Watching this made me very sad because it reminded me of so many teachers I know. And their attitude is contagious. So unfortunate for so many children. Why does this happen to teachers?
Thankfully I found the "Remix" from Glenwood School. I feel a little better now about my profession.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Week 5 Blog Two
Podcasting
Wow. It used to be that I would have to be on a long car ride to enjoy an entire episode of an NPR program. How psyched was I when I started looking up podcasts and was able to download and listen to NPR programming from the comfort of my computer. Once again, I have found another addicting technology.
I can’t wait to create my first podcast. I think I will interview my husband about his awesome career of lighting design. Hopefully you listeners will enjoy that. I plan on checking out these pages for the “how to” of this undertaking.
MyPodcast.com
Pod Bean
Blubrry detailed guide for first-time podcasters like ourselves.
With podcasts, the world is literally at my fingertips. I could even pursue some Yale quality education. Experts are everywhere online and if I had more hours in the day I could be learning constantly. Maybe I should get a USB line from my computer’s RSS feeds and link it directly into my brain at night while I sleep. It would be like re-charging my battery with an information upload. Don’t scientists claim that we only use 10% of our brain’s capacity? It’s time to step it up people! Let’s get learning.
Open Culture's collection of free college courses and lectures—courses from YALE offered here!
100 Awesome Open CoursesAcademic Earth - Videos of Top Scholars Teaching
Wow. It used to be that I would have to be on a long car ride to enjoy an entire episode of an NPR program. How psyched was I when I started looking up podcasts and was able to download and listen to NPR programming from the comfort of my computer. Once again, I have found another addicting technology.
I can’t wait to create my first podcast. I think I will interview my husband about his awesome career of lighting design. Hopefully you listeners will enjoy that. I plan on checking out these pages for the “how to” of this undertaking.
MyPodcast.com
Pod Bean
Blubrry detailed guide for first-time podcasters like ourselves.
With podcasts, the world is literally at my fingertips. I could even pursue some Yale quality education. Experts are everywhere online and if I had more hours in the day I could be learning constantly. Maybe I should get a USB line from my computer’s RSS feeds and link it directly into my brain at night while I sleep. It would be like re-charging my battery with an information upload. Don’t scientists claim that we only use 10% of our brain’s capacity? It’s time to step it up people! Let’s get learning.
Open Culture's collection of free college courses and lectures—courses from YALE offered here!
100 Awesome Open CoursesAcademic Earth - Videos of Top Scholars Teaching
Week 5 Blog Three
Blogging
I started a blog about 6 years ago as an online journal for my friends to keep up with what I was doing. I have no idea how many people read it, but it was a quick and easy way to write and share. Now I have learned that there are so many blogs out there, I could subscribe to a new one each day and expand my learning exponentially.
It’s almost like no matter where you live, you can find an expert to teach you something new, like going to professional development workshops whenever you wanted.
My head is swirling with ideas of how to use all this knowledge I am finding and bring it to students in my classes. I would like to know where they are with Web 2.0. I wish that a few teachers from my school had been required to take this course together, then we could take it back to the faculty with more power than just one individual.
Here are some useful links I found while pondering this subject.
Using Blogs and Wikis are Core Skills
Turn Your Blog Into a Newsletter With RSS to PDF
Web 2.0 and how to use it. I think this would be a fabulous way to start a discussion with my students. What an amazing power point presentation and a way to go link by link with a class discussing and discovering as we go.
Through the blogs in this class we have shared ideas and teaching tools. I had no idea how much blogs could create a community until now.
I started a blog about 6 years ago as an online journal for my friends to keep up with what I was doing. I have no idea how many people read it, but it was a quick and easy way to write and share. Now I have learned that there are so many blogs out there, I could subscribe to a new one each day and expand my learning exponentially.
It’s almost like no matter where you live, you can find an expert to teach you something new, like going to professional development workshops whenever you wanted.
