Oh. My.

This has been one of the tougher parts of my career. Usually, that eleven weeks after thanksgiving into Christmas is tough.

Add a baby into the mix, then.

Then, add a crazy need to train and run.

I'm freaking tired, man.

Then I read this, and it almost all goes away.

Almost.

Merry Christmas.

Like ... duh .... !

I've often wondered what was the difference between learning at home and learning with a teacher. I mean, there are people out there who want the really expensive Educational System to just go away so they can stop paying taxes for it to run.

And so, with that idea in mind, I clicked on this article and was pleasantly surprised to read it.

and I thought it was funny that GWB supported NASA more that Obama has:


also saw this picture and thought it was cool.

Now ... why didn't I think of this?

Seems Ahnold has beaten me, yet again.

State wide PD ... on iTunes. The entire State of California Department of Education has their own section of iTunes ... it's been up for at least five months, and I ain't never heard of it.

M'eh. Whatever... now that I have ... holy SNAP some of it looks good.

Hmmm... Facebook anyone?

I can make money doing this

I can make money doing a blog? Awesomesauce.

'nuff said

here's what I 'm thinking this morning:

A story and an idea

Ok, so here's the story's link.

Seem there are businesses out there that want the students to graduate with technical knowledge ... but as seen in that "Did you Know video from years gone by ... by the time they graduate, engineer's knowledge is out of date.

But here's the thing: it's the skills, dummy.

I know that good writing is good writing. I also know that good basketball skills are good basketball skills. Any skill can be learned, as any computer language can, too.

Since I know that a lot of my students are in front of Facebook for like six hours a day, seems to me that they should be pretty good at Edmodo. I want to become better at it then they are .. and so, this is what I'm doing about it...

"Another thing"

I hated it when my rugby coach would try to interrupt training to explain something - and then would send us back to continue training, then ... stop us again with "Another thing"...

anyway, I was reading on the interwebs this morning and came across this post about teaching the same book to an entire class and .... why that is just freaking wrong.

Hmmmmm.... I do it because it is something that I always have just done.

Some interesting points about not generating a class of readers, a class on thinkers .... might be interesting to combine that and blogging in the classroom.

Interesting.

I also came across the Chicago Public Radio website which puts stories on the web. I'm currently listening to "Tell Tale Heart"; done well, too.

Something to think about

I got an email from the provincial part of my union about doing some collaborative learning with some of the people with whom I teach. It sounds good, seriously.

I need to put some time towards some sort of learning objective - starting with the end in mind ... or perhaps starting with the start and I'll just keep going - I dunno. The fact is that I want to learn stuff - do some active research and come up with something that I can use to further my own learning and my own education and my own career.

But ... what?

I did get this article emailed to me about Pro Dev. I know I liked being exposed to various parts of the Interwebs with the "Travels" thingy - but what's next?

What's my "Travels 2.0"?

Certainly, I'm thinking that as a "Learning Object", an idea like this is what I am thinking about.



Or getting something together like this:

Virtual Learning Certification

Idaho is thinking about getting some teachers additional qualifications to make sure people know how to teach online courses.

Now, I've done a few online courses, with some success and a few "Didn't quite make its" (aka failures) so I have to weigh in on this idea:

It's a good idea.

The second type of course I've done (ie the "Didn't quite make it" ones) were my fault. I acknowledge my failure to complete a few online courses in my time. However, I've also had help. Seriously. Teaching online is an art more than a science, just like teaching in a regular classroom. Getting help to be a better teacher isn't a sign of being incompetent, I believe: on the contrary it is a sign that you want to become better.

So, this is better.

I know that Nippising University offers an AQ in online learning. This is not the year for me to start another online University level course, but I think with some of the stuff I'm doing with my various classes, I might just become better at it anyway. I'm kinda hoping the Travels in eDucation happens again.

As I am thinking and editing this post, it occours to me that I started as an online teacher, rather badly judging from the results I have recently re-read. I've gained some experience and gotten better. At least I think.

One wonders, and hopes.

Here's a bunch more teacher blogs I just got emailed to me ...

I thought Idaho was the potato capital of the USA. Who knew?

I'm still wishing

I'm thinking this post will be read some time next week .. in the meantime, you can read all ahout a Personal Learning Network and why they are important .....

I wish

I wish I was still on vacation, but I'm really busy at the moment.

I found this online and wanted to park it here, so that I might work with it later.

Resources for teachers.

oh, and this post from Edutopia, too.

I'm cool, my mom still says so.

21 things that will become obsolete in the 21st Century

I'm still getting the CEC newsletter. It's awesome, both from the interesting stuff that comes across my email box in the morning and also because of some of the people that think about Education non-stop.

This post about 21 things that will become obsolete in the 21st Century is such a post. I read it, and was like, "whoa".

A lot of faith being put into hand held technologies, a lot of faith being put into the good nature of parents. I mean, if parents are able to contact a teacher 24/7, when am I not a teacher?

But I do I like the idea of going paperless. I did try that this summer, and worked with a few glitches here and there. I'm always someone who wants a plan B for assignments coming in.

There's so much there, but, alas, I am going to have to get into a new school year. Enjoy!

Something else to ponder

Sustain silent reading, drop everything and read, Scaffolding Silent Reading .... hmm I can't seem to think of any more cute little names for it at the moment ... but it is that time during the day that a teacher opens the door to students to choose something to read and let's them read.

I actually read during that time. In my classroom, I usually pick the newspaper. A good number of my students do the same. But now, I'm wondering if that was such an awesome idea, or reworded, I'm wondering if there is something better.

Article here, and a website with really bad design but good info here. And another one here.

Uggh. Going back

Before you start singing that awful "Best time of the year" song from the Staples commercial, let me just say one thing:

I finished my Spec Ed II course. That was a lot of stuff to do in a very short period of time. What the heck was I thinking?

I've got a lot of basement and garage to clean up over the next few days: still recovering from splitting my head open during a rugby game in Peterborough and thinking a ot about what it is going to be like having a little boy running around the house... ;)

and then this article pops up and makes me take a good look at what I do in the classroom.

And this article about the GPS info being read by other computers scares me.

And then there is this article about using Google's Forms in a classroom. Interesting.


