FINAL EXAM

I must admit, I originally signed up for Pi2.0 more out of a guilty compulsion than a feeling that I would learn much. Although there were tasks and tools that I did not like and will not use, I also found some real gems. I suspect most people feel similarly; not every tool is for every person. So, I am not sure what I would suggest changing. I hated the Delicious task, Paul H. loved it. I liked learning about wikis and eventually establishing my weebly website, but someone else may not ever want a website. If I was looking to change an aspect of the course, I would suggest giving the teachers some options. Maybe you could create 15 tasks, and then let us choose 10 to complete. Again, this would allow teachers to complete the tasks that applied most directly to their classroom practices and interest.

In terms of changing my practices, I think the course will impact my courses for next year. My website on weebly is more polished than what I used on First Class, and I will have a blogging component for the first time. I can have students create their own websites, and although I am making no promises, that is a definite option. I also am still fine tuning the RSS feed, but I think it will provide a useful tool to find relevant, current articles to post for students to blog about. So, Pi2.0 may impact both the content and delivery of my teaching.

Task #12: Relections and Promises

First, I want to comment briefly on the Alan November quotation. For once, you have no objections from me. When I was teaching in Macon, I met a long time educator who had done a tremendous amount of research about why teachers left the profession, or what teachers found most frustrating. One might expect that the answer would be the relatively low salaries or problems with parent and students. Although these made the list, the number biggest factor in teachers leaving the profession was a feeling of isolation. Teaching is lonely. Many teachers might go an entire day without any interaction with other adults. I think whether through technology or other avenues, it is important for teachers to talk, discuss, and collaborate. In addition to academic collaboration, I think less formal social gatherings can really help with teacher morale. Paideia does a much better job with this than my where I worked in Macon, but I still think that it is important to keep this in mind. As one of the least experienced teachers working at Paideia, I certainly could learn an immense amount from my colleagues.

Now, to the task at hand. As Paul H. mentioned in his blog, the summer makes teaching the tech tools difficult. So, I will state what I will do, rather than what I have done already. When the school year starts, I will be living in the basement of the JH, so I will probably first share with my neighbors. I am looking to show my new weebly website, and maybe RSS feeds to Olivia and Jim Veal. Also, I would be happy to share my thoughts at faculty or department meeting, but this would really be contingent on time and interest by the respective groups.

I think the easiest, and perhaps most practical tech tool I could pass on to my department members is the creation of a website. The First Class website is very easy to use, and although not very collaborative, allows you to easily post homework assignments. I have found that many parents are EXTREMELY appreciative of a class website. Then, there is never a question in their house about whether or not Johnny Student has homework.

Task 11: The Angry and The Enthusiastic

I found the video about what students want from their teachers incredibly frustrating. I definitely think there is a place for student input, technology, and collaboration in the classroom. But, there is a really significant problem with the assumptions made by the students in the video. The assumption is that they know the skills that they will need when they get out of college. Students may not realize what they are learning is useful or what they may need when they leave college. One of the young women interviewed was surprised when she was "denied" a request to make a movie instead of submitting the required paper. Really? Maybe the professor wanted to assess her ability to write, not her ability to make a film. When I took education classes, the suggestion was often made to allow students to alter assignments and play to their strengths. This can be effective, but also dangerous. You must work on your weaknesses, not just your strengths. This is annoying and frustrating for students, but necessary. I have met with a personal trainer some this summer. I hate working out my back and biceps. I mean, I really hate it. But, I would not receive the same benefits if I ONLY worked areas where I am already pretty strong. I think the same holds true for students---even they may enjoy making a movie, it is important for them to learn to take lecture notes, write papers, and synthesize readings. Again, this does not mean that technology and innovation cannot occur in the classroom, but one should proceed with caution, and not throw out the baby with the bath water.

OK, enough angry, and now the enthusiastic. I have been exploring Weebly, a site that helps you create a website with blogging capabilities. Although this is similar to a wiki in some respects, I think you can create a cleaner website more simply. Also, the site can be password protected, and I can review blog posts BEFORE students post them. I think it allows for flexibility and control. Although my website is under construction, check it out. If it prompts you for a password, simply use the password that we use to access the Paideia intranet.

The basic version of weebly is free, but in order to have the privacy settings I desired, I had to order the "pro" version. They have a special rate and version for educators, and it costs $40 for the year. I found a coupon, and I spent less than $30. The pro version also allows EVERY student in your classes to create their own website. I may use this feature at some point in the year, and I think it is an exciting option.