My head is swirling with ideas of how to use all this knowledge I am finding and bring it to students in my classes. I would like to know where they are with Web 2.0. I wish that a few teachers from my school had been required to take this course together, then we could take it back to the faculty with more power than just one individual.
Here are some useful links I found while pondering this subject.
Using Blogs and Wikis are Core Skills
Turn Your Blog Into a Newsletter With RSS to PDF
Web 2.0 and how to use it. I think this would be a fabulous way to start a discussion with my students. What an amazing power point presentation and a way to go link by link with a class discussing and discovering as we go.
Through the blogs in this class we have shared ideas and teaching tools. I had no idea how much blogs could create a community until now.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Week Five Blog One—Free Choice
Did anyone else check out Whyville? I was thinking today that educators around my age and older are at a bit of a disadvantage because we have not grown up with the internet as second nature. My first use of the world wide web happened in college and was basically just a researching tool. Though I can be taught to understand technology, I do get overwhelmed and scared of not knowing how to use it. For example, today when I bought my new LG enV® TOUCH All Phones I was panicked. There is so much to learn that literally my day was frazzled because I was in overload. I had to (eventually) laugh at myself because of what my students would have thought to see me. They would have explained each procedure in simple terms and would have been done with it. Because they have grown up with technology they are not phobic of it. Then I read about Whyville. In an educational and fun way, younger kids learn how to chat and interact in a “virtual” world. I am convinced the earlier you expose children to challenges, the easier it will be for them to excel with those challenges. Like learning to ski, the younger you start, the less fright is involved. My husband has been skiing since he could walk, and I learned at 26 because he said I had to. Still not so fond of it—can you really teach an old dog new tricks? For me, the jury is still out.
I also checked out http://zohopolls.com/ for ideas on how to teach my journalism students about surveys. As a class we could create a survey and then have everyone take that survey and calculate our results.
Sorry this is rambling a little, but I am honestly having trouble articulating all that I have been searching through and thinking about. There is so much. Perhaps I should just take a break for today. The huge influx of learning has proved to be too much for one calendar day.
Okay—maybe one more thing—I am also turning the idea around of the power of positive thought in relation to my fears of technology. Maybe if I just believe in myself a little more, I will feel less anxiety.
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
I also checked out http://zohopolls.com/ for ideas on how to teach my journalism students about surveys. As a class we could create a survey and then have everyone take that survey and calculate our results.
Sorry this is rambling a little, but I am honestly having trouble articulating all that I have been searching through and thinking about. There is so much. Perhaps I should just take a break for today. The huge influx of learning has proved to be too much for one calendar day.
Okay—maybe one more thing—I am also turning the idea around of the power of positive thought in relation to my fears of technology. Maybe if I just believe in myself a little more, I will feel less anxiety.
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Week 4 Blog 3
Free Choice
Going through some of the discussion threads for our class, I noticed someone mentioned being very careful (for example) about what you put on Facebook since employers are searching for information about people based on what they might find on the web. As teachers I imagine that most of us are mindful of our image and reputation at all times, but how could someone read my page if it is set to private? I’m sure this is possible; the NSA is an amazing force. Now I’m not usually one for conspiracy theories, but this description of the NSA’s power deserves some pause.
From the Wikipedia link above: “NSA's eavesdropping mission includes radio broadcasting, both from various organizations and individuals, the Internet, telephone calls, and other intercepted forms of communication. Its secure communications mission includes military, diplomatic, and all other sensitive, confidential or secret government communications. It has been described as the world's largest single employer of mathematicians,[3] and the owner of the single largest group of supercomputers but it has tried to keep a low profile. For many years, its existence was not even acknowledged by the U.S. government, earning it the nickname, "No Such Agency" (NSA).”
Does anyone really have undisclosed information in this very public world? Just wondering and thinking out loud. Until I have added a person as a friend, I will pretend to think that my page is in fact private. I wonder how much digging employers actually do, but I’m guessing it is an investment of their time. Is it ethical for employers to do this? Or is it snooping?
