An Experiment

I'm trying out Apture wiget to my blog. I hope this brings some multimedia to my blog and wiki.

Autism Spectrum Student's Blog

Okay. I'm a mom. What can I say? I got a few spare seconds and decided to look at my 18 year-old son's blog that he is required to keep for his Freshman Comp class. He has always had problems with writing. (He got a 4 on the ACT writing; 25 composite. Yikes!) Language issues are part of the disorder. So I was pleasantly surprised at the coherence of his writing. Now if he'd just proof it before posting... I'm beginning to think, no, believe that blogging can be an effective tool for ALL of our students. I thought a real world example might help.

College Anxiety Blog

Thing 5

Okay. I get it. Using Web 2.0 tools and concepts in our classes will make students better thinkers, collaborators, team members, global citizens, yadda, yadda, yadda. My concerns come in implementation:

1. To make most effective use every student in our class needs to have a laptop at his/her disposal 24/7 at school and at home. I don't see my district moving in that direction. My greatest hope is that I can convince the powers that be to get a COW for the Special Education Department. I would love to have it for just my classes, but realistically ...

2. Students need to be taught from a very young age what "appropriate use of school technology and resources" means. I spend too much time policing my students' use of the few laptops I've borrowed. I would like to be able to spend my time coaching collaboration rather than continuing to redirect wayward youth. These are tools that can be used for either "good or evil." Let's teach them the difference.

3. A system for technology troubleshooting must be in place in every class/school so that when weird things happen, someone can fix it. I can handle most of the problems that erupt in my room, but the teacher next door doesn't have the knowledge or skills to handle it. (I just taught her how to attach a document to an email a couple of weeks ago.)

4. Schools need to rethink their policies on web filtering. Yes, some sites should be blocked forever more, but at least an intra-school social network should be developed to aid in communication/collaboration. (I want my Twitter!) While we're at it, rethink cell-phone and iPod use too. (I want to be able to explore Second Life with my classes. The possibilities of taking virtual field trips to the Globe Theatre are mind boggling.)

5. All teachers who actively use this stuff should have more PD on implementing these tools effectively.

6. We need TIME to process and develop quality lessons and use for these tools.

7. We all need smartboards, podcasting equipment, iPods, digital video camers, etc.

I'm clilmbingdown off of my soap box so that I can go to OfficeMax and have my inkjet cartridges refilled. (Only $10.00 for black!)

This is the Chevrolet plant that my dad worked in

Photos by Thomas Wirt

I found these pictures. How sad. It was a huge facility. Thousands of people worked there. Is this all that is left? Ironically, this place sits right next to Kettering University (formerly GMI). I feel sorry for those still in Flint, MI.

Thing 4

How has learning changed? In some ways, a lot. In others, not so much.

A couple of quotes form the Time Magazine article really struck me.

1. "It's important that students know how to manage it, interpret it, validate it, and how to act on it," says Dell executive Karen Bruett, who serves on the board of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a group of corporate and education leaders focused on upgrading American education.

2. "Jobs in the new economy--the ones that won't get outsourced or automated--"put an enormous premium on creative and innovative skills, seeing patterns where other people see only chaos," says Marc Tucker, an author of the skills-commission report and president of the National Center on Education and the Economy."

These skills have always been necessary and have been developed in High Schools pre-NCLB. I learned these things in my High School Debate and Forensics program at Kearsley High School in Flint, MI. Unfortunately, few students took advantage of the opportunities these programs provided. In the 70's my blue-collar high school was a "prep school" for the GM factories ran the city. Less than 3% of my class went to college. Those that did, did not return to Flint. As we graduated from college we witnessed the first round of GM's downsizing that would turn downtown Flint into a relative ghost town. At my 5-year class reunion in 1980, there were classmates who had been laid off from GM never to return. For many of my classmates lacked the ability to adapt to change, to think outside the box, and to see opportunities in the future. The few who did, got retraining and left.

I think that if we are to serve our students, we must stress these same skills, so that they can meat the challenges our changing economy brings. Right know I have a since of deja vu. I feel that I am watching Monroe struggle with the same problems that Flint has and still is facing.

I fear that Michigan's new graduation requirements, while admirable, when combined with the high stakes test, the Michigan Merit exam and NCLB's AYP requirements will force schools to teach to the test rather than allow students the chance to create and explore this new world.

The appropriate use of web2.0 collaborative learning is a step in the right direction, but it is only a step. We need to get our students ask the "Why and How" questions when confronted an issue just like I was trained to do in Mrs. Turner's Debate Class. The question "Why is this happening?" can lead to powerful critical thinking. It can challenge our beliefs, our thought processes. It can lead to creative solutions to complex problems. Likewise, the question "How can this be changed?" can lead all of us to create new answers.

This weekend I watched my 18 year son, a UofM-Dearborn freshman struggle with an argumentative essay for his composition class. He knows how to structure and write a competent paper, but he is lacking the ability to develop a complete, persuasive argument. He can use the web, but he lacks the facility to use any search engine other than the basic Google search. This kid is a math major ("Mom, calculus is fun. Get over it!"). He graduated with honors from a great high school that regularly turns out Merit Scholars. He took computer software classes, yet he was never taught basic web skills. I fear that we are and will continue to turn out students like him who look good on paper, but lack the skills and the thought processes to handle this complex world.

Thing 3

I find blogging to be an interesting phenomenon. Most of the blogs I've read in the past seem to be of the "stream of consciousness" variety or a personal journal. These are of little interest to me. I have a Livejournal blog that I started so that I can "friend" my favorite fan fiction authors. The bloggers who populate Livejournal are mainly fiction writers, readers, and into fandoms. As an English teacher I find these interesting.l

I am now reading a number of education technology blogs which are much more thought provoking. My favorite is Moving at the Speed of Creativity written by Wesley Fryer. (I also subscribe to his podcasts.) From his blog and wikis, I've discovered lots ideas that I would like to implement or resources I would like to use in my classroom.

I have two problems with blogging. First, blogs are linear. Posts appear in the reverse order of when written (newest to oldest). If I miss a few days or weeks, I'll lose track of any ongoing discussions. I would prefer that posts be organized by topic. I know that keywords are suppose to help, but authors will forget to tag each entry the same. My big problem with blogging is that to keep up with either posting or reading (even with RSS feeds) it takes too much time.

I really wish I could read and respond to everything that interests me but that is impossible. I am sure that part of my problem is my ADHD. Things grab my attention and away I go. Maybe I should take my meds before I sit down at the computer.

So much to read, so little time.......

Ta-Da

Here is my first blog entry for the 23 Things class I am taking. I have two other blogs. One is a personal journal that I don't update as often as I should at live journal.com. I also have an an account at Edublog, but I haven't used it yet. So......

Welcome and I hope I learn a few things.

My squirrel icon is made from a picture taken by Keven Law and found at Flickr Creative Commons. I began collecting squirrel figurines in college because they are my sorority's mascot!