Thing #1

With my advanced age (comparable to the rest of the class anyway) I quickly came to realize that once I finished my first undergraduate and master's degrees that learning could not stop with the acquisition of a piece of paper.  Becoming a professional "anything" has ancillary responsibilities attached to the field. Imagine the effectiveness of the professor who did not keep up with the peer reviewed work in the chosen field.

The 7½Habits conveys to the reader what the basic tenets of a lifelong learner might look like. Embracing new ideas and ways of accomplishing tasks that may have become second nature is scary and is sometimes met with severe skepticism. Opening up and being a willing collaborator might be the first step in successful teaching. Nobody can know it all.

Perhaps keeping a journal of daily trials and successes might be a great idea for tracking the teaching journey that is soon to become reality. Using the blogosphere for that specific purpose is a great way to share and, of course, save paper. Or, if the thoughts are too personal, a digital diary can take the place of a shared blog.

Finally, accepting responsibility for my own learning (Habit 2) will be the easy habit to embrace because I do not enjoy being ignorant about a subject I teach. I view using technology to my advantage (Habit 6) as, perhaps, my Achilles heel.  However, looking forward, I do see the instructional technologies class as my savior. All this blogging and tweeting stuff surely cannot be as difficult as learning how to use that Radio Shack TRS-80 my father bought for the family in 1979.

       Radio Shack TRS-80



Photo retrieved from  https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjILbg-qxRG1c_sijFy89eY3ljUOECC63TJ2MMUdgmm5SYtmX5IQ

Thing #3

Having survived the first few weeds of this course on "Instructional Technologies," I now believe I can post an entry to Thing #3 having a little experience under my belt. After much thought, and a some discussion and ridicule from my teenage daughters, I have realized that this type of forum may indeed be a huge part of the future of education. Keeping up with the future will be a certain chore for those who do not embrace the possibilities of using all these clever tools that are out there for public consumption. Many schools across the country are using different types of programs to close the gap of communication between teacher-student and teacher-parent. One such program is called Power School. Power School is used by Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) and has been in full implementation since 2010 and it has been a wonderfully successful tool for information dissemination. Teacher blogs are a similar concept, but they are surely more informal and a personalized way to bring the classroom to any student and parent virtually anywhere.

Imagine the possibilities:

·         Additional content for a lesson that visually and/or audibly describes in clearer detail what the classroom could not do or have time to complete.

·         Make a game of internet quest out of the curriculum content.

·         Provide extra credit for additional opportunities to learn by providing links to helpful sources.

·         Remember how study hall was so lame? Allowing students the freedom to work blog projects is time better spent.

·         Teachers might be able to collaborate on a project that uses a competition format which asks the students/classes to build the best website with content based on the chosen subject.

·         The teacher can provide links to the best resources available to the student without fearing the questionable use of Wikipedia.

·         Parents might love it because they would be able to get clear instruction on the day's events at school should their child miss a particular day.

·         Finally, let's face it, sometimes textbooks are just lame.

Of course the teacher is not necessarily able to simply start a blog without authorization. There will have to be policy and procedure in place to keep the student, teacher, and school on a clear legal path into the future.

Thing #5

The Web 2.0 Guide for Educators says it like it is with regard to the direction of technology in the classroom. Will all things technology related come to pass as the panacea for learning and teaching? Perhaps, obviously it is too soon to tell what long term effect this relatively new tool will have on what it touches. The one chink in the armor I can see right off is the intent to commission digital text books for use in the classroom. This may not be a wise move for two reasons I can think of:

•  In my experience in the military, there was a push to go as paperless as possible with regard to manuals and correspondence within the bureaucratic mess that is most tied to any form of government. Most people were largely against the digital form of manuals because of the problems associated with computer crashes and the speed with which one could find the desired information.
•  Additionally, people want to be able to tab or highlight their own paper manuals and have a tangible item they could become intimately familiar with and carry around without the need for a power source. This same issue may plague schools with regard to textbooks as well.

Having the ability to have a virtually unlimited resource for research and collaboration between the school and the world would be absolutely invaluable in the classroom. After all, the world is expanding in the social media sphere to such a large degree that it is intuitive that the United States should be a part, if not the leader, in fomenting the creative use of various communications medium to shape a more effective learning environment.  

The Horizon’s Report discusses the “real” challenges of going forward for educational institutions. The report issues a concise and logical discussion on the obvious need for technology and the sometimes unreal expectations of what can be delivered. There are many new and old trends in the use of electronic media. The report makes one think that there may be a point in which there will be an overload of information.

However, it is apparent to the reader that the growth of expertise in media literacy is exponential and that technology can keep up with need just as the ability to use emerging mediums will keep up with the technology. Making learning exciting has presumably been the bane of the teaching professions existence.

Taking a collaborative view of teacher and technology brings to light possibilities only limited by lack of imagination. Imagine how cost effective it would be to have a “master teacher” teaching a district-wide eighth grade class, using an in-service teacher in the classroom to act as a facilitator for canned projects and assessments. Exciting possibilities!

Thing #4

I have stepped into the blogosphere clearly ignorant of the size and scope of the blogging community. I joined a blog site some time ago called thoughts.com and simply posted a few comments I thought would be cleaver. However, the idea of doing that sort of thing grew tiresome and was short lived.

Honestly, I believe in the short-run creating the blog and all of the ancillary items necessary to be successful in this class will be intimidating but is necessary to become proficient. As I have made completely clear before in past comments, linking all of this in my mind’s eye is a tough enterprise especially since I am versed in PC more so than Mac. Nevertheless, frequent use will likely make me a believer in the viability of the social and professional blogging scene.

