:56:40 juramsay: I teach in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and I am a specialist with the Calgary Board of Education
20:57:36 SusanEttenheim: Welcome!
20:57:47 SusanEttenheim: do you skype?
20:57:58 SusanEttenheim: What ages do you teach?
20:58:07 SusanEttenheim: and what kinds of classes?
20:58:20 juramsay: I do skype but it is not available on the laptop that I am using.
20:58:40 juramsay: I work with students who have learning disabilities.
20:59:09 SusanEttenheim: ahh can you hear ok?
20:59:31 juramsay: I can hear now. Am I listening to two gentlemen?
20:59:36 SusanEttenheim: yes
20:59:46 juramsay: Great, I am there.
21:01:28 SusanEttenheim: Paul Allison and Tommy Buteau
21:01:46 juramsay: Yes, I am a "she". My name is Julie
21:02:00 SusanEttenheim: Well, we won't be able to call you into the call then but you can certainly share your comments/questions here and I'll "say" them for you :)
21:02:07 SusanEttenheim: hi Julie
21:03:53 SusanEttenheim: Have you joined us before?
21:04:08 SusanEttenheim: Are you on summer break now?
21:04:28 juramsay: This is my first time and yes, I am on summer break.
21:04:41 SusanEttenheim:  ah well, welcome!
21:04:59 SusanEttenheim: We usually have more people in the text chat but I think many are away now... for break
21:05:10 juramsay: Understandable!
21:16:34 juramsay: In my school board, Google sites, doc, etc are not allowed into the classroom because of different regulations. Did you have to get any prior permission to have your students work in Google Sites, etc.?
21:17:42 SusanEttenheim: Thank you for that question/comment Julie!
21:19:48 SusanEttenheim: Julie - has anyone tried to do it for a specific purpose? Sometimes that makes all the difference if it is to complete an instructional goal rather than just get approval to do something just for the sake of it...
21:22:56 juramsay: We have a pilot project that will be beginning in the fall. It was quite the process to gain clearance from our IT department and then from the parents because of the age restriction of Google Sites. It will be interesting to see how this project progresses. It involves a group of fine arts students who are creating their portfolio to showcase their work now and into the future when they start competing for places in dancd companies, etc.
21:23:32 SusanEttenheim: how interesting! How old are they?
21:23:58 juramsay: These are students who are in high school, so ages 15 - 18.
21:23:58 SusanEttenheim: are they in visual arts too or only dance?
21:24:19 juramsay: They are involved in all the visual and physical arts.
21:24:35 SusanEttenheim: ah and how old are they?
21:24:46 juramsay: Ages 15 - 18
21:29:19 juramsay: you voices?
21:29:51 juramsay: I must have heard wrong.
21:31:07 SusanEttenheim: youth voices - please visit and think about joining in!
21:31:12 SusanEttenheim: youthvoices.net
21:31:33 juramsay: I will have to check it out/1
21:31:48 SusanEttenheim: We would welcome your students too!
21:32:38 juramsay: Our board is very restrictive and at the present time, many sites are blocked. Blogs are not opened to our students and chats, etc.
21:32:45 SusanEttenheim: Our idea is not to match classes but to facilitate person to person shared interests.
21:33:06 SusanEttenheim: This is really academic networking which is nice.
21:33:17 juramsay: I will really have to check it out!
21:33:27 SusanEttenheim: Please join us!
21:41:08 paulallison: cybenglish.blogspot.com
21:41:11 juramsay: Just popped over to have a look at youthvoices. What an incredibly rich site! I will have to devote more time to exploring the site.
21:45:05 paulallison: Hi Chad
21:45:13 paulallison: Can we get you in?
21:45:18 csansing: Hi, Paul - sorry to arrive so late - too late?
21:45:37 csansing: I'm ready - call me up.
21:48:41 SusanEttenheim: welcome back Julie - did you get kicked out of the chat room?
21:48:56 juramsay: Nope, hit the wrong button.
21:49:07 SusanEttenheim: glad you're back ;)
21:49:47 juramsay: Thanks, I am going to keep my fingers on the right keys.:) 
21:50:05 SusanEttenheim: :)
21:50:47 juramsay: Can't keep my promises!:D 
21:51:07 SusanEttenheim: so in Youth Voices, say you have a student interested in baseball or say - has friend issues... just type friend or friends in the search field and write and communicate with others thinking about the same topics
21:56:51 juramsay: Thank you, Tommy, for the great insights into tech in the classroom. It gives us more information to continue to push for my school board to open up to new tools to enhance teaching and learning.
21:58:05 SusanEttenheim: Julie, we find over and over that when there is a specific purpose, the walls come down much faster than any of use ever expect...
21:58:39 juramsay: I agree. Focus is very important. It gives purpose to what we want to achieve for students.
21:59:14 SusanEttenheim: right - it would be like saying let's have all students do xyz... without any purpose...
21:59:29 SusanEttenheim: Hi sroseman welcome!
21:59:42 sroseman: I gather I am too late
21:59:48 SusanEttenheim: Please introduce yourself - Julie is here for the first time tonight
22:00:00 SusanEttenheim: never too late :)
22:00:01 tommy_buteau: Hello everyone. Is there a link for Chad's site?
22:00:24 SusanEttenheim: coopcatalyst.wordpress.com
22:00:27 sroseman: Welcome Julie
22:00:36 sroseman: from Ottawa, ON Canada
22:00:43 juramsay: Hi sroseman
22:01:08 juramsay: I'm from Calgary, AB, Canada
22:01:14 SusanEttenheim: sroseman - please introduce yourself - where and what do you teach?
22:01:31 SusanEttenheim: what ages?
22:01:44 sroseman: I teach K to 6. I am an OT 
22:02:48 sroseman: I offer online PD at www.tappedin.org
22:03:47 SusanEttenheim: juramsay and sroseman we're going to all spread out soon....
22:04:02 juramsay: spread out?
22:04:16 SusanEttenheim: ops
22:04:17 SusanEttenheim: sorry
22:04:27 SusanEttenheim: haha I was on the red eye last night
22:04:49 SusanEttenheim: I was thinking of something but don't remember ;)
22:05:57 juramsay: Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to semi-lurk in the conversations.