How important is my data? My data, personal and professional, is very important to me. I am a teacher with many lesson plans, pictures and projects to use in my classroom. I am a writer and have been since the day of the typewritter. In those days, I developed a pattern of reproducing multiple copies of whatever I was working on or completed. When I began using the computer, I kept this habit out of fear for what I didn't understand. I knew on a very deep level that I would be devastated if I lost any of my writing or projects and was unable to retrieve. This has not changed, I still feel the same way about my work, my photos and other projects that are born when I push the "power" button on my machine.
My work is an extension of myself, what can I afford to loose? What can I not afford to loose? I can't afford to loose any of it. The "stuff" that I can afford to loose I toss in the trash can and don't worry about it. Everything else, I save it on multiple flash drives, a network folder when at work, email it to myself to multiple email addresses, and the old fashioned method of printing off a hard copy just in case I have to reproduce it. That's right I want a hard copy just in case my computer fails me or I fail to save it, back it up and protect it enough times. Let me say that I am a recently converted technology believer (RCTB for short). I reveal and admit this so that you can understand my philosophy and practices concerning how I interact with data, very carefully. I don't completely or soley put my faith in technology. I try to use it responsibly, carefully and consistently in my classroom and personal life. What I don't do is use it blindly. I still know that technology is only as safe and reliable as its designers and users, all of whom are human. One mishap on my part or if Murphy decides to drag me into court and remind me who makes the law...then poof my precious work disappears to LaLa Land and I'm pulling out my hair with rivers of tears streaming down my face.
To prevent this I am always looking for better ways of doing something. I am always trying to find better ways of protecting my work, personal and professional, because I can't afford to loose any of it.
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Sunday, October 25, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
The Future of Computing in the Classroom
When I think about my childhood, many memories come to mind. I remember the games my friends, cousins and I would dream up and how they all involved what was considered fantasy ways of communicating, traveling or just living. Now, most of those fantasies have come true. We can talk, take pictures, type and send secret messages and navigate from place to place using a telephone. We can type a paper, video conference and watch movies or T.V. using a computer. So when I think about the future of computing and what it would look like in my classroom or other classrooms, I believe that the sky will be the limit.
I have visions of students taking control of their own learning and conferencing with students around the world. Seventh grade students, one from the Midwestern United States and another from the Alaska and Hawaii, doing research together about global warming. More students studying together, discussing issues and working collaboratively on projects to help solve world problems without having to be in the same room. I see students as leaders in the learning community using the classroom as a headquarters to study, plan and carry out strategies like executive board members. I see text books replaced by notebook computers and every student having one of their own.
How will this affect my students and me? I believe that my physical classroom will become more flexible and extend the learning experience outside the walls of our building. Students will need me to guide and facilitate discussions and to encourage them to push past challenges. I believe that my students will become more interested and invested in their education because they will have more control over how they learn. This will be powerful for them and society.
To prepare people for this future, I will have to be a proponent of literacy on many levels. I have to help my students understand that as they learn about and use new technologies they must teach their parents and grandparents the same skills. I must be an advocate for integrating technology into as many areas of learning and living as possible when it is appropriate. I must also encourage users of technology to not loose the human connection that makes technology fun, exciting and a necessary advancement.
I have visions of students taking control of their own learning and conferencing with students around the world. Seventh grade students, one from the Midwestern United States and another from the Alaska and Hawaii, doing research together about global warming. More students studying together, discussing issues and working collaboratively on projects to help solve world problems without having to be in the same room. I see students as leaders in the learning community using the classroom as a headquarters to study, plan and carry out strategies like executive board members. I see text books replaced by notebook computers and every student having one of their own.
How will this affect my students and me? I believe that my physical classroom will become more flexible and extend the learning experience outside the walls of our building. Students will need me to guide and facilitate discussions and to encourage them to push past challenges. I believe that my students will become more interested and invested in their education because they will have more control over how they learn. This will be powerful for them and society.
To prepare people for this future, I will have to be a proponent of literacy on many levels. I have to help my students understand that as they learn about and use new technologies they must teach their parents and grandparents the same skills. I must be an advocate for integrating technology into as many areas of learning and living as possible when it is appropriate. I must also encourage users of technology to not loose the human connection that makes technology fun, exciting and a necessary advancement.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Computers and Me...My History
My history with computers started when I was a child watching some of my favorite T.V. shows like The Jetsons, Star Trek and My Favorite Martian. I remember seeing the robots and wondering how they were able to walk, talk, cook or process information? I always believed that one day computers would really be able to do those things independent of human supervision.