Second thought on my brain is this Audacity program. I was able to figure out how to record with it and sang a few notes into my microphone (I love to sing) and I am psyched that I can make my own audio recordings. Unfortunately that’s where my knowledge fades. How do I upload that audio recording to my blog or facebook? I look forward to learning more about this. I am still amazed at the plethora of tools out there for FREE!!
Going through some of the discussion threads for our class, I noticed someone mentioned being very careful (for example) about what you put on Facebook since employers are searching for information about people based on what they might find on the web. As teachers I imagine that most of us are mindful of our image and reputation at all times, but how could someone read my page if it is set to private? I’m sure this is possible; the NSA is an amazing force. Now I’m not usually one for conspiracy theories, but this description of the NSA’s power deserves some pause.
From the Wikipedia link above: “NSA's eavesdropping mission includes radio broadcasting, both from various organizations and individuals, the Internet, telephone calls, and other intercepted forms of communication. Its secure communications mission includes military, diplomatic, and all other sensitive, confidential or secret government communications. It has been described as the world's largest single employer of mathematicians,[3] and the owner of the single largest group of supercomputers but it has tried to keep a low profile. For many years, its existence was not even acknowledged by the U.S. government, earning it the nickname, "No Such Agency" (NSA).”
Does anyone really have undisclosed information in this very public world? Just wondering and thinking out loud. Until I have added a person as a friend, I will pretend to think that my page is in fact private. I wonder how much digging employers actually do, but I’m guessing it is an investment of their time. Is it ethical for employers to do this? Or is it snooping?
Second thought on my brain is this Audacity program. I was able to figure out how to record with it and sang a few notes into my microphone (I love to sing) and I am psyched that I can make my own audio recordings. Unfortunately that’s where my knowledge fades. How do I upload that audio recording to my blog or facebook? I look forward to learning more about this. I am still amazed at the plethora of tools out there for FREE!!
Week 4 Blog Two
I found some really great Wikis that I can use as models. Again, I love lists.
http://stevensteaches.wetpaint.com/
This site was from a teacher of American Literature. I like how he words his “Academic Dishonesty and would really like to add something like this to my syllabus. Side note—it would be so nice to not waste so much paper at the beginning of the year by handing out syllabi. We could create classroom wikis and have parents and students sign in, read and discuss, and maybe post questions and comments. Ta-da! A door opens for communication.
http://sfhsaplit.wetpaint.com/
I love how the assignments are formatted and students can find everything they will need with a click of the mouse. Now that’s easy researching!
http://www.deadliest-catch-wiki.discovery.com/
A wiki for Fans of this great Discovery Channel show. I teach The Perfect Storm and looking through this wiki with my students would provide a lot of good background information.
http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/education/staff/staff.php?sectionid=7966
Not a wiki anymore since she changed it to a part of the school webpage. So cool; I want my own page!
http://huffenglish.pbworks.com
This is a pbworks wiki so I enjoyed reading through and analyzing the difference in formatting from Wetpaint. A pbworks page may be easier to set up because students do not need to put in their personal email addresses. I loved this page in the wiki because the project and background research was so well outlined for students. And this is one of my favorite books. http://huffenglish.pbworks.com/Project+The+Bluest+Eye
I’m sure I could go on, but I am off to give my eyes a break for a little while.
http://stevensteaches.wetpaint.com/
This site was from a teacher of American Literature. I like how he words his “Academic Dishonesty and would really like to add something like this to my syllabus. Side note—it would be so nice to not waste so much paper at the beginning of the year by handing out syllabi. We could create classroom wikis and have parents and students sign in, read and discuss, and maybe post questions and comments. Ta-da! A door opens for communication.
http://sfhsaplit.wetpaint.com/
I love how the assignments are formatted and students can find everything they will need with a click of the mouse. Now that’s easy researching!
