Under-trained and unqualified: Teacher as Therapist

Today has been one of those days, and it's only third hour.

It started with one student we'll call Sara.  Sara's best friend died this summer in a tragic car crash, with her in the car.  She's been having a rough time dealing with it, but has been doing as well as a senior can do.  She's writing letters to him in a journal, she's talking about the "good times" with friends and family.  Yesterday, though, she experienced the anger stage (if you are unfamiliar with the Kübler-Ross stages of Death and Dying, they are here).  She is a self-proclaimed positive person and is not quick to anger...and yet, there she was.  How do I know this, you ask?  Because I am a teacher, so therefore I am also a psychological counselor.

The next hour, a student comes in crying. We'll call her Rose.  Rose is upset because she was just diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and she is scared of what that means. She has been told she needs psychotherapy - which makes her feel like she's crazy (think: psycho).  So is she really crazy? Is she the only one? She looks up to me for an answer.

I am under-trained and unqualified to be a therapist.  And yet, here I am. I assume that you are here with me, too.  And the funny thing is that I am more trained than the average teacher, as I have a degree in psychology.  All teachers are therapists. We get one or two classes in adolescent (or child) psych, and then we are expected to solve ALL OF THE PROBLEMS.  This is not practical. It is not fair. But it is.  And as with anything, it is what it is, but it will be what you make it.

So, what can you do?

Well, I'm no expert, but based on my studies of psychology and my ten years of experience as a teacher, here's what I know:

1. Listen
Sometimes, a student just wants to be heard. They don't want advice, they just want to know that you care.  This is the easiest - and at the same time, the most difficult - thing that you can do for a student.  My students know that my door is always open. They are welcome to talk any time.

2. Give advice only when asked. And even then, very carefully.
Sometimes a student does want advice. Be careful here. It's one thing if they ask you about a college, but it's another if they ask you about depression. Have the numbers on hand for the depression hotline (1-800-273-TALK). Have them make promises to you (Promise me you'll be in class tomorrow - I have something really important to tell you.), and then talk to a school counselor/psychologist.

3. Follow the student's lead:
If the student wants to cry, let them. Cry with them if you are like me. :)  If they want to just sit quietly, let them.  I know that different teachers have different policies on hugging a student - and for good reason.  Personally, I am never where other people can't see me, and I only hug a student if they hug first.  I would probably not hug a boy unless it was a special circumstance (death of a parent, graduation, etc), but that's just me.  You know what you are comfortable with and what you aren't.

4. Direct them to the appropriate people, if necessary.
If they need to talk to a counselor, direct them there.  Children have access to free psychotherapy in most states - so direct them to a therapist if necessary.  Have them call the hotline.  Whatever they need - make sure you have a directory of numbers somewhere accessible.

5. BE THERE
This is probably the most important.  Make sure your students know that you are there for them whenever.  My students know that they can talk to me any time during the school day, and that I answer email rapidly after school.   I am available all the time to them.  Beyond that, though, be wholly present when the student is talking to you. I view it as an incredible privilege every time a student confides in me.  I know which teachers I would have shared things with when I was in high school and how highly I thought of them. If a student chooses you, it's because you mean a great deal to that student.  It is an honor to hear whatever it is that they have to say.  So, don't sigh loudly. Don't check your email. Don't look at your phone. Don't check out. Be wholly present with that student.  Make sure that they know that for the amount of time that they are with you, that they are the most important person in the world to you.  Keep in mind that you may be the ONLY adult that they believe feels that way about them.

So...what did I miss?  What is necessary to counsel students?

On flipping the classroom, flipping out, and flipping in general.

So much has changed in the last few years...where to begin...

On a personal level, I have divorced and remarried since I last posted here. I have 2 more children than I did. I have taught at 5 schools simultaneously at which I taught 5 different preps. I finally teach an AP class.  My mother has passed away, and my father is now a permanent, daily fixture in my family.  So much change. So much stress.

And yet.

I am throwing myself into my work and am remembering how much I really love what I do. I love having students appreciate what we do for them. I love to watch them learn. I love to see former students who excitedly tell me what they're going into - and how what I did, in some small way, encouraged them to do it.  I love making a difference.

