If All of My Classes Online Conference

Thanks to whomever posted the link for this Online Conference.

I have to say that this was my first online conference. I must do this again. Wendy Wolfe did a presentation of different Web Tools that can be used in the classroom. I really liked the presentation on the toondoo software and will be using it in my classroom. I need to look into the privacy issue with allowing my students to use this but she indicates that I can create a classroom and allow students to publish to friends. Many of my students complete their classroom tasks at different times and this allows too much free time for many of them. During free time they are always wanting to "cruise" the internet which can be an issue. Using the toondoo call allow them to use their creative energy. I think that I will create projects for them to "toon" about that is related to other subject matter they are learning. Hey, what a great collaborative effort.

The Gcast Web Tool was also interesting. Using your phone from anywhere to create the podcast was its stron point. She suggests that this can be used for the auditory learners in the classroom. They can replay the clip as often as they need to get the concept taught in class.

I look forward to learning of more online conferences in the future.

Word of the Woz article in Converge Magazine

As I mentioned in last class, I have a subscription to Converge Magazine subtitled "Strategy and Leadership for Technology Education". I would like some thought and feedback to Steve Wozniaks comments about education and technology. This article is an interview between Steve Wozniak (founder of Apple) and Marina Leight and Cathlea Robinett. (Article) In the earlier part of the interview Steve states that he is against all the conformity that happens in education. Children should be allowed to explore and enhance their creativity and not be placed inside a box. That I agree with. Sometimes we tell children that "this is fact and just believe it". What issue I have is with his comments on how a classroom should be set up. I am quoting directly from the magazine.

What kind of technology can revolutionize learning in schools? What role could technology play?
It would [be] along th elines of enforcing individualized learning. If we could reverse some of the paradigms of education to let kids of different ages all participate together in a larger room, then the few human teachers would browse and help students with certain problems that shoemhow the computer can't. Each person would have a computer that would be very personal and go at different rates. Some schools work this way where they have third through fifth grades all mized in. The computer would test a student every day and not let the student move forward until he or she has mastered a certain amount. It takes a lot of people running the system: the teachers in the class have to care a lot. They have to want the education to happen. Most teachers are that way.1

So, do you think that we should mix all student levels together and leave them to their computer to learn? Should the computer do all the teaching and teachers just facilitated? What about economic issues and students, there are a lot of my students that can not afford technology so the only exposure they have to a computer is at school. How does that effect homework or out of school work?

Just some thoughts......

Designing Websites

What I consider a good web site may not line up with what others think. What frustrates me the most is navigation. There are sites that do not have the navigation buttons needed to return to the home page or back to the top of the page when there is a large amount of information. Sure, I can use the BACK button on the status bar but that is not what I want to do. And what about those people that make pages with the wild colors that hurt your eyes....yeeoowww....get out of there fast. I have come across some pages with the wild green and bright yellow. What were they thinking?

As I was thinking about what to say on this topic I saw that my template for this blog is pink. Not a good choice of color on my part. So I think I may need to change my blogspot colors.

First Blog Ever

Wow....I am posting my first blog ever. You would think that I would have gotten into doing this sooner since I am a computer teacher. But, I put it off until it was required for a course. So here it is. I hope my ramblings will not be too boring.