Like a lot of folks I was disappointed to hear that as of July 1st, 2013 Google Reader will no longer be with us. I'd like to think it will forever reside in digital heaven, rewarded for all it's good (read: free and useful) works and faithful service to the masses. Although Reader will hopefully earn instant sainthood as a result of fighting the good fight, according to the official Google Reader Blog the big G cites a declining readership and a desire to avoid the very fate that befell the Roman Empire, as it looks to focus on fewer endeavors. I first saw the news on Ars Technica and was struck by one of the reader comments that said, and I paraphrase, "Hey no worries, I've got Twitter!" As much as I like Twitter and appreciate how it enables the cream to often rise, I'm not completely convinced that the primary way to source information relevant to me is via the Twitterati oligarchy. I would surely miss items of value, that for whatever reason, failed to percolate up into my timeline. Not every meaningful article or link or whatever will trend or be (re)tweeted my way. I would have to put a little more trust in that community than I am willing to as this point. And there is even some speculation that Google is going to try to shoehorn a service similar to Reader into Google+. Social media as a major news portal seems like bit of a farce. Do we want to continue allowing the news to get even more TMZ'ed as the line between entertainment and traditional news evaporates? Please Lord, no.
At my school I see the students for two rotations of about 36 consecutive class days. The rotations are never back to back so by the time they return for round 2 they have spent some time in other Unified Arts classes such as Music, Art, Health or PE. Instead of starting off with lectures on Newton's laws of motion or the concept of Trade Off's I like to get them back into the Tech Ed swing of things. So for a while now I've had them kick off the rotation by creating PowerPoint's (or more recently Google Presentations) addressing topics such as: - Show two things you learned in TE last time. - What did you like about your other UA's? - What are you looking forward to in TE this rotation? - Talk about two hobbies that you have. I have been getting pretty bored with the PowerPoints and I think the kids have too. Especially after I make them take out all the LOLspeak, leet, slang, emoticons, animations and meme's. You would think I was subjecting them to the most unimaginable torture by the way, for requiring them to treat the presentations as "professional". The other funny response I get when explaining the guidelines is: (say this really fast in a whiny voice) "Mr. Lord, the only reason we can't use all that stuff is your just an old guy, who's a jealous hater, because you don't understand what any of that stuff means that we kids use!" I wish I didn't know what any of it was! Please! Where is the undo button in my brain? If I hear or see YOLO or nyan cat one more time... 93 million view by the way on YouTube for nyan cat. 93 MILLION. I am not sure what they says about us as a species but it can't be good. So to change things up I had the students create Animoto's about the same topics. Although I ran into a couple of issues it was a worthwhile project that engaged the students and is something I will do again in the future. Here are a couple of examples:
I figure that most of the truly worthwhile things in life don't come without a whole heck of a lot of work. And for those things that do come easy, they're either a mirage or we fail to appreciate them. That said, and I feel like I say this about every class in our program, but this one might have been the most work.
A big part of that is that the nature of the work is such that you can keep at it for as long as you want. It's easy to hop on the old computer and while away the hours blogging, reading, tweeting, searching, replying and so forth.. The other half of the equation is that I enjoyed the work, both in class and outside, so that just reinforced the previously mentioned half. I had been looking forward to this class for some time as it ties in with my area more than any of the other classes in the program. And it came at just the right time. For the last year or two my teaching had grown stale and I felt like I was just covering the same old dated ground. This has been just the remedy I needed. Thank you to Prof Arzt and everyone in class!
Here is a rough draft of my Digital Story for my Integrating Technology class. I ended up using iMovie on an iPad to to make it. I found the program to be pretty straightforward to use but a little limited in iOS. I based it on an introduction that I normally just tell to the students about a 3D modeling program we use. I am curious what difference, if any, that a multimedia delivery will have.
So I finally took the plunge and created a Twitter account for school. I would like to use it to keep parents/students informed about what's going on in class, when grades are posted and for sharing things of note related to education or technology. Not sure I'll be able to effectively do all those things from the same account (I'm pretty sure the typical 6th grader isn't particularly interested in the latest educational initiative). And of course I have to get the blessings of all interested parties first.
I have been thinking and talking about this for a while now and after being encouraged from Prof Arzt as well as being reminded of a fellow West Hartford teacher who happened to be featured in yesterday's Hartford Courant I went for it. One of the hardest parts was coming up with a name, or at least one that wasn't taken. I still need to add some details but I hope this will positively impact my teaching and student learning!