Uggh. School.

oh, man Summer

So, Summer school is going ... well, I guess it is going. I'm trying to make the best of it, but it's hard. This is my tenth year teaching summer school ... and I've be a teacher for ten years.

Uggh. I hate paying bills.

Anyways .... I was getting though stuff today - taking stuff off of my to do list ... and I found something I want to do to end this session:



This is so me.

Didn't win, still cool

Well the draw was held ... and I didn't win.




But, even though I didn't "Win" I still think I got a lot out of doing this.

Whoa, cool

One of the things that I am doing is an online course at the moment.

I am doing the Spec Ed III; as a part of that I signed up for daily email from the Centre for Exceptional Children. I got this post today:

Arizona State Launching launching online learning credentials.

Whoa.

Feedback and Reflection on applying tech 2.0 in my room

You know, I'm pretty sure I'm hooked.

Not sure I've done "everything everything" for this E-ducation journey, but here is the list.

One - blogging

This I am doing - it's whether the people that need to read it are reading it. I kept a blog for my Phys Ed class. I am keeping a blog for the team I am coaching in Burlington. None of the posts have been read my my athletes. They just don't "do" that. Some adults, not the target audience, have been reading the blog.

Two - Commenting
I have commented on the blogs that people have come from to comment on my blog. I don't think there were too many people who went out and made comments on other blogs. This might be a thing to work on for next time - but as it was, I think that most did not do very much for this Journey.

Three Pictures
I have used Picasa and looked at shots on Flickr since we started this journey. My current blogs are filled with images that I own the copyright to, or are from Picasa. That was really useful. onestly, that is something I will continue to use.




Four Streaming Video
I recorded a short video with my daughter and posted it here. Rather hilarious. Then I saw the Youtube video on how to stream video to my blog. That was really helpful. Of course, I got it from the E-ducation blog, and that just worked for me.

Five Podcasting
I did play a bit with Audacity - but I've not yet used that in my classroom. As I sit and write this, I am getting a few ideas about how I might sneak it into my classroom, but alas, I'm merely thinking off the cuff.

Recording them reciting a poem? What about posting an MP3 file of them giving advice to Holden Caufield. What about thinking out loud about connections between Lennie Small and Wille Loman? I mean ..that's just in English. What about trying to recite a prayer for their World Religions assignment. Or getting them to use Premier to have someone else read it to them.

Finally, I just want to have it noted that I have been listening and promoting podcasts in my classroom for a while - I like them, especially since they are free and are quite entertaining and educational at times. I have a lot of episodes on my iPod Touch.

Six Adobe Connect
I didn't get Skype to work. Nothing I did seemed to make that item move forward. Would be nice to talk to my buddy in China, but beyond that, I'm just not sure about that piece of technology. However, Creative Commons and Picasa were and are continuing to be awesome free pieces of the web to integrate into my teaching.

I did peek at Creative Commons, but not enough for me to take credit with having completed it 100%

Seven Wikis
I did some of this through what ever it was ... setting up a party, I think. There were two or three of us that completed this. I think I got it done some time in March. April was a disaster for me, and I really don't want to think about it much. Could I see myself doing a wiki for a class ... I don't know. Certainly I can see myself do basically what some are doing in the online courses I've done in the past:

"I like that idea. Genius.' or 'Thanks for the idea."

I mean not very helpful thoughts, merely something online to demonstrate that they are putting forth an effort to pass the class.

Eight Social Networks.
I Facebook, I twitter. I use Facebook to contact people about rugby, special education, alternative learning and strength and conditioning ideas. I've gotten through some tough times by reaching out to people that helped through Facebook. I've gotten some great ideas for blog posts and other ideas I've used via Twitter.

Nine Productivity Tools
I think I did this one, too. Not sure. I did set up a yahoo account so that I could "doodle", although by this point I have not yet done so. I did have the Board's Assistive Technology person in my school and I did a "Wordle" ... but I know that has nothing to do with this. ;) it just sounds cool.

Ten Bookmarking/tagging
I did this today, while my class was working on their blogs. Well, I was checking on them, both virtually and physically moving around the class ... they were watching the world cup game. Meh, tick, tick, tick....

Eleven RSS feeds
This I have done int he past, and it is just too much information coming down the pipe at me, and so shut it off. Too many links to too many websites for me to function properly in a classroom setting. It'd be awesome if the internet didn't work this way. I find it hard enough to keep up with my Twitter and Facebook accounts. RSS feeds, no thanks. To me, it's like Twitter on amphetamines.

Twelve Blogging/Feedack

I thought this was a useful experience. I am using the ideas, strategies and tactics I learned during this Journey in my classroom already. I feel that I will need to learn by doing from now on - I can't have Scott and Regan breathing down my neck every day.

I think that I was successful in not only learning how to blog, but taking it at least one step further towards integrating it into my classroom. If you are interested, I can send you some links to the pages of my students. Overall, though, I think you need to run something like this again.

Similar would work - bringing us to different schools once a month for "catch up" sessions might be helpful. I say maybe once a month, as teaching is already stressful enough, but never just lets people be lazy and not accountable. If people knew they had to get something done before meeting with everyone, they'd be more likely to do it. Another suggestion would be to get some sort of "Technology Champion" in each school - someone not a Computer Teacher- who can make all the buttons go "Bling" and stuff.

If you run it again, I'd like to do this course again.... I liked the learning.

Cool

I got an email from my boss about social networking today - a cool link that I am training around the interwebs this monring, as I get other work done, too.

Then I come across this video of how a student in Grade 7 is using technology to help her learning:




Man, that is a clever little kid. Kinda makes me want to teach her...;)

Oh, man

OK, so I'm still not sure if I have done everything for this e-ducation thing, but I know that I have certainly had a sip or two of the Kool-Aid:

I'm using facebook to get into better shape, making friends with Strength and Conditioning coaches, literally across the planet. I'm still considering going to Columbus next week for the Wordpress conference, but I'm pretty sure rugby will win out. I'm also going to be putting together a blog for my online class for Special Education, part three I just started last week - due date is the middle of August. I'm now making my current Grade 12 English class blog their Culminating Activity/Final Assessment, going to see if my summer school 4U class can do the same, keeping another blog for the rugby team I coach in the summer and now I read this:

Internet team building ... for 25 bucks for the download.

