Organizing Your On-line Life (uhhh,,,,wait...Do I do that before or after I learn to use my new computer?

Diigo Groups.  Skype.  Dropbox.  Evernote.  Google Reader.  All excellent tools and well presented by our classmates. The information was entirely relevant although some of us were already familiar with one or more of these helpful programs. I would be remiss if I did not give the world's largest shout-out to my classmates for sharing not only their assigned handouts but for all of the incidental teaching that seems to go hand in hand with using technology.  

But....(and doesn't there always seem to be a but when you start working with new technology)

One of my pet peeves about technology is that it is always changing.  I can't tell you how many times I've purchased a new phone without ever fully understanding the old phone.  What I'm getting at here is that many of us haven't mastered our shiny new Macs yet, so the task of learning new software is doubly trying.  I know Dropbox, been using it for a couple of years now, but it looks and behaves differently on a Mac than a PC.  How could I have a chance at effectively teaching the program, when I can barely navigate the hardware?

In a nutshell, my issue is this:

I don't feel like I will ever be an "expert" in teaching with technology because it evolves too quickly.  All I have to offer my students is a glancing knowledge that can be easily stonewalled by a glitch or a just a question I have no ability to answer.  I know that teachers aren't supposed to know everything, but we shouldn't be offered so many opportunities to look stupid.  That's right.  I said it.  When technology doesn't work as planned or when we run into a techno-stumbling block...we look stupid.  

I know that teaching with technology is new.  I think the way we are approaching the task of integrating technology is old.  There needs to be a comprehensive way to learn and it has to start early.  We can't be expected to properly wield a tool that we are only passingly familiar with.  Situations like that are accidents waiting to happen.  

What do you think?

Until next time, I remain

Simply Serious

Angry Birds & Weeblies

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the late post, I got so busy counting up my comments, I forgot to post.

This week's class was interesting as usual.  Splitting the class and staggering the learning experience gave this session a new feel for me, as if it were actually two different classes.  Jeff and Kristen work well with each other but their individual teaching styles are still dynamic.

Angry Birds in class?  Groovy concept and I knew there was math to that game!  Sadly, I can't see a way to apply it to English, nor do I understand the math behind the game.  Still, I play it and I  can see how using it as a learning tool would engage students.  I wish there were an existing game that could segway so effectively into the learning experiences of my own students.  Or do I?  Nah...I don't.  I wish there was a game written just for teaching English.  You know, like a virtual newspaper game or something.  Something as challenging and addicting as Angry Birds, but introduced in and confined to an educational environment.  Can someone just whip this up for me please?

Ah..the Weebly, or more importantly, our Portfolios.  I have always been a fan of self-promotion (Hey, sometimes you gotta toot your own horn!)  An excellent resume, an outstanding cv, yes....I am familiar with these avenues of academic self-representation, but this Portfolio thing goes far beyond a listing of achievements and/or employment history.  Although I know it will be an excellent tool when it comes time to pay the piper and actually get a job, the idea of it still makes me kind of nervous.  

I guess it's because I feel that I have ultimate and perfect control over those few pieces of paper (the resume, the cv).  They may be one-dimensional, but I don't have to worry about people's perceptions of anything other than the facts as I choose to state them.  Cool.  I can handle that.  A web portfolio?  Weebly seems simple enough, but I am far from feeling like I am in an arena where I have perfect control over the finished product.  So much content invites evaluation on so many different levels.  Ok...ok....cool.  I can handle that.  I think.

Until next time...

Extra! Extra! Gamers Solve World Issues (while on a bathroom break from gaming ).

Ok....Ok....is this the same McGonigal from Harry Potter?  No..but she may as well be teaching principles of magic.  I will admit, she makes great points about gaming helping us to become collaborators, and positively motivated to trust and help each other, but all I can see is wasted time.

Gamers love their alternate reality because they know that the game they are playing was written and that there is a solution already written into the game.  They know that they can stop and take a bathroom break, or crash and burn, and come right back to the same situation.  Life is not written, at least not by anything human.  The problems that we face in day to day life may not have solutions.  Playing at solving real problems lacks that guaranteed solution, which is why so many people escape to a reality that doesn't have that obstacle.  Playing at solving real problems doesn't really require more than shallow knowledge.  Say for instance, their was a game created to help us figure out how to beat cancer, would the solutions found therein be valid, without deeper knowledge?

