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My First SketchCast....be gentle

Talking About My Generation

"What technology would you like to see intergrated into the curriculum? How would this technology be helpful or beneficial to the classroom?

-labtops
-labtops
-cellphones
-more t.v.
-a car
-ipods
-xbox
-labtops
-labtops
-myspace

This is just a small sample of the answers that rangout in response to the above question. The difficulty came when students were asked to follow-up with the second half of the question "How would this technology be helpful or beneficial to the classroom?" Labtops was obvious, students would have easy access to great informational resources at the simple click of a button. The negatives seem just as obvious, the cost is big, students would have access to great classroom distractions at the click of a button, and the possiblity of theft or damage.

Cellphones was a much more interesting conversation. Students were creative with their responses. Students suggested that we use them similiar to the radio d.j.'s text your answer into your teacher for morning warm-ups or even school wide competitions.

I'm not sure where we can go with this idea, cellphones as an aid to education, but I think the important thing is to recognize the significance they play in our students' lives. Like it or not our students are tech savvy and like to use that technology to socialize.

I Love to Hate Technology

Last year I was asked if I would be able to teach a credit make-up class. Being the money hungry gung-ho teacher that I am, I agreed. I was already swamped with paper work and the idea of more made me want to pound my head against a wall. In addition, students came in and out of the class, based on their own agenda. The students are required to spend 34 hours of seat time with me. They don’t have to come everyday. They can stay for a half-hour or for the full hour and a half.

To meet the needs of the class, students, and my sanity I decided to center the class are the blogs. Students visit my blog at www.seventhhour.blogspot.com to see the assignments for the class. Each week a new assignment is posted. By the end of their 34 hours each student is responsible for completing 15 of the assignments at a satisfactory level. The students receive their feedback through the comments option, notifying them if they need to redo the assignment or if it was approved.

It looked like everything was going to workout just as I was hoping. However, last week the district changed the way in which server filters out websites. This entire past week my students have not been able to access their websites and I haven’t been able to log into my own blog to post assignments and our comment on theirs. Recently we’ve switched to students emailing their assignments to me, I hate it. My email box is flooded and it just doesn’t have the same flavor. What the kids enjoyed was making their blogs reflect who they are. I’ve contacted the district and they’ve told me it isn’t a problem on our end, I have to disagree.

My Neighbors

Merriam Park Library is 43 steps away from my front door. I first made the journey three weeks ago. Since then I've checked out 15 different pieces of material, 11 books and 4 movies, most of which I've used in my classroom.
I've found that the staff is not only helpful, but also very amiable. They take pride in their little library and it shows in the way it is managed and maintained. To be honest I've been using them as a resource since the end of August, when I moved in across the street. One of the first things I did upon moving into my apartments was to open up my laptop and check for any wireless signals, sure enough I found one and it was been broadcast from the library.

I've long been a card carrying library user, but never before have I been a weekly customer. I'm surprised at how quickly I've started recognizing faces and even more surprised at the various age groups that frequent the quiet corners of Merriam. Young children sit on the windowsill flipping through books whose pages are mostly covered with pictures. Early teens whisper to one another as the scan their eyes from webpage to webpage looking for the latest gossip. Local college students strain their eyes and pull at their hair trying to complete an assignment I'm sure they've put off longer than planned. And then, there are the elderly. This is the group that surprises me the most. They not only read through books with print too tiny for my eyes, but I've witnessed them sending emails to family and even using instant messenger. I would love to spend time chatting online with my grandparents and never before had imagined the possibility.

I know I'll continue to visit my library and use the resources it has available. How can I afford not to when the late fees are so cheap.

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Back To School

I've just come back from the Holy Land, lamb and chicken curry falafels. To be honest, I might just make it through this "Information Literacy," thing. I'm looking forward to learning about new things, techno jazz and what not. However, what I'm really looking forward to is figuring out how to connect the technology I enjoy into my classroom and how to access my students through the technology that they use in their everyday life.
I am closer in age to my students than to most of my coworkers, however, the technological gap is still greater between my students and I than staff members. It's assumed that I should understand more of this stuff, but I used a typewriter until the second semester of my junior year at the U. In fact, my computer at home is set to make the noises associated with a typewriter (ding).
Shortly we will all be connected to the feed and accessing online information will only be a thought away. Until then, I'm going to stick with the classes and keep asking questions. I love teaching, but going back to school as always a unique experience.
Seacrest out,
Jim Schmit