I was telling my dad (a retired teacher) about all of this, and his one reply was that he wasn't sure he'd pass my class. I did explain to him that I'd be there for him if he wanted to try Secondary school English again, but I'm pretty sure he'd at least pass it....

Learning in Hand

I'm in the middle of something - literally. I'm learning. I'm trying to learn like my students learn. The Literacy Interant is going on about this article in the Spec from a few years ago.

It's awesome to think that the iPod Touch can be used to help to teach. To reinforce the learning that I am doing - that my students should be doing. (I'm at my school, in the computer lab as I am doing this. I just walked by my classroom with my students in there - one guy is STILL on facebook and Youtube, even though I know he shouldn't be there. He needs to be doing my homework)

That Preimier can be used to speak and record any text - and I need to find out other voices online tonight while at home, on my own network. I also got a chance to use Wordle ( See above pic for proof). Nice stuff.

But the Project Gutenberg and Librivox is the thing that is awesome. I recall thinking that I could use the combination of Premier and Project Gutenberg to pound down some reading for free on the way to work. And if I can do it, everyone can. Cheaply.

Streaming da vids

OK, I admit it. I've gotten a little off track on this blog.

I think I went a little crazy with the looking around the internet, the trying to express stuff through which I was wondering out loud how to get stuff done.

Ya know, I am only hooman.

In any case, here is a streaming video, one version of which started my off on my road to where I am now. I follow Karl Fisch's blog these days, and he's the one that put together the now famous "Did You Know" presentation:





I mean, it's good. This particular version has not quite got the same feel as the one which I was presented first, three years ago. But it was something that set ideas in my head. Teaching is running the risk of losing a whole number of students if we do not get on board. Older teachers, me included, have to keep sharpening skills in order to keep the learning going forward.

I know what Marva Collins would say; I know what my dad (a man with a similar length of time spent in a classroom) would say: technology will never replace a teacher, or motivated students.

But, what about the ones I need to suck into learning, as unwilling as they are? What if I have to get them to learn Shakespeare through blogging about it? Or tweeting about it?

Hmmm?

Interwebs, again?

Well, I have been suffering a good deal from "double Burnout" - that feeling after getting through a tough part of the year, wherein a lot of you free time is sucked out of you by, well, working.

And now, I am working on my annual learning plan. That is, I made a concerted effort to find ways to integrate technology into my classroom. And I found something "new" ... at least, new to me.

In a word, "Wordpress".

One of my buddies swears by it. I'd like to sit with him, but he's in Vancouver. And he runs his own "bid'ness", and really can't spare the time to sit with me. (as an aside here, I will be sitting with the Ontario Blues tech support dude learning how to use "Dartfish" the first week of June. That should be cool, man. Fo' sho.

But back to the "Wordpress camp" in Ohio this June. Seriously. That would be above and beyond the call of this e-ducation thing, right?

Right?

That it is for people trying to make money off of their blogs and writing for the interwebs is not the point. That I could take students to the "next level" (I HATE that cliche) and get them the skills they need to thrive in an electronic/digital environment is the point. Schools are here to provide help with that.

Right?

the Interwebs is at it again

So ... I'm a reader. I like to read, well, just about anything. I like to consider myself a fairly intelligent person, and I worry about a lot of stuff.

Especially what goes on online. In the most recent version of Canadian Teacher, it has an article about Managing Teacher/Student relationships Online. It's a good read. Take the time to download it, perhaps even print it off and share with your staff. One of the suggestions was Edmodo and another was Hotchalk.

I dunno, they both look pretty good. I set up a blog for my current class; last week my students set up their own blogs while on school property; most are just confused at what they will be doing with it, but others are merely frightened. I seem to be a mad scientist to them, as I am able to type semi-quickly on a "real" keyboard and do all the "gammar things" and "editing stuff" at the same time. (I was teaching "how to write an essay" on a smart board the other day ... I love my MacBook.)

To make a long post short, I'm wondering about summer school - about how much more "resonance" I can generate if I decide to use one of these online tools. By extension, how much more effeicent could I be in my real school if I have my students able to intereact with me both in real life and after hours?

What does that mean to me as a person? Do I ever get to not be a teacher? Will I set the precedent and make my fellow teacher, some of whom are not nearly as technically literate as I, do something against their better judgement and try and join me online, without knowing excatly what they should be donig?

For that matter, what should I be doing?

And what about malicious people? How afraid should I be of a student who has just failed my class (or test) and dcides to try and ruin my (digital) reputation? Would my life, filled with mortgage payments, car payments, day care payments and so on, be put at risk so that I can try to teach better?

Would people (the media?) be ready to forgive a teacher whose account was hacked into, but cannot prove it, other than to rely on a reputation ... which is basically information that might be also maliciously messed with? Would my School Board?

I am trying to think through this myself - certainly the article from Canadian Teacher is a good place to start in order to learn how to protect myself. I am thinking about Edmodo and HotChalk this week. But I'm not sure how it is all going to work out.

Please remember.... there is no delete button on the Internet.

What was I thinking?

Uugh.

Started my Spec Ed III online this morning. Goes until Aug 13.

What was I thinking?

I'm up too early today - and it's 8:30 already.

Man, it's like I want to start using technology to further my career or something. Take advantage of what it is that I have in my hands and make stuff happen for myself. Something about taking charge of my life ... yadda, yadda, yadda.

Hmmm .... I need some inspiration.

Oooh, the interwebs are giving me ideas

Ok, I have been doing an awful lot of other stuff: finishing my double, setting up a clinic for rugby in Burlington, recovering from two huge blisters and generally turing myself back from a mumbling idiot to a good reader again.

I found out today I've got a dozen books waiting for me at the library. I'm currently ripping a copy of Food Inc, as I have to return it today.

On top of that, I run into this: A page for teachers who want to volunteer overseas. I could even caoch rugby. That'd be awesome.

Hmmmmmm.

The next step

Ok, I have not been the best blogger for this particular blog.

I have, however, been blogging elsewhere.

and I am going to make my class use blogs to further their own learning in the next six weeks course I teach.

