I hereby set forth to concoct interesting responses to each and every question required for my masters class. May there never be a lethargic yawn, henceforth and forevermore, on this blog.
I always love to begin things with a bit of a confession (actually, I've never done it before, but "no time like the present"). No, the confession is not that this entire page is oddly indented simply because I don't know how to reformat it to be normal (it is just the beginning of the course). Now is the time for me to state: I sometimes scoff at technology. Come now, we all know that we're training students today for "jobs that don't yet exist," so really what we must do is go beyond the technology itself and on to the important lessons we really want kids to learn: you're not all that "and a bag of chips" (as one of my students wrote recently), your homework is not the most difficult thing you will face in life, you don't know more than your parents, you do have a story to tell and it's interesting, your classmates aren't as stupid as you think they are, your teacher probably isn't as smart as you think he/she is...and so on. But alas, standards are there for a reason: so teachers know what methods (as in topics) to use to teach the students these valuable lessons of life. On with my confession, I'm a user. Yes, sometimes I use technology simply to make it look like I can teach with technology. Who hasn't done this?: "Okay students, we now have a wikispaces page!" (Ecstatic cheering follows). Next, an exciting week of helping students set up said wiki and teaching them to use it properly. Finally, we get to the first assignment and what do we do? I don't know, but they're excited about it. "Aright guys, your homework is, uh, to answer the grammar questions posted on the wiki on your designated page. Don't look at each others' pages for answers." (Thinks to self: gee, wish I'd thought of that slight downfall before this moment)
Now, I can honestly say that some of that other "stuff" (I don't let my students use that word so I decided to use it here in case one of them ever sees it so they can get mad at me) like collaboration, creativity, and responsibility, those are some exciting concepts to teach. Joyous is the day that a teacher looks upon a class which is actually creatively collaborating responsibly. In all seriousness, it happens and it is my greatest joy to know that all is not lost in this generation. If they have a computer in the midst of them, then grand. If not, that's okay (with me), too. And now, moving on. (Dear prof, if that does not answer the question, I'm sorry. I was having too much fun being witty. Please let me know, for the future, if my wit is becoming a hindrance).
· "What are the barriers to technology use in your professional setting?"
Speaking of using technology in an educational setting, let me set up two scenarios for us all to laugh together. I will henceforth switch to third person so that nobody will be incriminated by any of the information that follows (namely, me).
1) The teacher had prepared with her (or his, who knows?) students for literature night for a good 3 weeks. The students were excited to break out of the mold and prepare a video of scenes from "The Outsiders" that support their theme, "nothing gold can stay." Students had spent extra time editing the video to add sound effects and to provide smooth transitions from scene to scene. All had told their parents to come and were enthusiastic to show off the work they had prepared for the night. Teacher shows up 20 minutes before the "show" begins to set up a sole projector and speakers. Teacher has trouble and, after 5 minutes, seeks help. Resident technology guru teacher arrives to help and, after 10 minutes, seeks official technology dude. Official technology dude is found, 5 minutes later, and arrives to proclaim the projector broken. Now, five minutes into our 15 minute slot, we decide to forge ahead. Teacher holds up the laptop to the 30 or so parents to see the video. Parents and students leave disappointed. Teacher wants to kick projector and pronounce a vow to never depend on it again.
2) In an effort to make this brief: students always say their printer/internet/e-mail/wikispaces/any form of technology needed to complete an assignment was not working the night before the project is due. So weird, I know, but maybe the electric/internet companies are sabotaging them...or me.
· "How does the Biblical directive to “fear not” apply to you as far as technology use?"
I remember when Y2K was approaching and everybody was freaked out that we wouldn't have any electricity. Then nothing happened. Here I am, 11 years later (has it really been that long?) thinking the opposite: what if the electricity keeps up? I don't fear alien invasion; if anything, I fear internet invasion. I'm afraid, already, that I will become one of those old fogies that scoffs (wait, did I already use that term somewhere) at the younger generation's "goodies." My grandparents still don't go to movie theaters. I still haven't seen a 3D movie. In 10 years, I don't want to be "that" person who still hasn't owned an i-touch, or even worse yet, the only one who condemns the use of the i-touch. God has been sovereign over the world for, oh, say, 10,000+ years (notice, that includes all you ppl who think it has been billions, too), and I know that He isn't about to give up on humankind because we use technology. I trust He will make of this world what He will, when He will, and I'm just along for the ride. Hopefully, I'll learn as I go, and, yes, even one day own my very own i-touch (or just wait for them to come out with the i-think...you just have to think it, and it's there on the screen).
· "What are your personal goals as you begin this class on technology?"
Oh man, anyone who knows me well, or works with me, knows I have this "thing" about goals. Since this is an educational page, I'll not take the time and space to write out all my thoughts on the matter...at this time. Rather, I shall create some "personal goals" for the class.
1. I want to learn. Now, some people would say that's a silly goal. It isn't even measurable. The cool thing about learning is, though, that I don't know what I will learn. This leaves open a whole realm of things to learn that I didn't think I could even learn. It's kind of like training kids for job that doesn't exist yet.
2. I would like to scoff less at technology and love it more. Again, my supervisor at school would probably say this isn't measurable, either. How about this? By the end of this course, I would like to be at most a 3 on a scale of 1-10 in how much I scoff at technology (1 being the least, 10 the most) and at least a 6 on the scale of loving technology. I will accomplish this by continuing to write this blog and by learning (see how useful it is?) in my class.
3. I would like my professor to not hate me (at most a 5 on the scale of hating: 1 being the least, 10 being the most) for writing such long and sometimes not-so-on-topic posts on my blog.
4. It is my goal to make an A. Come on, now! Everyone's thinking it, but I bet nobody else wrote it.
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