Last Class

I now have problems with technology, but at least I don't completely hate it. This course taught me a lot not just about what to use and how, but more importantly why technology is so popular and engulfing. I have learned to be more accepting to the fact that the Internet has changed the world and there is nothing I can do about it.

I've learned to cope with this by looking at the positive ways technology can have on education. From an educators perspective, the time saving possibilities are inspiring. The kids think it's cool when they learn something about computers, and now I do to.

As the class went on, I started a links list in a word document and have been adding the links from the class links page, so that when they are gone, I still have access to all of the excellent links to use for teaching.

The Internet provides us with so many ways to collaborate and share ideas with each other, that, though many of us don't know it yet, our jobs are becoming easier. Need a new idea for a lesson plan? I bet there's an idea on the Internet. Nervous about an upcoming parent-teacher conference? Internet. Need to make 237 rubrics? Guess where you can find them?

The ability to take a classroom around the world and interact with students is at our finder tips. Gone are the days of our now dusty encyclopedias where we would look as a child to satisfy our curiosities. The world is becoming a smaller place, and culturally, it is for the better.

The Bus

Some of the stuff on the bus was cool, and I can see it as a classroom staple in the future. Some of the tools it offers are great for math, assessing prior knowledge and quizzing. I like the ominous benefits of it.
I can't imagine how much one of those systems cost. I can't even afford a 13 inch TV, never mind a gigantic flat screen monitor thing. I would definitely use it in my classroom if it was free! I wonder how I would feel about the projector lights in my eyes all day...

More of what I like

I like the webquest sites. Its a great idea to make these sites as lesson plans. Its nice to have everything you need on one site, its simplifies the web experience, especially for younger kids.

Here are some things in my brain.

I'm gonna start with the positive, so don't don't fret, because laughter will eventually ensue.
I really like Google Docs. I think it kicks some serious hides. I love how I don't really have to talk to anyone. That is great. What is also great is that no one has to really talk to me either. We just simply do our own work, press the "share" button, or whatever it's called, and into the abyss it goes. Wonderful idea, and it's actually something useful. Stress and communication free group work. No scheduling times to meet, no driving, simply amazing. I am also rather fond of the little link that shows you how to use software I've had for years and still cant figure out. Excel come to mind. But now instead of Mr. Paperclip pretending he's gonna help me, I can just go and get what I need to know. Cool.
OK, this is what else is on the brain. I don't think I can honestly stand anymore acronyms, or stupid made-up words like dweezil, doodah, tweener, nooogle, boooglem, gedangah, and you get the idea. Imagine talking like this when you were a kid. People would tell you to stop blabbing gibberish. (gibberish is an awesome, "real" word you know) I just want to point out that spellcheck is OK with the word "doodah." Weird. Times are changing.
I also am having trouble keeping track of all these made-up word accounts. I don't like to have to "sign in" every time I go to a site. It's really annoying. I have to use the mouse, and then switch to typing, and back and forth the whole time I'm interneting. I think it's cool that google (I refuse to capitalize this made up word) somehow knows when you log into gmail, and remembers that you have already logged in, so you don't have to keep doing it a million times as long as you're on a google owned site, or whatever it is.
Someone should respond. It's getting lonely out here in the abyss.

Ed Tech Tools

As a substitute teacher, I find there are many on-line resources that are helpful to keep students off Facebook and non-cerebral games, and on to doing more enlightened things. The biggest problem with computers and Subs is that students will tell you: " But she let's us play games!" And I bet he or she does, but it's certainly not the games students find.
One day I saw several nasty little seventh graders playing the stupidest, most disgusting and revolting game, of possibly all time. It consisted of a faceless, featureless body handing by the wrists from chains. The students then, most likely utilizing their human body knowledge gleaned from biology class, decide from an assortment of weapons and torture devices to inflict damage to this bleak swinging body. Chainsaws rip arms off and blood rushes out at the screen like a scene in "The Shinning." Highly educational. Another student, a girl, caught a glimpse and recoiled in horror. That was how I discovered it, and I immediately intervened.
However, there actually is useful stuff on the Internet to keep students busy, and some that can even feed people. The website freerice.com is a site where students can pick an area for questioning, anything from math to geography, for example, and if they get the questions right, the earn several grains of rice that the company sponsors. Get enough questions right, and it's possible to actually feed people, and I find that much more intuitive that feeding people sharp weapons.

Can teachers provide equal access to the digital world to all students?

Chapter four talks all about the free this and free that and all this free information sharing websites and free lunch. Unfortunately, (this is greatly overlooked by the book) the actual computers needed to access this stuff are not free. They are just the opposite: expensive. So the whole notion of free digital educational resources for all is kind of bull*^$#. It should be more like free educational tools and sharing for everyone above the poverty line, or those lucky enough to not only be able to afford a computer, but can also afford the ridiculously expensive monthly charge. Can you even get Internet at home without cable anymore?
Granted, it's possible to find a source of free wireless at a library, but now we're talking the need of a laptop, which is all the more expensive than a desktop. What about public computers at the library? Sure, if you want to register, reserve a slot, and have limited time and access, then I guess it could be free, but it's still not equal, is it?
The best way to provide equal access would be to have enough computers in schools for every student. Having just a few computer labs and 60 laptops won't cut it because when the science teacher reserves them all for two days a week for the entire year, where is the access for the students wanting to use them to do research for a paper in English class?
The likelihood of schools purchasing the necessary computers needed for equal access is slim, especially considering many schools can't afford the most basic supplies like copier paper.
So while the tech geeks wiggle and giggle about all the wonderfully "free" resources the Internet provides, and how there is endless opportunities for everyone, they are really just talking about the people with newer computers and unlimited Internet access.
Bonk writes about the benefits of copying free software and says that, "Any user, regardless of social or economic background, gender, race, or educational level, can use that same piece of software...(p. 147)." It's clear that Bonk has found a map to the free computer tree, and perhaps later in the book, he'll tell educators, and everyone without a computer, where it is!

What can we gain through collaboration?

The greatest benefit of collaboration is the exchange of knowledge. People need to share their ideas just as much as people need to be exposed to new and different ideas. Putting two brains together is ultimately, mathematically anyway, greater than one. For example, a first-year teacher could be working in an integrated humanities class with a ten year veteran. Through collaboration, the first year teacher will gain many ideas and techniques regarding topics ranging from lessons and activities, to classroom management. Collaboration is the only way mankind has moved forward throughout history. Mankind's evolution into farmers and toolmakers, as well as the phenomenon of migration is ultimately the result of collaboration. The Pyramids in Egypt? The results of collaboration. The Renaissance? The results of collaboration. The Industrial Revolution? The results of collaboration. Do you really think we would have an international space-station without Russia?