The Card

         

          What would you do for a library card?  I grew up in Arcadia which had a beautiful library that I imagined looked like the White House.  Growing up with three brothers, I soon discovered that I was the only one who actually liked going to the library.  My family did not buy books.  We went to the library.  Now, we “went” to the library, but I was usually the only one looking for books.  While searching for books that held scripts (I loved putting on back yard productions with my brothers and neighborhood kids in the summer) and Laura Ingalls Wilder books, my brothers waited with my mom in the lobby.  For me, a library card was a passport, and I put it to good use every summer.  I was a girl and a nerd, and I carried a library card.  

            Well, my three children have been raised in Claremont.  In Claremont, owning a library card is not just for nerds, because in Claremont, obtaining a library card is a rite of passage.  Claremont is known as the “city of trees and PhD’s.”  Now, while most citizens do not have their PhD, they do have a library card.  This is the same town that has a “What Are You Reading?” feature in the local paper, and promotes an annual reading program called, “On the Same Page” in which citizens all commit to reading the same book (participation is noted by a yard sign featuring the title of that year’s reading selection) every fall.  Only in Claremont will the Friends of the Claremont Library annual used-book sale be one of the must-attend events of the year.   

            Claremont’s library is tucked in the center of the Village, with shops and City Hall on one side, and the Claremont Colleges on the other.  Across the street from the post office and down the street from Some Crust bakery, the library was always on the way to some essential errand.  At my children’s elementary school, the most anticipated field trip in 3rd grade was a three mile walking field trip to the library for a reading presentation.  And for the lucky few who brought their parent-signed application form, library cards were obtained.  Now, this was a field trip with a purpose.  I have chaperoned these trips several times.  A student who was able to flash a new library card was as envied as a teenager with a new driver’s license.  Library cards not only allowed access to a world of books contained within a building, but admission into a city culture that made books a means of connection for its citizens. 

            In a world that provides instant electronic access to books and reading materials through e-Books, Kindles, and EBSCO, my local library is still a destination of choice for my children in the summer.  Home from college, my daughters will either ride a skateboard, bike, or walk to the library.  Yesterday, I found on the kitchen counter the library card for my daughter, Sarah.  It holds her “big girl” signature from the 3^rd grade.  Eleven years later, that signature still speaks to me of the day that she walked a three mile round trip for that card, and the pride that she felt at becoming a card-carrying citizen of Claremont.

Seeing Red

         

         I am not color blind, and I am grateful for that.  The   opportunity to experience color is everywhere:  feelings, food, and politics.  And editing.  But were you aware that one of the greatest perceived threats to students today is the application of a color?  To be specific, it is in the use of the red pen. 

            When used by a teacher, the color red has a force that can always be counted on.  Correcting a spelling test?  A red pen will draw immediate attention to the misspelled word, as well as shouting out the total score and percentage at the top of the paper.  I have never had an issue with the red pen.  As a student, I knew that its role was “professional” and not “personal.”  The red pen conveyed that teacher-voice.  Whether constructive or affirming, a comment written with the red pen demanded attention.  But now some educators believe that attention created by the red pen has been deemed “stressful.”

            Feelings, whether stated or implied, have always been attributed to color.  Red is not the sole defendant.  We have all used colors for both negative and positive situations.  Feeling blue?  Well, maybe not if you just won a blue ribbon.  Are you green with envy?  Probably not if you just got the green light on your latest project.  How about politics?  Is your state red or blue?  Depending on your party affiliation, one of these is good for our country while the other will lead us to despair.  But then, if you are not sure, you just might live in a purple state.  And then there is red.  We have all had the experience of seeing red, but what about the color of passion and love?  No one can ignore the impact of the color red.

            Well, the red pen has become the latest scapegoat for inducing stress in students.  Teachers, principals, and some school districts have banned the use of the red pen in the correction of students’ work.  More “neutral” colors are being employed, such as green and purple.  In fact, manufacturers of pens such as Bic have increased their production of purple pens expressly for use by teachers.  The first time I corrected spelling tests as a volunteer in my children’s classrooms, I was given a green pen and told that it was less stressful for students if work was corrected in green.  It actually reminded me of when I was in 6^th grade and my teacher had us peer correct papers.  We were told to place a “C” next to the correct answers, leaving the incorrect answers unmarked.  We were told that it stressed a more positive tone.  After receiving our papers back, we used simple math to determine how many we got wrong.  So much for tone.

