New Position

I was just hired at a new school for a 4th grade position. I am stoked. I am finally back in the classroom with ONE class. The possibilities are endless. Many ideas are floating through my mind. I haven't had the opportunity to work with one class with all of my many ideas yet. This should be great.
I plan to make this an opportunity for collaboration among the students, teachers and parents. My ideas are still quite foreign to most educators in my school system, however it's changing slowly.

Oh yeah, I don't know what all the iPhone hype is about. I know I may ruffle some feathers with that statement, but I just purchased a Blackberry Curve for $150 that does everything. This phone takes pictures, video, voice recording, works as an mp3 player, has e-mail alerts, VZ Navigator which is better than GPS, voice dialing, an awesome browser, and also works as an air card for my laptop. I can't figure out how to get it to make coffee.
Why spend the money for an iPhone? I don't know.

What do you mean, Your Pen is out of Ink?

Many years ago, when the first ink-filled pen was invented, people found something wrong with the new technology. The pen would eventually run dry of ink... where would that leave you? The old technology was just simplified a bit to include a writing tool and the media in which became visible on paper. This was all included in one neat package for consumers to purchase. Everyone needed to have a supply of pens available just in case theirs ran out of ink.

Along came the calculator. Now this made people really upset. You mean to tell me that all you have to do is hit a button and find the answers to difficult math problems? Once again people found something wrong with this technology. If people relied on calculators to figure these problems out, what would happen if they needed an answer and there was no calculator?

Now comes the old saying... History repeats itself. This couldn't be more true. Along comes the computer. The computer is not only used for finding information, but also for publishing in the 21st Century. Now this enraged people. You mean that you can hit a few buttons and find every important historical event that happened on August 12? You mean that you can also publish writing for the world to see in a few minutes? You mean with the same tool, you can pay your bills, find a hotel, shop for Christmas, complete a research project, publish your knowledge, find directions to anywhere, visit any location in the world, and talk to anyone via streaming video? What would happen if we didn't have access to a computer?

I began thinking of this a few days ago. I had a few conversations with different people about a broad range of subjects.



Example A:
A friends cousin just returned from West Virginia University, where he switched majors from Engineering to Business. I asked him why he switched majors and he replied "Engineering was just too hard". This sparked a conversation about the content he was learning to become an engineer. It was a long conversation, but the short version is... the 4 years is spent learning the hard way to do calculations to ridiculous math problems. His question was, "Why would I want to spend 4 years learning how to do calculations that would take me a few minutes to do once I become an engineer. They spend the 4 years deriving equations and completing formulas without the use of the computer or even calculators.

Example B:
A conversation the other night with a few teachers led to a discusion about Wikipedia. One teacher said, "All of my students call themselves DOING RESEARCH, when they get all of their information from Wikipedia and other websites". I said "What do you call it"? She continued with explaining to me how the kids are lazy and doing research today is just too easy.

It seems that there has always been a deep routed issue with society embracing a new technology. The same people that were upset with the invention of an ink pen are now upset with the invention of the computer. These new technologies make doing certain tasks easier. So what happens if you don't have these technolgies? I don't think that is a valid question. We have these technologies, and they are here to stay. Whether I am at work or at home, I have a computer with an internet connection. That means I have a calculator and a pen that doesn't even use ink. Changes in technology will always occur. We need to embrace these technologies and not be afraid to rely on the power that they have.

It's been a while

Since I have written here. The school year is closing down and I have been working 40 hours a week with another job, trying to pay off some debt and get my MED in Instructional Technology. Been very busy. I have been reading occasionally, but mainly working, eating, and sleeping. Been so busy, I didn't even attend the MICCA Conference in Baltimore. I usually go each year for the 2 day conference. Oh well, I'll catch it next year.

I've already approached Administration with my plans for next year. My hopes to spend part of my day with a school wide Wiki Project seems to be coming true. Right now, I am using the Wiki for informational purposes, but plan to get students involved next year. I am preparing our returning students for what they will be involved with next year. Most are very excited.

I will hopefully be writing more in the weeks to come. Until next blog...

My Goals

Some ideas have been floating around my head lately.

Sometimes I get too comfortable in my Learning Network that resides here online. I feel like everyone is talking about changing the system. Many people are practicing what they preach. Still on my side of the field, I see stagnate policy. I see technology talked about to the point of teachers not wanting to hear it anymore. I see a plethora of smartboards, digital clickers, LCD Projectors and other forms of computerized hardware, but with limited and pointless use. I have decided to take a more formal route to making the change.

I have come to the conclusion that I will begin to document the changes that I would like to see happen on my side of the field. I have narrowed it down to 2 initiatives that I would like to see become policy.