http://www.deadliest-catch-wiki.discovery.com/
A wiki for Fans of this great Discovery Channel show. I teach The Perfect Storm and looking through this wiki with my students would provide a lot of good background information.
http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/education/staff/staff.php?sectionid=7966
Not a wiki anymore since she changed it to a part of the school webpage. So cool; I want my own page!
http://huffenglish.pbworks.com
This is a pbworks wiki so I enjoyed reading through and analyzing the difference in formatting from Wetpaint. A pbworks page may be easier to set up because students do not need to put in their personal email addresses. I loved this page in the wiki because the project and background research was so well outlined for students. And this is one of my favorite books. http://huffenglish.pbworks.com/Project+The+Bluest+Eye
I’m sure I could go on, but I am off to give my eyes a break for a little while.
Week 4 Blog One
World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others
by Will Richardson
I am really intrigued by the possibilities of collaboration across classrooms. Using the Web 2.0 tools, it might be easier to communicate with a classroom in Alaska than a classroom on the 3rd floor of my building (I am on the second floor). This article speaks to what I know is true for education, that we need to change the status quo because it just isn’t working anymore. Why should America be less than other countries in education? It is not because our teachers are not as smart or that we don’t have as much technology available to us. The organization and business of education these days needs to shift into something more meaningful for all involved.
I often like to watch John Stossel for his unique slanted views on controversial topics. He has often attacked the education system in America and many teachers did not appreciate his criticism. I do not see his criticism as an attack, but rather a “What’s going on and how can we change it?” It is a call to action but where do we go from there?
I like that this article by Will Richardson offers some inspiration. He urges teachers to be “connectors first” not content experts. I totally agree that we need “classrooms built around deep inquiry and defining questions.” I’m not totally sure how much I can accomplish as one teacher, but with this class I feel like I have opened up my world and will be able to bring that appetite for discovery to the classroom.
by Will Richardson
I am really intrigued by the possibilities of collaboration across classrooms. Using the Web 2.0 tools, it might be easier to communicate with a classroom in Alaska than a classroom on the 3rd floor of my building (I am on the second floor). This article speaks to what I know is true for education, that we need to change the status quo because it just isn’t working anymore. Why should America be less than other countries in education? It is not because our teachers are not as smart or that we don’t have as much technology available to us. The organization and business of education these days needs to shift into something more meaningful for all involved.
I often like to watch John Stossel for his unique slanted views on controversial topics. He has often attacked the education system in America and many teachers did not appreciate his criticism. I do not see his criticism as an attack, but rather a “What’s going on and how can we change it?” It is a call to action but where do we go from there?
I like that this article by Will Richardson offers some inspiration. He urges teachers to be “connectors first” not content experts. I totally agree that we need “classrooms built around deep inquiry and defining questions.” I’m not totally sure how much I can accomplish as one teacher, but with this class I feel like I have opened up my world and will be able to bring that appetite for discovery to the classroom.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Week 3 Blog 3
Pros and Cons of Media Sharing
I have to say there are definitely some memorable You Tube videos for me. Who can forget the Numa Numa kid or The End of the World? If I really need a giggle, those get me every time. But for every good item I have found on You Tube, there have to be at least 25 useless contributions, and that’s an optimistic estimate.
For keeping track of life, digital cameras, Picasa, SnapFish, and Flickr have made it easy to share new memories with people I haven’t seen since High School or stay in touch with family and friends thousands of miles away. Half of my time spent on Facebook is looking through photographs or video clips people have shared. I have had great joy looking through all those shared photos and images. It is literally a window into someone else’s life.