            When my son started his 8^th grade year, his English teacher sent home a list of supplies to bring to class.  They included college ruled paper, pencil with eraser, black pen . . . and a red pen.  This struck a chord in my writer’s heart.  Speaking as a writer, and with a husband who makes his living writing, the red pen has always been an invaluable tool for improving writing.  Over the years, my husband Brad has spoken to 6^th grade classrooms at our children’s elementary school, and he has campaigned for the red pen.  The power that the red pen has in the hands of the young writer can be transforming.  Its use helps the student/writer and teacher/editor deconstruct and re-map a piece of writing.  Marks on a written page can blend together, but the marks of a red pen is a beacon for the writer.  It takes the writer by the shoulders and says, “This is where we get to business.” 

             Physical items do not possess power.  Instead, their  power is assigned by people.  I love the color red.  Red is a color that is in nearly every room of my house.  I see it as welcoming, passionate, and happy.  As an educator, I want my students to feel empowered and confident.  So I will choose the red pen. 

Home is Where Vince Is

           My home has a sound.  Music has always been a big part of our home, and it is evident through the instrumental relics in every room:  piano, electric keyboard, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, violin, clarinet, and drum set.  And a harmonica.  But even with all of these instruments, the sound that can best be associated with our home is actually an artist:  Vince Guaraldi.

           Vince Guaraldi’s presence in my home began about 25 years ago.  I added “A Charlie Brown Christmas” cassette to a Christmas present for one of my brothers back in the mid-80’s as a kind of a joke.  My brother Danny and I shared (and still do) a deep love for all of the Christmas specials that aired each year.  In the years before these specials were available on video tapes, one had to tape the shows themselves or make sure that they did not go out the nights they were shown.  This was especially hard for someone who worked as a bartender during college, like Danny.  I decided one year to tape every Christmas special for his Christmas present.  The fact that all of his friends loved this tape and that it was passed around is another story.  But I added the Vince Guaraldi cassette as that cherry on top.  Nothing more.

            Several years later, with the birth of my first daughter, I began the nightly routine of rocking her to sleep while listening to a lullaby tape.  Nice for a while, but as it grew closer to Christmas, I decided to buy my own “Charlie Brown Christmas” cassette and played that during the holiday season.   Well, it did not take long before I noticed my daughter’s reaction to the music:  she fell asleep more easily.  Listening to Vince every night became her night-time ritual, and this ritual continued with the birth of her sister and brother.  Listening to Vince also provided a feeling of home whenever we traveled.  Playing the tape in the car or in a hotel room provided a sound of home.

            Over the years my kids have made fun of my love of Vince Guaraldi and all of jazz impressions.  An accomplished jazz musician, I appreciated how accessible he made jazz for me, and I shared this with my children.  His music is often playful, and yet evokes a mood that is hard to pinpoint;  happiness, adventure, a little melancholy, and a yearning.  Not unlike childhood itself.   

            My children are older now.  My daughters are both away to colleges on opposite sides of the country, and my son is in high school.  During their time away from home, it would not be unusual for me to receive a text:  “Listening to Vince.”  Whether a random placement within their playlists or specifically cued to inspire them while studying for finals, they each told me that listening to Vince Guaraldi soothed them and made them feel like they were connected to home. 

            Yesterday, my 15 year old son was within ear-shot of the kitchen where I was playing a jazz playlist.  When “The Great Pumpkin Waltz” started playing, he called out, “This is my favorite song of all time!”  And this was coming from a boy who is spending today at the Van’s Warped Tour.  When I asked him why it was his favorite, he answered that it made him feel peaceful and at home.  Not a bad place to be.

http://youtu.be/IymAMEzEoDo

Summer Stacks

Our local paper has a feature which showcases a citizen and seeks to reveal their literary tastes.  The first question asked?  "What's on your nightstand?"  In my house, the question would be, "What's on the end table?"


