You Say You Can't Do Technology?

I hope that's not the case!  For some of you, this course has been easy.  For others, however, it's been more of a struggle.  So why bother?  That's a question posed by Scott McLeod in his Dangerously Irrelevant blog.

from Scott McLeod

Excuse 1: I don’t see it as teachers spurning technology, or choosing not to take advantage of those new ideas and tools. I think most teachers don’t even realize that there’s a decision to be made. It’s not a matter of choosing the red pill or the blue pill… if you don’t know that there are even two pills available as options.

… A teacher that has never heard of Blabberize or Glogster or Prezi, has never been introduced to the new world of online applications that are available to them. They likely don’t follow blogs or listen to podcasts. They have probably never been to an EdTech conference or seen a TED talk. In short, they’re just ordinary, average educators who aren’t aware that there’s a whole other world that they have easy access to… if they just ‘take the blue pill’. (Steve Dembo)

Excuse 2:  The fact of the matter is that there exist a very large number of effective educators that are simply not able to contribute in any significantly recurrent amount to online discussion. All told, it’s not that they’re incapable of participating and it’s not that they’re unwilling. Rather, this group maintains perceived silence online because their professional priorities prohibit them from spending the time or energy required to provide plausible contribution. (Darren Draper) 

Read what McLeod says in this blog post, "We can't let educators off the hook!"

Which side am I on?  Guess!  Remember my favorite quotes from that interview with Heidi Hayes Jacobs?

• Regarding technology, you have to show me how it’s good for kids 
not to use technology. Not using available technology is like going to a doctor who says, “Oh, I’ve heard of Xrays.” It’s not okay. The first issue is not your comfort.  It’s a no-brainer. These kids are in the 21st century.  The question isn’t whether, it’s how.

• Teachers need to grow beyond their habits. Doctors take an oath. They don’t say, every September I am going to give you my favorite medicine whether you need it or not. Would any parent take kids to a doctor using techniques of the 70s and 80s?  It’s not okay.

Survival Guide

The course is almost over, but your learning about teaching and technology is just beginning.  My friend and colleague, Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology for the Mankato, Minnesota Public Schools, has written a book I'd highly recommend to you.  It isn't expensive and it is full of great ideas and practical advice to help you---well--SURVIVE!  It's the Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide, available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions.

In the book, Johnson "offers concrete advice on creating high-quality project assessments, handling the potential distractions technologies may cause, and managing issues of safe and appropriate use. He also answers basic questions about computers, software, and networking and outlines practical ways to use computers, the Internet, and digital cameras in the classroom environment."

Read the reviews on the Amazon page and see what other educators think of the book.  Johnson's experience and expertise are evident in all of his work--as is his sense of humor.   To get an idea of his style and content, check out his  Blue Skunk Blog....including "15 Educational Experiences My Granddaughter Won't Have."  You can also read some of his other articles here.

It's Not About the Tools...

Here's a great webinar about some terrific tools for education. Steven Anderson presented this free webinar several months ago, and Simple K12 is making it available to all for free through this recording.

In the webinar, Anderson shows 30 great tools.  Some of them were mentioned in the textbook and your assignments.  Some were included in the challenges.  Some of them you may not have heard about before, but they are all worth taking a look.

This webinar is definitely worth 50 minutes.  And check the bottom of the webinar page for a link to some more free resources from Simple K12.

Webinars like this one are super ways to keep up with what's new and to learn from other teachers.  You are responsible for your own professional development.  What do you need to know?  I'll bet there is a webinar or website or online tutorial or and app for that!

When You're a Teacher....Learning Never Ends

Here's an opportunity for you to learn more about technology, teaching and learning.  Join hundreds of other educators from around the world for one or more of these 24-hour round the clock sessions on April 25-26.  Yes, right after the final exam!



Here's a few of the sessions:

• Using Your iPad to Make Movies on the Go!
• Publish a Book as a Class Project
• Picture This: Grabbing Attention with Talking Pictures
• Digital Writing: Collaborate, Reflect, and Publish
• Be the Change You Want To See In the World
• Dos and Don'ts for Creating Good Presentations
• Using Google Maps for Virtual Journeys

Register and get more information here.  I hope you'll check it out!

Hunger Games & Slideshare

Hunger Games, as you know, has become extremely popular, and with the movie playing to sell-out crowds, more and more young people will be reading it.

Teacher-librarian Cathy Jo Nelson, Dorman High School in Spartanburg, SC, developed this presentation to encourage her high school students to read more.  Because she can't always reach every student in their classrroms or when they come to the library media center, sharing it on Slideshare allows students to access it from any computer and she can embed it in her blog or on her library media center webpage.

Better than that, others can use her good work....like me....and YOU!

After the hunger games trilogy slideshare3

 

View more PowerPoint from Cathy Nelson