(TECH) Things That Make You Go Hmmmmmm...

1.  Smart boards--hear so many good things...how can I convince my administrators to find the money to get some???
2.  ebooks?  How will they affect the future of school libraries?  Will kids eventually lose the joy of holding an actual book?
3.  ipads vs. textbooks?  really cost beneficial?  Can they be updated/replaced with ever-changing technology?
4.  Penpals across the country/continents...anyone have an easy site to set that up?
5.  Always evolving technology....how are we going to afford it???
6.  Handwriting?  worth taking the time to teach anymore?
7.  Spelling?  with texting, IMing and spellcheck how long until this is nearly obsolete and a complete new language is born to go along with LOL, BTW, and ROFL?
8.  Plagiarism---does technology make it too easy?
9.  Safety for kids?  How do we really teach and instill good citizenship rules in regards to technology?  Hard to work on cause-effect when you can't "see" who/what you are hurting.
10.  Are teachers eventually going to be totally replaceable?  Do I need to be looking for an alternative occupation for later in my lifetime??

Instructional Design...has education missed the boat?

This blog entry is in response to the quote:  "Education has missed the boat, with respect to instructional design.  Teachers come up with lesson plans on the fly, with little thought to why they are presenting information or even who their audience is.  Teacher training, at the university level and during professional development, needs to focus on helping teachers become comfortable with instructional design principles."


It has been awhile since I was in a university setting to address instructional design but I must say after thinking about this quote I am saying "Go Baker University Wildcats!"  I can still recite the acronym the Introduction to Elementary Education professor (a local principal) used to teach the Madeline Hunter lesson plan design format.  I teach that lesson plan to this day which definitely puts me on the linear models Dick and Carey.  (I would say my lifestyle and personality also fall on this "systematic" format as well so that probably helps make it a good fit).  Every single one of our student teaching lessons had to be turned in with this format--stressing Bloom's Taxonomy for the objective starting with "The learner will..." 

That same professor also instructed though, that by the end of a teaching day one is so exhausted because teaching is on-the-spot decision making--this allows for us to deviate from the linear models and follow the ovals (planning/revision/formative evaluation/project management) of Morrison-Ross & Kemp.  As a "veteran" teacher (some of my kindergartners are done with college so I guess that qualifies as veteran), I can say some of my most valuable professional development opportunities have been review on instructional design.  I would be very concerned to think some of my colleagues were going "willie-nillie" while delivering lessons.  A few years ago our district brought in Dr. Marcia Tate. (http://bedford.tn.schoolwebpages.com/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=1178)
I still incorporate her 20 Brain Based strategies into my lesson design.  They are centered around learner characteristics, instructional objectives, instructional strategies & delivery, and evaluation instruments (making Morrison-Ross & Kemp proud!)  This type of quality professional development should be a key factor to all school districts. 

I cannot imagine being motivated as a teacher to lead instruction without doing some form of needs analysis...why teach the lesson well then?  why put any thought into your delivery methods?  why evaluate in the end to help you decide what the next step in problem-solving should be?  I hope this quote is not an indication of the majority--no matter which model suits your personality and curriculum, I hope all teachers are adopting an instructional design theory. 

Week 9: IMing

Occasionally I will use FB  to chat with friends.  We do not have access to IM at our school.  I feel this is probably for the best.  In the elementary setting you are rarely at your desk and if you are time is very limited so "chatting" is usually not the top priority.  I suppose my feelings about IMing may show my "old age". 

As in the case with texting, I see IMing as one more reason that our students don't learn to spell well.  When my teenage niece started IMing me I refused to talk to her unless she spelled out the words--you can guess how long she wanted to chat after that.  In my opinion, poor spelling links directly to poor reading and writing.  I also see IMing as more of an "interruption" than a "convenience".  (wow, Feeling really old right now---I even screen my phone calls sometimes if I am in the middle of something important!  They'll call back right?) 

Week 8: Cloud Computing

Just yesterday I collaborated on a concept map "in the clouds" with my master's work co-horts.  Our professor started a web to define a term through Mindmeister.  Each individual then had to login and add to the map.  I can definitely see this type of sharing and collaborating having a role in the elementary school setting.  For example, grade level teams often share documents to send home to parents.  Usually it involves passing a paper copy around to add/change material and then one person doing the computer portion.  Using google docs would help speed up this process (and save paper :)  Students could also participate in these collaborative efforts.  I could start a Mindmeister diagram with one class and then have my next class add on.  Even the act of blogging through the 23 Things and getting feedback from a team helps me keep my head in the clouds.  (ohhh, it's catching!)   

Week 7: Microblogging

Well, I Twittered....and I can't really say I liked it.  I guess I went in with a bad attitude as I am always hearing on the radio that so-and-so "star" made another one mad with a tweet---or that such-and-such star just ate a piece of pizza.  I can see it brings people together on a much quicker timeline...but do people really need to know every second of my day?  And more importantly, is it that noteworthy?  