I've also been reading online about how else to use blogs, why to use them and to make them a part of my Pro Dev.

How will I make it a part of their mark?

It will be integrated into what it is that we do in the classroom. Class Portal is also something I am finding useful. But Blogger.com being free and easy to use is what I want to continue to learn by and with.

Why?

Well, one of the first "Short Pieces" in my Short Story Unit will be "How to make money with a blog". Heck, I might even make it a web quest.

In any case, at a staff meeting, I let my fellow staff members know about the results from my Health for Life course blogging results. It worked well, but using blogs was more of a survival technique than anything else.

I mean I had to come up with a way to teach students healthy choices about physical education while in a computer lab. What else are we going to do?

Here is a few of the links to go and see for yourself:

Student One
Student Two
Student Three

and someone who was less than finished when the course ended.

As you can read, there was some really good work being done. I was impressed. So much so that I want to continue to use blogging in my classroom. There is always the question of facilities and whether or not it was a useful learning tool. But, I think, on the whole, blogging is a good way to learn literacy, technology and perhaps take on a career.

Or it could be just about keeping my students off of facebook. ;)

The future : facebook, dope and Ferris Bueller

Well, are we there yet?

I have to ask. As I may have posted already, I taught the story "The Fun they Had", by Issac Assimov, in the last few weeks. I'm wondering if we are there yet.

In a rather unique twist on the story, a prof is now outsourcing the marking of his papers to a company he runs in India. Now, it seems, not only are your Pizza orders taken in India, so are your technical support questions and marking your papers.

On the whole, this to me seems rather foolish. Why get others to mark the papers you should be marking? Why do that? Laziness is too easy an answer. Perhaps time demands. Perhaps an aversion to the bone crushing repetitiveness of all that marking. (I mean how many times CAN you circle simple spelling errors before lunacy begins?)

What's worse is the "gasp" students on Facebook during university lectures. How is that worse? Well, try paying for the honour of sitting in that lecture hall, then tell me facebook is worth it. Honest to God, who the heck does that? Why spend the money to get into University, to take the time to go to class and then not pay attention?

Now try teaching a Phys Ed class in a computer lab with the idea that I am a Kinkos and a free Internet Service Provider. Judging by what I am seeing, that is some students' perception of my school. (Who needs five print offs of one newspaper article? Who needs twenty copies of their own resume?)

Whatever.

I was speaking to several fellow teachers about their student-teachers in the past few weeks. (I've never had one, not sure if I'd like one, as you'll read in a second) Seems this student-teacher in a grade one class was on her last day. Had pencils to give out to the students and then asked the supervising teacher if she should leave them dull or sharpen them.

As I was being told this, I wondered out loud "Who the hell cares?"

Which was exactly what the supervising teacher let out, too. A little snarky perhaps, but that is what is happening in the future world of teachers.

Someone else I know had to repeatedly speak to the student teacher to go and meet the students, go and talk to them. Find out their names, things like that. Things that I try and do one the first few days of class. On the last day of a five week placement, being quizzed about children's names, got three correct.

Why? Why do that? Why make all the effort to get into a classroom and then do nothing but waste that opportunity on facebook, being unprepared or not having the decency to think for yourself and take the lead?

I think I am preaching to the converted here, but man I'm seeing more and more slacktivism, morons preaching marijuana and just plain Ferris Buellers in the classrooms.

And I don't think it's harmless.

Have wiki, have FB down pat ... twitter not so much

* If you are either an avid or a first time user, what surprised or continues to surprise you about the experience?

Well, I am amazed at how addicted some of the people at my school are to facebook. For real. I have personally born witness to people spending literally hours virtually farming and chatting about literally nothing. Seriously.

Me? This is the second year I will use facebook to run my u18 rugby team with the Burlington Centaurs Rugby Club. Most of the guys are already on it; I seem to be the only adult some are friends with, and certainly very few coaches that seem to use Facebook to help.

* What potential can you see in social networks for education?

For education... hmm.. well, if you can get the students chatting about something relevant, that is a good thing, I guess. "Literacy across the curriculum" or something like that. I have joined a few groups (and prompt quit them) that appeared to be teacher run discussions of novels I like to teach. In the end, the groups were dead (ie no longer functioning) or just places where students got together to complain. That may change, I'm not sure.

I have taken a few online courses in the past; I have not tried to contact my fellow students outside the University websites. Perhaps I might try to contact fellow online students through facebook at the end of the month, as that is when I start my Spec Ed III. I'm thinking University aged students might make better use of Facebook than the high school students around me. Then again, I'm sure Uni students can make better use of a library than HS students, too...

* What are some of the potential concerns?
Privacy, of course. I mean, you never stop being a teacher and that is the legal fact. If you do something really stupid, like drinking and driving, even if it is July or on Christmas vacation, the headlines will read "Teacher caught." You never stop being a teacher, and that includes all the online stuff we (I) do.

Who wants to be embarassed in their own classroom with a silly picture of themselves? (A personal nightmare I almost lived ... the silliest pic that the student could get from my FB profile was on his laptop screen in my class. It was a pic of me doing Movember; I had a beard. I changed my privacy settings while he laughed. He was showing other students, clicked to advance to the next pic and was shut out of my profile. I'm on double super secret probation type of security settings on facebook.

On a more sinister note, students are devious, as are people who are, quite frankly, out to get you fired. Someone might, without your permission, take a picture off of facebook, doctor it and upload it somewhere else. Something awful, which I am sure has already happened. Think of your professional reputation. What recourse would you have except suing them?

* Will you continue to use Facebook after our tour is over? Why or why not?
Yes: I keep in touch with my rugby players, my nieces, various friends and people I know from my university days. Besides, how can I have anything in common with my students if I don't know where they spend their spare time?

* Would you answer these questions differently if you were discussing your child's or parent's profile? Why or why not?

No. My child might be introduced to Club Penguin this summer; but they are fairly happy with the time they get on WebKinz at the moment. I cranked up the privacy settings there, too. I live in fear that they will someday know more about the wireless network in my house than I do, but that day is a long way off at the moment.

Wikis

I've done some ProDev with Wikis; I know how they are supposed to work, and shortly, some time today I will get on to it.