Unfortunately as the availability of technology has increased, rules of etiquette for how to use technology properly have not been outlined, and what appears all over the web and in pictures can often be in very poor taste. For example, almost all cell phones have cameras, and now many have video capabilities. It is now extremely easy to take a picture and send it to countless people before the other party even knows his/her picture has been taken. There are many ethical risks here. Concert performers, whose images and music are protected by copyright laws, are battling with this issue. Because of the pervasive use of cell phones, bits of a concert can be posted to the web before the concert even finishes. Many people do not think before posting indecent or compromising pictures to the web. Many people illegally download music or watch pirated movies before the “real thing” is released to theatres, like the Wolverine controversy.
Because it is so hard to keep up with new technology, it is becoming almost impossible to police what is put on the web. Employers may now Google search your name and who knows what they might find. Who knows who is out there taking a picture of you without you knowing it? I worry that there are no protections, and even though media sharing can be a wonderful tool, I fear in some ways we have opened Pandora’s box.
I have to say there are definitely some memorable You Tube videos for me. Who can forget the Numa Numa kid or The End of the World? If I really need a giggle, those get me every time. But for every good item I have found on You Tube, there have to be at least 25 useless contributions, and that’s an optimistic estimate.
For keeping track of life, digital cameras, Picasa, SnapFish, and Flickr have made it easy to share new memories with people I haven’t seen since High School or stay in touch with family and friends thousands of miles away. Half of my time spent on Facebook is looking through photographs or video clips people have shared. I have had great joy looking through all those shared photos and images. It is literally a window into someone else’s life.
Unfortunately as the availability of technology has increased, rules of etiquette for how to use technology properly have not been outlined, and what appears all over the web and in pictures can often be in very poor taste. For example, almost all cell phones have cameras, and now many have video capabilities. It is now extremely easy to take a picture and send it to countless people before the other party even knows his/her picture has been taken. There are many ethical risks here. Concert performers, whose images and music are protected by copyright laws, are battling with this issue. Because of the pervasive use of cell phones, bits of a concert can be posted to the web before the concert even finishes. Many people do not think before posting indecent or compromising pictures to the web. Many people illegally download music or watch pirated movies before the “real thing” is released to theatres, like the Wolverine controversy.
Because it is so hard to keep up with new technology, it is becoming almost impossible to police what is put on the web. Employers may now Google search your name and who knows what they might find. Who knows who is out there taking a picture of you without you knowing it? I worry that there are no protections, and even though media sharing can be a wonderful tool, I fear in some ways we have opened Pandora’s box.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Awake and Alive in Learning
I think I really am going to go cross-eyed staring at my computer for so long.
As I am navigating all of these new tools and websites, reading articles, I am trying to figure out how to get students to be active learners. The biggest challenge sometimes is to inspire intellectual curiosity. The need to “know more” is such an integral part of what it means to be an academic. Since I teach mostly juniors I often think about how best to prepare them for the college world and today it hit me.
I have to get students to a place where they are excited about learning. I just finished reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Thinking about this book and this course and subsequently, my students, I know that the most memorable people are those who never lose the love of learning. People that are constantly looking for knowledge are the ones who will succeed. I am always trying to get my young journalists in particular to really look at the world with their minds, eyes, and ears open.
RSS feeds just might be another way to allow students practice with that idea. If I taught each one of my students how to use Google Reader and sign up for subscriptions, I would be able to get them to stay current on topics of their choice. I wonder if my students have used Google News or Reader. I think students are familiar with social networks, but maybe they have not yet used them for intellectual pursuits. We could take our Current Events discussions to a whole new level if students were tracking a particular interest and reporting on all the new updates each week.
What I need to focus in on is how to present this in an organized manner so that students have limited frustration with the technology. If I am able to do that, these new Web 2.0 tools could have very satisfying results.
As I am navigating all of these new tools and websites, reading articles, I am trying to figure out how to get students to be active learners. The biggest challenge sometimes is to inspire intellectual curiosity. The need to “know more” is such an integral part of what it means to be an academic. Since I teach mostly juniors I often think about how best to prepare them for the college world and today it hit me.
