Too late to un-know it now...

Ah, peaceful obliviousness...

My mom always said she never wanted to learn how to pump gas because then people would expect her to do it.  I can relate at times.  As I read the software adventures of my classmates this week, I found myself feeling jealous of what they had discovered and clicking on every link to see what it was all about.  Now I know.  There is cool stuff out there, more than I knew.  It is too late to un-know it.  I want to use the program that creates and grades tests and sends kids e-mails.  I want to publish my kids' books online and make presentations that I would be proud for parents to see.  I want all of that, and I have a list. 

Do I really have to say what I use now?  I am embarrassed to admit my short list.

• I use STI, a grading/attendance program, because I have to.  When I taught in Wyoming, we had a grading program created by teachers called "Making the Grade."  It did.  It was so much better and sophisticated and teacher-friendly...but STI is compatible with state data collection...blah blah blah.  I use it--a lot.
• I also use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, basic Internet searches, and e-mail. 
• I have a staff page on our school's website, and I did create a blog with my Honors' students last year, but then the IT (the one who understood the website) left, and everything we were all learning left with him.  My staff page has not changed since last year.

As the Brady Bunch kids once sang:

"When it's time to change, then it's time to change

Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see

When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange

who you are into what you're gonna be."

Just like Peter Brady's voice, it's time for me to change.

I am already beginning to use Google Docs and the site builder.  I have shown it to some of my students and to my building principal.  Everyone is excited to use it, excited to learn it, and extremely excited that we can actually access on our school's server.  I have already started the webpage for the Honors' project.  I have also created a Google Document for the kids to practice logging in and adding to the questions I have posed to them.  I was surprised that none of them knew how to use it.  (And, ok, I was a little thrilled that I got to be the one to tell them!)

I would also love to explore podcasts.  I have so many ideas about how to add this tool to my classroom.  I will most likely begin by making it a requirement for the Honors project.  Working with a small group of kids on a focused project seems like a great way to ease into something new, help me find the glitches, and work them out before I take on 110 kids. 

My action plan...

1) Connect my Honors kids to a Google Document before Christmas break and require that they all login and answer the questions I have posed to them, add their own questions, leave comments for each other, etc.
2)Set up a time to meet with my Honors kids after Christmas break to go through the tutorials on the Google site builder so they may begin adding to the website.
3)Learn how to do podcasts so that I can teach my Honors kids.
4)Make better friends with the broadcasting teacher in my school and have him train me and my kids on how to use some of the editing equipment available through the radio station housed in our school
5)Have our website up and running by the end of the third nine weeks. 
6)Share the site and my newly acquired knowledge with my fellow staff members.

I once learned how to pump gas, and now I don't even have to think about that simple process in order to perform the task.  I am sure the first time felt weird and clumsy and not like something I thought I could do well.  But somehow, I am now proficient.  I am hoping that I will be able to say the same one day soon about some of the new technology that I have learned about this week and now cannot un-know.

"Sha na na na, na na na na na, sha na na na na

Sha na na na, na na na na na, sha na na na na"

Ready or not, here it comes...

21st Century Learning...

I am open-minded, willing, and aware of my shortcomings.  I think this prepares me to learn to teach and learn to learn in within the 21^st Century, but that really is not what the question was asking.  Sigh.  A few months ago, I had never heard of 21^st Century Standards, but I think I was already emphasizing some of them in my classroom.  21^st Century Curriculum and Instruction emphasizes “…inquiry and problem-based approaches and higher order thinking skills.” (www.p21.org/overview/skills)

This I do or attempt to do.  I want my students to be able to learn outside of a classroom, without a teacher, without specific instruction or guidance.  I want them to be able to identify a problem, consider solutions, and choose the best approach.  I also encourage my kids to explore life beyond school, involve the community in learning, and help them to be community-minded individuals.  I think I have at least put the foundation in place for these skills.

My lacking is in the technological aspect (see Blog 1 :).  I do not think my students are totally prepared for success using 21st century skills, but I hope they have strengths in place that will help them adapt and learn what I have not given them.  That being said, I am not their only teacher, so perhaps other teachers are helping to balance out my weaknesses.  That is a nice thought.  I think I will go with that.  I know that many of our students are amazingly successful once they leave us, but I can't say ALL; therein lies the problem.

My strengths are the same as they have been throughout my career:  I want what is best for kids, and I want them to be successful human beings, not just people who can pass a state test.  My weaknesses are my limited knowledge and the amount of information I need to process in order to use it effectively in my classroom.  This is what being a life-long learner looks like, kids.  Just like homework, if you do a little as you go along, you won't have to cram it all in at the end. 

Technology...thou art mine fair and lovely enemy...

As I read through the NETS for teachers' standards, I found myself thinking that I rock these standards...
                              if every technology word were removed.

I "facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity," but do I use technology to do so?  Not really.  I use technology for word processing, research, the occasional PowerPoint.  Snore.  I doubt that these simple uses inspire my "digital natives."  I do try to give students opportunities to use technology that they have access to, even if I don't.  When assigning projects, I give students the option of using any technology they would like.  I have students who create YouTube videos, PowerPoint presentations, movies using movie making software, etc.  I let them take the project and present it in a way that works for them. 

If I have one sad, fading feather stuck in my cap :o), it is for my Honors English 9 project which does push the limit of my technological prowess.  Students use the blogging area of our school's website and also create a webpage that includes video, voice recording, and at least one hyperlink.

So what is keeping me in my technological slacker state?
I would say there are two components:

District/school level:  $$$$$$$$$Money$$$$$$$$
Personal level:  I wouldn't know what to ask for.  What do I need?  What would help my students most?
              "We let our fear stop us from trying new things or taking risks."
                                                  (from the devotional page for my online class this week...)
The fear that swirls around me regarding technology is that I have already missed the boat.  There is so much out there that I don't already know, where do I begin?
Another fear is very specific and quickly becoming an issue in my small town.  How connected should teachers and students be on social networking sites (Facebook), Twitter, or in regards to texting?  Hmmm....enquiring minds want to know but will have to wait for a later date.

Okay, so have I whined sufficiently about my lack of technological savvy?  I am thinking yes, so it is time to make a plan and give myself something new to whine about.  My personal goals in regards to this topic are as follows:
1.  to learn to better utilize what I already have available to me
2.  to develop a prioritized wish list, complete with justification
3.  learn to write grants and try to bring more technology into my school

If one is going to dream, one may as well dream big!
:o)