I, like other teachers, am being asked to do more with less.  I am teaching 2-3 classes simultaneously for the bulk of my day.  I can't do what I used to and expect to be successful. I am remaking my classroom.  Last year, I flipped my AP psych class to grand results.  Of the 17 students that took the AP exam in May, 16 of them passed the exam.  Of those 16, 8 received 3's, 4 received 4's, and 4 received 5's.  It was a grand success.  While I am tweaking my AP program, I will leave it as a flipped class.

Now it's time to revamp intro.  I want my intro to psych class to be fun and innovative.  I'm coming up short on activity ideas, however.  I want to make it different from AP.

So...what do you do?  How did you flip your classroom?  What classroom activities have been successful for you?

It's good to be back.

Overly flattered, incredibly humbled

I have to admit, I was not expecting the email today. I had long given up the idea of blogging here. It's not that I don't still try to do cutting edge tech stuff in my classroom. It was that I got busy, life got complicated, and I didn't want to put my energies here anymore. Besides...no one was reading, right?

This is where I was wrong. I received an email that informed me that I am on a list of the 2010 Midwest Teacher Blogs to follow. I can't believe it - I haven't posted in over two years! Then I went to my blog and started reading it....and there are comments from this year.

I am SO sorry to those of you who have asked me questions. It might take me a bit, but I will get to answering all of them. I will post more. And finally, I will try more ideas in my classroom and post them here.

So on that note, anyone have anything they would like me to talk about? Anything you want me to try? I'm up for about anything.

Oh - and thanks for reading. I am humbled by your faith in me.

Okay, I'm back....or am I?

So this was a great deal longer than a 'brief' hiatus. I did, indeed, finish my Masters.  I stand now at the end of that educational road, but am wondering where I should go from here.  In terms of my education, I could become certified in educational technology, or go for me PhD. in educational technology.  Or, I could go totally crazy and become certified to teach something different altogether.  

Likewise, I stand in a similar situation regarding my blog.  I want to be innovative - to bring up thoughts and ideas that are different than what others have thought to ponder before.  Perhaps this is just year-end burn-out still talking - maybe I'm full of ideas that I haven't even come up with yet.  Or, perhaps, I am placing too much pressure on myself to be an innovator.  After all, I can be an innovator in my workplace by spouting out some of the different information that others have been touting for the past five years.  It all depends on who your audience is.

Some of my least favorite student projects have been those where it is obvious that the student has just tried too hard to impress me.  Perhaps I am doing the same thing, here.  

At any rate, I am back, and I will be posting.  If you have any topics that are of interest, please let me know.  Also - I am beginning to lay out my consulting schedule for next year.  If you want me to come into your school/district, please email me at sroustan [at] fhps [dot] us.  Happy summer!

Technorati Tags:

Random, Summer, Technology, Blogging, Edublogosphere

Tech thoughts will return after this brief hiatus...

Yes, I'm still here.

Yes, my family is healthy and doing well.

I, on the other hand? Am crazy.

I have finished my Masters project, and am nearly half done with tennis season.

I am slowly getting my life back. In the meantime, I apologize for my brief hiatus on podcasting and blogging, but I promise that I will be back. Soon. I swear.

I have a lot to blog about, and I miss the network.

If you have any ideas for future posts, or things you'd like me to write more about, comment here! Thanks for your patience!

Technorati Tags:
Random, Beyond Podcasting, (dis)connectivity

MACUL 2008

It has been an interesting couple of weeks, to say the least. I will, at the end of this week, have been out of my classroom 5 of the last 10 days. This has made my life insane (but in a good way).



Last week, I was able to take part in a meeting to re-vamp our Middle School Comp. Lit. course (working title now is Computers, Technology & Literacy). What a neat meeting - we made so much progress, and the idea of all students coming out of the MS as literate as these new standards...it warms my heart!



Then, I was fortunate enough to present at the MS Summit, sponsored by the MI ASCD. A very fun/thought provoking day! It was an honor to be presenting at such a gathering of people.



Now, on to MACUL 2008, where I am not presenting, per se, but will be helping out in a few SIGTE sessions. I'm hoping to pull together a Twitter Cafe, of sorts. It won't be publicized, but if we tweet it, they will come. I'm hoping to walk away with new ideas, but also just come back refreshed and ready to take on the world. It will be fun to be an absorber of info this time around. I don't get to do that much anymore, so it is special when I get that opportunity!