I have to get students to a place where they are excited about learning. I just finished reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Thinking about this book and this course and subsequently, my students, I know that the most memorable people are those who never lose the love of learning. People that are constantly looking for knowledge are the ones who will succeed. I am always trying to get my young journalists in particular to really look at the world with their minds, eyes, and ears open.
RSS feeds just might be another way to allow students practice with that idea. If I taught each one of my students how to use Google Reader and sign up for subscriptions, I would be able to get them to stay current on topics of their choice. I wonder if my students have used Google News or Reader. I think students are familiar with social networks, but maybe they have not yet used them for intellectual pursuits. We could take our Current Events discussions to a whole new level if students were tracking a particular interest and reporting on all the new updates each week.
What I need to focus in on is how to present this in an organized manner so that students have limited frustration with the technology. If I am able to do that, these new Web 2.0 tools could have very satisfying results.
How long have I been in the dark?
Week 3 Blog One
Social Bookmarking
Why hasn’t anyone at school mentioned this before? I am beginning to feel cheated because I didn’t know all of this cool technology existed. For every unit I teach I could have bookmarked and tagged all of those sites I found useful, all those sites I used during classroom instruction. I am feeling a little stressed now that I have to go and look all of that up again and organize it in a new place. Delicious is providing an amazing cataloging tool and I am sad for teachers who don’t know that this exists. Random thought—what happens when a website is no longer available? Does Delicious update you and delete that tag? Do websites “die?” Another question, can Delicious import from Google Reader? Boy that would make life a little easier.
I would like to look up when Delicious started because I am surprised I haven’t heard of all these great tools before. This sounds a little nerdy, but I need to shout all these great websites from the rooftops. How many people know about, and use these? I am one of those people that like to analyze statistics and sociology. This year I am probably going to be one of those teachers that come back from the summer bubbling about all the cool things I learned, and want to show/teach others right away. I guess I will have to learn to live with that.
Social Bookmarking
Why hasn’t anyone at school mentioned this before? I am beginning to feel cheated because I didn’t know all of this cool technology existed. For every unit I teach I could have bookmarked and tagged all of those sites I found useful, all those sites I used during classroom instruction. I am feeling a little stressed now that I have to go and look all of that up again and organize it in a new place. Delicious is providing an amazing cataloging tool and I am sad for teachers who don’t know that this exists. Random thought—what happens when a website is no longer available? Does Delicious update you and delete that tag? Do websites “die?” Another question, can Delicious import from Google Reader? Boy that would make life a little easier.
I would like to look up when Delicious started because I am surprised I haven’t heard of all these great tools before. This sounds a little nerdy, but I need to shout all these great websites from the rooftops. How many people know about, and use these? I am one of those people that like to analyze statistics and sociology. This year I am probably going to be one of those teachers that come back from the summer bubbling about all the cool things I learned, and want to show/teach others right away. I guess I will have to learn to live with that.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Week 2 blog #2
Oops. I just found out that instead of catchy titles for our blogs we should title them Week 2, Week 3 etc. for ease of reading for everyone. So “Blown Away” should now be known as Week 2: Blog #1. Sorry about that; I love writing headlines.
What do I know and what do I want to know? I like to make lists...
I know:
I am going to need more time to read all of these wonderful links and websites
Google Reader has changed my life forever
To be a better teacher I have to be more connected
I have to figure out ways to overcome technical difficulties
I have many more subscriptions to add to Google Reader
I have been on my computer all day and at least it is raining outside so I don’t feel bad
I should not get a blackberry because it is addicting to be so connected
What do I want to know?
How to convince our schools that technology is NOT the enemy
How to get my school system’s firewall to allow downloads without an act of congress
How does technology fit into the purpose of public education?
How can we get past the argument that more access leads to safety and security issues?
More thoughts about technologies like Facebook, MySpace, etc.
How can my classroom prepare students for life after HS?
How can I encourage collaborative work in the classroom?
At what point will my school system change to allow more technology?