Our house is filled with readers and writers.  I am an avid reader, RN, and liberal studies student.  My husband is a horse racing author, journalist, and broadcaster.  One daughter is majoring in political science/communications, another daughter is a double major in psychology/philosophy, and my son is a sophomore in high school who is still exploring his interests.  Our home holds a variety of literary tastes.  If you were to ask, "What's on the end table?" the answer would be, "Well, there are currently 14 books on it."  (While writing this, I actually got up, walked over to the table, and counted.)


Over the years, we have filled four large book-cases in our house, and have relegated dozens upon dozens of books into "deep storage" in a shed.  These books range from college text books to favorite novels from high school to cookbooks.  We have lived here for 12 years, and have seen our living room reading table morph from picture books and Harry Potter to "The Accidental Billionaires:  The Founding of Facebook," "Beyond Wealth," and "Meditations on First Philosophy."   The one thing that I have recently noticed is that what is on the table depends on the time of year.   


For me, I have several categories (literally, stacks) for my books.  These have little to do with subject, and more to do with my approach to reading.  Let me explain:

• School Books.  These are not exclusive to text books, but apply more to a variety of articles (research and enrichment), literary pieces for analysis, and review books such as the CSET.  Sometimes tedious, usually enlightening, and always outside of my usual scope of reading tastes.  

• Book Club Books.  Okay, since I returned to school three years ago, this category of book is usually placed on hold September through May.  I belong to a book club with four other women, and they indulge my non-reading during school months so that I can keep pace with my school work.  This is my kind of book club.  By summertime I am ready to dig into some guilt-free pleasure reading.   This summer's selection is less intellectual and more frothy.  Much like a refreshing summer drink.

• Personal Books.  These are the books that are usually voted down by my book club friends.  I have a passion for non-fiction, and lean toward political ("Game Change") and short stories (Stephen King and Tobias Wolff). I also love books about wide open spaces (please, no Westerns).  I love anything by John Steinbeck ("East of Eden" is the best novel ever written), and a couple of summers ago discovered Willa Cather.  Need that road-trip fix?  These are the types of books that allow the soul to hit the road at a leisurely pace.

You may not have realized it, but you have a place in your own home that reflects your passions, duties, and affiliations.  It could be that stack next to your computer, on your end table, or on your night stand.  Wherever your stack is located, sit down, pull out that volume you once committed to, and reconnect.  That is one of the pleasures of summer.

          

Put It On (Virtual) Paper

         Cue Alice Cooper.  This week begins my summer break from school:  not as a teacher (someday), but as a returning college student of 3 1/2 years.  With my final semester allowing for a glimmer of light before I pass into a credential/masters program, I have reflected on what lessons I have learned in and out of the classroom.  My best teachers have been my peers, if you can call 20 year-olds the peers of someone old enough to be their mother.  So, with thanks to teachers and students alike, I share my lessons learned.


1.  Sit at the front of the class.  Sure, you'll look like a studious nerd (is that redundant?), but go for the complete package.  The looks you get from being the oldest in your class eclipse anything you might get from being in the front row/table.  It has also allowed some of my professors to benefit from my ability to provide fact checks.  "Caesar Chavez organized a boycott of, uh, . . ."  Whisper:  "Grapes."


2.  Make sure you always bring your glasses.  Sure, it's easy to view large rambling writing on a white/black board, but if you really want to know what's going on in the classroom, you need to be able to read the projected web-pages on the screen.  Don't try to look younger by keeping your glasses off.  Your squinting will give you away.


3.  Always ask questions.  Sure, you'll be annoying some of the time, but your younger peers will love you for it.  With age comes courage, and the firm belief that no question is a dumb one.  Just know that you might get an occasional rolling-of-the-eyes from a less than passionate professor.  You'll need your glasses to catch that.


4.  Professor titles can be awkward barriers.  Professor, Dr., Mr., Mrs.  Conversations before and after class  are wonderful, but what do I call you?  Seeing a professor while walking briskly across campus or shopping at Target allows for very little time to determine the appropriate greeting.  "Hey, there!" covers most bases.


