For some time I've questioned the remark I hear almost everyday, "Technology is just a tool for learning." While I've agreed for a long time that there's a time for technology and a time to learn in other ways, I think technology transforms our society and education so much that to think of it as just a tool is underestimating its role.
Take a look at this blog post from George Couros and make sure to read through until the end where there is a powerful picture:
Technology is More than a Tool
In my opinion, Mr. Couros has said it so well. What do you think?
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Introverts and Extroverts in Classrooms
I've been reading the brand new book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, and I just keep thinking about the implications for our schools. Our society and our schools are currently designed to reward extroverted behavior, and I've long believed that this is fundamentally unfair to our students who aren't natively wired to behave this way. As the book points out, introverts are very important to our society. We need both the talkers and the thinkers--the social butterflies and the readers--those who like to work in groups or speak in class and those who prefer to work on their own--those who deliver the message the best and those who quietly created that message.
Face to face groups can be intimidating for an introvert, and with so many well rewarded extroverts in classrooms, it can even become just plain difficult to get a word in edgewise. Technology offers us some wonderful tools to accommodate the needs of our students who are introverts. With email, discussion boards, shared documents, Twitter, blogging, chatting, and many other forms of technology for communicating, we can provide our introverted students with new tools to participate more fully in their education and to share their important insights, knowledge, and thoughts with their peers.
I am happy that Susan Cain has opened the conversation. I hope that we will come together as educators and think about whether some of our methods for educating give an unfair advantage to extroverts and whether we might be overlooking the introverts who have so much to share but have often not been given a comfortable outlet to do so.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Welcome, Jorge!
I ran into a quote on my iGoogle page today that seemed very appropriate:
"Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it."--Margaret Thatcher
Today was our new computer technician's first day, and boy, did he ever work! All the odds and ends of different brands and ages of individual computers that we haven't found the time to repair are first on his list. Some have hardware to fix or replace. Then, most don't have images to throw at them, so it's a process of loading Windows and all the other things that need to go on them. All in all, it's very time consuming. I can't tell you how great it is to know it's finally getting done.
Welcome to Jorge who has jumped right in and made SLCSD a better place for learning already!
"Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it."--Margaret Thatcher
Today was our new computer technician's first day, and boy, did he ever work! All the odds and ends of different brands and ages of individual computers that we haven't found the time to repair are first on his list. Some have hardware to fix or replace. Then, most don't have images to throw at them, so it's a process of loading Windows and all the other things that need to go on them. All in all, it's very time consuming. I can't tell you how great it is to know it's finally getting done.
Welcome to Jorge who has jumped right in and made SLCSD a better place for learning already!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Teachers and Students Sell the School Board
I am just so proud of the teachers and students who presented to the School Board tonight, showing how they are using the various technologies we've acquired in the district for learning. Both the students and teachers not only showed what projects they were doing, but they also showed their excitement. I have never been to Board presentations that were so full of exuberance!
Proud is an understatement.
Proud is an understatement.
Not Another Boring Presentation
Update: It looks like the privacy settings on this video were changed to "private" sometime since I posted this blog. Too bad. It was a great video.
I ran into this video on Twitter this morning and had to post it here. We have all been in presentations like this. Here is my question:
How many class periods a week do students have to deal with this exact scenario?
Technology integration is not the same thing as "using technology." We must change the way we teach. Give the students the technology. Set them free.
I ran into this video on Twitter this morning and had to post it here. We have all been in presentations like this. Here is my question:
How many class periods a week do students have to deal with this exact scenario?
Technology integration is not the same thing as "using technology." We must change the way we teach. Give the students the technology. Set them free.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Equipment failures
We had our email spam filter malfunction starting sometime this weekend, and it is now replaced. Whew! We never know how dependent we are on various technologies until they don't work quite right. Email slow. Can you imagine? Luckily, the replacement unit is deployed and fast. I will reach a final verdict on success after a night of email goes uneventfully, but I am confident the crisis has passed. Like I said, whew!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
What a great day of teacher learning!
All District Educational Technology Professional Development
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
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