Like any ongoing discussion, the more you know, the more you want to know.
I am very excited to see where this course takes me.
What do I know and what do I want to know? I like to make lists...
I know:
I am going to need more time to read all of these wonderful links and websites
Google Reader has changed my life forever
To be a better teacher I have to be more connected
I have to figure out ways to overcome technical difficulties
I have many more subscriptions to add to Google Reader
I have been on my computer all day and at least it is raining outside so I don’t feel bad
I should not get a blackberry because it is addicting to be so connected
What do I want to know?
How to convince our schools that technology is NOT the enemy
How to get my school system’s firewall to allow downloads without an act of congress
How does technology fit into the purpose of public education?
How can we get past the argument that more access leads to safety and security issues?
More thoughts about technologies like Facebook, MySpace, etc.
How can my classroom prepare students for life after HS?
How can I encourage collaborative work in the classroom?
At what point will my school system change to allow more technology?
Like any ongoing discussion, the more you know, the more you want to know.
I am very excited to see where this course takes me.
Blown Away 2
“Blown Away” was eaten by a Blogger monster. I was adding links to my writing, watching how it was being “auto saved” while I was typing away, then BAM tried to post and it disappeared into blankness. If I can urge you to please write in Word first, do it. I thought “It will just be a quick blog, no need to take the extra precaution.”
Seeing your beautiful blog ripped away is truly infuriating and not good for the blood pressure. Don’t do it.
Anyway…here is hopefully what I typed, to the best of my memory.
My first reactions to School 2.0 would have to be wonder and amazement. I actually stopped searching the site in order to email my school principal. I realized that (1) all teachers need to take this course and (2) schools need to stop spending so much money on textbooks and begin to invest in technology.
Just one look at the activities page on School 2.0 would be a great place to begin staff development. The list http://etoolkit.org/etoolkit/transtools/table_of_contents I'm sure would stagger most of our faculty members because they do not know about many of these tools.
I even plan on emailing the company to get a free Learning Ecosystem map for the classroom. http://etoolkit.org/etoolkit/map/poster
I also realized teachers need the time to learn this new language of technology because this is the world students will continue to grow up in. We can’t ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist. When I read Kim’s note about how students are “plugged in at all times except for when they are in school” it really walloped me. There is an entire connected world out there and a lot of disconnected people around here.
Seeing your beautiful blog ripped away is truly infuriating and not good for the blood pressure. Don’t do it.
Anyway…here is hopefully what I typed, to the best of my memory.
My first reactions to School 2.0 would have to be wonder and amazement. I actually stopped searching the site in order to email my school principal. I realized that (1) all teachers need to take this course and (2) schools need to stop spending so much money on textbooks and begin to invest in technology.
Just one look at the activities page on School 2.0 would be a great place to begin staff development. The list http://etoolkit.org/etoolkit/transtools/table_of_contents I'm sure would stagger most of our faculty members because they do not know about many of these tools.
I even plan on emailing the company to get a free Learning Ecosystem map for the classroom. http://etoolkit.org/etoolkit/map/poster
I also realized teachers need the time to learn this new language of technology because this is the world students will continue to grow up in. We can’t ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist. When I read Kim’s note about how students are “plugged in at all times except for when they are in school” it really walloped me. There is an entire connected world out there and a lot of disconnected people around here.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
First Skype Call
I just used Skype for the first time! Woot! There is so much great technology out there and I really think I need a faster connection. hmmm. I'll have to look into that. Right now I have Fairpoint and I'm not sure that they are the best, but it seems to work great for everything except YouTube videos; they start and stop, start over and stop...etc. Maddening. Any ideas on what might be going wrong? Or is it really just my connection speed?
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Blog under Construction
Hello all. I am writing my first blog post for a class I have recently started, called Teaching and Learning in a Networked Classroom. Stay tuned for posts related to technology as used in my life this summer. It might get complicated.
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