In high school, I enrolled in a computer class just for fun and learned how to write a basic program for a simple video game. I didn't enjoy that class a much as I thought I would and gave my teacher a tremendous amount of grief. I decided at that point, I would never work with computers again someone else could do it. I don't remember the model of the computers but I believe that they were Apples. Three years later, as a freshman in college, I was using a word processing program on an Apple computer to type papers and speeches. Again, I was not very pleased being forced to do something that I didn't want to do. I didn't understand WHY I had to type on this computer instead of my typewritter. I had to save all of my work on a thin, flimsy floppy disk that was very fragile.
My Junior year in college, I worked in the computer lab on campus as part of my work study job. I had to fight against sexism before anyone would teach me what I needed to know for the position. It was my job to assist other students who were working on assignments on the computer. I became fascinated with all I could do with the computer, and eventually found myself doing a lot of desktop publishing on the Apples. If I remember correctly, this lab was considered a state of the art lab at the time. It had macintosh and P.C. style computers. I learned to use both, but really preferred the Apples because of the brightness of the screen. The other computers had dark screens with green text, think of the computers used in the movie Jumping Jack Flassh. On the Apple, I felt connected to the outside world (although it was before the ineternet). I could be creative and enjoyed desktop publishing documents, forms, etc.
Two years after graduation, I got my first computer at home which was a Macintish Performa. I used this computer as a business tool for desktop publishing and typing articles as a freelance writer, saving my work on the hard disks. I also began using the world wide web on the internet. I used the same computer for 9 years, before I got another one. It really served me well.
When I started teaching, I switched from using Macs to using PC's becuase that was what my district was using. It was convenient at the time being able to use the same word processing program at home and at school. Now, I have been using PC's for so long that I have trouble even remembering how to operate Macs. What I find amazing is that my school district now has some computers that use two different operating systems on the same machine, one as a PC and one as a Mac. I never would have imagined all of the advances I have seen in technology or that I would be comfortable being in the front seat as a passenger or a driver.
In high school, I enrolled in a computer class just for fun and learned how to write a basic program for a simple video game. I didn't enjoy that class a much as I thought I would and gave my teacher a tremendous amount of grief. I decided at that point, I would never work with computers again someone else could do it. I don't remember the model of the computers but I believe that they were Apples. Three years later, as a freshman in college, I was using a word processing program on an Apple computer to type papers and speeches. Again, I was not very pleased being forced to do something that I didn't want to do. I didn't understand WHY I had to type on this computer instead of my typewritter. I had to save all of my work on a thin, flimsy floppy disk that was very fragile.
My Junior year in college, I worked in the computer lab on campus as part of my work study job. I had to fight against sexism before anyone would teach me what I needed to know for the position. It was my job to assist other students who were working on assignments on the computer. I became fascinated with all I could do with the computer, and eventually found myself doing a lot of desktop publishing on the Apples. If I remember correctly, this lab was considered a state of the art lab at the time. It had macintosh and P.C. style computers. I learned to use both, but really preferred the Apples because of the brightness of the screen. The other computers had dark screens with green text, think of the computers used in the movie Jumping Jack Flassh. On the Apple, I felt connected to the outside world (although it was before the ineternet). I could be creative and enjoyed desktop publishing documents, forms, etc.
Two years after graduation, I got my first computer at home which was a Macintish Performa. I used this computer as a business tool for desktop publishing and typing articles as a freelance writer, saving my work on the hard disks. I also began using the world wide web on the internet. I used the same computer for 9 years, before I got another one. It really served me well.
When I started teaching, I switched from using Macs to using PC's becuase that was what my district was using. It was convenient at the time being able to use the same word processing program at home and at school. Now, I have been using PC's for so long that I have trouble even remembering how to operate Macs. What I find amazing is that my school district now has some computers that use two different operating systems on the same machine, one as a PC and one as a Mac. I never would have imagined all of the advances I have seen in technology or that I would be comfortable being in the front seat as a passenger or a driver.
Week 1...Glitches, nerds and me
This week I was reminded of why I enjoy using and sharing my love of technology with others. There are so many ways look at the technolgy around us. After the first meeting of the second class, the race was on. I told myself that I was going to manage all of my assignments with the grace a dignity befitting a graduate student. I was going work ahead with time to spare. The first glitch in my plan started when I attempted to track down a video I was assigned to watch for class, Triumph of the Nerds.
