A New Paintjob on the Old Dodge...

Let's take a trip into the past. We all know someone who had that old car. I'll call it the "Old Dodge". It burned oil, smoked out of the exhaust, sometimes overheated and often stalled if you were at a light too long. The outside was a bit forlorn. It had rust and the paint, which used to be a deep blue, was now a darker shade of gray and black. Whatever shine it once had went the way of the dinosaur.

What does this have to do with anything? Keep reading.

Tonight I participated in a workshop with Dr. Mark Weston from Long Island University's T.E.A.M. program. We were talking once again about revolution in education, using technology and making 'the shift'.

Here are my feelings, and I'd be curious as to what people out there in the blogisphere feel about them:

Technology ≠ Educational Revolution
We were asked if we could identify a classroom that was revolutionary and how long it would take. Some participants said that they would see tech items like SMARTboards and computers being used. I must respectfully totally disagree. While I feel that technology use can be an attribute of revolutionary classroom, it is more an indicator of a progressive classroom. That is far better than the same old instructional model/direction, but in this blogger's humble opinion it falls short of a revolution.

When does 'different' become 'revolutionary'?
Educators are incorporating technology more and more these days, and many are using its resources as extension activities, exploratory instruction or even as direct instructional resources. The times they are a changin'. At what point can we say that a sufficient 'shift' has occurred and we are no longer just 'changin'?

What does this have to do with the Old Dodge? Well, let's think of the Old Dodge as educational practices. With that pretty paint job fresh on it, it looks brand new again. It shines in the sun, and you no longer are embarrassed to step out of it. Start it up however, and it still possesses the same ailments and shortcomings that it had before. It still stalls at stop lights, overheats sometimes, and blows smoke. Sitting idle in the parking lot, it looks like a dream, but in the end it is still unreliable. The only way to really fix it is to totally correct all of its problems, or to junk it and start all over again.

Are you an ASSET to your school?

As I sit here next to our school's Technology Integration Facilitator and Library Media Specialist, we are at the Huntington Hilton at the 2008 ASSET conference. ASSET is the Association of Suffolk county Suppervisors for Education Technologies, and it represents a passionate group of education professionals looking to use technology as a resource to best suit the needs of their student population.

To be honest, this conference is not my scene. It pains me to be away from my classroom, but I am grateful to be exposed to such software, hardware and most importantly, progressive thinking.

Karen Kliegman and I will be presenting today. We will be discussing Web 2.0 tools, and she has named it "More than Just Razzle Dazzle." I love that, because once the novelty wears off and the shine dulls a bit, it is important to know that we have something of real value.

The Keynote speech is being given by Rushton Hurley, the Director of Next Vista For Learning. He is very interesting, using humor to engage us all. He is also using interactive clickers (similar to SMART Senteos) to gauge audience tech familiarity and pedagogical points of view. He is excellent, and his words are very thought provoking. Mr. Hurley said "Getting kids actively involved in learning – get them to stop and think 'why?'" We need to use new tools to accomplish that.

Fast forward q few hours, and I am sitting in the lobby reflecting about the first workshop that I attended. It was all about the SMART Technologies Senteo system, and it was excellent. I left there very excited to try them out, as our school has just received them. Now I have more work to do!

The presentation I did with Karen went very well, and I enjoyed being there. She did most of the work to be honest. I just provided some practical classroom experience reflections along with my own ramblings. My thanks go out to Karen for asking me to work with her, and to ASSET itself for putting it all together.

I hope that everyone left as optimistic and as intrigued as I am! Now the hard work comes; the age old question that has plagued me all year: How the heck does this stuff fit into my curriculum?!?!?!?!

What the Wiki are you doing????

Earlier in this school year, I started blogging with my students. I am excited and proud to say that it has been a complete success. Just today, I assigned the 15th blog of this school year to my class. Assigned is a strong word, as they truly have enjoyed them. As a matter of fact, when I don't assign a blog, I am sometimes met with grunts of displeasure that most teachers would associate with giving too much homework!

A few months ago, I had investigated using a wiki and incorporating it into my digital classroom. My students had used a wiki with Karen Kliegman and Noel Forte in our fourth grade research program, so I know they could navigate through and use one. My big challenge was the same challenge that I always faced: How does this technology fit into the curriculum. If you have read many of my previous technology blogs (does anyone really read my ramblings?), you know how I don't like using technology strictly for the sake of using technology. I'm not one of those people that wear a bright t shirt that says "Look at what technology I use in my classroom!", but I am a strong advocate of technology as an educational resource. So my dilemma was to find out where wikis would best serve the needs of my curriculum, the needs of my students and my comfort level as an educator (time investment mostly).

While in class the other evening, a professor was speaking about wikis in a different context, and it hit me. Something simple, but it just might work. I don't expect miracles, as this is late in the year and it is more of a beta test.

I added a "We're Wondering" section to the wiki. Throughout the year, my class would come up with interesting questions related to what we were exploring, and I would offer "That's a great question to look into for independent research!" Using mostly the Internet as a resource, the student, either by themselves or with my assistance, would look into the question and we would tell the class our findings. Why not capture that information digitally to build a sort of knowledge base!

That's what I did. I set it up, and I showed it to my students today. They were very interested. Each received a username and password, and some have already posted information and questions. We're off and running! I'll post updates after I see how it goes, but I am very optimistic.

What does it mean to be "tech savvy"?

In a world where technology is all around us, what does it mean to be ‘tech savvy’? I have been told by some that I am tech savvy, but I am not sure what that means exactly. If one can perform basic PC functions, do they fit the bill? What if they can use a PC, yet they are lost on a Mac? (or vice versa) Does tech savviness know platform boundaries? What about basic Windows stuff? Basic web stuff? Education specific software? Does tech savvy mean differently than “technologically proficient”? I think so. At one point does a novice become savvy and a savvy person become proficient (or an expert for that matter?)

What does this have to do with anything? I was just thinking. What do we look for in a teacher of educational technology? On what basis do we label a teacher that uses technology the best and most appropriate ways that it can be used? What evidence do we use to quantify or validate the work of a tech savvy educator? The time in the computer lab? The depth of the projects? Using technology to create extension activities that are genuine and eye opening for the class?

In this ever changing, dynamic, and insane world, what does it mean to be a 21st Century Educator? What does it take to be one? What does take to remain one? These are all subjective questions, but still they are worth pondering.