The list of recommendations and the search tools did make it easy to find people of interest to follow.  I joined:  sljournal (School Library Journal), shannonmiller (an elementary librarian), and kkliegman (an elementary librarian.)  While the "shorthand" did make it easy to skim postings, it also made some of them a little too coded for me to understand.  I found a few links helpful but would say it was only 10% helpful.  

Not sure I'm going to be able to find a use for this one in  my career--and pretty sure my mind's made up on this one :(  

Week 6: Tagging & Social Bookmarking

Beware--Delicious = time suck!  I was a little familiar with the idea of bookmarking from ikeepbookmarks.com.  I had created a site for my kindergarten students and families.  Ikeepbookmarks did require a password for them to access.  I like the Delicious site as you can access from anywhere and see what others have tagged that correlates to your own ideas.  It seems pretty user friendly.  I could see this being useful in my work setting as I could give staff and students my username and they could explore the sites on their own.  Classroom teachers could easily access sites I have used with the students in the library.  This would add to the collaboration abilities between myself and the computer teacher. 

My username is:  pathey if you decide to jump down the rabbit hole too!

(so far I added some audio book sites and game sites--remember I am K-4) 

Week 5: RSS & Feed Readers

I chose Google Reader as I had already set up some subscriptions through it for a co-hort assignment group and more importantly, I use that log in/password a lot so I won't forget it!  I also thought the Google Reader page didn't look too daunting (...my resident, tech-expert-husband already uses it so I can get his help too!) 

After doing some key word searches, I added "Union Hill Elementary School Library" and "Smithville Elementary Library" to my subscription list.  I thought these two sites could provide me relevant resources for my school library and had creative and neat sites that I could aspire to creating. 

Week 4: Photo Sharing

Author:  Mo Willems

This image came from Picasa--credited to Roxanne Feldman.  http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/view?q=%22mo%20willems%22%20pigeon&psc=G&filter=1#5623827625761223250

I chose this image because I think Mo Willems is brilliant!  I am excited to see that a new book is on its way?!  

I had some difficulty with inserting the photos.  When I tried "from a URL" it would not insert from either Flickr or Picasa.  I had to download the image to my computer and insert from there.  Helpful tips??? 

Week 3: Online Meetings

I participated in a 2009 SirsiDynix archive of "Revitalizing the Library Experience" by George Needham and Joan Frye.  Although this presentation was more aimed at public libraries, I was able to gain some useful themes for my elementary school setting.  Librarians need to get to know their customers so they can layer the library experience for them by time, use, and discovery process.  The library should provide a "predictable passage" through milestones people face through their ages.  Libraries should celebrate reading diversity and all the ways our customers are using technology to access information (again making me re-think my initial point of view from weeks 2's online communities)!   We should also strive to create alliances for the common good.  I can work with the other elementary libraries in my school district and the local public library. 

As far as this online webinar/meeting format:

• This  server made it very easy to open and run. 
• I had the option to rewatch any segment, fast forward if it wasn't applicable to me, and stop if I felt this wasn't a topic I was interested in. 
• The location and time of the original meeting would not have been possible--but now 2 years later I can benefit from the presentation all from my kitchen...and for FREE! 
• I had the comforts of home:  snacks, comfy clothes, RR breaks, etc.

I can see this format really growing over the next few years as more and more people have access to technology.  Teachers could post lessons for students to re-watch.  Trainings and inservices could be archived for new staff.  This technology really does help make the world a smaller place.

Week 2: Online Communities

I am an avid (and self-proclaimed) FB stalker.  I chose this site due to its popularity with my social circles and easy usage.  I have used this community to connect with old friends, share photos, and research wedding and travel opinions.  I can see myself using this site in the future to share personal updates, find social events, and continue to seek out "friends".  

Being a librarian in a K-4 elementary building I am not sure I see this being successful directly with students.  First, there is an age limit to sign up.  Second, there is not much security as to what others can post that you then view when you are their friend.  Third, I teach in a Title 1 building so many of our families may not have personal computers.  I would love feedback if anyone has tried this in an elementary setting--having parents sign up?  I could use it to post library policies, book recommendations, upcoming events, etc...   Well hmmmm, now I may be changing my own mind! :) 

I believe Educational Technology is...

much more complex than I thought!  I have been confusing the definition and equating it with "technology in education" and "instructional technology/media".  These articles helped me change my definition to include:

**  all resources that can be used to facilitate learning

**  problem solving and theory in regards to human learning

**  practicality and open-ended for change in technology

**  personnel and training

On a side note--while reading the Part I: A History of Instructional Media--the portion on instructional television immediately took me back to my childhood days with Sesame Street.  I use youtube clips today in my classroom and often think if more young children were watching this type of TV rather than some of the choices on today they would enter school with so much more background knowledge!