Power

The power of technology can be awesome and overwhelming at times.  Technology in the classroom must be used with purpose and not just to show off new gadgets.  If there is purpose and engagement, the learning experiences of students will multiple beyond the four walls of a traditional classroom.  It is up to educators to evaluate the technology and the purpose for using it in their classrooms to create these amazing and overwhelming learning environments.  Think of the students in your classroom that could benefit from such an experience!

But we must not lose site of our goals!  I found myself this semester trying to impress my new colleagues and administration with my knowledge and implementation of technology in a social studies classroom.  I succeeded, but along the way on occasion, I forgot what the real purpose for technology was… it was for the students, not for me to impress my peers.  I would have weeks where I was wrapped up in the technology-based lessons and then come back to earth with a crash when the lesson just didn’t work or the students could not demonstrate their knowledge on a traditional assessment.  However, as the semester progressed I learned to balance my love of technology implementation with the needs of my students.  Isn’t that what life is all about compromise, not power???

LO(L) excitement!

So the rush to finish the semester is on.  2 more weeks!  On my way home from a family dinner last night I was thinking about all that I had to do for work this week.  I instantly became overwhelmed.  I needed to come up with a lab activity for my U.S. History courses, since I had reserved lab time Monday and Tuesday.  (Computer labs are in such high demand at school that I had to reserve time almost a month ago, not knowing what we would be doing at the time!)

But as we drove home, I had trouble coming up with ideas.  So I asked my husband for some ideas (a current administrator, former social studies teacher.)  He started reminiscing about all “the cool” activities he did with students… and I began to tune him out as my mind began to race through different ideas (he didn’t notice).  I knew the topic I would like to cover and I wanted to use some of my new tech skills from CTER, but how to organize the activity and engage the students with limited time constraints was the road block.

Then it hit me!  Use a LO or learning object!  Perfect!  I could organize the activity into steps in a student friendly fashion and provide students with the necessary tools/links to cut down on time since we only had 2 days in the lab. I could post it to my CMS (Moodle) site for easy access.  Yippee!  I was in such a hurry to get home and start working on it because I knew looking up the resources would take a while.   Thanks to the Library of Congress website, I was able to find a similar lesson activity that cut my search for resources in half!  Building the LO took no time at all!

I was so excited last night that I stayed up late working on the assignment.  When I was finished, I dragged my husband out of bed to see the finished product…   Let’s just say I had enough excitement for the both of us =)!

Going Paperless

The hip new trend is to “be green”.  Do your part to save the environment.  When my instructor asked me to present on a topic of my choosing to my peers and lead a group discussion about current topics in technology, I chose to “go green”.  Why not?  Everyone is doing it!

The more I researched my topic for the presentation the more ways I learned how as an educator I could cut back (way back) on the amount of paper products I used in my classroom.  I could stop lugging around my heavy book bag to each classroom I taught in.  As one blog even mentioned, I could ultimately loose 20 lbs by going paperless!  (See Link)  What a deal!  To me the benefits of going paperless far outweigh the negatives.  With the advancement of technology and more reliable access to digital resources, there is no excuse why I can’t do the same.

Since my discussion with my peers, I have tried to make more changes to my teaching habits.  One thing I am having trouble letting go of is keeping a hard copy of my gradebook.  Many of my peers and colleagues have already converted to using only a digital gradebook, but for some reason I need that tangible object for my sanity or security.  More than anything I think it is a mental block that is preventing me from switching over.  No one said breaking habits was easy, but someday…

I believe that schools and educators will go through a “facelift” of sorts during my tenure as a teacher.  By the time I retire, the face of edcuation will have vastly different features from when I started my career.

Digital Story

Last summer, my husband and I bought a 110 year old Victorian house.  We have spent most of our free time renovating the house since then.  With the help our dogs, Joey and Teddy, progress continues.  But I have a feeling that this will keep our family pretty busy for a long time to come.  Thankfully, we are expecting a new addition to the family in a few months.  Hopefully, she will be able to help out eventually =)

I think that digital stories can provide teachers with a powerful tool that can instill emotion into a lesson that traditional methods sometimes lack.

From the Other Side

This week I had the pleasure of being interviewed by one of my colleagues who is completing a master’s course at ISU.  Her assignment was to interview various teachers and discuss their perspectives on incorporating technology in the classroom.  I found it interesting how many of the same questions she was required to ask in the interview were questions or themes incorporated throughout the CTER program.  For a moment I felt like an expert when answering her questions about Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom!  But I know that technology is constantly changing and in a few years my “expertise” won’t amount to much unless I stay on top of things.  I felt well prepared for the interview and it showed, because my colleague complimented me after the interview regarding my knowledge.  Most of her interviews were with business teachers who used technology often in their curriculum and she found it refreshing that even a Social Studies teacher could find ways to use Web 2.0 on a regular basis.