I may not post reguarly for a bit -and I apologize in advance. I have my 3rd and final chapter due on Monday...and with MACUL, and sub plans...well...we'll see what happens. :) If you have read my last post, and are interested in reading more, let me know and I'll post some more! Although I'm kinda thinking that I'm either putting you to sleep or boring you to death...



I'll post when I can! See some of you at MACUL!



Technorati Tags:
MACUL 2008, ASCD, Summit, SIGTE, Twitter Cafe

Bucket List Meme

Oh my - I've never been tagged in a meme before. I feel so special! Now, to steal from Jen:
The Bucket List meme was started by Jeff Pulver and is based on the movie. It seems to have not evolved much and is still essentially a list of things you hope to accomplish in 2008. This is seriously not easy - there is always so much I want to do....but here, in short, is my 2008 Bucket List (in no particular order):

~turn 25....again.
~get through the Strasbourg Exchange...and then do it again for next year.
~attend NECC (probably won't happen, but a girl can dream, right?)
~use online textbooks (that are written by my former students) in all my classes.
~embed technology in all of my classes - every lesson, every day.
~do more presenting, AND more attending (of conferences, that is).
~finish my Masters degree (goal: April 2008).
~move and/or get a mini-van. Or both.
~enjoy my life and stop stressing about things that - in the end - don't really matter.
~Chillax.

I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones that come to mind right away. And now, to tag people:
Liz, Vicki, and Darren - you're it! :) Happy meme-ing. And Happy New Year!

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Beyond Podcasting, Bucket List, Meme, Random

All a-Twitter...

Okay, I have to contribute to this conversation. If you haven't read Jen's (the blogger formerly know as TechnoSpud) blog article on Twitter, please click here. Read through the comments too. I'll wait.

Done? Great. Here's the thing. I was recently asked by someone (and to avoid name-dropping, which I really don't want to do, I won't name him) why I use Twitter. He said that he couldn't quite figure it out and wasn't sure what to make of it. This is a man I greatly respect and was very confused by why he had such a problem making heads or tails of the network. It really got me thinking about why I <3 the network. Because I do. I really do.

This is what I've come up with. Teaching is a very isolating career. If I'm having a rough day, I might actually only talk to two adults all day: the woman with whom I share a room and my husband. That is not cool, nor is it conducive to a good learning environment for me.

Since Twitter, I have felt globally connected in more ways that I can tell you. I told this man that I know a great deal about my Twitter network, either from their tweets or from their blog posts. I can tell you general locations of people, what specifically they do for a living, a bit about their personalities, and some of their likes and dislikes. If I'm feeling particularly down, I might contact @ijohnpederson to make me laugh (which I have done). If I want to know whether a French lesson I'm working on would appeal to my students, I might check with @arthus to see what his take on the lesson is. My SecondLife connection is @elemitrt. She and I used to talk all the time when I was on SL. I wish I could spend more time in-world, and when I am able to again, I know that she will be there to show me around the new places. Get the picture? I could go on, but I won't. :)

I know that it is easy to be offended by what someone types. It is often difficult to express oneself in just text. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, and ask them about something that is disconcerting to me. I do think it is time, though, for someone to come out with the new rules of ettiquette. Something for this new, connected world. We could call it Ettiquette 2.0. Or Digital Nativettiquette. Or Twettiquette. Or Blogiquette. No matter what we decide to call it, I think it is important that somewhere we as a generation (and I don't mean in terms of age, I mean in terms of connectivity) define what is considered polite and what isn't.

Calling someone to see why they aren't tweeting might be okay, if it is someone that you would call anyway. Emailing/tweeting them and finding out why they are disconnected might be okay, though. For example, if someone wanted to let me know that they were thinking of me, an e-card would be sweet. I would feel the same way about a tweet, or an email, or even a Skype call. I would, however, be creeped out if you called my house. To be fair, I would feel the same way if we had just met at a conference. Or if we worked together, but never did anything outside of school. Fair enough?

I think the dialogue has just begun on this one. Thanks, Jen, for starting it.

Technorati Tags:
Twitter, Connectivity, Web 2.0, Beyond Podcasting, Random

Twitter on CSI???

Okay, you know your favorite R/W Web tool has gone viral when it appears on a popular show...like CSI. Granted, this does bring up issues of cyberbullying/tmi on the internet, but nonetheless, Twitter was on CSI. Watch, and love.


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YouTube, Twitter, CSI, Random

One more break from podcasting...

