Thing #4

Interestingly, blog writing seems to free people of any inhibitions that might arise from face to face discussion. For some reason, blog posts tend to be entertaining in a different way from regular literature. When I read a book, I play a movie out in my mind with fully casted characters and settings. However, the voice behind most blog posts has a "smart-aleck" or "mocking-conversational" feel. An excellent example of this type of voice is the blog about assigning homework. I wonder if that is because as a blogger, I need people to "see" me more as a person since they are communicating, essentially, with a screen? That may also be why the more popular contemporary novels are written similarly to a blog--very conversational, accessible vocabulary, comfortable reading level, easy to visualize.

Unlike a novel, the blog allows interaction on the part of the reader. Comments are a great way to revise our thoughts or opinions about a topic. Sometimes they may seem ignorant or agitating, but they definitely bring up a point-of-view a blogger would not receive if s/he were only speaking amongst a group of friends that felt the same way. So many skills may be acquired this way. Students can learn proper ways to comment and proper ways to receive criticism. It could expand viewpoints on an issue. It could offer encouragement. It could even validate the reason the blog was written in the first place by the simple fact someone is reading it.

With so many advantages, it's no wonder why teachers are grabbing up blogs and using them in the classroom. In the end, it was the post about the true integration of this technology that really caught my eye. Right now I believe I am the teacher that wants to have all these cool things, but has yet to learn how to properly create a learning environment where the technology is used to its full potential. This is another reason for my interest in the course 23 Things. (I do have a class blog, but I know I do not keep up with it like I should.)

For now I'm going to keep blogging and learning.

Thing #1

Maybe it's a characteristic of my generation, or maybe it's my right-brainedness, to refuse following any type of regulations/habits that might make me a better person. I don't like boxes and I especially don't like people assuming I can fit a generic mold. With that said, I understand why we would want 71/2 Habits in order to be a successful lifelong learner. Lifelong learning isn't something that comes naturally to everyone. However, I think lifelong learning is more ingrained in the younger generations. They grow up being a part of their lives instead of simple bystanders. Many of my students are involved in multiple activities, extracurriculars, co-curriculars, and organizations. Many of my students know how to manipulate the internet to create blogs, myspaces, facebooks, etc. Many of my students expect to be a part of the education process.
Obviously, I am of a slightly older generation and need to discover more ways to integrate techniques to continue to encourage lifelong learning in my students. Out of all the habits, the very first one will be the most difficult for me to follow. Again, I am very right brained and do not put too much stock in having an end in mind. I take in and send out pertinent information in the most efficient and effective way. Then I see how it all comes together afterwards. It works out because there is always something that can be learned. The problem is that I did not know what I wanted to learn or to teach, so how can I assess if a skill was mastered? Next to the first habit, viewing problems as challenges seems hard to do. A problem is a problem. Having a problem implies that a solution can be found. All the "fun" is in finding the solution. When I see it as a challenge, my lazy genes kick in and it seems too much like work. In the end, this is all semantics and will probably resolve itself.
Playing with and teaching others are way too easy for me. I am young enough to know how to work my way around a blog, upload video and pictures to a facebook, and easily transition from 35mm film to high-tech digital photography. I want everyone to be as excited as I am about what technology can do, so I have zero issues with teaching others how to use it.
Right now, my toolbox is small and it needs to grow. I become too comfortable with one or two types of tools. This is good because I will utilize them, but that also means I'm not using the others out there. Continuing to build a solid learning toolbox definitely holds importance for me in this course.
Everything I gain from this course will also help with my Intel Teach class. If I can make it easier for another educator to integrate technology into the classroom, I will!

Thing #2

All three videos and the article ooze the kind of learning environment I would love to be a part of right now. The statistics in the videos were jolting and sometimes disheartening because I know too many teachers that just do not "get it." If we are going to live in a Web 2.0 world, it will have to be when all the kids that grew up with their multiple hours of Internet, graduate from college and begin teaching. Some of the "seasoned" educators are afraid of Web 2.0. They believe they are too old to learn and apply the tools. Part of it might also be that they do not anticipate teaching long enough for it to matter (I'm sure retirement is the light at the end of a very long tunnel for a lot of them). The problem is they need to realize that it matters RIGHT NOW. Even if they picked up a couple of Web 2.0 tools, like blogging or podcasting, they would be benefiting their students in a more effective way. Not to mention, they would save themselves a lot of extra work and paper copies. Desperately I hope to instigate some of this change. David Warlick's article can be a reality if we are willing to go that distance and educate ourselves about all that is out there.

Not a Year Too Late

Tons going on in my world at the moment. It turns out that I'll need a blog for some staff development for my job. Excellent! I already have one. Now I have a reason to keep up with this better.

Stay tuned...