Coolcat, Blue Skunk, Drapes, and ProBlogger are all obvious seasoned, proficient bloggers who share their knowledge with passion and purpose. The ultimate goal of all of them, I believe, is to assist in the development of the blogosphere into a respectful community of informed people who wish to share their knowledge and ideas to better humanity.

I have many interests and see the internet as a rapid path to keeping up-to-date on relevant issues in one of my chosen obsessions. My first career was in aviation and I still have a desire to stay abreast of the current issues that shape the future of general aviation. I chose a blog called “All Things Aviation” because it is written well and laid out simply so that even novices can quickly link to the subject of interest.

I have also begun to follow a “Social Studies and History Teachers” blog because that will be within the purview of my career as a teacher. This blog is well written and has copious amounts of content with which to pad my own lessons should I get my own classroom. There are links to resources for video clips and other multimedia sources that are surely valuable to any teacher, new or veteran.

I chose Janelle Ferrier’s blog to follow simply because she was the first, and as of 1/29/12, the only one to actually comment on my blog. She is obviously sharp when it comes to blogging. Her site is attractive and inviting with content that is relevant to the discussion. Additionally, Janelle seems to be moving right along at a fast pace to complete the “23 Things” which makes me believe that, perhaps, I might learn something from her obvious proficiency.

Next, I selected Erica Paredez’s blog because she sits to my right in class and seems to know what is going on, so if I follow her blog and post nice things perhaps she will be more inclined to assist me when I am in a quandary. Additionally, her blog is nicely laid out and inviting to the reader.

The third person I chose to follow is Grant Brashears because I know him from a prior class and believe he is going to be as interesting in blogging as he is during classroom discussion. His wallpaper on his blog page interested me as I enjoy antiquities and the sort of aesthetics his chosen space offers.

My forth choice to follow is Caitlin Ladd. She was very forthcoming about her former experience with blogging and stipulating that she found it difficult to keep it going. I empathize with that sentiment as I too have had that experience.

Lastly, I chose to follow Kara Wyatt due to her honest feelings about the difficulty in the proposition of using technology as a learning tool. Her trepidation is certainly shared by others in the class who are a victim of the “frustrations” involved in navigating through the technological jungle. 

A conversation with myself about the viability of Smartboards and Clickers in the classroom

Smartboards and Clickers in the Classroom

Q:  What is your ideal teaching situation (grade level and subject area)?

A:  I believe any grade in middle school social studies would offer me the kind of everyday challenge that would keep my career fresh and interesting.

Q:  List three ways you might use a Smartboard in your classroom to help your students learn.

A:
1. Using the Smartboard for Power Point products has a great capacity to illustrate ideas and data in the most graphic and effective way.

2. The use of the document camera by math instructors is surely invaluable because the board can be written upon with different colors and effects. The cleanup is certainly faster that chalkboards.

3. The board is an invaluable tool to link the class with the outside world via the Web. Simply having the ability to connect a computer to an instructional tool for all to see is a great advancement in the pedagogy of modern teachers.

 Q:  List three ideas for using clickers in your classroom to help your students learn?

A:

1. There are invariably those students in the classroom who do not understand a lesson (or portion of a lesson) and are too fearful of ridicule by others to raise a hand and ask a question. The clicker is the great equalizer in question and answer sessions.

2. For the instructor, the clicker is a rapid response tool that keeps the classroom curriculum flowing and assists in the management of dwindling time.

3. In a group setting, the simple act of discussion about the question at hand is a great tool for learning. Putting a time limit on "clicking in" may focus the debate as well.

Q:  After reviewing these new technologies, which would you most like to have in your classroom? Why?

A:  I relish the idea of having access to as much technology as possible in the classroom. I may not always know how to use the tech, but learning new "stuff" is part and parcel of the profession. Furthermore, technology will not be going out of style anytime soon so why not embrace it.

Using the Smartboard in a social studies setting is really a no-brainer. Being able to shift from one geographic area to another with a simple click of the mouse is a precious thing. Having the ability to underline memorable segments of a Power Point presentation is a visual memory device that assists the students cognition and note taking.

Having artifacts in the classroom for the students to see, touch, or hear is certainly preferable to any learning device. However, having the ability to see and hear it by clicking on a website is supremely preferable to slinging old, heavy, and outdated pedestal maps around the classroom.

As stated before, I am intrigued by the idea of clickers in the classroom. My use of them would be to flush out the unasked questions by using probing questions with regard to the objectives of the lesson. The impact of the device is not yet completely understood because the use of them is still in its infancy. Learning more about how to put them into effective practice is certainly on my professional teacher to-do list. 

Thing #2

The first two days of instructional technology strategies has been the beginning of what may prove to be a long and arduous journey.  Though my previous career was steeped in highly technical jargon, software, and hardware, it has rapidly become apparent that those years have not prepared me well for this World Wide Web odyssey.  Perhaps my ignorance of  Apple products and the nuanced navigation procedures required in accomplishing the tasks will quickly wane; I can only hope!

There were some sprinklings of fun mixed in with the frustration in producing the requisite blog. Because I could not stop the cranial overload the site construction process was providing me, I came upon the idea of using the posting name of "Thoughtful." Additionally, the challenges of this course will translate into my needing special assistance. This will, I am convinced, make me a persistent nuisance for the instructor in this course. Therefore, the chosen name for my blog is "Gadfly." The creation of the avatar was a no-brainer because all it required was finding the appropriate hair, and the expression that most resembled thought or confusion.