5.  Parking permits are over-rated.  When your school has expanded into residential neighborhoods, the walk to your classes can be motivation for the post-graduate life.  "So, this is what it looks like to be home at 7 p.m. on a Tuesday."  People do graduate and live a life void of night classes.


6.  An A- is more valuable than an A+.  Please don't share this with my professors, but this has been my belief since going back to school.  It means that the paper or essay was actually read.  A glossy A+ on a 20 page paper sounds like a major achievement, but did the professor fall asleep after page 6?  At least that's where the comments stopped.  An A- will always spark me to dig deeper and analyze more, that is after I take a few minutes to gripe about it.


7.  Power Point is a read-aloud for college students.  Read-alouds word for K - 2, but usually it is to reinforce concepts of print.  While more entertaining than becoming motion-sick from an overhead projector, Power Point is not a replacement for the content and real-world knowledge of a PhD.  Sharing with students and inviting discussion feeds both the student and the professor.


8.  The best advice can come from the most unexpected sources.  If you haven't guessed it already, I like to write.  Writing doesn't necessarily flow from the formed thought.  Rather, the act of writing can spark the thought process.  Kick start it, if you will.  A "thank you" to a professor who encouraged her students to write when they felt that they had no answer for a test question.  "I will follow the trail of your writing, because in the end you will lead me and yourself to the correct answer."  And this advice came from my Power Point professor.   Here's to new discoveries through writing.

          

Breaking News:  

Girl Enters Brave New World

          I just participated in a technology revolution.  Well, not in the way that you would consider revolutionary.  But the fact that I was able to be introduced to, practice with, and apply technology to assignments and educational applications was an experience that changed my perspective regarding technology.  I am a paper-and-pencil kind of girl.  I like to hold a book in my hands, turn the pages of a newspaper on the kitchen table early in the morning, and do my best thinking when writing with a pencil (not pen) on unlined paper.  The idea that I could not only keep up with the technology instruction in ed407 (okay: slow, but I did keep up) , but be able to envision its application in my educational future was not only unexpected.  It was revolutionary.

          One of the technology gold mines that I discovered during ed407 was Google and all of its bells and whistles.  I had been aware of certain aspects of Google in the educational setting, but primarily through the eyes of my children in high school.  Peer projects could be accessed and assessed in the classroom and the home.  Suddenly, material along with the means to network with peers, had been placed in the hands of the learner in a way that extended the classroom experience. Students created, shared, and supported each other's learning.  And that was just my view as a parent.  Then, I viewed it as an educator.  Through the utilization of Google Docs, Google Voice, Google Forms, and my personal favorite, Google Sites, I discovered that I can create, share, and experiment with information that will allow for a deeper level of learning for my students.  That is educator jargon for:  I love Google!  Google invites the student and the educator to enter, play, and learn.

           Another ed407 discovery was the application of technology to facilitate sharing.  Sharing opinions, ideas, or sometimes simply asking a question can be somewhat limiting in a classroom environment that has placed increasing demands on both teacher and student alike.  Enter social media.  My pre-ed407 view of social media was that of all fluff and rare substance.  I viewed people who habitually tweeted, posted, and blogged as those who had too much to say about too little.  Present company excluded, of course.  Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger were tools that I was aware of, but I had been generally dismissive of, especially as an educator.  I just knew that blogging was something that would never fit me.  But then, here I am writing, and there you are, reading these words.  We are communicating, and that is the life-blood of education.  Sharing, imparting, and sometimes, idea creation require communication.  It is often challenging to provide enough classroom face-to-face time to fully communicate all that is necessary for learning.  Social media provides a classroom extension which allows for an intimate sharing of ideas.  I loved the analogy for Twitter of being at a party and wanting to not miss out on any conversation.  Or an idea.  This was a major revelation for me:  social media to facilitate listening.  Social media can now provide me with the tools to reach out, listen, and share.  Now, I just need to learn and then master Twitter etiquette.  Stay tuned.