I do not need more information. I need an efficient way to
find the tools that will do, or help do, what I need done. I think (theoretically)it’s great that
a significant portion of all recorded human knowledge has by now been cataloged somewhere on
the internet. As someone that has resisted the social piece of the web I am starting to realize the power of a like minded community, particularly one you have grown to trust and know, in helping you find that digital needle.
Thanks to this post by my indomitable cohort-mate Mari Beth I was able to
quickly make a decision about whether to go with
Instagram or Flicker as my go tomobile (mostly) photo app. I know Mari Beth. I
trust her judgment...well, before that third glass of wine.And because we are both laboring towards a common goal - leveraging tech in our classrooms, I know she is trying answer the same
questions that I am. Not only that she has taken the time to do some research
and has found a source she finds valuable. All that is more than enough to tip
the scales in my mind even if it doesn't guarantee that Flickr is the right
solution for me. Now if I could just easily set up my account the way I want to without using another email address/password/login/account name/etc. haha oh well.
Disclaimer – The title of this post does not refer to making
a decision about what to do, or not to do, about my hairline.
My attempts to plug into the web this past weekend
were thwarted in two ways:
1.
18,000,000,000 inches of snow (sorry if I rounded down too much)
2.
Internet/Cell service that was so slow and intermittent it made dial up look
like Usain Bolt at the Summer Olympics
After sweating throught the initial DT’s due to not being able to
listen to any podcasts while shoveling, I started to really enjoy being
unplugged. I pretty much soak in some form of media for the better part of
every day of my life. Music, podcasts, web, print, smart phone and so on. As much as i like it I wonder if it's really a good thing. Forget sunscreen, someone needs to invent MediaScreen. I would pick up some
SPF 120 minutes and that way I could browse the web for a couple of hours and afterwards just go to
sleep instead of having my brain race around jumping from thought to thought.
I find myself craving media. Looking forward to that semi-zoned
out state of mind where time tends to slide away. Music and the web tend
to be a particularly potent cocktail. These days after the kids are asleep I
head downstairs with my laptop (craptop as I not so affectionately call it), sign into Chrome, open Gmail, open my Google Drive, sign into Diigo, open the
class syllabus, go to the Integrating Technology blog, open my blog, open
Google Reader, open a word doc where I can pre-type and fall into the interweb.
An idea pops in my mind? I open a new tab and down the rabbit hole I go. A
question comes up? Goodbye 20 minutes!
This is one of those times where I don’t need to go to the
web (there I go again) and see if there is a study where researchers have
found that the human body releases a chemical, or that the brain behaves in a
way, that mimics some kind of drug when someone is surfing the web.
And it’s not just the internet, it’s the devices themselves. I see it when my wife an I have our faces buried in our phone while we are sitting on the same couch. I see it in my kids when they’re playing with the iPad with that deer in the
headlights look, not responding as I yell their name through a bullhorn. I
guess it’s great that they‘ll know their numbers and letters before
preschool but I’m not so sure when they are miserable for an hour after it's been taken it away. What's next? Are they going to start taking old stereo’s and TV’s
to the local Pawn Shop to scrape together enough dough to buy a used
iPad and get their fix? And hey, I didn't have an iPad and I learned my letters and
number easily by the fourth grade.
I remember when social networking really started to take off
and there was this debate about the value and authenticity of digital
relationships and connections. One side proclaimed it as the future and
superior to anything we had previously known while the detractors lamented the end of true human interaction. As
usual it seems like the extreme arguments were just that – extreme arguments
dressed up in slippery slope logic adorned with “protecting the children” or
“don’t be a luddite” language, neither of which unsurprisingly ended up not reflecting
reality to a great degree. I go back and forth as to which side I lean a little
more towards and I think that like anything in life there has to be some
balance with a dollop of moderation mixed in.
On the one hand as a result of the storm I had actual human
interactions and conversations (live! real time!) with people that I would not
have had otherwise. Whatever it is about adversity or tragedy that brings
people together had me helping neighbors and being helped by them. Starting conversations
with strangers I would have not otherwise started.
On the other hand social media positively impacted people’s recovery
efforts. One site, SeeClickFix, allows users to report things that need to be fixed facilitating volunteers and local governments to pitch in and help. After Winter Storm Nemo the local New Haven community pitched in to help each other out in an effective and targeted way. Sounds like there's room at the table for both.
