ISTE 2011



I am very pleased and excited to be able to attend ISTE this year.  My school district is allowing me to attend and learn for the full 3 days!  By paying my entrance fee I also receive a membership to ISTE which I think will definitely be useful as an educator and instructional tech student. 

If anyone has any conference suggestions, those of you that have attended please let me know.  It will be nice to have some of the techies from my district with me to explore the conference.  The site claims that the exhibitors will be linked to the national standards, which ISTE seems to call NETS.  I know New Jersey has their 21st Century Skills that they have created to incorporate technology, but I am interested in seeing how they compare with the national standards.  Overall, most people say that New Jersey school systems are above most of the other states when it comes to education, it will be interesting to see how my curriculum and what I am learning at Stockton is represented at ISTE and what we can continue to add to since we all know how mailable tech ed can be!

Welcome to the classroom, I am your personal learning concierge.

I was watching the PLN video posted for our Intro class today and I love the concept of not being the teacher, the sage on the stage, the know-it-all, but instead your personal learning concierge.  I like it so much I may have to make a poster and put it in my classroom.  It's such an amazing concept.  I am not here to book your room, brush your teeth, deliver you room service, or turn down your bed, but I can help you get those things done.

Between this video and Tolis' (if you haven't seen it, check out his blog), its so much more apparent that we need to change the way we educate.  I know its not going to happen over night, but I hope it will come soon.  I don't arrange my classroom in the typical row by row style, I use technology as much as possible, but I still feel like I am not doing enough sometimes.  It's hard to accomplish everything we have to do in a day.  Like I love the idea of using the RSS feed and I have set this up, but its hard to read everything, everyday.  I like some of the suggestions I found when searching about PLN's on Google, but please comment if you have a way you keep up to date with all the web info without going on information overload!

Not enough hours in the day...

With all the things going on in our professional and personal lives its hard to keep track of everything!  I liked Tolis' idea to cross things off on our course syllabus, but I still feel like my to do list is outnumbered by the things I need to cross off.  I thought my smartphone would help me keep better track of my life and schedule, but I don't have the time to put everything on my calander. 

The amount of paperwork teachers are required to keep, along with all the things we have to keep track of leads to a mess.  I think of that Free Credit Score commercial.  Check the weather, check your mail...check, check, check.  Couldn't it all be located in one place???  There has to be a way to streamline somethings.  I am alway looking for new ways to keep organized.  I even had a student this week thank me for keeping things in the classroom organized, but I didn't tell her how disorganized I feel. 

Somethings that keep me organized are the TeacherWorks program that came with my textbook series.  It has all the resources and lesson plans in one place.  I keep my students organized by using a Google Site with all their assignments and resources.  One way I keep all my favorite websites organized is by using a Delicious account.  I can access my sites on any computer by signing in, and on my laptop the Delicious toolbar keeps them right at the top of my screen, right at my fingertips.  It reminds me of things I wanted to go back to at another time and things I wanted to share with family or colleagues. 

I am always on the look out for new tools to keep organized, if you have any feel free to post!

Star Wars

This weeks challenges were time...seems as if there is never enough!!! I seemed to find a way to make it through. As a teacher it just always seems that there is so much to accomplish in a day and prioritizing can be difficult.

This week in class we attended a workshop at the ETTC in Mays Landing on SmartBoards. I always enjoy going there because I learn something new everytime. In my district we decided to go with RM Easiteach software for our interactive whiteboards. I know that a major factor was price and the fact that it had been used by another grant program in our district. The frustrating part was that Smart Notebook offers alot more as far as curriculum templates compared to Easiteach. I'm trying to embrace Easiteach, what made it easier is the fact that they just came out with a new version that includes flash, so the features are more interactive. Also, I learned on Friday that we might be able to purchase the Smart Notebook as a replacement for Easiteach.



We have a long way to go in my district, and myself personally with feeling comfortable putting the technology in the students hands, but hopefully either way we go with Smart or Easiteach we will see increased student driven learning.