Another discussion this week erupted in my classes in regards to current events.  The face-off between President Obama and comments posted on Twitter regarding an off hand comment on Kanye West were hotly debated in my US History classes because we are just now covering the 1st Amendment: Freedom of Speech/Press.  The students really became engaged in the discussion because many of them knew the background story and were familiar with the technology.  From a teacher’s perspective it was great that things fell into place at the right time (current event examples and content).  Thank you Twitter for contributing to a great discussion in my classroom!

EPSY 556 – Techsploration

Welcome Back!

Here is a little bio update for you.  This year has been full of changes!  The most exciting news is that  my husband and I are expecting our first child, a little girl, in December!  Merry Christmas to us =)!  In the mean time I have changed schools over the summer to cut down on my commute to work.  So this fall I am teaching at Normal Community West High School in Normal, IL.  I’m teaching U.S. History and Regional World Studies.  I love my new school so far.  It has been a pleasant transition and my department has been very welcoming and supportive.

I’m winding down my CTER program, EPSY 556 is my second to last course.  I plan to graduate in the spring.  I have enjoyed my experiences in the program.  The knowledge I have gained from the program has already begun to pay dividends in my transition to a new school, by easing the process since I am familiar with more software programs and learning tools that were not utilized at my old school.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF LEARNING?

My initial reaction to this question is a one word answer… digital.  I think the way our society is embracing technology and expanding it’s use in the real world and educational settings leads me to that conclusion.  I see Web 2.0 technologies already creeping into the classroom and the need for traditional resources like textbooks slowly being replaced.  Teachers and students need to be flexible and open-minded in order to appreciate the full extent that technology can enhance learning experiences.  Another element of learning that is and will impact learners is globalization.  More emphasis is being given in the classrooms (especially at the secondary & higher education levels) to preparing students for not only local jobs, but to the possiblity of working for and with companies overseas.  In short, the dynamics of the workplace and the classroom are shifting toward a more global perspective and we should be ready to embrace those changes with the help of technology.  “Teachers can bring the world to their students.”

(Yes this is me getting ready to kiss a goat for a school fundraiser!)

Stay tuned…

Updating blog in progress!

Week 14/15

Over the course of the semester, I learned a lot about the influence of Appreciative Inquiry in evaluation.  It provides a positive way to evaluate programs of all shapes and sizes while leaving a good taste in all stakeholders’ mouths.  I have even started to apply my new found knowledge of AI on my school improvement team and as co-president of our teacher’s union (it’s a negotiations year… ouch).   I have found the remaining positive and focusing on what is working, rather than what is not, gives me and my teams a sense of accomplishment at the end of a meeting.

The course has changed my thoughts on evaluation.  I now know how much thought and effort must go in to making a sound and logical evaluation plan for a program that involves many stakeholders.  I hope to in the future be able to submit or use part of my evaluation project in my school.   I have even shared some of the evaluation ideas of this course with my husband who is completing his first year as a high school principal.  There have been lengthy dinner table discussions in regards to teacher evaluations and the best procedure for such a touchy subject.

Happy Holidays!!

Week 13

This week I posted my rough draft to the discussion forum for feedback from my peers.  After receiving some feedback, I will need to focus my efforts this week on reformatting my paper to fit in to APA style and move my timeline to the end of my paper in the appendix.  I am glad I had the opportunity to get feedback for the paper before submitting a final draft.  It has helped me to understand the process a little better and it gave me the opportunity to have a fresh set of eyes view the paper.

Over the next week I plan to make the revisions to my paper and work on finishing last minute details of my powerpoint presentation.  I will have to work that in between shopping trips, family gatherings, and a friend’s wedding!  I love holiday weekends!!  Happy Turkey day to all!

Week 11/12 Blog

So far I have completed my PowerPoint presentation, just a view visual effects to add.  I’ve also completed a rough draft of my results portion of the paper.  That took me longer than I thought because that data is all hypothetical, but I sloshed through it.  The section of my paper that I still must complete is the discussion section.  I feel that this section won’t take as long because all of the hard work has been done now.  I can’t wait to see everyone else’s final projects.  Reading about everyone’s evaluations has been interesting and I think the presentations will be another effective tool in reinforcing concepts of Appreciative Inquiry.