I promise I will finish my how-to on podcasting. Really, I will. However, something is pressing on my mind that I just have to say.

Twitter is down.

Again.

And I might not make it.

Okay, a bit over dramatic? Perhaps. But I really do feel less connected than normal. I feel like I forgot to put something on this morning - pants, shirt, a jacket - something important! I'm giving a quiz today in my classes, and was looking forward to some collaboration time.

I'm just struck by how large an influence Twitter really has on me. And how much of a daily part of my life it is. I miss putting @ before people's names, or watching people rant about certain programs that aren't working for them anymore.

In the words of Vicki Davis, "Twittero, twittero, where for art thou, twittero..."

Technorati Tags:
Twitter, Beyond Podcasting, Random

Readability Level

Okay, I know I need to finish my series on how-to podcast (and I will this weekend, I promise), but in the meantime, I thought I'd post this:

I don't really know what this means. Should I be offended? Jane's blog was rated at genius level! I guess I shouldn't feel too bad. Jeff's blog did worse than mine (sorry, Jeff).

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Beyond Podcasting, Random

Your world - delivered - literally.

Personally, this week has been pretty hard for me. My father is dealing with some health issues, which means that I am dealing with some parenting-your-parents issues. To take my mind off of everything, I, of course, turned to the EduBlogoSphere for comfort and distraction.

And boy, did I find it.

UStream is the most amazing thing I've seen since the iPod Touch (which, is pretty long in tech-terms). It is a TV station that you can produce. I'm thinking of starting a show on technology with puppets. I don't know why, but it sounds amusing, doesn't it?

Anywho, I was twittering along one day, and got involved with UStream and Skype simultaneously, and found myself interviewing people that lived thousands of miles away from me, while chatting with people from all over. It was incredible.

Then I hear about Operator11 which is apparently the same thing. How crazy is this in terms of education? I could teach a class from the comfort of my Michigan home, and be teaching people literally all over the world.

Then I read a post by a self-assigned technospud about how discouraging some of us techies can be to newbie-tech teachers. She mentioned "baby steps" (Yay - What About Bob!). I completely agree. Sometimes I get so excited by what's new, that I forget that to many blogging is still "new". Every dream that we have starts with small baby steps until it can be realized.

My dream is to have technology embedded into everything that I teach. It is my job to take those baby steps and that - no matter how many grants I get turned down for, no matter how many obstacles I may encounter - I have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. So - what's your dream?

Technorati Tags:
Beyond Podcasting, Education, Random, UStream, Operator11

To be or not to be....relevant

For those of you who may not know, I am an avid presenter. I absolutely love getting up in front of other educators and showing them another method to reach their students. This year, however, I have missed several major proposal deadlines - some because I am a procrastinator, and some because I'm not terribly sure what to say.

Many people who attend my presentations tell me that they really needed something a bit more basic. I think that we who are in these EdTech rings tend to think that we need to speak on the "new" stuff because the "old" stuff - like podcasting, blogging, etc - is known already.

I'm speaking at a conference in my own district this year, and I plan to present on three topics - podcasting (duh), blogging 101 and how to do PD on your own time with an aggregator. None of this is earth-shattering - all of these are "old" technologies, and yet I know that I will have people who have never heard of these things.

So my question is - how can we really be relevant? I didn't submit to present at NECC this year (though I really, REALLY wanted to) because I honestly don't know how I could present something relevant. To some, Blogging 101 might be about the perfect pace. To others, that is completely old hat.

David Warlick asked yesterday what questions should be asked of school board members. I would ask - how can teachers be relevant to students without the use of modern technologies? In their lives, students will be more apt to use something like the iPod Touch than a desktop computer, and yet how many schools do you know with an iPod Touch for every student? How can professional development be relevant to teachers' needs without addressing technology and meeting the teachers where they are? How can we prepare students for a future that we can't even imagine if we aren't being (you guessed it) relevant?

In this era of budget cuts and deficits, is it even possible to be relevant?

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Education, Random, sbe_comments

WiZiQ and the Reluctant Teen

I don't know how I want to start this post. Please understand that I am fully for the integration of technology in our classrooms. In fact, I don't see it so much as an option as a necessity. That being said, let me start you at the beginning.

