T and L--Week 2, part 2

Thoughts on this course... 


I am 'tech savvy' in Web 1.0  and at my places of employment I am typically the defacto IT person.  I can solve a majority of computer glitches, I'm really good at all Office products and am able to manipulate them to do  my bidding ;-) ... I've used my skills to write and win two grants from the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund at my last "grown-up" job and I'm currently using these same skills in PR development of materials for the Plymouth Writing Project.

However, will all of this under my belt, I find that I am now lacking in my skills (although I know that my skills are far above what some of my peers are including the husband).  I am excited to learn more about this Web 2.0 movement.  It seems as if Web 2.0 is the way to go, especially in education.  Students are already using these tools are unaware that there was a Web 1.0.  Wikis, podcasting, blogging, and more Web 2.0 tools are just a part of the everyday web/internet experience for students today and it is imperative that their teachers use and incorporate them in an effective yet limited manner.

Why limited?  This is where I am still trying to figure out my own ideas regarding tech in the classroom.  When  Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv came out, I readily devoured it.  I do have some dissonance with the amount of technology and inside entertainment that children today are accustomed to--wii, video's/games on iPods, and children spending their time in structured activities (participating in team sports, music classes and more) and then the rest of their time watching television.  I think educators have a responsibility (that some parents tend not to participate in) to artfully balance the use of technology with time outdoors.

I am hopeful that this course will expose me to the latest tools and tricks available and will also address how to balance their use in the classroom.

Chapter 1

In the text on page 22, the author states that "as educators, we can't sit on the sidelines watching it happen.  We have to recognize that students' use of technology is stronger and work from our own strength, which is pedagogy."  This quote really speaks to me.  While an educators knowledge may be lesser than that of their more adept students, that shouldn't matter.  It is the teachers goal to introduce and utilize these tools to enhance what we teachers have spent time and money on--pedagogy .  Teachers can bring our skills on how we teach, merge it with the tech tools and then throw in some of the balance that I am interested in learning.  That is a powerful classroom that can engage and educate the students.

An issue I have is that while all of these tools are out there, free and easy to use, you have to have the backing of administration to do so.  A quick survey of some of my local schools websites was dissapointing.  Bartlett Elementary, where I've done most of my observations and teaching is basically a space holder for a website.  My local school, Madison Elementary, just updated their website but in reviewing it, it is obvious that they are clearly stuck in Web 1.0 terminology.    So, I would also like to read or learn about how to introduce these tools into a school setting that is not open to these tools and methodologies.