Some people embrace change and others do not. And most of us, I guess, embrace it in some areas and not in others.
There have been a lot of changes at school technology-wise lately. For some of us it is easier than for others. One thing that I think is smart is that the tech guys are getting a few people on board with one or more of the different open source programs we are going to be using before springing them on everyone. It has been helpful, for instance, for me to be able to assure some of the office staff that they will be able to use OpenOffice without any problems, And someone else can tell us how convenient Zimbra is. There is a small group of "experts" who can take some of the pressure off the IT guys. But this is a stressful time for a lot of people.
The changes that are planned are good ones, I think. On both ethical and financial grounds I applaud the move to open source that has slowly been taking place on our campus. We've been using Moodle for over a year now, and we are running Linux servers. There is a long way to go still, and not everyone is as excited about it as I am, but I think this time next year few people will even remember what the fuss was all about.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Let's define blogging - again
There has been a lot of discussion the past couple days about anonymity in blogging. There was the infamous Houston Chronicle article that referred to Bud Hunt and Vicki Davis as anonymous bloggers. Then there were posts on Bud's blog and a number of others. (I know you have seen them all!)
Then there is the post over at Assorted Stuff about blogging being a personality disorder. (If you haven't read the post, I should tell you that this isn't Tim's belief but rather that of someone who wrote a book about blogging.)
To me the issues are connected. What is blogging, really? I go back to old "definitions" by Will Richardson and Anne Davis. I believe blogging is more than writing online. It involves reflection and, usually at least, reading, as well as writing. Blogging is not journaling or venting. As Will says,
If we take Will's definition of blogging, then there seems to be no reason to blog anonymously. If I am writing about things that I don't want my name associated with, then I shouldn't be writing about them in a public forum. And I am probably not really blogging.
I know I am preaching to the choir here (assuming anyone is listening), but I needed to clarify this for myself again. And I needed to look at my blogs again to make sure I would not appear to be blogging anonymously. Because I am proud of most of what I have written over these last two years. I am not hiding from the real world in my blog but am trying to make sense of it in my own way. That, to me, is blogging.
Then there is the post over at Assorted Stuff about blogging being a personality disorder. (If you haven't read the post, I should tell you that this isn't Tim's belief but rather that of someone who wrote a book about blogging.)
To me the issues are connected. What is blogging, really? I go back to old "definitions" by Will Richardson and Anne Davis. I believe blogging is more than writing online. It involves reflection and, usually at least, reading, as well as writing. Blogging is not journaling or venting. As Will says,
Blogging is not just writing in a blog. I don't think journaling is blogging because it's, well, journaling. Blogging is much more than that. To me the process starts with reading what other people have written and editing that content for depth and relevance and accuracy. It's making connections about that content to other ideas to clarify what's important about it. It's adding personal reflection to give it context because only in knowing how the blogger experiences what she is writing about can I as a reader decide whether her ideas are worth my time. And, finally, it's linking back to that content so that the ideas can be traced to their genesis.
If we take Will's definition of blogging, then there seems to be no reason to blog anonymously. If I am writing about things that I don't want my name associated with, then I shouldn't be writing about them in a public forum. And I am probably not really blogging.
I know I am preaching to the choir here (assuming anyone is listening), but I needed to clarify this for myself again. And I needed to look at my blogs again to make sure I would not appear to be blogging anonymously. Because I am proud of most of what I have written over these last two years. I am not hiding from the real world in my blog but am trying to make sense of it in my own way. That, to me, is blogging.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Is it working?
In reading through some old posts I had clipped but not done anything with, I ran across this one from blogessor about what we mean when we say something works. This is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately.
I have put a ton of work into developing my courses this semester. I am having students blog and we are using a wiki and reading and writing a lot in both my reading and writing classes. Now, a week into the semester, I would have to say that these things don't seem to be working the way I wish they were. My student (Yes, at the moment, ther is only one in each of thse classes. Of course, at the moment there is only one in the whole ESL program, but that is another story for another day.) isn't embracing the tools as I had hoped he would. He has blogged on a class blog before, so this isn't an entirely new experience for him. He has done webquests before, which is basically what we are starting with on the wiki. So what is the problem? Why isn't he more excited?