It all started with Jeff Utecht's wonderful post on WiZiQ. For those of you who don't know, WiZiQ is sort of like a webcasting portal with recording features and so on - that is entirely free. How cool is that? I LOVE Web 2.0. Anyway, I got to thinking how cool it would be to use this in the classroom.

And then I thought of my students.

Last week, I used Alan Levine's Negative Reinforcement University as a test for my psychology classes. If I had a teacher who had done that in school - well, it would have rocked my world. Instead, I heard a lot of complaints. Yes, some of the students did really enjoy it - and they all really learned from it - but many of them didn't like the extra "work" it took to get out of the dungeon.

Which brings me to my point. How do we integrate technology - or embed it, as Jeff Utecht writes - if our students are reluctant at best to accept this? And who can blame them? For the last twelve years, we have taught students to read on paper and write on paper. And now, all of a sudden, we want them to what? Play games to test their abilities? Listen to class discussions online as opposed to in a classroom setting? This must be a very foreign concept indeed.

How can we help our reluctant students move beyond pen and paper and into the realm of the Read-Write Web? We talk a lot about supporting teachers in this, but what about the students?

This sounds overly pessimistic - and I don't want to be. I'm actually pretty excited about WiZiQ, and am trying to figure out a way to use it in my classroom. But, in case you're still bummed, let me end on a happy note. (Make sure you are not in a quiet location when you open that last link.)

Technorati Tags:
WiZiQ, Education, Random

Busy-ness, Sleep Deprivation, and Other September-Themed Musings

Okay, so it's been a month since my last post. And that was a re-post of a funny email I received. Wow. I can't believe it has been a month. It really seems like yesterday - and yet, like it was three years ago.

We started school the last week of August (added the kiddos after Labor Day), and since then I feel so disconnected! Twitter - which was unblocked last year - has, up until now, been blocked at my school. (Our school has changed procedures, so I filled out a form to get Twitter un-blocked. There was a problem with the paperwork, but I think we have it figured out. I'm hoping to be online on Monday.) I had no idea how often I used Twitter to stay connected - and to get quick answers to tech issues!

I also added a new prep - psychology. I absolutely LOVE teaching it! I spend a lot of time each day trying to make the class as interesting and fun as possible, thus my Bloglines account is at 1744 new feeds. Wait - make that 1746.

And another new thing this year? I used to get asked about tech stuff around the school by members of my department and close friends. This year? Many more people. I've had to actually hide during my prep hour so that I can get work done. I'm really surprised that I can't figure out good hiding places (within range of the wi-fi) in a school of nearly 1000 kids.

If this sounds like complaining, it really isn't. It's awesome! The last school year was amazing - I was able to present at some great conferences, and I've learned so much. I'm really tired (okay, that was a little whiny) but at the end of the day, I feel like I'm really doing well. I've already done some techie things in my psych class. We did a PhotoStory, and then instead of a test, I took them to Alan Levine's Negative Reinforcement University, or NRU. They loved it!

I'm super flattered that people in my building are asking for my help and advice about tech stuff. The truth is, I usually don't know the answer to their question initially. (Shhhh....don't tell) But I do find them the answer, no matter how long it takes me to figure it out.

So, I apologize for the delay between postings. Just in case it takes me a little longer before I can write again, please let me leave you with some links:

My newly improved website. Same general look, but quite a different set-up.

Pavlov's Dog. This is only good if you teach Pavlov, but hey, it's still pretty fun. :)

Guided Tour. This is the guided tour for the iPod Touch. *drool*

Education 2050. If you've never read this before, now's as good a time as any.

And now, off to the Senior Lock-In. Man, I love my job!

Technorati Tags:
Back to School, Education, Random

Abbott and Costello 2.0

Okay, if you don't know who Abbott and Costello are, stop RIGHT NOW and look them up here.

Now that you are all cultured, read on. This was an email forward that was sent to me. If I knew who to credit, I would.

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.
ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.
ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?
ABBOTT: Recommended something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W".
COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn' t it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!
COSTELLO: Okay, so how do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT: Click on "START"...
COSTELLO: Oh, I quit.
ABBOTT: You want to quit the program?
COSTELLO: I said I quit, didn't I?
ABBOTT: Okay, but that's a command for Mac.
COSTELLO: ARG!

Technorati Tags:
Abbott and Costello, Technology, Random

Ready...get set....SCHOOL!

We are less than two weeks from when teachers must report back to the classroom - and three from when students will grace our presence. So - the question that apparently EVERYONE I KNOW wants me to answer is:

Are you ready to go back?