“I've seen
the texts and the conversations on the computer. What’s her name?”
“Her name's Diigo…”
Yeah, I’m digging Diigo. It’s not only helping me organize my Master’s and School worlds but also the rest of my life. My
wife and I finally bought a house (we had been living with her parents since we
sold our condo last July) and you can see that reflected in my Diigo library. You can also get a glimpse into my semi-neurotic obsession with trying
to reduce the environmental toxins in our lives and especially things that
off-gas (other than myself).
One thing that I finally figured out that was making me
crazy was how to get the little blue "d" button to appear in the upper right hand corner of the browser:
I
must have done it accidentally the first time, and it looks like it may only be available for
Chrome but it turns out that it's called the Web Highlighter on Chrome and I like it much better than
the Diigolet. For one thing I can close the browser bar and free up some
additional space on the screen. It’s also more compact and once selected gives me
access to all the Diigo functionality I need. But my favorite thing is that it tells me if I
have already bookmarked something by adding a small red bookmark at the top of the button. The Diigolet gives you no indication that you have saved the page so I end up wasting a lot of time re-saving or going back and forth to see if I have saved an item.
In the shameless self promotion department – Before I had
kids I used to be the kind of person that groaned internally, and sometimes externally, when people would start talking about their kids or take pictures out. Now if
they wanted to talk pets count me in. Vets, wet vs. dry food, idiosyncrasies, poo poo, funny stories, you name it I was game. Of course that all changed when I had kids. Like a reformed smoker speaking out against smoking, I have become the most annoying person in the room.
I've shared a little bit with my cohort-mates throughout the
program that when my oldest was born he had some very serious medical issues to
deal with. At first we didn't know if he was going to make it as he had a very
hard time breathing due to a congenital airway obstruction. He ended up needing
a tracheostomy and the doctors weren't sure if he would someday have a diminished voice or even be able to talk at all. Long story short, we were exceedingly fortunate and he had reconstructive surgery a
couple of summers ago and is doing great (and very loud!). Today was a big day for him
and an exciting yet bittersweet one for us.
Sometimes I get a creative idea and I refuse to let it go for better or worse. A little back story: My current afternoon classes are currently working on a project where they are required to design, build and test a scale-model vehicle powered by a Co2 cartridge. The idea is to apply what we have learning about aerodynamics, the forces of motion and and Newton's 3 laws to make the fastest car possible. For my Animoto I decided to show my students examples of past projects as they get ready to start the design process to reinforce concepts and give them some ideas to jump start the creative process:
I picked the accompanying song for obvious reasons but I also liked how it's annoyingly catchy. Like a "song of the summer" that burns into your brain until you can't get the melody out of your head. On one hand you don't particularly like it but on the other it parasitically sticks to you like a remora. I observed this same phenomena with the jingle from the Japanese Rube Goldberg clips as seen in my last post. The tune drive the students crazy but they can't forget it, even years later. The other song I was considering was the opening track from Pixar's Cars but I wasn't sure if the students would make the connection or if it really even mattered. I feel like "Real Gone" is overall the better song and has a natural propulsive energy to that nicely reflects the project but I am kind of stuck on the idea of the Gary Numan song. I'd be curious to find out which one you like better. Let me know what you think and I'll go with whichever gets more nods!
A few years ago I ran across this catchy video clip on YouTube that connected with what my students had been studying in class (Rube Goldberg Machines):
I downloaded it and showed it to my classes and they loved it. It dawned on me just how much of a YouTube generation today's learners are and I began looking for other short clips that I show a few times a week at the beginning of class as the Clip of the Day. In preparing for this weeks wiki classwork I was reminded of another clip I show:
To date these clips are pretty much a one way process - I find them and show them. While once in a while a student recommends one that is relevant and actually school appropriate I am looking for ideas to make the collection (or creation?) and sharing of them more collaborative. Let me know if you have any thoughts!