          A further revelation to me in ed407 was the creation and utilization of screencasts, Skype, and YouTube for out-of-classroom experiences.  The idea of these tools has always been at the back of my mind, but seeing them in action provided me with yet another means to reach students outside of the traditional classroom.  There exists in the educational shadows a population of students who often slip through the cracks:  chronically ill children.  Not only is it difficult for them to consistently participate in the traditional classroom setting, their absences can be sudden and prolonged.  When a medical crisis occurs, it is usually difficult and sometimes medically impossible for students to gain face-time with their teachers outsdide of the traditional classroom.  Virtual tools not only provide information for continued learning at home or in the hospital, but it more importantly allows for authentic interaction.  Screencasts can be customized for a specific student with a specific query, and Skype can provide real-time sharing.  Imagine a hospitalized student being able to participate in a classroom discussion!  When used as an educational channel, YouTube is a clearing-house of ideas, illustrations, and targeted lessons which can be bundled to suit any educational need.  Virtual tools can reach and benefit all students while allowing the educator to maintain the interaction and relationship that is critical to learning.

           There is so much to learn in order to teach, and at the core is how best to communicate and facilitate the sharing of information and ideas.  Einstein once said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge," and technology captures this spirit in the delivery and sharing of information.  Ed407 introduced me to many aspects of technology, and for that I am grateful and inpsired.  I cannot wait to get started.

Coming Soon to a Classroom Near You!

     

 
         Quick!  Imagine you have just 60 seconds to convey to a reader the elements of a particular literary genre.  During these seconds, you need to relate to your reader elements that convey your understanding of the material, and do so in a manner that grabs the reader's attention.  And please be entertaining.   Can a literary essay produce all of this in just 60 seconds?

 
        Now, imagine that you have assembled a visual literary project which can convey all of the elements of a literary essay.  The total viewing time for this project is 60 seconds.  Is this possible?  Well, most of us view this type of project several times every time we go to the movies.  It is called a movie trailer.  More than a means for displaying visual images of a soon-to-be-released feature, a movie trailer attempts to persuade an audience.  How many times have you viewed a movie trailer, and then turned to the person next to you and said, "I don't think so!" or  "This looks awesome!"  Movie trailers are able to distill down to 1 - 4 minutes the essential elements of a story:  characters, setting, theme, and conflict.  All of these elements work together to create the type of tension that is necessary to hook an audience.


          My technology project sketch is for students to produce a 60 second movie trailer that is tailored to a specific literary genre.  Each genre contains variations on characters, theme, setting, and conflict.  A successful movie trailer will be able to convey these variations and shifts to its audience.  By tapping into the creativity of teams of students, a variety of approaches can be shared when addressing the same piece of literature.  A movie trailer is a format that encourages creativity while it demands the distilling of essential literary elements into a format which has a built in audience.

     While this is longer than the proposed 60 second time limit for my proposed project, it is an AWESOME example of how all movie trailers essentially have a singular template.  Be inspired, and pass the popcorn!

The Bridge of Technology

 

      I have always admired those who can integrate technology into their classroom.  What does technology look like?  Is it accessible?  Can I do this? 

      In my Six Technology Goals, I have included an over-arching goal that I have viewed as essential to learning: the establishment of positive relationships.  I will partner with technology to achieve this.  By applying technology, I will be setting down a foundation for myself, my students, and their families.  Once those connections are made, I cannot wait to see what unfolds.

  

 Building Relationships: 

Six Technology Goals 

    1.  Establish a weekly e-newsletter which can be blasted to all of my classroom families.  This newsletter would help in establishing a relationship between me and my families as we serve all students.  This would take the place of "Friday Folders" or other paper-based notifications.  It would include:

         a.  Subject themes to be addressed that week, such as character  

 studies  in ELA, fractions in math, California missions in social  studies.  I  expect that more than one subject area will be addressed, and most likely tied together as a unit.

         b.  Classroom news such as new students, a change in students' classroom duties, upcoming field trips, conference scheduling.

         c.   School news such as holidays, school-wide events such as Back-to-School Night.

         d.   My own personal reflection of the class and the journey we are all taking together through this year together.

         e.   Invitations and opportunities for family involvement in the classroom.