NJAET Conference - Little Aha for the buck

I attended the NJAET conference yesterday at Georgian Court University.  I was excited to attend the conference based on the workshop discriptions they provided.  After registering, it was difficult to find more information about the event, like the times and exact location on campus.  This was extremely frustrating.  Sadly, this was only the beginning of the let down.

Upon arrival you could only register for on hand on workshop.  Also, the wireless connection didn't work and the labs were over booked with students of the college using the lab while the workshops were going on.  The highlight of this otherwise dark day was one session I attended with Dr. Jung Lee.  Using technology for higher order thinking applications was very informative and made me look at technology in a different way.  She gave examples of digital storytelling, Comic Life, and even different ways to use PowerPoint. 

I'm IPhone obsessed

I never considered myself a gadget guru, or one drawn to techie type goodies.  Every since I started this grad class, Intro to Instructional Technology, I sense my love of technology has increased.  It happened to be that this past week I was in the market for a new cell phone.  Knowing that a smart phone would be an easy way to keep track of my life, I decided to cross over and pay the monthly data charges, thus bringing myself fully aboard the 21st century. 

When looking for a phone I considered a Blackberry, or other smartphone, but then the sales clerk brought me to the new Iphone 4.  The light shined down upon the display and the music began playing.  I was in love!  Looking at all the apps that could bring value to my life, I knew that this was the way to go.  Everything was finally in one place, email, internet, texting, phone, even Skype.  

There were so many instances when the phone came in handy this week.   A group mate sent me an article she found on our project, I was out and about, but still able to view the pdf and text my thanks.  The article ended up being useful to our project.  I also was able to Skype my professor on my phone, which was so convienent.  If this is a useful tool for a grad student, why aren't similar devices used more often in education.

There are so many apps that are useful.  I've also seen cell phone polls used at the NJEA convention to answer questions on a lecture.  Why do we tell students to power down?



Working in the Cloud

This weeks noteable moments included a minor disaster between myself and my project group member Sandy.  We decided to present our project using a Prezi. It's a web based presentation tool, which I am sure some of you know.  I had added my content to the Prezi and shared the link with Sandy and Brandi, but once Sandy went to edit for her content the Prezi went Poof!  Gone into the cloud it was! 

Sandy emailed Prezi, but occuring on a weekend I'm sure that the interns didn't get a look at it until this morning.  It makes one wonder what happens to this stuff when the Web gods decide to take our stuff away to the land of no return.  We troubleshooted the problem by redoing the Prezi and both saving a copy, but it makes me worry a little about Wednesday, hoping that the Web gods shine down on us that evening!

Wondering what Web 3.0 has in store for us, maybe some solutions.

New Opportunities

This week a co-worker of mine showed me a newsletter from the state Social Studies association.  In the publication was an opportunity to participate in a grant program at Princeton University on East Asian studies for world history teachers.  Over the summer I participated in the Teaching American History program which provided a wealth of resources, a trip to Washington, DC, and some much needed summer funding for my wallet. 

Bottom line there's many opportunities out there to help teachers, we just have to go get them.  One professor of mine recommended when I was completing my education course work that we all join as many professional associations as possible.  I didn't get around to doing it until recently, but it has enriched my teaching experience.  There's a great one for technology in NJ and they send you newsletters with tech updates.  They are having a conference in October, which I hope to attend.  Check it out!



New Challenges

This week was full of new challenges both for myself as a teacher, but also as a new graduate student.  One event I think best sums up the feeling of the week.  I met the daughter of an old elementary school friend.  She is a 7th grader in my building.  I couldn't believe that I was old enough to teach my friend's daughter!  Where has all the time gone?  It reminds me of how much I have to accomplish over the semester and the goals that I hope to succeed at with my students by June.