My answer - for a number of reasons - is no. Don't get me wrong - I love, love, LOVE my job, and think that it's crazy to get paid to do what I love - how cool is that? But there are a few things:

1.) I'll admit it: I'm a bit lazy. It's beautiful outside and the thought of going inside - well - not appealing to me, frankly. I'll get over that, I swear. Someday.

2.) I have a new class to teach this year, and I want to integrate technology more than ever. The book is lame at best. I have too many ideas, and haven't figured out yet which ones I need to implement. Some of my (many) ideas:
- classroom wiki
- online textbook (I found a great one here)
- blogging
- podcasting/vodcasting projects

3.) I have been to some great conferences this year and this summer, and have read some great blogs. Bottom line? I have WAY too many ideas, and not enough time to implement them well. I really want to try out SL with my juniors and seniors in psyc, but I know that I won't have enough time to create projects with it this semester. And I really want to do a French class wiki that students could access in lieu of dragging home their textbook.

I guess that's really what this is about. I need more time. With all of the progress we have made with technology and such, I am left with the age-old teacher problem of not enough hours in a day.

Some things never change. :)

Technorati Tags:
Random, Education, Back to School

iSing?

Griffin, a company who is known to create products that are generally good for the iPod has announced the release of iKaraoke. No, I am not making this up. Apparently, it is a free-ware file that you download to your Mac or PC, and then it allows you to sing along with any song that you own.

I'm not sure of the educational ramifications - if you can think of any, please let me know. I guess for French, you could teach an "educational" song that describes the forms of a conjugated verb and then have students sing along. I'm not sure how well this would work 7-12 - I can hardly get my kids to sing "Happy Birthday". :) (They do, however, yell it quite well.)

So, have fun at your next family reunion with this new freeware. Oh yeah, and check out their site, too. They are giving away $800 of Griffin schwag (sp?). Nice.

Technorati Tags:
iPods, iTunes, Random, iKaraoke

Are we there yet?

Today was the big travel day. I had to travel from Michigan to Maryland, for the MAHETC 2007 conference. My flights went pretty well, with the exception of a 30-minute wait on the tarmac in D-town, but other than that, they were fine. I got my bags without a hitch, even found my way to the rental car terminal (which, incidentally, is NOT at the airport terminal in Baltimore). Then, it was up to the people at AAA, who had printed me a trip-tick (sp?) earlier in the week.

And that would be when the problems started.

First, AAA thought that I was leaving from the airport. Then, the names of the streets were different than what they really were. Finally, it told me to turn left onto Troopers Way from MD 13 South. Um, Troopers Way doesn't intersect MD 13 - you have to take two side roads to hit TW. Nice. That one took me all the way down 13 to the University to figure out.

Why am I writing this, you ask? Well, dear reader, you should have figured out that I am always a tad on the rant-ish side, but I assure you that I do have a point. I carry with me a cell phone and a PDA at almost all times. Both are wi-fi compatible. Both have GPS/Map-type programs on them. Did I use them? Um, no.

I will be the first to admit that I am a healthy mix of Digital Native and Digital Immigrant, to quote from Marc Prensky. I tend to be mostly immigrant when it comes to my own schoolwork. I tend to play with technology and work with paper. I believe - and have yet to be proven wrong - that this was ingrained in me from the beginning of my educational experience. I was always provided with technology at home - my parents placed it high in their priority list - but was not always provided with it at school. In fact, I can vividly remember teachers telling me not to use any online sources because books were the most reliable! When we tell students that they can't use iPods or cell phones or PDA's or whatever in school, aren't we sending the same message that some of my teachers gave me?

Which brings me back to my driving adventures...if I had been encouraged in school to use technology in as many areas as I could, would I have thought to check the two different map programs that I carry with me? I guess we'll never know...

Technorati Tags:
MAHETC2007, Education of the Future, Random

Why Bother?

Here is a powerpoint that I will be showing on Tuesday and Wednesday at MAHETC. It will be my anticipatory set (if you will) of both my podcasting and blogging sessions. I think I did a nice job, but I'd love some feedback if you have time. Thanks!

I think all you have to do is click on this powerpoint and it will open the presentation (including music) into your browser. Please let me know if you have any problems.

Technorati Tags:
MAHETC2007, Random, iPods, education