In the RSS chapter this week Richardson (Richardson, 2010) said one of the things that he
really likes about the tool is that he spends less time looking all over the
web for information. Instead it comes to him through his aggregator. This
reminded me about Twitter and how it really is an aggregator of sorts for me as
well. In fact in the first of the two Richardson clips from the EduCon 2.5 post
from Prof Arzt's Integrating Technology and Literacy blog he talks
about 19 bold ideas for tech in (and out) of the classroom:
For idea 14 he says to stop Googling stuff and
talks about how one of the most important things that has happened to him in
the last 5 years is that instead of going to Google to answer a question he
goes to Twitter where he
has developed a like-minded network who can answer his
questions better. I'd like to say that Twitter helps me find information
about teaching or technology (or better yet both) but I really only use it at
this point to follow my favorite hobby.But this has given me
enough exposure to it to confirm what Richardson
is talking about. I spend a lot less time on the web looking for info because
it comes to me. When my favorite site or magazine publishes an article they
almost always tweet a link to it. To a degree someone’s reputation is
at stake when posting links to make sure that they
are worthwhile, topical and working. With all the recent developments
in the Lance Armstrongsaga I
had all the information, and more, than I could want delivered right to me. I
hope that I find RSS to offer the same kind of functionality but am skeptical
it can do it as elegantly as Twitter.
As for Diigo, I'm ruined. Ruined as
in there is no turning back. It's kind of like the first time you live on your
own without a roommate. Or own a car where it can be locked and unlocked with
the key fob – there's no going back. Diigo has changed the way I surf the web.
The way the web works unfortunately enables my stream of
consciousness, complete no tasks before starting new ones, tendencies. I used
to browse with 10 tabs open at once and now – wait, scratch that, I currently
have 14 open between two browsers haha.
So maybe I still need an
intervention and while I haven’t done much with it other than make bookmarks I
am much more organized and efficient. Prior I used to email links to
myself which just further clogged up my already clogged up email. Even worse I
would sometimes save multiple links in a word document and email that to
myself. And now everything is one easy to search (tags) and organize (lists) place. Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed.). Corwin Press.
It's been a busy week for me on the Technology front. I signed up for and began using Diigo. I am starting to get the hang of it but wondering if the software offers too much. I really just want a simple way to organize and centralize my bookmarks. I am hoping I don't find Diigo to be a product that attempts to be everything to everyone instead of something that really focuses on a core competency and nails it. I am going to give it some more time and see how it goes.
I then spent some time researching and comparing Google Drive to Dropbox. I'd like everything to be as integrated as possible and would like to avoid having to navigate to eight separate web sites to enter a password and log in to use eight different web tools. I know other tools exist to streamline that process but here again we are looking at another log in and password and just on principle alone that doesn't appeal to me. I want to use a tool, not spend time fiddling, adjusting, tweaking, optimizing or managing it (which is a large part why I switched from Android to iOS when I purchased my last smart phone). I looked at a number of comparisons and it while both have their pros and cons as they always do it looks like Dropbox has better iOS integration and a more intuitive interface. I have really liked it so far.
Next up was Animoto. I signed up for an account and started collecting photos in my Dropbox to make one for a lesson that I will do sometime next week. I looked at a number of Animoto's from the links in class but one that really ended up catching my attention was one of the samples from the Animoto site. Its called "Canlis family trip to Europe" (scroll down a bit) and it really resonates with me. I think part of it is has to do with where I'm at in life with a young family of my own (a 1 and 3 year old with another on the way) and how I really look forward to doing a trip like this with them someday.
The other element of the clip that drew me in was the music. I really liked the song they picked. The tone and lyrics fit so well and it even sounded like the singers native language might be French. Right from the first few notes it felt authentic in a way that stock music doesn't. It reminded me of a Hyundai commercial from a few years ago that after seeing a few times I started thinking that what I assumed were actors signing and performing in the video might actually be musicians.
It turned out they were an actual group. And that is also true of the Canlis Animoto.The group's name is The Leftover Cuties and the song it titled "Take a Walk on the Sunny Side of Town". I also just discovered that another one of their (Leftover Cuties) songs was used for a different Hyundai commercial! Weird.
I also like the fact that the pictures in the Canlis Family Animoto aren't rotating around or spinning or bursting into a thousand pieces as they transition from one to another. I find this distracting when you see these kinds of elements in PowerPoints or Prezi's. The effects here are subtle and if the photos (and music) are compelling they should be able to stand on their own merits and speak for themselves. Feel free to remind me of the post after I finish my first Animoto and the music is boring while the pictures fly all over the place!
Reading chapters 3 & 4 (Richardson, 2010) this week gave me a lot to think about.
