Every July 4th I make my poor children sit through the musical 1776. I do live in Massachusetts after all. There is a line in the movie that has always stayed with me. “I’ve never seen, heard, nor smelled an issue that was so dangerous it couldn’t be talked about. Hell yes, I’m for debating anything!” (Spoken by Stephen Hopkins in the movie 1776) As a tech integration specialist part of the support I provide is how to wade through…
(Please excuse a little personal rant) Science is big in my household – my husband and I are both scientists at heart. He still teaches science and I used to before moving into Instructional Tech. We are fascinated by all science; Earth, Space, Bio, Chemistry, Physics it does not really matter. My daughter’s dream since she was 5 has been to go into space and hopefully Mars with NASA. So when NASA scrolls by my twitter or plurk feed I…
Many schools are now using google apps for education to provide a collaborative space for students and teachers to create and share content. Some districts provide their students with blog and wiki space. I myself have created over 2,000 student identities for our Google Apps domain. Many grad students in education, as you can see from comments of previous posts, are blogging as part of their course requirements. Dave Truss asks the question, Who Owns the Learning? This has opened…
A couple of weeks back I read some great posts* about professional development and learning. They really sum up well those things providers need to remember about learners. It is about the learning and not the tools, after all. I highly recommend taking the time to read them. As technology users ourselves we often are so passionate about what we do that we often don’t understand why others do not catch our passion. We may not realize that some teachers…
I am a parent and educator and have been thinking a great deal lately about parental participation in schools. A parent is a child’s first educator, who remains their primary educator through out their life. I remember when I was a new classroom teacher I cringed when ever I would get a note in my mailbox asking me to call a parent. I used to wonder what now. But having been a parent for 16 years, and a paid educator…
My daughter is away on a school trip and I have taken to leaving iChat open in case she wants to chat. Doing so led to a spontaneous conversation with an educator I have not talked to in a long time. I respect this person greatly and love the freedom to discuss all kinds topics without fear of where they lead. To play devils advocate, to stir the pot of thought, and just talk for the joy of it is…
My growth as a learner has skyrocketed in recent years, as I became a connected learner. I believe I have learned more about teaching, learning and technology’s role in the process from self-directed, network supported interactions then I did in many of the formal educational opportunities in which I have participated. I am sure many of you feel the same way. My children are also connected learners and participate in many opportunities outside of traditional schooling. For example my daughter…