I don't think we can decide whether or not something works based on students' initial response to it. But I wonder sometimes how long we continue an activity before we decide it isn't working. If I wait all semester to give this student a chance to really try out the wiki and personal blogging and he never "gets" it, am I doing him a disservice?
The worst thing about having real small classes is that there is no momentum built. If this student doesn't immediately buy into the blog and the wiki, there is no one to pull hm along into it, to serve as an example, to build enthusiasm for it.
And I will admit, it seems a little odd to be using these social tools in a situation where there is no built-in audience. What is the purpose of doing this online rather than on paper? I know that my purpose is structuring the course this way was to increase my students' computer literacy and to generate a different energy in the class by doing something different. The computer literacy goal is still valid, and my student will improve his ability to use a computer and to function online. But the energy thing is going to be harder to achieve.
Obviously, I will have to wait until the end of the semester to really evaluate all this. But I can't help asking myself on an almost daily basis whether or not it is really working.
I have put a ton of work into developing my courses this semester. I am having students blog and we are using a wiki and reading and writing a lot in both my reading and writing classes. Now, a week into the semester, I would have to say that these things don't seem to be working the way I wish they were. My student (Yes, at the moment, ther is only one in each of thse classes. Of course, at the moment there is only one in the whole ESL program, but that is another story for another day.) isn't embracing the tools as I had hoped he would. He has blogged on a class blog before, so this isn't an entirely new experience for him. He has done webquests before, which is basically what we are starting with on the wiki. So what is the problem? Why isn't he more excited?
I don't think we can decide whether or not something works based on students' initial response to it. But I wonder sometimes how long we continue an activity before we decide it isn't working. If I wait all semester to give this student a chance to really try out the wiki and personal blogging and he never "gets" it, am I doing him a disservice?
The worst thing about having real small classes is that there is no momentum built. If this student doesn't immediately buy into the blog and the wiki, there is no one to pull hm along into it, to serve as an example, to build enthusiasm for it.
And I will admit, it seems a little odd to be using these social tools in a situation where there is no built-in audience. What is the purpose of doing this online rather than on paper? I know that my purpose is structuring the course this way was to increase my students' computer literacy and to generate a different energy in the class by doing something different. The computer literacy goal is still valid, and my student will improve his ability to use a computer and to function online. But the energy thing is going to be harder to achieve.
Obviously, I will have to wait until the end of the semester to really evaluate all this. But I can't help asking myself on an almost daily basis whether or not it is really working.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Blogging Birthdays
Bud's post on his blog's second birthday got me thinking about this blog. When I went and looked back, I discovered that I actually have just (by 2 days!) started my third year of Random Thoughts. It doesn't seem possible! In some ways, I don't remember not blogging, and in others it seems like just yesterday that I was trying to figure it all out, trying to believe that I had something to say.
In some ways I feel like the parent who can't wait for their first child to walk and talk and then spends a number of years not being so sure it was a good thing after all! I keep writing, keep finding things to say -- not that they are always profound or even interesting, but I keep finding words to put out there. Sorry for inflicting some of these past two years on you. Thank you all for stopping by from time to time to take a look.
In some ways I feel like the parent who can't wait for their first child to walk and talk and then spends a number of years not being so sure it was a good thing after all! I keep writing, keep finding things to say -- not that they are always profound or even interesting, but I keep finding words to put out there. Sorry for inflicting some of these past two years on you. Thank you all for stopping by from time to time to take a look.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
I made my husband cry
My husband, who has been running Ubuntu on a computer we bought as a closeout in 2001, had been complaining that he needed a new computer. I finally decided that we needed to do more than talk about it, so I got him one for his birthday tomorrow. I got him an Acer Power1000 desktop. It is tiny, fast and runs Ubuntu 6.10 like a champ.
But then yesterday I saw Miguel's post about the Linutop. I showed it to my husband, and he cried! It is smaller and certainly does everything he wants. We can't wait to see how much it is going to sell for!