1. One laptop per child

2. 21st Century Literacy Class

I believe that focusing on these two initiatives first, will give our district a step to get to where we should be. Right now, I am debating how I will go about informing and initiating.

My goal is to provide students a link to learning networks and to move forward to a paperless classroom. However, first I believe it is important to educate. We need to provide tools in which the students can use to create their own networks. We need to teach etiquette, editing and usage before the students will have a chance in the digital world.

Right now, I see a great disconnect between the haves and the have nots. I have students that can thrive in a digital world. I also have students that can't use a mouse properly. Even the students that have internet connection at home need a digital education. The power of publishing is still not tapped.

21st Century Literacy will be a course that covers the network aspect of the internet. Right now I see the internet being used as a resource for teachers and students. It's like the publishing and sharing aspect of the internet net is not tapped in my district. I posted about this a while back. I think the units of this course should be as follows...

-Social Networks vs. Learning Networks
-Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants
-Digital Publishing
-Information Editing
-21st Century Communication
-Having your voice heard
-Global Culture

Building Walls

The Wall, Andy Goldsworthy, originally uploaded by wdelauder2002.

Being a teacher really gets me worked up. The teaching part I love. I was in a great mood all day today. We started new long-term projects in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. The students were excited to get started and I was looking forward to the ideas they would present. However...

Tuesday is faculty meeting day. The agenda stated that we would be over viewing the new "Gifted Education Program". I had questions before the meeting even started, but I waited until they did their dry Power Point Presentation (When will this get old?) while I yawned.

My beef...
1. The whole presentation was a justification for why we can't label students. Am I going crazy here. Through the whole presentation, they did nothing but label students. This is what we do. We put students into categories based on learning levels, economic status, color, gender, MSA scores etc. Students are a number.
2. I asked the question... What will happen to students that may be a discipline problem, but are extremely gifted in certain areas? The answer was political. I received answers that bounced around the actual point and seemed to mean... they don't have a chance.
3. I asked another question... What will happen to the students that are labeled average, but are extremely gifted in one or two areas? The same political answer followed by... "We don't know yet".
4. The first criteria used to "nominate a student" is their MSA (Maryland State Assessment) scores. The top 10% in the County will be considered for nomination. What about the students who don't care about their scores on this dry test, but are extremely gifted?
5. There will be a maximum amount of students selected from each school for this program. What happens if the school has more students that are gifted than the number allotment?
6. There was no mention of how technology/ Web 2.0 literacy's will play a role in these students altered curriculum. They mentioned "Junior Great Books". Man, I read these when I was in the "gifted program" in elementary school 20 years ago. They have nothing better than this today?

After all was said, the presenter stated that this plan is not final, and it may change. Thanks. You mean to tell me that I wasted valuable time to learn about a plan that may not even be initiated? I could have spent this hour doing my actual job... Preparing to teach my students. With all of this spatter, I still do love my job... the teaching part anyway :)

Science Project Reform

Woody's Pictures 225, originally uploaded by wdelauder2002.

The Science Fair Project idea seems so mechanical to me. The idea has lost some of its focus. After days of putting this together, I realized that we need to make some changes.
Next year, I would like to give students some options for their Science Fair Projects. They would be able to complete the normal investigation with 3 or more trials and data graphs, or they can produce a project that is web 2.0 based. This will keep the projects interesting and unique to create.
Students creating wiki's, blogs and social networks with a focus in mind is the ultimate goal.
The problem:
The web 2.0 based projects will not be considered in the judging process unless we change the entire judging criteria on the County and State level. This will be a hard shell to crack. We all know that school systems do not necessarily embrace change. They are comfortable in doing the same activities each year. It's easy.
I want to create more work, and I am ready for the change.
Any ideas or input on this topic would be great :)

Santa 2.0

My first time volunteering to play the role of Santa at our yearly Polar Express Literacy Night was an enlightening experience. Students asked for anything from basketballs to money. The overall theme of gift wishes came in the form of the ipod. About 75% of the students that came up to me wanted to get their hands on an ipod. One 3rd grader even wanted a digital video camera so "they can post video to YouTube". Some students asked for a laptop. Some students went the gaming route, asking for the Wii. One student even asked for a job, so they could help their parents pay for the bills. Overall a great experience.

Kids are using these technologies. Even if they aren't at the moment, it seems as if they would like to. I think back to items I used to ask for for Christmas, and boy they have changed. I only hope that parents embrace their kids want/need for these new types of literacy's.

The Tools of the Future

One fact that rattles through my brain constantly... we have no clue as to the technology that will be available to us in 10-15 years. When I think back to what the world was like 15 years ago, I am amazed of the changes that have occurred.

Then...Cell phones were only owned by people with money, the Internet as we know it was non-existent, most homes did not have a PC, music was available at the record store on tape and limited Cd's, and MTV actually played music video's.