*  All students will become proficient at accessing on-line correspondence in a routine manner.

 

 

2.     Create a Facebook page for our specific class for that specific year.  A page of this type would serve as a reminder that the classroom is its own unit or family and that communication through this page supports this theme.  This page would provide:

         a.  A daily reflection by me of the day's activities:  goals met, challenges, achievements.

         b.  Daily homework assignment posts.  Especially helpful for those students who are ill, or those who may have forgotten to write assignments into their agendas.

         c.  Provide students with a safe, classroom specific setting for sharing with classmates such things as questions or the relay of information regarding projects or other collaborative assignments.  Facebook page would act as the base for these interactions.

*  All students will become familiar with a discussion board format, as well as safe and respectful discussion board etiquette.  Students will have an additional source of information that promotes responsibility for their own learning.

 

3.  Provide students and families with access to me through cell phone:  Google Voice account.  This type of access allows for a safe and private means of accessing me regarding any issue that cannot be discussed face-to-face.  The means of access empowers students and families.  A positive classroom experience will rely on the ability to ask questions in a safe and respectful context.  For some students this initial exchange might be started over a text.  The cell phone is not meant to replace a face-to-face exchange, but rather to provide a starting point for some students.

*  All students will be able to assume responsibility for their own learning through teacher access.  This form of access will be a tool toward building a collaborative relationship with teacher.

 

 4.   Create student blogs.  I see this as more of an extension of journaling.  The goal here is less a posting of a perfect essay, but rather the honest reflection on a specific topic.  I'm not entirely sure about having this accessible to other students, but rather between the student and teacher.  The sharing and feedback between teacher and student could allow for a deeper probing of topics and can be the launching point for further exploration by the student.  My goal is for allowing students the freedom of expression with the safety of a secure format.

*  All students will utilize blog writing as a means for deeper sharing on a wide variety of topics.  Students will experience self-worth and personal pride through the publication of their views.

 

5.  Skype.  I would love to be able to extend lessons into places and with people that will connect with my students.  Skype is a facilitator, or a tool, which can make this possible.  

*  All students will be able to use this medium as an invitation to seek supplemental sources for learning.  Students will be able to view Skype as a means to transport and share information.

6.  Collaborations utilizing video capabilities, such as an iPod touch.  Now, if our goals are allowed to have perfect funding, I would include a hand-held piece of technology which would allow for full expression through visuals and sound.  Imagine handing a piece of equipment to students and challenging them to show you something new.  Expression and creativity would benefit from the power provided by technology.
 

*  All students will view technology as tools for collaboration.  Video capabilities allow for meeting the diverse needs of learners.

     

Dare to Teach?  Dare to Blog!

     The "Tour of the Blogoshpere" sampling of sites was a great introduction to educational blogs.  I found that the three that were listed offered a variety of voices.  I have to say, I was drawn to coolcatteacher.blogspot.com.  I found her anecdotes relatable as a student and as a future educator.  Her honest expression of conveying the goal of a lesson to students was funny and disarming at the same time.  Imagine saying to a clas:  "This is what will get you into (college name), so pay attention."  She seems to be able to reveal the differences between true teaching/learning, and how to check a course off of a list of requirements.  

     Too much emphasis is placed on a checklist of classes, as opposed to authentic learning.  One of my daughters took an AP Econ class as a senior, and her teacher had them watch movies two or three days a week.  Sure, having this AP class made her transcript look great, but if you were to ask her, "What did you learn last year in econ?" she could tell you very little.  It is essential for teachers to put themselves into their lessons.  Authentic learning requires connections, and these connections allow for students to become more fully engaged which then leads to a commitment to learning.  I currently have one professor who writes her lecture power points directly from the book, and then proceeds to "read" her lecture to us.  For three hours.  Every week.  What does she bring to the class?  Does she love her subject?  I have no idea.  My remaining classes embrace a project-based approach to learning, and most of these professors share their love of their respective courses.  Guess which classes I enjoy the most?  In which classes am I gaining more knowledge?

