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
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
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
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
Thursday, August 23, 2007
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
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
Thursday, August 16, 2007
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
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
Thursday, July 26, 2007
MAHETC2007
To those who regularly read this blog: forgive me. I know that I hate it when someone blogs about all the conferences that they attend. It's like, wow, look at me and all the conferences I go to/present at - I'm amazing. I assure you, this isn't one of those posts, and I apologize in advance. :)
To Linda and those who went to my Beyond Podcasting session yesterday (and anyone else who is interested):
I think the Why Bother powerpoint (listed here) is finally up and working. If this doesn't work, I'll try to figure something else out. Please comment and let me know if you can access it.
As far as "source materials", I have listed some helpful links to the left of this page, and also on the conference wiki . The links that I showed (and many more) are on the delicious page (the direct link is here).
I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you would like any further information. Thank you!
We now bring you back to your regularly scheduled blog-reading...
Technorati Tags:
MAHETC2007, Beyond Podcasting
To Linda and those who went to my Beyond Podcasting session yesterday (and anyone else who is interested):
I think the Why Bother powerpoint (listed here) is finally up and working. If this doesn't work, I'll try to figure something else out. Please comment and let me know if you can access it.
As far as "source materials", I have listed some helpful links to the left of this page, and also on the conference wiki . The links that I showed (and many more) are on the delicious page (the direct link is here).
I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you would like any further information. Thank you!
We now bring you back to your regularly scheduled blog-reading...
Technorati Tags:
MAHETC2007, Beyond Podcasting
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
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
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
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