By the way, I got a new Acer 5102 laptop that is now running Linux as well. Acer is selling units with Linux on them overseas, I heard. They may be my new brand of choice. (My son has an Acer laptop, too. He isn't careful with it, and it seems to be doing great. He runs Windows, of course.)
But then yesterday I saw Miguel's post about the Linutop. I showed it to my husband, and he cried! It is smaller and certainly does everything he wants. We can't wait to see how much it is going to sell for!
By the way, I got a new Acer 5102 laptop that is now running Linux as well. Acer is selling units with Linux on them overseas, I heard. They may be my new brand of choice. (My son has an Acer laptop, too. He isn't careful with it, and it seems to be doing great. He runs Windows, of course.)
Friday, January 19, 2007
Apologies
Well, another EVO session is upon us, and I am in one called "Webpublishing in Open Participatory Environments". Of course, it involved setting up another blog, so I there now trying to get it going.
I wasn't real happy about starting another blog, but I think it will be OK. If I were more organized, I would try to separate the posts out in some way -- posting certain kinds of things on one and other oens on the other. Actually, I already do that -- or am trying to --posting tech stuff to my blog Using Technology at School.
For the time being, though, I will be writing in both places, so if you are interested in checking the other blog out, it is called Moving Along.
By the way, the new one is on wordpress.com/. So far I really like it!
I wasn't real happy about starting another blog, but I think it will be OK. If I were more organized, I would try to separate the posts out in some way -- posting certain kinds of things on one and other oens on the other. Actually, I already do that -- or am trying to --posting tech stuff to my blog Using Technology at School.
For the time being, though, I will be writing in both places, so if you are interested in checking the other blog out, it is called Moving Along.
By the way, the new one is on wordpress.com/. So far I really like it!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Cluster Maps
After Miguel's post about Cluster Maps, I decided that it was time to add one to my blog. I know, I am really late to do this! But I never saw a need before. What made me decide to do it is thinking about having my students set up blogs next week. If I want them to be excited about blogging, I have to let them see that their blogs have an audience outside of St. Benedict, LA. So I will have them add maps to theirs -- and hope that some of you will stop by from tme to time to encourage them.
I'll let you know when they are up and running.
I'll let you know when they are up and running.
Transition complete!
Well, today for the first time I was "allowed" to move my blog to the new Blogger. Because I am a member of a group blog, I hadn't been able to move over yet. I am not sure if/how this will really impact me, but it is interesting. Let's see if it makes me a better blogger!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Getting my students blogging again
2 points – link, thoughtful response
1 point – link, poor response OR thoughtful response and no link
0 points – no post
30 points - Explanation shows evidence of thought . Grammar and spelling mistakes are minimal. Links all work.25 points – Elements are all there, but one of them is weak.
20 points – Lacks one of the elements required for 30 points.
15 points – One element is missing and one element is weak.
10 points – Lacks two of the elements required for 30 points.
5 points - Two elements are missing and the other one is weak.
The "Best Posts" post is intended to help them make some sense of tying it all together. Also, I wanted to make blogging valuable enough grade-wise that they would be "inspired" to do it.
I am also giving extra credit for responding to comments on their blogs. I wold like to give credit for commenting on blogs of others outside our class, but I am not sure how to do that. Guess I will leave it for another time. If I actually get this going the way I want it to go, I will be real happy!
The Best Posts idea is one I got from Dennis Jerz . I commented on his rubric a couple years ago and revisited it yesterday. I wrote about it back in 2005. At the time I thought the rubric was too specific, but I have come to see that my students want to know exactly what I am looking for - specially in an online environment where they are not as sure of themselves yet.
I'm excited! Now if I can only get my students excited about it!