     These blogs in our "side trip" have offered me a variety of perspectives that I will be tapping into.  Ranging from the folksy to the wry, they reflect the range of personalities which can be seen in any school.  To access this experience and knowledge in such an honest and generous format is a great resource for students and teachers alike.  

 Breaking Down Walls

 

     A fifth grade company which built a bridge.  A seventh grade partnership which developed intercontinental trade.  These project based learning assignments are still memorable for my college-aged daughters.  The results from these projects touched on many points of learning:  collaboration, coordination, independent research, and accountability.  And they had fun! Imagine being encouraged to do something different and to incorporate new tools in the learning process. 

    Technology is only now beginning to be tapped as a tool for project-based learning in my school district.  Several years ago, our then superintendent stated that he wanted us to be "the technology district."  What does a “technology district” look like?  What would the new technologies be, how would they be applied, and who would have access to them?  This is where his vision derailed.  Not only could the different schools within the district not coordinate their hardware needs,  but teachers within the same grade levels at the same schools fought over which classroom would benefit first from the technology.  Collaboration and coordination did not exist. 
 
     In "Reinventing Project-Based Learning," I have thus far been most intrigued with the emphasis on the collaborating and community building among educators.  While it can be understood that a district-wide approach to project based learning and the application of technology cannot always be specific, it can at least encourage the kind of grade level coordination that is necessary for it to be successful.  


     One example of this is a project that my son's ninth grade Spanish class completed last week.  How could Spanish be applied to a topic that all kids found exciting?  Vacation!  The assignment was for pairs of students to determine what their dream vacation would be.  Then, armed with an iPod Touch, students were told to create a travelogue for their destination.  Students utilized Google Images and recorded a detailed voice-over in Spanish highlighting their destination.  The instructor then synced all of their  podcasts onto her Mac.  Now she can not only assess her student's work, but this project will now be streamed in the classroom during Open House this week. This project was developed by a friend of mine in close collaboration with the Foreign Language department at our high school.  She told me that they could not rely on a cash-strapped district to take the lead on incorporating technology in the classroom; they had to do it as a department.  They applied for grants which allowed them to purchase iPods for their department.  These new tools were used for the first time this past fall, and the staff and students love the freedom, creativity, and effective learning which has taken place since they began utilizing this technology.  Waiting for a directive from an administrator or a principal was not an option.  Taking action as a coordinated department is what made this technology integration possible. 
 
   The empowerment that comes from the technology-based project-based learning has touched both staff and students.  Students are eager to apply the technologies that they are already familiar with, and in the case of my son, offer tech support for their teachers when needed.  It began with a small group of teachers within an often fractured district, and the results have been exciting for teachers, students, and parents.

 Contact

The power of the keyboard has replaced the power of the pen.  Using communication as a key to affect change has always been critical, but the ease and speed through which communication now can be achieved has allowed for an explosion of opportunities.  While my initial reaction to the first chapter of “Here Comes Everybody” was that of empowerment squared, as I read on I began to feel as if this force of support that came from so many sources had the potential of a mob run amok.  The idea of having a social force supporting a particular cause is empowering.  Seeing how the original intent for this support began branching out into some distracting and potentially damaging causes scared me.  The evolving tools for communication are a way of “channeling existing motivation.”  Technology can only aid human connection of a “plausible promise.”  We just need to hope that these “promises” are well-intended.

Now, if we consider that the plausible promise for technology in education is to provide quality resources and interactions, then we are heading toward an amazing future.  Highly specific grouping that can result from social networking is one of the reasons why it is an exciting force for education.  A teacher can create specialized platforms for student-to-student and student-to-teacher interactions, which allows for targeted and efficient communication. The classroom environment is about sharing.  For anyone who has ever taken an on-line class (I have taken two), the component that is most missed is that of this access to communication.  True, discussion boards with mandated entries and posts attempt to fill this void, but they are too generic.  If we were to apply the social networking model to this, imagine how specific groups could be formed that could target specific topics or collaboration.  Even in a traditional classroom experience, I have to say that the access to communication tools through social networking reinforces and enriches what is started in the classroom.  It seems that, at least for the elementary school teacher, the greatest obstacle to social networking would be inconsistent school or district policy.  Like most new technologies, a greater understanding of its potential is sometimes slow.  The key will be to be prepared as an educator when that opportunity comes.