But I want to pause here and comment on something. The technology is not the problem. Rather, I find that the fact that I am learning the technology is cool. I'm going to participate, more than likely later on this afternoon. At my own pace. at my own schedule. But I will do it.

But I find that I am really busy with stuff. Life gets hard some times, but I know that I will get it done. I know it.

Do my students?

I'm finding that people, well ... replace "People" with "my students", even though they are in a computer lab, are incredibly not motivated to get things done. Well, you know, that isn't fair. Some blogs are awesome. (Seriously, they are so well done and visually appealling and well written, one could be fooled into thinking they are getting paid to be in the class.) but I guess this post really is about the squeaky wheel and the grease.

The nail that sticks up.

Thinkiig about the sliver in your hand rather than the rest of your body

Finding out you have a small cut on your hand as you reach into the Salt and Vinegar chip bag..... (mmmm chips.....)

I guess this post is about the people that act socially irresponsibly in my class. The ones that I just can't get them to drink the cool-aid .... oops, I mean water. Water. I meant water.

Why can't they blog? Why? Because their lack of sudden "techno-illiteracy" is astounding. They can chat, see their route home on Google Earth, use YouTube, they can Facebook and eBuddy all night long, but ask them to put thought to blog (instead of pen to paper) they go absolutely raving mad. I find it somewhat convient this sudden onset of techno-illiteracy (SOTI) because now they have to do the assignments on paper.... and use the computers in front of them only for chat and the rest of the time wasting they might otherwise use to get out of high school ....

Ah well, I have to remember that I am the adult. At least that is what Marva Collins would have me believe.

"Things that make you go hmmmm..."

I'm writing this late at night. It may make sense, it may not. It has been a trying week, and it is only Monday.

I got to a pile of marking today while the students in my class were working away on two or three assignments that are due in the next couple of days. I did what I was taught at Teacher School: I gathered their attention, I asked that all computer monitors be turned off and that they look at me. I asked that all other PED's be turned off. I waited.

The I began to ask questions and read together as a group. I stopped reading at certain points in the textbook to point things out, share my personal experience and to think out loud, knowing the questions to be asked at the end of the lesson. At the end of the reading I pointed out the questions to be done, wrote the questions on the board and an assignment sheet permanently located on the cork board at the back of the room. I asked if there were any questions, things that needed to be said or comments of any kind.

I got none and so finished off with "Ok, by 3:30, I want to see the following three things completed:" and reinforced what was already written up. I told them they could now turn on their monitors and begin/continue work.

A short while later, I came to the same assignment three times. That is the same assignment, with only the name changed on the top. Seems the three students (one of which was away) had "worked together".

Really? Same font, same answers, if I held it to the light, all three were identical in every way and manner. Like a photocopy. Except typed up. And so I asked. "I thought it was mine", "We worked together" and "Are you accusing me of cheating?" were the responses. One was away, so I am sure it will be repeated tomorrow when the third shows up.

After this conversation was ended and they returned to their seats, the same two students were laughing, laughing laughing; loudly enough to interfere with the learning of others in the classroom. So I asked what they were working on. Seems they didn't know that they were to be working in a classroom. One was on Google Earth, the other was on YouTube, with earphones cranking out music loud enough for me to hear a few meters away.

Seems I didn't point out what they were to be doing in class. I pointed to the cork board and to the white board and asked them to get on it. I re-reinforced what they should be doing in a calm tone and told them again to get their assignments done.

"What assignments?"

A few minutes later, I began to check their blogs for the course. I'm using the skills I'm learning about in this "Travels in EduCation" in my classroom this module. So, I wanted to see what they were doing. Some were more than happy to show me what was up. There are some excellent writers, thinkers and doers in my classroom. Other students are impressing me with their efforts to get their ideas, thoughts and assignments onto paper or screen.

The same two students in question had not set up their blog and were quite vocal about it being a waste of time and something "Only emo kids did". Alas, class was soon over, and I had to leave, but not after one student decided my classroom was his own personal Kinkos and printed off 15 copies of his resume.

It left a rather bitter taste in my mouth; I've been reading Marva Collins, having gotten her Creed in a set of readings from OISE.

According to Marva, it is my fault, since I am teaching something I know nothing about. Well, except I am modeling what it is I want from them with a blog for the course.

According to Marva, it is my fault because I am not the person of excellence. Except that I demonstrate physical fitness to my students through a series of links that monitoring my eating and training habits online.

Then I get to the line about students having the right to fail and wave their flag. Then I smile and I'm ready for bed.

"I am not the train; I am not the horse; I am a piece of grass asking the horse to, perhaps, get off the track and let the train pass..."

This is getting hard

Not the blogging, no not at all. As a matter of fact, I'm finding that to be easier. Well, as easy as it can be with a fickle wireless system at work. I've been logged out, the banned from logging back in while doing a blog post for work.

It's interesting, to say the least. I've been asked repeatedly why I do not complete my attendance online, too. Same reason, of course.

Anyway ... the thing that IS getting hard and harder to fathom is the fact that I am turning 40 next week. Man, it's like I'm half dead or something. And I'm not even sure that I'm half dead, mostly dead or just worrying too much. I am beginning to think it is that last one. In any case, I came across this blog today about a guy jsut slightly older than I m, and way ahead of me on the cancer scare front, too.

I'm postin it here, to keep it as a memnto mori.

"And another one..."

I'm a Mac User. I like Macs, I do. I have an iPod Touch ... I had an iPod Nano, but squished it at the gym last month; a real drag. I'm not too sure about the iPad, but if life happens to drop one in my hands, I'm not going to complain...

anyway, I upgraded my hard drive today. The Macbook is sort of the heart of this blog, my teaching career and my home network. I'm going to look into how to change the focus of my digital life being this white plastic thingy I schlep around town. I'm glad it now has over 300 Gb of space now, but I'm getting kinda tired of having to host the kids movies on here so that they'll stay on the Apple TV upstairs.... I know I know... a little too much info.

But the reason I am doing any of this is so that I can practice. I mean if you never go out to explore technology, how can you be confident enough to use it in any situation, let alone in front of your co-workers and or a group of net savvy teens. At the basic level, how can I work on my accent if I never speak?