I agree that there is huge potential for gaming as an educational avenue.  The fact that most kids will spend at least 10,000 hours playing video games by their 21st birthday alerts us to the intrinsic motivation that moves these kids to spend that much time learning on their own.  If we could harness that, we could change the world, and not just on bathroom breaks.

Hello again to all,

This class session was amazing (as expected).  From the start of the day, with our wonderful Scarlett students; to our lesson planning groups (kudos to my cohort mates for their patience and creativity), with our learned librarians; to the end (mercifully early), with a new skill being added to my "Teaching With Tech" repertoire.  Generally, I try to keep my brown-nosing firmly in the "happy medium" range, (that shadowy area somewhere between necessary and annoying) but Jeff and Kristen make it hard not to gush with admiration and appreciation for their innovative and inclusive teaching styles.  I have yet to leave their presence feeling cheated or confused.

Today's session was an implicit lesson in the solicitation of opinions.  It was great to have the opportunity to ask the Scarlett students questions.  Following Jeff''s example, I tried to notate the student's comments, reminding myself of how valued and heard I feel as he jots down the various comments we make in class.  I tried to convey the same value and importance to the advice that our summer school students gave.  It is extremely validating for students to realize that teachers learn as much from them as they do from us and I sincerely hope that this is an attitude that I can cultivate in my future classroom.

Our lesson planning groups took the implicit lesson to a deeper level. As I've noticed in other group-work situations, our group got off to a rocky start, struggling to define a  objective lens through which to focus our collective intellects. Many times, I have tried to rein in my flapping tongue out of fear that I may be monopolizing the discussion.  This often proves difficult as I am passionate about my convictions and outspoken in manner.  Prior to Friday's planning session and subsequent discussion, fear of embarrassment and social conformity were constant reminders to limit my discourse. I believe the length of Friday's planning session lessened my fervor to be heard and gave me an altogether more positive view of the cacophony that can result from a group of brilliant minds struggling to give voice to their opinons.  It made me realize that shutting up was probably the worst thing I could choose to do.  Rather than limiting our discussion, the new time frame allowed for a more comprehensive interchange.  Rapid-fire interjections and long-winded explanations notwithstanding, each comment from my group members enlarged my understanding of our common goal as well as providing a general consensus on the validity of my own ideas..  I am firmly among the many students who wishes this type of collaboration could be available for every lesson plan I write.

And finally, I would like to respond to the "Dumbing Down" article.  In general, my use of technology falls squarely in the consumer range, but I am sure I am not alone when I say that I am often frustrated by my lack of knowledge about how computer technology really works.  As educators, I believe that we are responsible for ensuring that our students understand the processes behind events, why should technology be any different?  Upon reflection, with a few exceptions, my technological expertise really does amount to "secretarial" knowledge and I agree with the author's standpoint that technological consumers and secretaries are what we are grooming our children to be.  Schools are responsible for staying up-to-date on current events and translating and disseminating that knowledge for their student populations.  We are sadly remiss when it comes to technology.

Until next time...I remain

Simply Serious

Soda Ban

Hello my fellow McBloggers,

Gather round one and all and you will hear a tale of beverage deception that is so subliminally seductive that even the keenest eye may be fooled by the subtlety of its camouflage.  What I am talking about here is the American soda cup and our perception of how much of that delightfully carbonated liquid we allow ourselves to drink.


I don't know how many of you clicked the Well Quiz link at the end of the NYT article, but I did, and I think you should.  Even though I overestimated to compensate for the lack of perception that the author spoke about, I was wrong more often than not.  That simple quiz was enough to convince me.  Either by design or by default, people routinely underestimate the amount of soda they are subject to consume while leisurely mouthing those wonderful extra-long, extra wide straws that are so thoughtfully provided for thirsty customers.


The Well Quiz would be an excellent teaching opportunity that could encourage students to think about some of the automatic choices we make in regard to our diet.  I have a few ideas about teaching opportunities that emerge from the NYC soda ban, but I will save those bits of creativity for class.