Being a teacher is definitely a demanding job.  As an undergrad, one of the first classes I took in the Education department was called Schools and Communities.  Our first class the professor gave us a help wanted ad to look at.  It was looking for a nurse, confidant, cheerleader, listener, etc. to work with children.  It was an ad looking for an educator, and I think often of it because it reminds me of all the hats I have to wear at school.  Those roles are part of the job, but certainly not the reason I became an educator.  I am chasing the "light bulb" moment.  I live for when a student of mine learns something for the first time. 

This year our 6th graders are taking part of a 1-1 laptop program.  The challenge has been the time spent in class getting them comfortable with the technology which is taking away from the curriculum.  I try to tell myself that by the end of the year they will have come so far, but will I have actually taught them anything about history?  And is that okay if I don't?  Another concern is that as much planning as we did do to prepare for this initiative, it was impossible to prepare for everything.  Keeping the teachers on the same page when it comes to keeping common procedures to maintain safety and order has raised many issues.  This week students were changing security settings to personalize their netbook desktop with personal pictures because a teacher told them it was okay to do it!  I hope that the technology will enable me to increase the "light bulb" moments after we sort out these issues. I like to stay positive and hope that with time the challenges will bring major rewards.

As a student this week I was able to have my first experience with a completely virtual classroom!  I was concerned about not being able to submit assignments correctly on Blackboard and getting into the classroom itself (Wimba), but it turns out that I was completely competent.  I also realized that I need to be more open to guiding my own learning and working more independently.  I guess that by growing personally as a student,  I will be able to allow my students to grow in new ways too.  If you don't know anything about 1-1 initiatives, check out Maine's Technology Initiative for 7th and 8th grade students.

INTC 5001

Welcome to my blog, TechDaze.  I am excited about the opportunities presented for collaboration and learning through the Intro IT class.  I started this blog to track my journey from a tech confused teacher to a tech savvy teacher.  My school applied for and won a state grant TALENT 21 that allowed us to start a 1-1 laptop initiative with all of our 6th Grade students. 

I am a member of the school planning team and started to see the importance of technology in the classroom.  I hope to bring new skills to not only my students, but also my colleagues.  In the future, I hope to be a leader in Instructional Technology. 

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Ahh.....Working Together

Trying to get back into the blog groove. It have been a busy summer...Teaching American History for two weeks, Talent 21 training with IDE at school, and last but not least writing curriculum for Talent 21. 

Using technology has been troubling.  Google Docs and Sites doesn't save changes, or accidentally gets erased.  How will our students handle this?  Well isn't it a life lesson?  Always back things up.  Thankfully those of us working on curriculum had saved somethings onto a Word doc, but its definitely challenging.  Especially to those who are not tech savvy.  One problem and boom, they shut down (Just like the kids!). 

Everyone seems to keep forgetting that this is a learning process, a journey, not a race.  We have to go through these pot holes to end at our destination.  Now at least I know what to say to the kids when they are working and things get lost.  Attitudes are also an issue, people lose site of the outcome and the positive. I feel like a cheerleader most days reminding people to keep their eyes on the prize!  Teachers, I know were overwork, bogged down by paperwork, and give away free time too often, but remember what makes you awesome, the positive affect you have on your students.

We are charting new waters here, just like Columbus, we might think that we're headed to Asia, but land in America.  Is that so bad??  If you Google ,Problem Based Learning or Technology Integration, tons of information will come up, but not much, especially cross curricular, that actually shows you how to put these things into practice in your classroom, let alone school wide.  We have the opportunity to create something new here.  Thematically, we have already decided on "Going Green", but it's up to the students to decide how to go about it.  We, as teachers, will ultimately decide how technology will enable them to do this.  If your not comfortable with Web 2.0, yes you should start trying to be, but this doesn't mean that you have to be creating Wikis or blogging about every lesson and unit in your classroom.  Pick one that you think really lends itself to technology.  My first unit on primary sources and map skills does so, so I decided to embrace it and embark on a journey with my students.  I have learned many skills, but am prepared to learn many more at the hands of my 6th graders.  Will next year be easier? Yes.  Will next year be different because by then who knows it could be Web 3.0?  Probably.  But times are a changing and if we don't choose a path, we may just be left behind.