Blogged with Flock
Friday, January 05, 2007
Why my students should blog
I have been going back and forth on the question of whether or not I want my students to blog. I had decided that I would have them blog this coming semester but as my new course plans developed, I saw lots of wikis and not much of blogs on the horizon. So I was interested to read Ewan's post today. He refers to Dave Winer's view that blogs are about finding your voice. And that statement, while so very obvious, makes all the difference in my mind. When I look at blogs that way, I know that my students should blog. So once again, I make the commitment to myself to use blogs in my classes this semester because they can do something that the wiki assignments I am so carefully preparing cannot: they can help my students find and strengthen their own voices.
As a writing teacher, I know the value of finding your voice. I have had my students journal for a long time. But somehow or other I hadn't made the switch to having them blog for the same reason. My blogging assignments had been more just that -- assignments. Students didn't necessarily buy into them. I think I need to work more on this.
What comes to mind right now as I am writing this is that I need to start having my reading students blog. I can set them up with a Bloglines account to follow blogs on topics that they are interested in. They can read and report on news articles or basically anything else they want to. This is something that will encourage them to read in English, so it ties into my course goals. The students in that class are the ones who blogged last spring with some degree of success, so the idea will not be totally new to them.
The next problem, of course, is how to evaluate their blogging. I really don't want to evaluate it. I could do a simple post count and give points that way. I guess I need to think about this part of it more.
As a writing teacher, I know the value of finding your voice. I have had my students journal for a long time. But somehow or other I hadn't made the switch to having them blog for the same reason. My blogging assignments had been more just that -- assignments. Students didn't necessarily buy into them. I think I need to work more on this.
What comes to mind right now as I am writing this is that I need to start having my reading students blog. I can set them up with a Bloglines account to follow blogs on topics that they are interested in. They can read and report on news articles or basically anything else they want to. This is something that will encourage them to read in English, so it ties into my course goals. The students in that class are the ones who blogged last spring with some degree of success, so the idea will not be totally new to them.
The next problem, of course, is how to evaluate their blogging. I really don't want to evaluate it. I could do a simple post count and give points that way. I guess I need to think about this part of it more.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Flock
D'Arcy is trying out Flock again, so I thought I would, too. It installed really easily and seems to be pretty nice. I wonder if I will use its social features, though. I am going to try it out for awhile and see. If any of you use Flock and would like to share your experiences with it, I would love to read your thoughts.
Just a reminder...
TESOL Electronic Village Online 2007 is now open for registration. Topics include Digital Gaming and Language Learning, ESL/EFL Student Video Production, and Web Publishing in Open
Participatory Environments
You can get more information and register by going to http://evo07sessions.pbwiki.com/.
Hope to see some of you there!
Participatory Environments
You can get more information and register by going to http://evo07sessions.pbwiki.com/.
Hope to see some of you there!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Bet you didn't know...
Jo tagged me (the first time I have ever been tagged!!! Thanks, Jo!), so here I am to tell you five things you may not know about me.
1. Day after tomorrow my husband and I will be celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary! He got to pick the date and thought New Years Eve was one he would remember. * See note below.
2. Until coming to Louisiana in 2001, I had not lived more than 2 years at a time in the same place since I got married in 1971. We have lived in Illinois (several times), Wisconsin, Missouri and South Carolina in the USA. We have also lived in El Salvador, Mexico (twice), Honduras, China, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guyana.
3. Until I was 30 years old, I was so shy I couldn't talk to anyone without a great deal of agony. I am still pretty quiet and don't enjoy parties or large groups. I also hate talking on the telephone.
4. I have a totally different personality in Spanish than I do in English. I much prefer myself in Spanish.
5. I have been a Baha'i since 1971. I accepted the Faith the first time I heard about it.
I can't imagine that any of this is really of much interest to anyone, but now you know.
And now I would like to tag Angie, and Lesley. Is there anyone left who hasn't already been tagged? If so, consider yourself tagged! You're it!
* Update: Well, I guess you know you have been married a long time when you don't even remember how long it has been. Actually, this will only be our 35th anniversary.
1. Day after tomorrow my husband and I will be celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary! He got to pick the date and thought New Years Eve was one he would remember. * See note below.