Anyway, I need some lessons, and I know the guy who put in the hard drive offers them... it is a matter of finding an evening free in April. Which in and of itself might be asking a WHOLE lot outta my life at the moment.

By the way, Creative Technology is an awesome place.

OK, this just looks cool

I'm sitting on my rear end, after a rather harrowing last few weeks. I found out I got a pass on the course from OISE today (it's pass/fail, no marks for those not in the know) and went looking through Athabasca Univeristy's website for something to do.

I came across a Diploma in Distance Education program. One of the courses you have to do just sounds incredibly challenging to me. Like, challenging in a good way - like make you want to take it challenging... alas, I need to find some sort of a sponsor for all this stuff I want to study. And I need a few more hours in each day. And someone to take my body to the gym while my brain works on this material.

I think you get my point. Kind of exciting, but kind of sad, too.

Now, if I was really trying to make myself depressed, I'd go and find a MFA program offered completely online, too.

D'oh!

New class, new blog

I'm using Horse and Train, this blog, as my own training ground and proving ground. I take the ideas I have learned (learnt? .am learning? .... as the kids say "w/e") and putting them into practise ... practice ... red line is gone on the second one.

I am also working at a place where we have six week courses. Just like summer school, except these are all year long. I started the fifth module here last week. This particular one is quite the free time killer, as now I am teaching two classes. That is I teach from 8am until noon, (basically periods one, two and three in a regular school) then get a lunch, then have to go and teach from 12:30 to 4pm. The morning class is 11 English, the afternoon class is Health for Life.

Did I mention the school does not have a gym? (Or a library for that matter) I;'m teaching a gym class in a computer lab... yup me, with a class in a computer lab for four hours a day. They are doing blogs for their culminating activity/final portfolio / whatever I am to call it under the Ontario Curriculum. I set up the link here for that class - a number of the same links are there, some I just haven't moved over yet. I'll get to it - as all blogs are, these both are a work in progress.

I may have to post some of the funnies on here, but with no pics, just descriptions. And no names. Perhaps even one link to Taylor Mali...

New Era begins today

Ok, so I cheated.

Ok, not exactly cheated .. I'm abusing the rules to my own advantage. Is that cheating?

I took what I learned here and applied it to my own little Petri Dish of a classroom and got my students to complete a blog on Totalitarianism. I would have liked to have been finished marking this already, but the wireless was down at my house last night.

Ok, that was a lie, but it was a good one.

I'm marking at work before the final exam today. I must say that I am impressed so far with what these students have been able to do with the stuff they had on hand .. and the time they had to complete it. They did not have all that much time to complete it, I will confess. But so far, all required elements have been met.

"It's getting kinda hectic"

Yes, a lively reference to the song out now. Yes, a lively referenece to the way my life is at the moment. Getting work done in two online courses is hectic, to say the least.

Why did I do that? I dunno, I guesss I figured, I spend a lot of time online, and that I might spend it doing something useful, rather than staring at something idiotic. Or worse.

I have learned a great deal taking the OISE course. I have. Just not recently. I finsihed my major project the week before the Break, but emailed it in yesterday, finally. I have to catch up on my postings this week. Which is always a drag. I'm reading stuff now I should have read three weeks ago. Meh, I learned something today, and joined the CEC Ontario, too.

For the stuff I'm doing here, well, I have done a fair amount of posting, not all of it relevant to the material we should be learning, but relevant to what I am doing in class. As a bit of backgroud, I had my students create a blog and fill it with posts about fighting totalitiarianism. (We read 1984, an awesome novel)

But it continues to be a source of learning and growing as a user of the technology and that growth I can bring into the classroom. Hopefully we can disscet it, later.

Specking of dissecting, I ran into two articles today that make me glad I am where and when I am. The first is an artcile about the percentage of teachers that leave the profession in the first five years. The second is an article about a mom who works out, but is also beginning to struggle with having a child with special needs. I hope to look as good as she does when I get into my forties...

Not sure what to make of this, but Break is off to a good start.

Well there are two ideas running through me head as I write this:

Hal Niedzviecki, someone who's writing I've always admired, has lost it.

Then I read his first post about "Blogging Boot camp" and the linked NY Times article, and thought they had all lost their minds, too.

Or perhaps I'm like one of those world wide travelers who, seeing some new thing, gaps open mouthed at the sight....

Constant interconnectedness? Really? Is this what we want? Is this what we need?

I also watched an episode of Love, Hate and Propaganda on the CBC website. Whoa. Could blogging/e-learning be the way out of something like they experienced in Germany in the 1930's? Could this e-learning be the way forward?

I believe that democracy needs information to freely flow in order for it to remain healthy. Where should that information come from? Who should be allowed to comment on it and generate meaning with it?

Ah, the best part about living in a democratic country is that everyone should/may/ could have access to the information; we just need to make sure that the people we teach actually want it.

I also finally watched the "Hyper Parents, Coddled Child" video, also on the CBC website. Whoa. Kinda scary.

On a personal note, ran a 5km race today. I'm STILL cool, 'cause my mom says so.

OK, one more ... the Joker, learning and wikipedia

Did you know ... there were four actors to play "The Joker". With all the hype last year with heath Ledger kicking butt in "The Dark Knight" and my recent watching of both "Dark Knight" movies back to back, it got me thinking.

About the Joker, not the Dark Knight. The four men were Mark Hamill, Jack Nicholson (in a really bad version with Keaton as the Batty One) and Caesar Romeo. Of all of them, Mark Hamill has never really gotten the chance to explore the truly evil side of the character as his show is a kids show. Can't have something truly evil in front of kiddies. Still I love his version of the laugh. But that brings up something from the online Culminating Activity in my class.

Interestingly, some of my students, who should be working on their online projects while in a computer lab, are reading about topics that are semi-related to what they should be doing. For example, one student was disgusted that Auschwitz even existed. And that it wasn't even in Germany. That there were more than just Jewish people killed by the Nazis. That Dr Mengele did some truly horrific experiments. That people were murdered all over the place. (These are some of the random outbursts that came from her during class time.)

Who's going to stop her from reading/researching that? Why stop her? Why stop that level of anger at something she is just learning for the first time? Why get in her way, pushing her back onto the "true topic" of her project? Why not let her "delve" into this topic and let her make the connections between the Nazis and the people in the novel 1984?