In terms of my immediate plans for weebly, I hope to have it up and running during the first week of classes. For all of my classes, I will use the site to post assignments, articles, and the course calendar. I am also hoping very soon to use the blog feature with the students in my World Religions class to discuss topics outside of class. I may even integrate an RSS feed I created during Pi2.0. If the blog works well, I will use it in my other classes.

In short, I am excited about weebly, and hope it will take my website into the 21st century.

Task #10: New Cool Tools

I am a big fan of most of the Google "tools," and like many others, I use Google every day. I suspect Gmail and Google searches are not new to most people. Educators may use Google Scholar or the blogging tool that we all used for this course.

So, in an attempt at some originality, I want to mention two lesser known Google tools. The first is Google's Patent Search. For a history teacher, this is a pretty interesting tool. You can search for the original patents and drawings for inventions. I am not certain, but I think that this tool only applies to patents from some time in the nineteenth century to the present. For example, I could not find the patent for the Whitney's cotton gin, but I could for several modifications to his original invention. Still, I think students would really get a kick out of this research, and they would be looking at primary documents.

The second Google tool I really enjoy personally is Google Voice. Google Voice allows you to make free long distance phone calls through the Internet. But, I tend to use it for other features. If people call my Google Voice number (which you choose), it rings to both my home and cell phone. Also, the voicemail message is sent to my e-mail, and I can read the transcript or listen to the message online. Finally, I can text from my Google account using Google Voice. I love this feature because I hate texting on my phone's keypad, so I can send texts from my laptop. Since my wife cannot always receive phone calls at work, but can often text, this is pretty helpful. Google Voice has many custom features; so for example, if you do not want your Google number to ring to multiple phones, than it won't. Oh yeah, and it is free.

Is task #9 Delicious?

When I read over Paul H.'s blog, it seems that he liked Delicious. I think I may be in the camp Amy described: those who do not like it at first. I think Delicious is really helpful for saving your bookmarks, and I can see myself using it for that purpose. However, the tagging exercise I found to be one of the most frustrating aspects of Pi2.0. Also, I cannot imagine myself using Delicious in any searching capacity. I will stick to Google, and RSS feeds I think. This is a link to my delicious bookmarks, but I am not sure if it will require my password. Also, I think some of the "rules" for Delicious may have changed since the instructions were written for this task. Now, you must sign up for a yahoo account. Since I already have a school e-mail account, and two Gmail accounts, I was not eager to sign up for yahoo. In conclusion, I think after Pi2.0, I will not be eating Delicious.

Task #8: More Wiki??

Task 8 was mere exploration, and from what I can surmise, no blog necessary. But, it just seemed odd to skip from Task 7 to 9, so for the symmetry of it all, here is another blog entry. As I mentioned in my last blog post, the wiki seems functional in the classroom setting, and I look forward to exploring it further. I like what a wiki offers, but I am frustrated by the aesthetic qualities of the wiki, and what I see as the limitations of a wiki. I may just not know how to overcome these limitations, but until further notice, the wiki is being shelved for some other blog options.

Task #7

It seems like Vicki Davis is a big fan of the wiki, and although I am a little skeptical that the wiki will become a panacea for all of my teaching woes, I definitely see an educational purpose for a wiki. A wiki appears to be part website and part blog, with almost infinite editing possibilities. I looked at almost all of the sample wikis, but I was particularly interested in the Paideia teachers' wikis. I liked that the different teachers demonstrated a really wide range of uses. For example, Carl's World Issues wiki was pretty straightforward. I think the whole class came together to create the article. Although there was a collaborative element, I am not sure the assignment required much higher order thinking. After all, much of the information was probably cut and pasted from the web. Sure, this requires some discretion, but I doubt that the students were challenged much. Dave's Computer Science Wiki seemed like a class webpage, but he definitely utilized many of the strengths of a wiki. The students had their own pages, and it certainly seemed like the wiki was serving its purpose.

I worked ahead on this assignment, and I know that I want to do something more than a basic website with my classes. I would love to have a blogging component to my World Religions class, and perhaps a wiki is the way to go. More will certainly follow on this thread...

Task #6

I was not as jazzed about this task since I cannot imagine myself using many of the tools listed for educational purposes. I have used skype and teachertube before. Both of these tools I will continue to use in the future. I explored GoAnimate and toondoo, and although these tools were entertaining, I will probably not have students create cartoons for me in class. I also looked at some of the organizational tools. These seemed useful, but I did not find any of the tools suited me personally. With organization, I think each person needs to find what works for him or her. So, overall, I think I am a little too cool for these tools. Or, perhaps more likely, not quite cool enough...