2. Until coming to Louisiana in 2001, I had not lived more than 2 years at a time in the same place since I got married in 1971. We have lived in Illinois (several times), Wisconsin, Missouri and South Carolina in the USA. We have also lived in El Salvador, Mexico (twice), Honduras, China, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guyana.
3. Until I was 30 years old, I was so shy I couldn't talk to anyone without a great deal of agony. I am still pretty quiet and don't enjoy parties or large groups. I also hate talking on the telephone.
4. I have a totally different personality in Spanish than I do in English. I much prefer myself in Spanish.
5. I have been a Baha'i since 1971. I accepted the Faith the first time I heard about it.
I can't imagine that any of this is really of much interest to anyone, but now you know.
And now I would like to tag Angie, and Lesley. Is there anyone left who hasn't already been tagged? If so, consider yourself tagged! You're it!
* Update: Well, I guess you know you have been married a long time when you don't even remember how long it has been. Actually, this will only be our 35th anniversary.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
E-portfolios and an online presence
Graham has an interesting post over at Teaching Generation Z talking about helping some colleagues develop e-portfolios. He talks about the purpose of e-portfolios and wonders if many teachers would see a need for an e-portfolio. Then he says
I have an e-portfolio of sorts that I started almost 2 years ago. I have tried to keep it up -- at least in terms of conference presentations and such. I was actually working on it yesterday. I am not really looking for another job, but I wanted to have a portfolio as a repository of documents and information for whatever purpose might come along. I am using Blogger for this because that is what I knew about at the time. But now I am thinking that there would be many better places to house this portfolio. Guess I have to start looking at some of them.
But Graham's question is what really intrigues me. How do we get teachers to develop an online presence? Obviously, there has to be a perceived need. In my institution, there are not many people who embrace technology and even fewer who embrace the Read-Write Web. Why would they want an online presence? What would they gain from it?
I really don't know that we can get teachers to develop an online presence. I have seen websites of teachers who were required to have them, and it was obvious that the teachers didn't embrace the idea at all. It was just another hoop they jumped through. What we can do, I think, is make our own online presences so much a part of our lives that people become curious. Then, when they have some level of interest, we can show them why we have an online presence, what we et out of it. Then, I guess, they either get it or they don't. If they do, we can offer to help them. If they don't, we just move on.
And I guess another question is whether or not all teachers should have an online presence. My answer to that question would be, "YES!!!" But why? I am not sure. What I get from my online presence is intangible. I can't really explain it. Would everyone get the same things I do from it? Probably not. But what would they get out of it? What do you get out of your online presence?
Rather than worrying about whether teachers will get into e-portfolios or not, the question should be more along the lines of “How do we get teachers developing an online presence?” To me, that seems to be the genuine starting point for some many classroom teachers who need to make the mental shift from using the internet as a read-only resource to the benefits of the Read/Write web.
I have an e-portfolio of sorts that I started almost 2 years ago. I have tried to keep it up -- at least in terms of conference presentations and such. I was actually working on it yesterday. I am not really looking for another job, but I wanted to have a portfolio as a repository of documents and information for whatever purpose might come along. I am using Blogger for this because that is what I knew about at the time. But now I am thinking that there would be many better places to house this portfolio. Guess I have to start looking at some of them.
But Graham's question is what really intrigues me. How do we get teachers to develop an online presence? Obviously, there has to be a perceived need. In my institution, there are not many people who embrace technology and even fewer who embrace the Read-Write Web. Why would they want an online presence? What would they gain from it?
I really don't know that we can get teachers to develop an online presence. I have seen websites of teachers who were required to have them, and it was obvious that the teachers didn't embrace the idea at all. It was just another hoop they jumped through. What we can do, I think, is make our own online presences so much a part of our lives that people become curious. Then, when they have some level of interest, we can show them why we have an online presence, what we et out of it. Then, I guess, they either get it or they don't. If they do, we can offer to help them. If they don't, we just move on.
And I guess another question is whether or not all teachers should have an online presence. My answer to that question would be, "YES!!!" But why? I am not sure. What I get from my online presence is intangible. I can't really explain it. Would everyone get the same things I do from it? Probably not. But what would they get out of it? What do you get out of your online presence?