Beginning with chapter 4, I'll start by saying that anytime someone mentions Wikipedia I always think about this clip from the TV show The Office:
That said I love Wikipedia. While certainly not perfect I think it is one of the most powerful tools on the web and is an amazing force in the continuing democratization of knowledge. Not to mention an almost unparalleled, on the internet at least, level of accuracy. If I haven't crossed the line into overstatement yet let me do that now by saying that in my humble opinion Wikipedia is one of the greatest collaborative efforts undertaken by human kind.
This is a topic that I think absolutely needs to be taught in school and not just left to the few occasions the Librarian has with the kids. Creating and discussing a class wiki would be a great way to hook the students in before even mentioning Wikipedia. The reality is that many of us overuse and/or rely on Wikipedia far too much. Looking at the pros and cons of the resource and what other alternatives are available (and in what situations would it be best to use them) while creating and using a wiki would make for a great unit in my class. Initially I thought I would have the students create one about a topic we are learning in class such as Bridge Types or Galloping Gertie or Newton's laws of motion but then I realized that a better version already exists on Wikipedia as you can see from the links above and it probably would make sense to make our own as they would probably get the info from there anyway. Perhaps it would be better to make a wiki about the experience of designing creating and testing a class project? In regards to chapter 3 I continue to think about ways to introduce blogging to my students but still have some big concerns. Initially I was thinking of starting small as Richardson recommends and use a blog to post daily assignments and objectives. The more I think about it the less it makes sense though. For one thing I have a schedule where the year is divided up into 5 rotations of about 36 consecutive class days each. I have 6 classes a day and see each group of students for two of the rotations for the year. The rotating nature of the schedule makes it more difficult to use a blog due to its chronological nature as I would end up repeating/rewriting a lot. While I have thought about some workarounds I already tend to pretty time inefficient so I'm not sure that would be the best use of everyone's time. I'll keep thinking about this one and maybe try it with just a couple of classes at first. Can't see how it goes until I start. The other big issue for me is digital safety. It would only take one student posting something inappropriate, accidentally or otherwise, to potentially jeopardize a lot of things I'd rather not jeopardize. I guess I could start by keeping the blog(s) "in house" but in my mind that really runs counter to what blogs an blogging are all about. Still have a lot to think about and work out as far as blogging with students go. Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed.). Corwin Press.
I am convinced that the above
title is an ad slogan (or former one) for some company that I can't think of.
My web searches have turned up nothing so it looks like I may be off track. If
anyone knows if it is actually a slogan, or the correct phrase, please let me
know! I was thinking of the slogan while
reading the first two chapters of our assigned text where the author lays out
his ideas on the "read/write" nature of the web and how that
functionality is now accessible to just about any user. It made me think about
how in response to an age of automation and virtualization a strong
do-it-yourself culture has developed. Whether we are talking about the web and
blogs or YouTube or even MAKE magazine. MAKE is an amazing resource that really
captures the DIY spirit. Before my blog for this class
Twitter was my first and only foray into social media. And it probably doesn’t
fully count as I never actually tweet and really only use it to follow others. I
am really an introvert by nature and just happen to do a job that is heavy on
the people interaction. Students, administrators, parents, department supervisors
and colleagues are just some of the folks you come into contact with on a daily
basis. By the time the end of the day or week rolls around and having gone home
and spent time with my family (two little ones and another on the way) my “interact
with others, virtual or otherwise” account is usually reflecting a negative
balance. Yet our book’s author makes the
case for the power and potential of user created content by challenging educators
to experience it themselves first. Not just by digitizing traditional classroom
assignments but by stretching their own learning and in the process modeling
for their students. Other than my classmates (and professors) blogs the
majority of blogs I have been looking at I’ve found through #edchat on Twitter.
My favorite so far is Will Richarson's . Check it out if you get a chance. Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed.). Corwin Press.
Technology Education in West Hartford currently refers to three groups of standards in our curriculum. The first come from our district standards, the second NET·S and the third refers to those set forth by the International Technology Education Association (ITEA). As I mentioned in a previous post we will be rewriting our curriculum next year and my sense is that we will drop one of the above set of standards (NETS·S or ITEA) and replace it with the Common Career Technical Core (CCTC) which is my area's response to the CCSS (Too many acronyms!). I am thankful that the CCTC exists as the CCSS seems to shoehorn the technology piece in at the end of the document and is too narrowly focused.