Why not push instead of pull?

Is she learning? Yes, I would think that everyone would agree she is learning. Is what she is learning accurate? (Well, it is Wikipedia, so that is a good question) Is what she is learning "demonstrable" in some way shape and form... yes, I think it is, if she focuses and gets the posts completed as they should be done.

We'll let you know how it goes.

Running

Those that don't know me, that's ok. I wanted to get a post in today, as the next couple of weeks are going to be insane, and I wanted to keep in practise of getting a post up every once in a while.

I like to run. Fer real. Well, as much as one can like to run. To be honest, I like to move: I play rugby, I wrestle (when I find the time) and when I don't, I run. If you click on the link entitled "My Runs", you'll see what I mean.

I read this article this morning, while looking for something else. I am prepping a course called "Health for Life", which starts in a few weeks, and I was hoping to find an online version of an article I read this morning after my run. All about nutrients. Instead I get distracted and end up reading about beginning running.

Is that what happens to our students? I think so. Hopefully not to me

Oh, look! A bright shiny object!

hmmmmm, part two

After reading this article, I am starting to think more and more about how people can use techology to over come a lot of things. In my other life, I am studying how to use technology to overcome things like blindness, or the inability to have the time (or desire) to read.

But using cell phones to defeat totalitarianism? Sounds like a plan to me.

I'm cool, my mom says so

OK, so I'm a quick learner, or I get bored. Not sure which, but I am going to find out, soon enough.

I am teaching adults, and I am just finishing off a class. Grade Twleve College level English to be exact. (The ALC works in something called a Module; 30 business days, roughly five hours a day in class and you can get a high school credit. Three Modules is a semester in school...trust me, it's cool. My mom said so.)

Anyway, the core novel for the course was 1984; one of the many books which made me want to be a teacher. (Hmmm ... seems I just came up with another blog topic ... "Books that make you want to be a teacher...) Since I want to work on my digital accent, rather than giving them a Culminating Activity essay to do, I am asking them to do a blog, based around 1984.

(that is to say, I am asking my adult students to do what we are doing in this "Travels in E-Ducation" thingy)

What I want them to think and post about are ideas like this:

See where totalitarianism exists today, what does it look like, how do people resist it, what can they do to help? Why should they care?

Is it going to be like that? I dunno, but I sure hope this flies....

Hmmmm

The use of technology to fight Iranian totalitarianism could work, except that the US government sanctions prevent broadband suppliers in the region.

Hmmmm... blogs to fight Big Brother.

Neat

NEXT!

Hmmm...this is the second attempt at this. Let's hope this one works out better.

I got an email from a group called Global MindShift, a group that is offering a chance to participate in "conversations" about different topics.

Kinda like what we're doing here, no?

Perhaps a bit more organized (he he he, I got an email from our organizer this morning; he lost the next assignment.... he he he he) and a bit more slick, but at least our leaders don't solicit for donations. I like that about them.

But the point I am trying to come to is this: Is this the most efficient way of doing this? Is this effective? Is what we are doing the wave of the future, or an exercise in becoming more familiar with technology in and of itself?

Seriously, I dunno.

But, I am going to be using this in a Culminating Activity for a class I am teaching in the next few days. Should be interesting, to say the least. <<Evil laugh here>>

Forgetten amongst the brain droppings

I will admit when I am beginning to feel a little overwhelmed. I am rather looking forward to the end of the month and I am also dreading the end of the month like a tourist dreading the public washrooms in a foreign country.

I forgot to post about an awesome novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig. I like it for the travel aspect (read the synopsis), but also as it applies to teaching and, by extension, our little online project here.

A section of the book deals with our Education system. That the average person just doesn't need or is interested in a great deal of the stuff we cram into their heads. And so, a young person drops out of the educational system sometimes before getting a diploma, sometimes after. Some do some wandering, see the world and gain some perspective on what job they want and go to work doing that.

Sooner or later, they realize they need more than just knowledge about their job, they need some working theoretical knowledge about their chosen job/career/place of business. That is where the Educational system works best: people who want to learn, and are more than just curious about something. They need the information like a sponge needs water.

Sometimes, I feel like the dried sponge; I need to go to work on my own research projects. Self directed, self improvement, self rewarded activities which make my life and the lives of those around me better are what I do. Sometimes it is only an iota better, but even a teeny tiny better is better than some sort of endothermic (aka "Life sucking") life.

But I am Pirsig's student: Perhaps not the most intelligent, but one of the more motivated, as I want the knowledge.

Two halves

I'm at the COYO Conference for the first time, both yesterday and today. I sat through a very good speech by Dr Robert Brooks' while the AC froze my butt off. Seriously, it was kinda scary how cold it was. But the place, Sheraton on the Falls is always a really cool place. If you haven't been to the waterpark there, stop what you are doing right now, take a child there and go have fun. Stay overnight, though. It's much better and the breakfasts are pretty good. The scenery is also awesome.

Anyway, the lunch was pretty good and I got a chance to talk to some of the other people there. The talk I choose to register for after lunch nearly made me puke. It was called "Drug Identification", and I am almost regretting signing up. Kurt Vonnegut was just so correct: we are one messed up species. The person leading the session, among other things, made a convincing presentation that drug use was a "Learned Behavior". Which means that children learn the drug trade from their parents/caregivers. He had photos and video to underscore his personal experience.

I left the conference to pick up one of my daughters and took her to her gymnastics club. My rear end was so sore from all the sitting, I stood for the 90 minute class. I looked around and saw that these people, these suburbanites I was surrounded by, are just like me: deathly afraid of the people I had spent the afternoon bearing witness to, and rather concerned with their own children's future.

But how many of them harbored some dark secrets? I prefer to believe that my own children will learn my habits of fitness, literacy and fun nature. We laugh a lot. We read a lot and they'll watch me run in a 5k race mid-March. I'm just worried, I guess.

An entire school staff FIRED?

Firing the entire staff of a school?

Really?

Not sure this is a good idea, but at least the people doing are seen as "doing something". Of course, the Federal Education dude should have kept out of it, but alas could not.

