Support Persons of the Week: Mr. Stark and Miss Pauline

This is one of our most reliable Special Ed aides, Jim. He demonstrates super-human patience, love, and good humor with some of the most challenging children we have. 

This is our wonderful full-time volunteer, Miss Pauline. She is a GREAT-Grandmother raising a former student of ours. She just kept coming after her great-granddaughter went on to high school. She is a treasure for many reasons!

 

My colleague Jackie Arthur, a Spanish teacher, is working on this question  for a graduate course. Below it is my quick response:

Jackie:

The NETS standards and and the ICT4LT website both outline knowledge and skills that language teachers are expected to have. But since technology changes so quickly, skills become obsolete. How is it possible for pre- and in-service teacher development programs to give teachers the necessary skills?

My question is since you do many inservices, both online and in person, what have been some of the things that you have seen teachers asked to improve their tech skills? What have been some of the things you wished they asked?  Also since you teach technology how do you decide which applications (or skills) to teach since most likely those skills will change or become obsolete?

Me:

I think schools -- in meeting the needs of both kids and adults -- should focus on making sure that folks are prepared to do their jobs in an increasingly information-saturated and global environment.

It's really important to emphasize skills like:

  • media and information literacy (how to get around on the web, find what you need, etc.);
  • how to build a robust personal learning network that will help you keep pace with rapidly changing tools/skills/tech (i.e. following blogs in your subject, communicating with others about what's happening in the field);
  • keep the focus on teaching and learning via technology tools instead of getting bogged down or obsessed with specific software, hardware, or web services. 

You have to learn some tech skills to do all of the above but as you can see, it really isn't about the technology itself. 

Writing About Math and Technology

Tomorrow I try something I haven't done in a long time.  I will ask my students to analyze some graphical data in a coherent sentence or two.  I don't know if they are doing this in Math class; however, I feel certain they will be asked to do something similar on our state's standardized test, the CSAP.

 

Stay tuned.

 

During Keyboarding Practice

We spend 10-15 minutes at the beginning of class most days using various types of keyboarding tests, games, drills, and lessons.  Students are expected to show progress in both speed and accuracy and are assessed every 2 weeks. 

How's Your Facebook? Know How to Twitter?

One of my ed tech contemporaries, Judy O'Connell, blogs at  Hey Jude. She mentioned two great tools in her blog on 01.09.10. I believe they are worth sharing here. They are guides to using Twitter and Facebook, made by Mashable.
 
The Facebook Guide includes
  • Facebook 101: The Basics
  • Managing Your Facebook Wall
  • Using Facebook for Business
  • How to become a fan of Mashable
  • Using Facebook Applications
  • Facebook 305:Advanced Topics

Twitter Guide topics include:

  • Twitter 101 – The Basics
  • Building Your Twitter Community
  • Twitter for Business
  • Twitter Guide Book To Go: PDF Download and Slideshow
  • Sharing on Twitter
  • Managing Your Twitter Stream
Hey Jude also credits librarianbyday.net regarding these resources.  Thanks, Judy, for telling us about them!

Stripes - 2010 / 365 Photo Project Day 1

I've joined a couple of Flickr photo groups this year as a part of the 2010 / 365 photo project(s).  One is for the general public, as far as I can tell, and the other is a group of ed tech enthusiasts from my Personal Learning Networks.  Taking  up the challenge just means that I'm going to take at least 1 photo a day in 2010 and post it online.  I'm doing it because I'm a lousy photographer at present and I know I won't improve unless I force myself to take lots of pictures all the time.  Besides taking better travel, scenery, and family pictures, I especially want to learn about photographing textures and patterns. I will use my phone's camera (at present I'm using an ATT Tilt) and I'll also use the great little camera my mom gave me, a Sony Cybershot DSC-P10.  Former participants all say that the trick is to never leave home without your camera, so that's my goal. I'm charging 3 batteries right this minute.

The photo below is my humble beginning. It has no special meaning other than it is clean and white, like a new slate, and it involves snow, which we have way too much of around here in the winter.  Can you guess what it is?

My Flickr photostream

Ed Tech 365 group

General 365 group

For all those in Education and/or Technology who are looking for a 365 group. Please tag all your images ‘edtech365/2010′ and please consider using Creative Commons licensing so that we may all benefit from these images. Here are other photo bloggers who are participating in a 365 Challenge (as of Jan. 1 midday). From Silvia Tolisano's Langwitches Blog