Last week I attended the "Best Practices in Technology" Conference. Like Jillian's Blog, I agree that technology is always inspiring.
There were two feature presenters and a series of breakout speakers.The main speaker was Rem Jackson, who talked about best practices. His link http://www.toppractices.com/library/speaker-rem-jackson-president-and-ceo-top-practices.cfmk .His focus was mostly on the future. He emphasized the potential of technology but was a little science fictional in that he suggested that by 2029 most individuals will be implanted with chips so the computer as we know it won't exist. Maybe it will happen. It seems strange.There was also 19 reasons why change doesn't happen in K-12 Education. There also was a fee. I guess a drawback is that everything seems to have a price.
The other speaker was Rich Halverson, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He spoke of how games can be a positive experience in learning. Exploring digital learning should be a goal of teachers. He shared the link http://www.digitallearning.macfound.org/. Gaming is a way to reach students and improve learning. The main idea is not to be afraid of gaming and its use in the classroom.
In the breakout sections, gaming was a big theme. World of Warcraft game should be used at the high school level. A keyboarding game, Typing of the Dead, (which is a free download) can be used to make learning the keyboarding skill fun. My principal wants me to try it with the junior high. A math game http://www.dimensionm.com/ was suggested. The speaker, a teacher in a Catholic school in the Chicago area, praised it use and how excited the students were using this program.
A strong appeal for the use of games to enhance learning was made at this conference. I like the idea but I am sure some administrators were leery. If these games can reach students when other ways of instruction can't, I believe that educators and administrators have to be open to the possibilities of their use. Like Jillian's idea that Technology is always inspiring, I think the use of technology games can be too.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
My Journey with Technology
When I was a child, technology was almost like science fiction to me. I was raised in a mostly tech free world. I attended grade school,high school, and college with out ever using a computer or seeing a dvd recording. I come from an era of television with only 4 or 5 stations and only one television in the house. I can remember when color television was introduced and the excitement that it caused.
When I went through my training to become a teacher, technology was rarely mentioned. It was mostly referred to as the AV department, which was always kept under lock and key. As I began my teaching, I taught for many years with using the only tech available- films in cannisters that needed to be threaded just right into the projector, and film strips with record players.
As technology evolved, it was mostly up to the individual teacher to introduce it into their classroom. My first computer was a Commodore 64 that I bought at a toy store and brought it to my clasroom for free time. Our school eventually purchased Apple computers with the floppy disks. Carmen San Diego and Oregon trail were used daily.Eventually the school was given PC's but until a few years ago, it was mostly make due with what was donated or bought by the individual teachers.
Today, I teach entirely different than I was taught to teach. I can't imagine life without technology. I try to stress with my students how lucky they are to grow up in the age of technology that is so available. I guess because I was raised with so little technology that the wonder of todays technology still amazes me. I think our students are amazed also. Computers always seem to get their attention. The possibilities for the learning enviroment are endless.
When I think of how my journey in technology began-dial phone,transistor radio, record player,cameras (the odor of burning lights for a flashpicture) black and white television- and where my journey is now-internet, laptops with wireless connection, digital cameras and videos,cell phones,etc.- I realize how far technology has come. The technology journey in education is slower than many have thought but the potential for great things is there. Who could imagine attending college on a computer? My own lifetime journey in technology has brought wonderful changes. Just think what wonderful changes will occur in our students future. I hope they will enjoy and appreciate their journey in technology.
When I went through my training to become a teacher, technology was rarely mentioned. It was mostly referred to as the AV department, which was always kept under lock and key. As I began my teaching, I taught for many years with using the only tech available- films in cannisters that needed to be threaded just right into the projector, and film strips with record players.
As technology evolved, it was mostly up to the individual teacher to introduce it into their classroom. My first computer was a Commodore 64 that I bought at a toy store and brought it to my clasroom for free time. Our school eventually purchased Apple computers with the floppy disks. Carmen San Diego and Oregon trail were used daily.Eventually the school was given PC's but until a few years ago, it was mostly make due with what was donated or bought by the individual teachers.
Today, I teach entirely different than I was taught to teach. I can't imagine life without technology. I try to stress with my students how lucky they are to grow up in the age of technology that is so available. I guess because I was raised with so little technology that the wonder of todays technology still amazes me. I think our students are amazed also. Computers always seem to get their attention. The possibilities for the learning enviroment are endless.
When I think of how my journey in technology began-dial phone,transistor radio, record player,cameras (the odor of burning lights for a flashpicture) black and white television- and where my journey is now-internet, laptops with wireless connection, digital cameras and videos,cell phones,etc.- I realize how far technology has come. The technology journey in education is slower than many have thought but the potential for great things is there. Who could imagine attending college on a computer? My own lifetime journey in technology has brought wonderful changes. Just think what wonderful changes will occur in our students future. I hope they will enjoy and appreciate their journey in technology.
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