Week 6 - Tech and Standards

The question is to determine if the technology drives the project or is it the project that drives the technology.  According to Sean Capelle, and I agree, it has the be the project that drives the technology.  If we develop the project with an end goal, based on standards, then we can decide what technology would be best.  If we are just creating a blog or a wiki for the sake of doing it, there is no end goal or "real" purpose to it.  The expectations would be blurry and the children would feel lost.   We don't assign work for the sake of being busy, we assign for the sake of learning.  
In the article,  It's Not About the Tool, Capelle refers to Richardsons' Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful Web tools for the classrooms book.  It states: "These tools, when implemented in classrooms, will prepare students for comprehending new literacy mediums and new challenges that the future holds."  This is exactly what I have been preaching to my administration/board.  We need to prepare these students for the future, which includes all technology, and the schools need to evolve with the world around us.  It is probably hard to swallow coming from the Health/PE teacher, but they are not receptive to my complaints on the food we feed our students either, so I suppose it doesn't really matter what my field is. 
On Richardsons' wiki he quotes "It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change" – Charles Darwin.  His site is worth checking out.  I enjoy his interpretation of technology and the quotes he uses to spark conversation about the future. 

Week 5 - Social Bookmarking - my thoughts

I often use the web for ideas on new lessons.  P.E. Central is one of my favorites. I am excited to meet other professionals in my field through these social bookmarking sites to expand my research base.  I consider my self to be "tech" savy, but this class is proving my to be "tech" silly.  I had no idea what most of these sites did, or how I could use them. For example, when I hear the word delicious, I think food, not social bookmarking on the web.  According to Marc Prensky I would be in the middle of digital immigrant and digital native.  I say that because I know that I know more than most of my colleagues, yet less than necessary for mastery.  My school is definitely in the "immigrant" stage, although we are working to change that.  

Technology in MY WORLD

Two interesting topics in this post.

1. Tech @ Regionals

2. Virtual Choir

1. My volleyball team played at the regional championships in Charlotte, N.C. the first weekend in April.  We were in the championship match for Power Bronze for the 15's division.  When you are playing on the opposite side of the court from the scoreboard, it is nearly impossible to see.  This young man, probably high-school age, was sitting in the seats across the court from where our team was standing, holding an iPad.  On the iPad was a program for keeping score.  He kept score during the entire match, even when his team was on the side of the court where they could see the court.  I thought that was awesome, because it was less stressful for me not trying to see the score throughout the game.  One of my parents, who could see the official scoring, yelled out that the score was wrong.  I immediately asked for a score check knowing the correct score from the boy with the iPad who I was watching the entire match.  Sure enough the score was wrong and we were owed two points.  Just and interesting example of how technology can help out even in the most unlikely situations.

2. A friend of mine shared this video on Facebook and I thought it was amazing.  Check it out if you have a minute.  Just the idea of it seems overwhelming to me.....

Eric Whitacre: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong | Video on TED.com