What a nightmare. I'm going upstairs and kissing my daughters and wife, grateful that I don't live there.

The victory in the hockey game and the medals are just an added bonus, man.

Sunday morning

I seem to be a little bored this morning. Something, ennui, perhaps, is settling in. In previous years, I would have blamed the snow, but since I really didn’t get any so far, I’m just wandering without a thing to blame.

I’m really busy these days. My wife and I hosted a birthday party on the weekend; I did as much work for it as I could online. In addition to the inviting people , I got to post pictures, look for the nut-free cake and find a place other than my house to host the party.

(I hosted another party for a five year old once. Once. It’ll never happen again. Just finished cleaning up form that party .... like three years later....)

While searching, found a few blogs and started to notice just how fearful people are of losing their jobs while blogging. There are some real idiots out there, posting incredibly silly things about their employers and fellow employees, but is someone has a legitimate idea or thought about how to make something better and isn’t being listened to, why not blog about it?

“Truth to Power”, I guess. That idea that those in charge don’t want to hear from those “under” them.

On another note, I noticed that there are many blogs out there about fitness and food as you can shake a stick at. Awesome. I’m really enjoying this trip through the ... bowels? .... intestines? ... lungs? of education. Grateful at the chance to think about these ideas.

That, and Gen Romeo Dallaire (ret) looked awesome at the Olympics.

Great moments in Kettlebell Theatre

Check it out:

Somthing random

Ok, time for a little confession. I like the Group of Seven.

You know those trivia games at bars? I kick butt in them, always have. Heck, back in grade school, I was the co-captian of the "W5H" team, which was kinda like the "Reach for the Top". The teacher didn't like my attitude, but I was so full of useless bits of info, I got on the team.

I mentioned the trivia game, as once I was playing with a number of teachers at a school's social night. These were educated people, but no one really knew who the GoS was. Well, the librarian did, but since she and the geeky Science guy set up the traivia game, they couldn't play. I got all seven artists, and my team won.

I was such a geek.

Now, why post this confession online? Why put it in a blog about education? Why brag about the ephemeria crawling around inside my head? Well, because it points to something in what and how we retain and use information put to use in a regular classroom and on our own.

The reason I like the GoS is becuase of Lawren Harris. I have been to the National Gallery of Art, and clapped eyes on the original. (Incidentally, never try and play rugby and take very young children to the NGO on the same weekend. It just doesn't go well, trust me) He was the money behind the GoS, and in my opinion the better of them. Well, except for Emily Carr. But she's known more as an artist from BC, which doesn't exactly sit well with my Ontario centred opinions on just about everything.

But how did I learn this? It isn'tin the Ontario curriculum. It isn't in any of the textbooks we use. How then, did I get interested? How does all this information stick to the inside of my skull?

Well, for one, I was interested in things Canadian. I got the information online and by searching Mills Library. The materials I have gone and done some personal research on. No one directed me, I did it on my own.

How did I get there? Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Which will be the subject of my next posting.

Next Level Learning

I’m going to do a bit of writing today about how links affect reading. A bit of reading, too.

I mean we could get out the textbook, read it and then do the questions. If there is a word we don’t know, we can ask the teacher who will tell us to grab a dictionary. How interesting.

Or

If we are reading the text, and a word we don’t know is used, we can click on it (or highlight it) and find out what it means online. Using the same technology used to chat with friends (ie, something most students are already comfortable using) students SHOULD discover more ideas about more ideas. When they come to the end and it time to for an assignment, what is it we want them to answer questions on?

Facts that were in the text? Haven’t you heard of Google?

Quotes from the text? Isn’t copying the textbook something that demands a punishment in parts of the world?

What then? What does 21st Century learning look like?

How about a WebQuest?

A series of links and opinion based questions, that need to be done quickly, around a certain topic.

How about one on 1984, one of my favourite novels EVA?

BTW, I put one together in about an hour yesterday. The reactions and learning I should see should be interesting.

'Cause I'm a guy

I read a few blogs every week, espcially if the author sends me a link via email.

I'm interested in Bodyforwife, a blog for over 40 men's health. I read his post today about 315. This is a weight that I am supposed to try and train my body to lift and then I can consider myself a man.

How do I write this?

"Phooey".

Not because I can't do it (honestly, I've never tried - I'm much more interested in losing body fat, functional strength and training for sports: not to many calls for benching 315 in the middle of a rugby game.) Not because I want to appeal to that inner cave man in me (he's much more satisfied with eating meat anyways) but because I think that is just plain silly.

Setting numbers like that is just plain dumb. Honestly, I think I would ruin my trip to the gym if I always had this number I had to lift in my head. I like to go to the gym, get some lifting in - sometimes heavy, sometimes light, and a run, too.

Most of the trainers out there would disagree with my use of running as a valuable use of time, but I am trying to use up calries and get ready for a 5k run on March 13.

The fact that I am running with a rugby club and it is sponsored by a bar plays into the reason why I am getting ready for the run. It's fun, darn it!

And the male testosterone he-man in me is perfectly satisfied.

who do what Yudu?

I linked off of a link, and I have no idear how I got there, but I wound up on a website called "Yudu". I guess the name is a careful pun, which gets explained here.

Seems there is a place for digital publication, so long as you pay 150 bucks for the year. Free to read, you can purchase some through Palpal (I bought a kettlebell magazine, just so I could say I bought a magazine). It is well written, at least, and it does give pause to think for a moment about what the textbook world must be thinking about. Why publish expensive texts only to replace them the year following?

Why would professors do that? Oh, right, money. I recall some of my Engineering bredren complaining that one or two of their profs made their classes buy the text. Then, change a few charts to get another edition the following year and then made that year buy the new text. I once brought back an 80.00 text to the bookstore and they offered 80 cents for it. Same reason - the prof changed the text for the next year.

This Yudu website might be a glimpse into the falling down of that particular model.

Reading the mag was merely ok. I say that because I have been staring at a computer screen every day, almost all day, for the last week. I think I have gotten my daughter's virus or something. My throat is sore, and this staying up late isn't helping.

Meh, it's Family Day Monday, so I guess I can afford to be up this late on a Saturday, erm, Sunday morning. Uggh. I need sleep.