Change - Change - Change

Some of the articles that were required for reading I have read before and other were new to me. The publications from the ISTE are ones that I should read on a regular basis since those publications are being read by a wide variety of educators who are interested in technology. I need to expand my scope of professional reading outside the world of library media specialists. It would also make me more knowledgeable when I talk to other within district and outside of the district. I need to pick a few blogs to follow. I tried following a few people on Twitter, but I found that overwhelming. I think that I will change my account so that I am following the professional organization strands. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by how much information is out there and how little time I have to absorb all of this information. From what I’ve read on the postings from class I’m not the only one who feels overwhelmed with information and changes in technology. The I-pads look cool. I especially enjoyed the YouTube video of the toddler exploring one. I can think of a lot of uses for on, but the price would be hard to justify since I have a laptop. Although maybe I could justify it since I haven’t invested in an e-reader.

Use of new technologies as a means to reach the digital natives in their own environment so that that their educational experiences are in their world and prepare them for their future lives in the 21st century was a recurring theme in many of the articles. The YouTube video Shift happens hits home the fact that we need to prepare students for a future that is totally different from the present we live in since information is increasing at such a rapid pace.

Advocacy and avoiding the draconic librarian was another theme. I worked with a dragon librarian once. It was very frustrating experience for me and the memories from that experience popped into my mind while reading some of the change articles on the reading list. I just don’t understand how someone who doesn’t enjoy working with teens would want to spend 30 years working as a teacher. It was eye opening to read about proactive steps and what steps to take once budget cuts to your area are recommended. Unfortunately during the economic times we are facing the cuts to media specialists in my district are to save classroom positions to keep class sizes at a reasonable size. I think that it is prudent to keep doing the best job that you can so that when the economy turns around teachers will remember what a good media specialist can do and what the technicians, our in my district the guys who fix the computers and the network, can’t do to help me teach my students.

One thing I need to work on after reading the articles from this module is setting goals for my program and meeting more often with the building administrators. I know that they are busy, but there are a some things that I can do to help them that

Starting an online course

Virtual education is something I have discussed with some of my students, but not something that I had experienced personally until very recently. This summer I am taking a virtual class through UW-Stout, and it is a totally new educational experience for me. Getting to know my classmates in a virtual environment and having class discussions virtually is a new experience for me. In some ways it is like a normal class because we all have different experiences and areas of expertise. Using Google Maps to visual see where everyone in the class is located physically was great. However, I do have to say that I miss the face-to-face interaction of group discussions. I also have empathy for some of the students who took classes virtually at the school I work at because it is a very different learning environment than they are used to, and you have to have self-motiviation and self-discipline to do well. I can see why a few of our students who are more social, and or not very organized individualizes had trouble with the virtual classes.

While reading the posts of my classmates it was a relief to hear that others are struggling to keep up with the fast change technology and issues that arise from using technology in a school setting. Lourdes comment about bring new and exciting ideas back to her program is something I wish I had said in those original posts about our goals. It is something that I always try to do whenever I take a class or attend a conference or meeting.

Webspiraton was fairly easy for me to use, although I have to admit the graphical organizer format in that form does not work well for me personally. However, I really liked the outline format of the program. I could see myself using Webspiration to develop outlines. It is definitely a Web 2.0 app that I will share with the teachers I work with when school starts this fall.