K Bechtel

As I am still reading High-Tech Heretic, I am thinking about the extremes we have to deal with.  Is there no happy medium?  Stoll is an interesting read thus far.  He asks if we want computer literate students or literate students.  Everything is so black and white which leaves little room for grey.  Anytime you deal with people and education, there is always a grey area.

Well I did it.  I have created a video about being a 21st century learner.  You’re all invited to check it out here.

I have only made 4 videos to date, but each time I do I gain a new appreciation for those people out there that create videos for all of us to enjoy. 

My district is hosting its first annual technology fair next month.  In preparation for the event, each school is supposed to be registering students to attend.  Students should demonstrate their use of technology and how it helps them learn.  My school had one entry (a powerpoint presentation of an extended educational field trip) as of the registration deadline date, so panic spread across the room during a teachers’ meeting.  Ironically, it was suggested that students just create something on the computer as perhaps an activity they could do when they finish with state testing.  Again, we miss the whole point of the fair.  Using technology for the sake of using technology is wasted time.  On the other hand, integrating technology to enhance learning isbeneficial and would be nice to showcase.  Side-note, I asked if my students could enter their My Space pages.  The answer was no since ten year old aren’t supposed to have My Space accounts.

I suppose I am missing something as I take part in the stream of thoughts known as twitter.  I usually don’t understand what is being said because I don’t speak the language.  I also am not quite sure how this is a useful tool although I did enjoy watching twittervision.  Here’s another opinion about twitter from David Jakes.

I, being a veteran of face-to-face instruction, am not quite so comfortable just writing my thoughts down for the world to see.  I try not to give my gut reaction to questions or even to other people’s posts.  The written word is so different in my mind than talking.  I do not want to offend, overreact, or be misinterpreted.  So anyway, I’ve been thinking about some of the questions and topics presented to us over the last two weeks and I think this is what I’d like to say or contribute to the already in progress discussion.

Homeschooling

I never thought this would be such a hot topic.  I have had the experience of losing students to be home-schooled and gaining students in my classroom from being home-schooled.  In my experience, I can see positive and negative attributes of homeschooling.  I have seen students fall behind in the eyes of the school after being at home for a period of time.  I have also seen students pulled from school because of the parents’ concern about the quality of education their children were getting and the social influences they believed were negatively impacting their children.  I can’t really say I am totally for or against homeschooling.  I certainly don’t want to talk myself out of employment, but I do want what is best for kids.  Most parents do know what is best for their children and they have the right to make that decision.

I equate homeschooling with distance education courses.  You really don’t know what you are getting into until it’s too late!  The instructor guides you through the material and you make of it what you want to make of it.  Homeschooling is no different.  But really, public schools are like that too.  You make of it what you want to.  You get out of it what you want to.  I think I am digressing…on to the next topic.

Technology and learning

Technology is a tool to help you do something easier or faster.  Just like a calculator at times can help you get the answer faster than paper and pencil, technology is an assistant to a student, any student.  Using technology doesn’t make you smarter, but it certainly adds to the motivational level of the learner, adds interest to the lesson, and allows the student to learn more than just what they are supposed to be learning.

Why teach?

This question has really made me think.  I do believe teachers help students learn.  Without the teacher, yes, some students would learn, but would they learn what we think they should?  I have written about the purposes of education and I think those same purposes can be used to explain why we teach.  First and foremost, we preserve our culture through teaching.  We benefit society by teaching cultural norms, acceptable behaviors, and literacy.  We produce people who can work so that our economy is maintained.  We teach more than just content areas.  We teach social skills, teamwork, time management, problem solving, and an accepted value system.  We teach others so that we too gain deeper understanding.  We teach our past so we learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.  We teach literacy so our citizens can effectively communicate.  We teach tolerance and awareness of individuality so we can live peacefully.  We teach students how to find information so they can make informed decisions.  We teach to improve the lives of our people and the people of our world.  We teach so we can live and sustain this life that we all value so much.

Professional Development

We have all experienced pitiful wastes of time masked by the title “Professional Development” as well as very rich and meaningful opportunities under the same name.  As Pam stated in her blog and as was stated in Ch. 11, professional development is a key element in school reform.  I have had the opportunity to have some wonderful experiences this year involving a Math Cadre of regional teachers sharing their best kept secrets and tools that work for them as well as ongoing activities that incorporate the use of a Smart Board in the classroom.  Both of these learning opportunities have truly changed how I teach. 

An important element that must be present in quality professional development is choice.  When I choose to attend a workshop, I tend to get more out of it.  I want to be there, I have an interest in the topic, and I would go regardless if I was getting credit for it or not.  When I sit at the computer I have a choice of what I do with it.  It certainly can be a source of excellent pd opportunities.  (Tapped In has some great opportunities that I’ve enjoyed.)  So just like students in our classrooms, we too want to learn what interests us and motivates us to learn.