Now let me take a moment to speak generally about my opinion on the NYC soda ban issue.  I think that the ban is nothing more than a spacer, artfully creating a three-way gap between consumer desire for satisfaction, corporate desire for profit, and community concern for public health.  In other words, this ban has the capability to give consumers pause.  A moment to consider if what we want is really what we need.  If there is truly a need for four or five servings of soda, it becomes a simple matter of choosing to purchase a 2-liter  and a cup of ice.  If there is no real need, (is there ever a real need for soda, beyond the type defined by addiction?), then what is the harm done by sipping, (or throwing away), a few less ounces?  The plain answer to that is "No harm done at all".  In fact, over time, it could actually help.

I think it is important to note here that there is an American culture of excess.  There is something slightly out-of-whack with our comfort level with waste and abuse in general.  Doesn't matter if we are talking about water (yup, that's in soda), or energy, or food, as a country we are estranged from conservation and/or moderation.  

It is a "Big Gulp" society.  

The NYC soda ban could be one tiny step towards normalizing the American perception of how much is too much.  People need a fair representation of normalcy.  Eight ounces is a serving size, it even says so on the can.  Yet almost every soft drinks choice begins with more than one serving.  The rest of the world consistently consumes (buys) soft drinks at serving size.  Only in America does our culture of excess permit the existence of a "Big Gulp".  Is it fair or ethical to represent 3, 4, or even 5 times a serving size as normal?  With the growing problems of juvenile and adult diabetes, as well as obesity, is it smart to continue to cultivate an attitude of "I can eat (drink) whatever I want"?  As a nation, we would be wise to recognize that there are already rules that limit the harm we can do to ourselves.  Speed limits, seat-belt laws, and smoking bans are all irritating reminders that we don't always act in our own best interest.  What's wrong with pointing that out about soda?  

I'm just saying.

Until next time, I remain...

Simply Serious  

Post-Class 1

First Glimpse - 504

     First, I have to say that the teaching with technology portion of SECMAC was one of the premier draws of this program for me.  Having said that, I now know that I had no idea of what "teaching with technology" would really look like.  I had some ideas, like texting students homework reminders, or messaging students on Facebook to get off their page and get on task.  When I contemplated these "cute" uses for technology in the classroom, I had not even begun to consider the questions surrounding these seemingly trivial ideas.  Questions of permission and control hadn't occurred to me.  I had contemplated the use of video technology as a self-reflexive tool, one that I could use to critique and refine my teaching process, but the Sheskey reading opened my eyes to the effect such a tool could have on students. Even then, I still hadn't  scratched the surface of how powerful a tool the Internet, and other technological advances, can be.  Only after I had sat for thirty minutes listening to Jeff an Christine did I think about how broad the scope of possible educational uses for technology actually is.  With that broad scope of possibility comes an even broader field of inquiry, one that may never fully be exhausted.  Believe it or not, I like that idea.

     Secondly, I have to say that I am not very enthusiastic about the blogging.  It may be a sign of my age but, I find myself a tad uncomfortable with the idea of sharing my thoughts in this way.  Cyber-conversing with a basically faceless audience leaves me bereft of the usual face-to-face cues that I might be violating social courtesies, or worse, soliloquizing on my own private soap-box.  This forum leaves me free to babble on about any old idea that I might have, good or bad, right or wrong.  While I might be prone to the same errors in face-to-face conversations, words in the air don't have the permanence of words on a page, or more accurately, words committed to the eternity of cyberspace.  I mean, who wants a permanent record of a stupid or erroneous comment?  As an English major, every word that I write, or speak, reflects on the quality of my education.  I live in terror of being found lacking in my craft.  Words have power.  To be an English major is to claim mastery of that power.  I don't take that lightly and that may be one reason that I am hesitant to casually approach blogging in the way that some others do.

At any rate, I intend to jump in and blog with the best of 'em.  Be patient and I'm sure I will get the hang of it.  Be patient, I am sure to make some embarrassing and comical mistakes.  Be very patient and I might learn and share something that you didn't already know.

Until next time, I remain...

Simply Serious