Task #4 and #5

I hope I am not cheating the system, but it seems to me that task 4 and 5 overlap, so I am including my comments from both tasks on this post. I suspect the reason for separating the tasks was to give folks some time to explore RSS feeds, but I started doing this about a month ago. I am pretty familiar with RSS feeds, although I have certainly added quite a bit of content in recent weeks. I already had an igoogle page that featured some of my favorite news sources. But, the RSS feed seems more comprehensive, and I can add the RSS directly to my igoogle page. I love Google!

I have been attempting this summer to work some on my personal fitness and eating habits. The blog I have been looking at this summer about this topic is Mark's Daily Apple. The author, Mark Sisson, wrote a book titled The Primal Blueprint, and I actually read it. I usually find books about fitness completely unappealing (almost as unappealing as actually exercising), but I found Sisson's book pretty interesting. His blog is basically an addendum to the ideas in his book, with of course updated stories and research. He argues in both places that if people return to a more "primal" eating style, rich in proteins and low in carbohydrates, they will feel better and become more fit. This was certainly not shocking to me, but his other claim, that many people who exercise perform too much high intensity cardio I found surprising. I am no expert, so perhaps this is all nonsense, but I am going to give some of his suggestions a try and see if I notice a difference.

Although this post is probably becoming as long winded as its author, I wanted to comment briefly on the customized RSS feed from Google News. I have a close friend who works for Google News in NYC, and I am often getting suggestions from him about possible classroom uses. So, I was aware of the customized search, but I had not taken the time to set it up. I am teaching a new course next year on World Religions, and I think the feed I established will help me track current articles about the different religions. I think this will certainly help me to incorporate current events, and if I can tweak the feed so that it gets the desired results, I could even have students follow it.

So, overall, I am digging the RSS feed, and hopefully I can find some creative uses for it.

Task #3

I am feeling a bit pretentious about this task, as I sit in a Decatur coffee shop and blog about blogging. I have actually been working for about three weeks on this task and the next one, but I am finally getting around to posting my thoughts. I agree with some of the other teachers who commented that what makes the writing on blogs unique is that it is often less formal, and almost always more immediate. I suspect many people also feel a personal connection to the blogger, particularly if one follows the blogger regularly. I occasionally read blogs about sports or politics, but my blog reading is a fairly rare occurrence. I worry about the reading and writing of blogs for the same reasons I worry about texting or e-mailing: I like structured writing, and sometimes I fear all things 2.0 will negatively impact literacy and critical thinking. Yet, as John C. pointed out in one of his blog posts, good writing is good writing. Many bloggers write with clarity and precision, and certainly I am not opposed to the interactive nature of blogs. I like the idea of blogging taking a conversation outside of the classroom. Next year, I will be teaching World Religions for the first time, and I think many articles and topics could be further discussed on a blog. Furthermore, some less vocal students may voice some pretty interesting ideas if they are given time to reflect and respond. Like any other assignment, if a student took it seriously, blogging seems as if it could be a powerful tool.

Task #1 and #2: My Initial Rant

So, it seems that Task #1 and #2 are inextricably linked. My initial thoughts I composed on Writeboard:

I have seen videos like the ones shown in Task #1 (maybe the same ones). Although I agree, I often find this type of presentation too critical of traditional methods. What does it mean when it says much of what is learned is “not relevant”? I found many topics irrelevant when I was a teenager that I later discovered help me develop important thinking skills. Also, this type of wording frightens me:

“Ms. L’s class essays are turned in as blog entries, because she finds that their conversational nature encourages students to think and write in more depth than traditional formal essays or short answer assignments.”

I have not found this to be true. In fact, I think students struggle more with formal writing than any other skill. They know how to write in a conversational tone, but they do not know how to develop formal arguments. That takes thinking! Although I see value in a blog, I am not sure it encourages "more depth" in thinking and writing.

I am interested in integrating technology more heavily into my curriculum, but I only want to do so if it really challenges students and promotes critical thinking. Students know how to express an opinion, but I want them to know how to evaluate historical evidence and formulate opinions that are supported….not just to think any opinion is equally true.

(A few weeks later, fickle Cullen wants to temper his comments)
After re-reading my initial post, and reviewing the blogs of some of my colleagues, I did not want my initial comments to read like angry reluctance to join the 21st century. I am eager to learn new ways to engage students and integrate technology. I just find that articles like the ones from task #1 often fall victim to creating a false dichotomy between the evils of traditional methods and the virtues of technological advances.