Every video store I went into said that they didn't have it, with one of the clerks looking at me as if I was a nerd for even asking about that movie. He was kind enough to tell me that the movie is on VHS and not DVD and has three volumes. Let me just say for the record I am not a nerd. I have nothing against nerds, I happen to think that some of the nicest people I have ever met have been...okay that's not coming out correctly. I happen to think that nerds or people who are considered to be nerds are very nice people and our world could not get along very well without them. Back to the original subject, I still could not get my hands on that movie.
As the week went on I encountered other problems that threw a twist in me master plan. My role as my school's technology leader, presented me with a different issue. I came up against a computer glitch that I could not easily overcome. Information that was entered on one screen in a data base was not appearing on the screen to be printed. It took me three days to figure out how to solve the problem, just in the nick of time before school was out for fall intercession. I love the challenges technology presents to me, but I also like being able to go to someone who has more experience than I do to bounce ideas off of when I get stuck. I should not have struggled for three days, next time I will ask for help after two days.
Every video store I went into said that they didn't have it, with one of the clerks looking at me as if I was a nerd for even asking about that movie. He was kind enough to tell me that the movie is on VHS and not DVD and has three volumes. Let me just say for the record I am not a nerd. I have nothing against nerds, I happen to think that some of the nicest people I have ever met have been...okay that's not coming out correctly. I happen to think that nerds or people who are considered to be nerds are very nice people and our world could not get along very well without them. Back to the original subject, I still could not get my hands on that movie.
As the week went on I encountered other problems that threw a twist in me master plan. My role as my school's technology leader, presented me with a different issue. I came up against a computer glitch that I could not easily overcome. Information that was entered on one screen in a data base was not appearing on the screen to be printed. It took me three days to figure out how to solve the problem, just in the nick of time before school was out for fall intercession. I love the challenges technology presents to me, but I also like being able to go to someone who has more experience than I do to bounce ideas off of when I get stuck. I should not have struggled for three days, next time I will ask for help after two days.
To be an educator or not to be an educator? That is my question.
Last night, I attended an awards dinner for a friend of my mother and someone I really admire. Seated at the round table were people who have their ears tuned to the pulse of the community and the who's who of our city. During the course of the salad and warm rolls, the discussions centered around past and present accomplishments. Recollections of what I did before I became a teacher, the things I did in high school and college (undergraduate) and after, became a major part of the conversation for one guest at the table.
Well, let me explain my history to help you understand the question. In middle and high school I was heavily involved in forenscics and debate, competing and collecting blue ribbons with trips to Madison for state tournaments. In college I majored in Mass Media Communications and performed with a theater group before crowds of hundreds. I was the assistant editor and editor of our campus' literary magazine, a DJ on the college's radio station (which aired on campus and in the next city over)and had a successful internship for a well respected community newspaper here in Milwaukee. Many people tried to encourage me by saying that I was going to be the next Oprah Winfrey, something that for a while really provided me with a great sense of pride. As a young person, I thought this was my calling.
This is why one of the guest at the dinner table asked me the question, "So do you think you will ever go back? DO you think you will get back into Journalism...write again?" Wow, I said to myself. They really don't understand or maybe I really don't understand how to convey my thoughts. I truly loved my previous career path and when I pursued the goals of being a media personality it was my passion. Press conferences at city hall, interviews with major newsmakers and seeing my name in print or hearing it in the air was very exciting. I thought I was destined for great adventures and accomplishments in the world of big news.
Fast-forward ten, fifteen years later. More mature, less vain and a different philosophy about what is important to me. I am a teacher who dedicates most of my time to working in a school district that offers more challenges than glamour. I teach in a school district that serves children who rely on their teachers to be more than a teacher. Our students rely on us to be their connection to a world outside of their own, to be their cheerleaders, and often to be their advocate. For my students I also want to be a positive role model.
So do I miss the career I had before teaching? I can't really say that I do. When I have something important to say, something that require me to get ink under my fingernails again, then I will write as a published writer again. For now, I believe the world has enough people doing what I use to do, but we don't have enough good teachers. My question is who would like to join me? I get to the best of both worlds... I write everytime I grade a paper and perform theatrics everyday I am in my classroom. My students and I travel across the world using technology and we share awesome adventures together. To be an educator or not to be an educator? That is the question...does any one who knows me have to really ask? Be an educator.