I look at NETS·S and NETS·T as each pointing to different sides of the same equation. If you are missing one you will lack the balance needed for creating the optimal learning environment for teaching technology. And with the unique nature of this type of learning making sure the teacher is up to speed is more important than ever.
When I think about new literacies I am reminded of how our class text refers to the internet as the read/write web - it's all about interactivity. A model where information and content (media) is not not just absorbed but created as well. One way that I want to cultivate/develop technological literacies in my classroom, that I have yet to do, is to have students collaborate to create a project or solve a problem via a digital medium/tool. Need to think about how I want to do that and where to insert into a project.
I have been
really looking forward to this class as it covers a lot of topics that I wish I
was teaching my students on a day to day basis. For a number of reasons that is
not the case and I believe this to be to the detriment of my students (see my
second post for more on that). In any event I am looking forward to not just
incorporating many of these tools into my teaching but teaching the students
how to use them to enhance their own learning. And quite frankly I expect to be
learning as much from them if not more. Along those lines I know that many of
my classmates automatically think I am a wiz at this stuff. But while I have
heard of a lot of it, know my way around some of it and given enough time could
figure out much of the other stuff out I still have a lot to learn!
I am
particularly feeling overwhelmed with the amount of tools available to
accomplish just one task. There is a certain amount of upfront time and energy
that needs to be invested to get to a point where you can make an app/web tool
work efficiently and fluidly. Making that investment with something you never
end up using is a waste of precious time. With that said, if I can be of any
help to anyone in class please don’t hesitate to ask!
where they detail
how Eric created an app that helps the speech disabled. Eric was inspired by
his older special-needs sister, and with a little help from his dad, created
the first app of its kind that converts handwriting to speech.
I had Eric as a
student last year and was not overly surprised to hear about this as he is a
whip-smart, compassionate and curious kid. But I couldn't help thinking that
most likely nothing he learned in my class had anything to do with his amazing
app. Not that I wish I personally, or my class, got any credit for its development but I
wondered how many other apps, or ideas for apps, could have been generated as a
result of a unit based on studying and developing them.
You would be hard
pressed to find a middle schooler who doesn't use apps on a daily basis. And
it’s not just middle schoolers, it’s younger children as well. It used to be
that a child’s first language was English or Spanish or Mandarin or some other
spoken language. These days it’s technology. Even before my oldest son could
cobble together a few words to form a rudimentary sentence he could take a
smart phone or tablet, swipe it open, navigate to a desired app and begin to
use it. He’s no power user, or child prodigy, just one of a generation whose
native tongue happens to be technology. Yet I am pretty sure that the word "app" does not appear
anywhere in my curriculum. This is a missed opportunity as these are the kind
of 21st Century skills and real world applications that we educators
are always talking and hearing about these days and looking to incorporate into our teaching.
So what am I
teaching? In one of my classes last week we covered part of my curriculum that deals
with something called the Universal Systems Model. The USM is a diagram that
can be used to analyze how a technology produces a result or output. Is the USM
technology itself? No. Does it relate to the Engineering or Design process? A
little bit I guess. Is it something that my students can use to improve their learning
or increase their digital literacy/citizenship? Not really. Is it something that they
can use to impact their daily life or any other area of learning? I’d say
probably not and would wager that most forget it entirely a few weeks after we
have moved on to a new topic.
To be fair there
are many things which we do that does provide tangible, research supported,
benefits for learners and has nothing to do with social media/learning or
digital literacy. That being primarily the hands on work of designing, creating
and testing real (non-virtual) things such as scale model bridges or co2
powered vehicles. This is a topic I’ll have to save for another post but here
is a compelling article on the subject by philosopher turned motorcycle
mechanic Matthew Crawford:
When computers
first came on to the school scene, Tech Ed (known as Industrial Arts at the
time) to its credit was at the forefront of that movement. Even today, apart
from a library or dedicated computer lab, there are few non-Tech Ed classrooms
that have a full compliment of computers in most middle schools. The mass
adoption and use of computers has revolutionized our world. The next revolution
is underfoot and I am worried that if my discipline does not act quickly we are
going to miss the boat on this one and greatly disservice our students.
My department in the process of preparing for a top to bottom curriculum rewrite
next year and I hope to play a role in convincing my colleagues and supervisors
that we need to rethink everything that we are currently teaching and make sure
we are fully equipping students for success in a digital world as they will need this fluency regardless of
what career they end up pursuing.