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Student Opinions of Teaching
I got my copies of my students' opinions of my classes. Since I have such small classes, one disgruntled student can really throw off the numbers. And this semester, apparently, I had a very disgruntled student. What really bothers me about this is that he never said anything to me. He never indicated there was a problem, and I never picked up on it in class.
Once I got past my initial knee-jerk defensive reactions, though, I realized that this explained something that had been worrying me. One of my students basically did nothing at the end of the semester. Up until then, and in previous semesters, he had been an extremely conscientious student. I was really concerned by his apparent lack of concern this time around, and I was worried that there was something wrong that I didn't know about. Turned out I was right, but at least now I know. Or at least I think I know.
And yes, since I am sure you are wondering, the opinions are submitted anonymously and I only receive summaries of the numerical part and typed versions of their comments. As I said, though, I have very small classes!
Once I got past my initial knee-jerk defensive reactions, though, I realized that this explained something that had been worrying me. One of my students basically did nothing at the end of the semester. Up until then, and in previous semesters, he had been an extremely conscientious student. I was really concerned by his apparent lack of concern this time around, and I was worried that there was something wrong that I didn't know about. Turned out I was right, but at least now I know. Or at least I think I know.
And yes, since I am sure you are wondering, the opinions are submitted anonymously and I only receive summaries of the numerical part and typed versions of their comments. As I said, though, I have very small classes!
Friday, December 22, 2006
Made it back
Well, I'm back. The trip was great. There were 90 students graduating with my daughter from Cal West. It was a nice ceremony. The mayor of San Diego, Jerry Sanders, and his wife, Rona Sampson, spoke at commencement. We had a few nice days there with our daughter and son-in-law and his family.
Then the adventure began. We flew Tuesday morning to Albuquerque. We took Frontier to Denver and then a second Frontier flight to... El Paso. After we took off from Denver, we flew to Albuquerque and circled for about half an hour while they tried to decide whether or not the airport was going to be able to open. They talked of flying us back to Denver but finally opted to fly to El Paso. We stayed on the plane there for over an hour while they tried to decide what to do. Eventually they gave us 2 options -- return to Denver or take a bus to Albuquerque. We opted for the bus or we might still be in Denver!
We had a great visit with our daughter and her family in Albuquerque. It was my first trip there, and I have to admit I really liked what I saw of the city.
At any rate... I'm back. Time to catch up my reading so I can have something to write about!
Then the adventure began. We flew Tuesday morning to Albuquerque. We took Frontier to Denver and then a second Frontier flight to... El Paso. After we took off from Denver, we flew to Albuquerque and circled for about half an hour while they tried to decide whether or not the airport was going to be able to open. They talked of flying us back to Denver but finally opted to fly to El Paso. We stayed on the plane there for over an hour while they tried to decide what to do. Eventually they gave us 2 options -- return to Denver or take a bus to Albuquerque. We opted for the bus or we might still be in Denver!
We had a great visit with our daughter and her family in Albuquerque. It was my first trip there, and I have to admit I really liked what I saw of the city.
At any rate... I'm back. Time to catch up my reading so I can have something to write about!
Friday, December 15, 2006
I'll be away for a few days.
Not that my posts have been so frequent that a few days' absence would be shocking to anyone, but I thought I would just officially announce that I won't be around for the next week probably. We are off to San Diego to see a daughter graduate from California Western School of Law. Then it is on to Albuquerque to see the other daughter and her family. It will be a busy week, but I am looking forward to it.
See you all when I get back!
See you all when I get back!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Great Learning Opportunity for Teachers
TESOL's CALL interest section is once again hosting its Electronic Village Online (EVO) in January and February. Registration runs Jan 1-14, and the sessions start Jan 15. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in technology and education to learn a lot. There is no cost, and it is open to anyone who is interested. More information about the different sessions, go to the EVO 2007 wiki.
EVO 2005 was how I got started with blogging and how I learned about Moodle. EVO 2006 helped me produce a couple pretty good WebQuests for my students. I think I'll be looking at gaming and more online publishing this time around.