Well, let me explain my history to help you understand the question. In middle and high school I was heavily involved in forenscics and debate, competing and collecting blue ribbons with trips to Madison for state tournaments. In college I majored in Mass Media Communications and performed with a theater group before crowds of hundreds. I was the assistant editor and editor of our campus' literary magazine, a DJ on the college's radio station (which aired on campus and in the next city over)and had a successful internship for a well respected community newspaper here in Milwaukee. Many people tried to encourage me by saying that I was going to be the next Oprah Winfrey, something that for a while really provided me with a great sense of pride. As a young person, I thought this was my calling.
This is why one of the guest at the dinner table asked me the question, "So do you think you will ever go back? DO you think you will get back into Journalism...write again?" Wow, I said to myself. They really don't understand or maybe I really don't understand how to convey my thoughts. I truly loved my previous career path and when I pursued the goals of being a media personality it was my passion. Press conferences at city hall, interviews with major newsmakers and seeing my name in print or hearing it in the air was very exciting. I thought I was destined for great adventures and accomplishments in the world of big news.
Fast-forward ten, fifteen years later. More mature, less vain and a different philosophy about what is important to me. I am a teacher who dedicates most of my time to working in a school district that offers more challenges than glamour. I teach in a school district that serves children who rely on their teachers to be more than a teacher. Our students rely on us to be their connection to a world outside of their own, to be their cheerleaders, and often to be their advocate. For my students I also want to be a positive role model.
So do I miss the career I had before teaching? I can't really say that I do. When I have something important to say, something that require me to get ink under my fingernails again, then I will write as a published writer again. For now, I believe the world has enough people doing what I use to do, but we don't have enough good teachers. My question is who would like to join me? I get to the best of both worlds... I write everytime I grade a paper and perform theatrics everyday I am in my classroom. My students and I travel across the world using technology and we share awesome adventures together. To be an educator or not to be an educator? That is the question...does any one who knows me have to really ask? Be an educator.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Whew!!!
As I try to get up to speed, I think about how my students must feel when I introduce them to something new. This week I have learned how to create and add to my own blog, which I love. A lover of writing, I thought I had to give it up when I started teaching ten years ago, at least writing about what I am feeling or thinking or experiencing. I have learned to use video conferencing which was really fun once I started to get the hang of it. Believe it or not (as much as I thought I was a Tech savvy person) some of the things I am doing in this class I never thought about doing until now. I have thought about video conferencing with other classrooms across the country and world,but hsd never tried video conferencing period, until this week. What a rush.
I have almost always instinctively know how to install software and had a 100% success rate until this week when I was beat up by a Microsoft Lifecam VX3000 camera and microphone combo. I am still nursing my black eye, swollen lip and twisted arm. Boy, oh boy did she get me good, I didn't even see it coming. I took the bandage off of my ego this evening when I came home from school.
I collaborated with my team members Andrew and Trish to write a paper online using google docs and was amazed to see Trish editing one part of the paper while I writing in a different section on the same paper at the same time. I can't wait to show this trick to my students. Once I am a little more sure of myself.
In addition to learning these new skills, which seems like second nature to many, I am struggling to keep up and catch up with the workload, but my love of learning and meeting a challenge keeps me going. When I go back to class on Monday, I will go back seeing my glass as half full and my plate as running over. Class # two starts Monday at 8. Can anyone say whew!!!
I have almost always instinctively know how to install software and had a 100% success rate until this week when I was beat up by a Microsoft Lifecam VX3000 camera and microphone combo. I am still nursing my black eye, swollen lip and twisted arm. Boy, oh boy did she get me good, I didn't even see it coming. I took the bandage off of my ego this evening when I came home from school.
I collaborated with my team members Andrew and Trish to write a paper online using google docs and was amazed to see Trish editing one part of the paper while I writing in a different section on the same paper at the same time. I can't wait to show this trick to my students. Once I am a little more sure of myself.
In addition to learning these new skills, which seems like second nature to many, I am struggling to keep up and catch up with the workload, but my love of learning and meeting a challenge keeps me going. When I go back to class on Monday, I will go back seeing my glass as half full and my plate as running over. Class # two starts Monday at 8. Can anyone say whew!!!
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