Now... 5th graders have cell phones, the Internet is a world of publishing and creativity, most homes have multiple PCs, music is available at the touch of a button, and MTV is unwatchable.

Many more changes have occurred. One fact will remain the same for the remainder of time... we do not know what is coming next! We can assume and make predictions, but, the technology of tools is moving at an exponential rate. This sometimes can be quite frightening. To think of the future and the new literacy's we are faced with as teachers makes me wonder... As an education system, are we ever going to catch up? When will we start to recognize, as a whole, that kids are learning in an entirely different world.

One example is our publishing capabilities. I grew up in the 90's. This was a short time ago. Being "published", meant you had to go to school to be a writer. Then, by a stroke of luck, you had to write a great book that people would buy. Then you would take this book and pitch it to a publishing company. If the book had potential, they may write you a book deal.

There were many "ifs" in this process. Now, there are many online publishing tools that can be used on the Internet. Publishing is as simple as having a creative idea and creating it with software on the Internet. You then click a button that says PUBLISH, and there you go. I created a 52 page book of pictures with commentary in a few hours, and had it on my doorstep in a week. It was a great alternative to a boring picture album. Now, I have a published book of my own pictures on my coffee table at home. I'll have to admit, the book was published with professional quality. It is also available for anyone to buy. The possibilities are endless with tools such as lulu and blurb.

What tools do you think will be available for us in the future?

MEDIA Specialists?

Standing outside yesterday loading our daycare vans in the rain, I began a discussion with a fellow teacher about students and their hobbies. The conversation ended up becoming somewhat of a debate. The quote she added... "Kids today only care about sitting in front of the television with a bag of chips or playing video games". I began by adding my opinions on the differences of the 2 activities.

Watching television is a passive activity. It doesn't take
much thought to sit down on a couch and watch a television. One positive attribute of watching television is that one can gain a little knowledge of the world around them, if they are watching intuitive programming.

Playing a video game is an active activity. A child constantly needs to learn, create and rethink their actions through the course of a digital video game. Problem solving techniques are constantly being tossed about. A child doesn't only watch, they have to constantly think of their actions, learn from their mistakes and try new strategies to reach a different outcome.

The teacher, being a Media Specialist, didn't necessarily agree with me. I thought it was quite sad that this media specialist is so disconnected from the students that she teaches. Shouldn't all forms of media be her forte'?

This leads me to believe that we need to look at the function of a media specialist in our schools. I have read posts from other bloggers describing media specialists in other areas of the country. I am aware that there are media specialists that are turning to digital means to teach in their libraries. As the information revolution changes the way we use media, shouldn't the job description of our media specialists change? Has it changed already? If their job descriptions have changed, then why havn't they changed with it?
The only changes that I have seen occur in libraries is the computerized system to check out a book. This is the only change in 20 years. I do not want to generalize, but this is what I am seeing.
There needs to be reform in our libraries. We need to get the media specialist on board. Now, I ask the question... what is your media personnel doing to engage students with the tools of the information revolution?

SCRATCH me some...

The challenge was to teach SCRATCH to a group of 4th and 5th graders. What happened after an hour of giving the students the basics was amazing. Giving the students the remaining 20 minutes of our meeting to "play" around with the program, they were teaching us.

This was a powerful moment. With the possibilities endless as to what they could accomplish, the students found ways to incorporate their own voices and make seemless moves with their sprite's. The goal is for this group of students to create a collective presentation using this program for an upcoming MESA competition in April '08. The ultimate goal for me is to expose these students to a world of creativity and collaboration to reach a collective goal.

With laptops in hand, headphones and mics on head, and smiles on their faces, these students used their creative minds to explore the program with no boundaries. The feeling after the meeting was one of hope and expectation.

After I become more familiar with the ins and outs, I will begin to incorporate SCRATCH into the Science curriculum. This is a true example of collaboration in our education system. Believe me... these students will teach me everything there is to know about SCRATCH. I am looking forward to learning.

Hacking into the iphone

I woke up this morning to the news of an iPhone hacker on the local news. Supposedly, he spent over 500 hours working on this project in which he had to use a soldering iron to disassemble the iPhone. His point was to make the iPhone available to other cell service providers. His question...Why should AT&T get sole use of this technology?

This era of techno-relevance is mind boggling to say the least. To think...there are teenagers out there that are self-taught prodigies when it comes to the intricacies of these tech tools. This mere 17 year old decided to use his skills to hack into the newest gadget on the market. These types of ideas happen every day I am sure, but this is national news now. It took him the same amount of time that it took 5 trained hacks to do the same thing to the iphone.

Does this 17 year old need college?