The World is Flat?

"The world is flat."  Is this possible 500 years after Columbus sought to prove this to be false?  In Thomas Friedman's video lecture “The World is Flat,” I can confidently state that it is indeed.  Despite sharing the “room” with MIT students and faculty, I was able to easily follow Thomas Friedman’s argument as to how the world has been “leveled” as a playing field field through a variety of technology advances.  Having been raised in an era with rotary dial phones, no answering machine until after college (along with a microwave for a graduation present), and contemplating whether to invest in a cassette or an eight-track player for my first car (a Pinto), I have been aware and amazed at the advances in technology.  

Like many things that I do not understand, I always knew that there were “forces” guiding the evolution of technology and how it would be applied within our society.  What came as the biggest shock was how each advance, whether through the availability of the internet to the average consumer, communicating software systems, or the political revolutions around the world, was built on a preceding one.  Friedman successfully used logic to show how devices, systems, and imagination became the framework from which technology is built.  I initially viewed the title, “The World is Flat,” to signal a backward slide.  After all, Columbus’ adventures sought to prove that it was not.  Instead, we could say that the world has been “leveled” as in “a level playing field.”  It was soon clear that “level” meant “even” or equal access to advances in technology.  

As a visual learner, the help of the graphic organizer to outline the elements of change in technology and its application was invaluable.  With the use of this organizer, Friedman was able to clearly articulate to me how each technological advance built upon a prior one.  Iconic cues on the organizers not only helped me to allow for easier note taking, it also gave me a preview of what was to be discussed, as well as serving as a quick reference when reviewing the lecture a week later.  A simple image could replace several sentences of text, plus visual learners would have several anchors throughout the lecture.  This organizer also allows for a teacher to highlight what she feels a student should focus on.  Hearing the words while looking over the organizer I knew I would not miss an important point.  I felt more confident in being able to hear what was being discussed, and I was able to enjoy the experience of the lecture and the topic rather than worrying about whether or not I was able to capture every important topic. 

 

Now, on to the application of youtube.com as a lecture source:  I loved it.  Several times throughout the lecture I wanted to write down cues and details that would help me remember a particular point.  All I had to do was pause the lecture for a few seconds, and then I could continue fully focused on the lecture as it unfolded, rather than quickly finish writing a sentence and missing the next important point.  In the end, I felt confident with my note taking, knowing that I had plenty of time to write down what I felt was important, as well as knowing that it was logically organized.  With the graphic organizer and a carefully selected youtube.com lecture, who wouldn’t want to do homework?

"Shift Happens"

This video gives new meaning to the term “plugged in.”   

Between home computers, lap tops, cell phones, smart phones, and iPods, technology exists in my house that was not here 10 years ago.  The fast and fluid rate at which technology is evolving is exciting.  While technology might be seen as a novel “hook,” “Shift Happens” illustrated to me that staying on top of this technology is vital for educators in order to engage, excite, and connect students, as well as to make available vast sources of information. While it might seem that technology is merely a convenience, this video revealed that technology’s power to reach students and connect them to increasing sources of information is invaluable.  As educators I feel that it is not just a modern convenience to own and understand this technology, but it provides vital tools that expand and improve classroom experiences.  I think educators are always looking for that “hook,” and technology not only provides it, but it can then lead (with the teacher as a guide) to greater sources of information, as well as insight and application of information.  With shrinking educational budgets, I think it is amazing that something as “simple” as a cell phone can be a gateway source of technology, and can be a key to connecting students to a variety of information sources.  With the advent of applications such as “Kindle,” the day will soon come when classrooms will be able replace costly and dated textbooks with less expensive and more up-to-date information.  Technology cannot only improve access to information, but the quality of information.  As a student, parent, and future educator, I cannot wait to see what is around the corner.

In the Beginning

I survived creating my first blog!