Springfield Schools - 5/11/10

Well, it was amazing, but just lead to more uncertainty.  Will our school stand up to this??????  The school building itself is not much to look at, old, but clean.  The learning inside was really the focus and emphasis.  It was interesting to see the difference in priorities.  Just like people...some are concerned with the glitz and glamour of the outer shell, while others focus on their inner self.  There has to be some type of balance and this school was all about the inner self.

It was inspiring to see kids in the hallway working on laptops, every student engaged, working, and learning.  The Director of Technology, Principal and Superintendent were so hospitable, welcoming, and helpful!!!  (Thanks!!)  Their words of wisdom were scary, but not in the way you would think.  The biggest thing that I took away from today was trust.  If you don't have trust between administrators-staff, staff-students, students-staff, etc., it won't work.  Yes, boys will look at inappropriate material, girls will cyberbully, but it is the MINORITY, not the majority.  What happens???  Same thing that happens to the kid who writes abusive language on the desk, disciplinary action.

Second to truth was to have a paradigm shift.  Students are encouraged through character education to take responsibility for the laptops and produce programs to support anti-cyberbullying.  It is ingrained in their culture.  Best of all, kids in one Civics class were actually making presentations based on laws they are recommending to their city, county, and state governments.  It was problem-based learning in action, and isn't that the goal???  We want to make kids ready for the workplace, they need to be problem solvers, not problem creators. (Like when the cash register doesn't work and tell them the exact change :o) Problems are changing and kids need to be able to use multimedia and other methods to show their talents. (If only state testing would allow that!) 

Our last concern was money and PD that allows for teacher application in the classroom.  I am going to push for time in our own rooms to make things work for us, not in a computer lab at a workshop.  Springfield said that their teachers translated what they had learned best when they learned at home and hands on.  Also, note to self: changing computer lab rooms into presentation rooms????  --they had some rooms that weren't being used, I thought it would be a great idea, like a conference room / multimedia room where kids could present their work or projects. 

I hope to start posting some sites that I find helpful soon!!!

School Visit

Tomorrow should prove to be an exciting day.  Visting a school in Union County, NJ that has used a 1-to-1 laptop program for 6 years!  It's overwhelming all the things administrators, teachers, tech coordinators, and curriculum supervisors have to think of to prepare for this grant.  Professional development days have also been coming together.  Teachers will be taught basic feed and care, interactive whiteboards, video conferencing, and all the Web 2.0 tools to succeed with 21st century learners. 

The taxing part is preparing for disaster, what if camera's are used at inappropriate times, what if illegal file sharing programs are downloaded, etc. What if...what if...what if.  Hopefully the school we visit tomorrow will have some answers.

And so it begins...

I wanted a way to track my journey over the next year or so through the triumphs and defeats of trying to become a 21st century minded educator. I want to remember the highs and the lows and have a way for people to comment as well as share suggestions or ideas. Thus, in the spirit of being dare I say "techy", I decided on a blog.

I am an educator in a diverse New Jersey public school, who with some luck in this state crisis of budget was lucky enough to be part of a team of people who won a grant to provide our students with a 1-to-1 laptop program. We are beginning the stages of implementation and I noticed quickly the backlash rising against technology and changing the way we educate students today.

I will share any cool resources, along with stories of how the process is going. Hopefully, this will inspire people to join the cause and face the challenge before us. A pencil and book will not be the only way we can prepare our students for success in the world. I am just as guilty of using the old methods and the scary part is I recently graduated from an accredited teaching program, but my hope is to come out a better technologically advanced educator, able to provide real resources and implementation. That's the goal and the dream on the journey through all this technology daze.