Many Cities in a few days

What a great trip. From Philadelphia, to Princeton, to New York, to Providence, to Pawtucket, to Plymouth, to Boston, to Salem, to Ogunquit, Maine. I am now in Ogunquit, Maine. What a great environment. You can sit down, eat dinner, and watch the Lobstermen come in from a day of fishing. These kind of towns really make you slow down a bit. Priceless vacation.
Through all of this traveling, I have had internet service at all locations. Even the bed and Breakfast I am in at the moment offers free internet connections. I have been able to read and keep up with most of the blogs on a daily basis. Some interesting points of discussion. In David Robb's http://edtechlearning.weebly.com/ , he discusses the importance for schools to embrace technologies such as the cell phone. He discusses ways in which cell phones can be used in the classroom. This is an interesting discussion. We are moving further away from where we need to be. School districts are blocking web content and banning important learning tools. Why is this?
I think this comes from being scared. The administrators making the rules don't know how to use these tools, and refuse to learn how. They fear the unknown.

I'm still alive and learning

This is a response to Will Richardsons recent blog about educators missing the point. I think that he is right. It is not enough to have your students blog, create a podcast, start a wiki, or learn by feeds on their aggregators. These tools are great to use with your students.
But theres a question that needs to be asked... Do YOU use these tools to do YOUR learning? Most educators would probably answer NO to this question. As an educator, how do you expect to teach using certain vehicles, if you don't use them yourself. I would never expect my students to use a tool unless I could answer questions about how to use that tool.

What I see happening...
Teachers are missing the point. It has been my experience that the teachers I deal with automatically shut off all brain waves when I start talking with them about a new project that I am interested in starting with my students. Any mention of unfamiliar territory in the realm of technology is taboo. When I mention that I am blogging with my students, the first response is... "Can you show me how to do that with my students"? I respond with "yes, but you should create a blog first for yourself". Their response is usually... "Oh, I don't have time to do that". Teachers are always trying to make more time in their day. I am a teacher, and I have plenty of time in the day. Is it because I use my time more wisely? Do I know some kind of secret the others are unaware of? I believe teachers need to learn how to use their time at school more efficiently. By this I mean, continue learning new and useful ways to teach and learn in the school environment. How can we be expected to teach a technology driven generation without the use of technology? This is like teaching someone how to drive without the use of a car.

Final Thought...
As an educator, I have a responsibility to be a life-long learner and teacher. I cannot be expected to teach students anything that I haven't already learned. This generation is driven by technology. This technology is not going anywhere. We need to embrace it, learn to use it, learn with it, teach to use it, and teach with it, in order to move on as a society.

The future of technology

It's hard to think that there can be anything else thought of in the realm of technology in our society. Imagine what we will know and the technology that will be available to us in the next 10 years. The last 10 years has been phenominal. We went from not having cell phones to having cell phones that are a phone, computer, ipod, web browser, camera, video camera, and credit card machine. That is 7 tools in one. In the last 10 years I think people have taken this technology for granted... whatever that means, you get the idea. From the time I graduated high school in 1997, the information world has completely changed. What I am doing right now, adding a post to my blog, was next to impossible in 1997. Many terms that I use on a daily basis had not been invented yet.

In the future, there will be technologies that we feel are mundane and pointless right now, but will be essential to be a part of the information revolution. We have no idea of what the future may have in store for us. It's going to fun.

When are they going to get it?

I just watched an interview on my local cable channel with our superintendent of schools. In this interview, he was boasting about this brand new state-of-the-art planetarium that they will be building for student use. Working with these students on a daily basis, I know that these students will not care about a new planetarium. Anything that they can see at a planetarium, they can see on any number of free online planetariums. These students will not get excited and go crazy for learning as our superintendent instigates on his television interview. The students will get excited alright. It will be because they get to break the monotony of the boring school day that we subject them to, to go on a field trip.

The bottom line:
Our school district has partnered with Cisco to pilot all types of different technologies in the classroom. This is a great thing. The problem is that now as a district, it seems as though we are trying to boast about how advanced we are when it comes to technology. Planetariums are not new technology. It is all about the show. It is a current theme in our country. Have a nice car, can't pay your bills. Have 4 people in you family, own a huge 8 bedroom home that costs $900,000. Driving a Hummer, your kid is on the free lunch program at school. It's all about what is the perceived idea of what other people think of you. I see it every day. This is what is happening in our school district. They build new state-of-the-art buildings for students not taking into account what these students actually need. They need teachers that challenge them to become free-thinkers, have a unique imagination, and become responsible people in society. Building planetariums has nothing to do with any of these goals. This is just an ill attempt to boast to other school districts about the technology we have in our county. So, look at us, we are the most advanced county in the state. Everyone should be jealous of us! That gets us real far with the actual goal of teaching our students!