August 2007 — News
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L3RN: Seattle Public Schools Brings Social Networking In House
The video-sharing site YouTube clearly engages young users, but content and participation can't be controlled, making it difficult for K-12 to use the site for educational opportunities.
In response, Seattle Public Schools this spring launched its own social learning network, called L3RN. Developed in house by the school district, the software program allows students to use many of the multimedia and social networking features of popular video-sharing and social-networking sites, but in a protected space and under the watchful eyes of teachers.
L3RN lets students and teachers build rich online content that includes streaming audio and video, one-click podcasting, interactive portfolios, and live discussion groups. The networking aspects of the tool let them post content to be shared with others, turned into podcasts, downloaded into iPods, and more.
Students--and their parents, who can also use the site--are authenticated as they log in, so the district knows exactly who they are as they post comments or upload work. A teacher must OK any student's content before it can be viewed.
"While Microsoft and Google were fighting over buying YouTube, we went ahead and built our own version of it," according to Ramona Pierson, head of the district's department of educational technology.
Student Projects Go Online
The diversity of student projects in L3RN includes a social studies class in which students created podcasts for chosen historical figures. One student researched music for various times in Hitler's life, Pierson said; another selected Marie Antoinette. A second-grade teacher had her classes create podcasts of the history of Seattle, with each acting out some historical aspect. Spanish teachers set up a classroom as a restaurant, then taped the students ordering meals in Spanish for later critique.
The project began as the district was trying to solve several issues, including ways for students to track their graduation requirements, and teachers to communicate with each other to share curriculums and professional development issues. "Instead of trying to buy five or six different tools, we decided that what the district really needed to do was to create a social learning network.... We decided to actually build our own version of YouTube and MySpace integrated together, and lock it down" against outsiders, Pierson said, while still making it easily accessible for students, parents and teachers.
Training and Technical Requirements
One key aspect of L3RN: It doesn't require a high-end computer system. Families running computers with older Windows software--anything that can connect to the Internet--can not only visit the site, but can create content. "Anybody can use it," Pierson said. "Some of our kids are on computers that don't even have Office on them... We provide opportunities for families who are on Apple or on 486 or 386 or using their phone [for a dial-up connection], so we reach the least common denominator."