Anyway, I hope to see some of you there.
EVO 2005 was how I got started with blogging and how I learned about Moodle. EVO 2006 helped me produce a couple pretty good WebQuests for my students. I think I'll be looking at gaming and more online publishing this time around.
Anyway, I hope to see some of you there.
Friday, December 08, 2006
To print or not to print...
Will wrote about not owning a printer, and I had to think about my own printing habits. I still own a printer, but it hasn't really worked for several months. Well, it works, but the paper won't feed from the tray and it jams up a lot when it feeds from the manual tray. Oh, I forgot to say it is an old HP 4Plus. It is a wonderful printer that has served us well for years and years. And it still works -- sort of. I have a printer at work that I don't use much anymore, either. I just don't print much at all.
I post assignments to Moodle, and my students upload them there. I almost never print their assignments out. The only time I print them is when they are giving me a draft of a long research paper.
Even my assignments for the class I took this semester weren't printed out except for my 23-page final paper. I didn't print out the journal articles I used in the writing of the paper, either.
I hadn't really thought about how little I print until I read Will's post. I'm not really sure when this change in my printing habits took place, but it has been a while, I guess.
I wonder when I'll actually get rid of the printer and free up a lot of desk space?
I post assignments to Moodle, and my students upload them there. I almost never print their assignments out. The only time I print them is when they are giving me a draft of a long research paper.
Even my assignments for the class I took this semester weren't printed out except for my 23-page final paper. I didn't print out the journal articles I used in the writing of the paper, either.
I hadn't really thought about how little I print until I read Will's post. I'm not really sure when this change in my printing habits took place, but it has been a while, I guess.
I wonder when I'll actually get rid of the printer and free up a lot of desk space?
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Learning from Technology
Will makes the comment:
I use technology a fair amount in my classes. We use Moodle; we access the internet and do different kinds of activities; we make presentations using PowerPoint or Movie Maker. We have blogged and will again. We listen to audio online. But all that begs the question, "So what?"
As a teacher, I know that I have learned a great deal from technology. My blog and the blogs of others, as I have said before, provide me with some of the best professional development I have ever had. In using Moodle, I have had to think a lot about teaching and learning. I have struggled with deciding what should be done online and what should be done face to face in the classroom. I have reflected on my own teaching and on teaching and learning in general.
But I must also ask the question with regard to my students. What have they learned? Have they captured the spirit of the technological endeavors? Sometimes I think they have, but other times I think it is just something they go through the motions on -- like an interactive worksheet of some kind.
I took an online course this past semester, my second. This one was great; there was lots of good discussion and lots of opportunities for us to learn from each other. Do I provide that those kinds of opportunities for my students? If I provide the opportunities, do my students recognize and take advantage of them?
I still have a lot to think about and a lot to learn.
We have to stop focusing on what teachers are doing with technology and start focusing on how they are learning with it.I had to think about it for awhile, but I think I understand what he is saying: Using technology isn't enough. It isn't.
I use technology a fair amount in my classes. We use Moodle; we access the internet and do different kinds of activities; we make presentations using PowerPoint or Movie Maker. We have blogged and will again. We listen to audio online. But all that begs the question, "So what?"
As a teacher, I know that I have learned a great deal from technology. My blog and the blogs of others, as I have said before, provide me with some of the best professional development I have ever had. In using Moodle, I have had to think a lot about teaching and learning. I have struggled with deciding what should be done online and what should be done face to face in the classroom. I have reflected on my own teaching and on teaching and learning in general.
But I must also ask the question with regard to my students. What have they learned? Have they captured the spirit of the technological endeavors? Sometimes I think they have, but other times I think it is just something they go through the motions on -- like an interactive worksheet of some kind.
I took an online course this past semester, my second. This one was great; there was lots of good discussion and lots of opportunities for us to learn from each other. Do I provide that those kinds of opportunities for my students? If I provide the opportunities, do my students recognize and take advantage of them?
I still have a lot to think about and a lot to learn.
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