Social networking for both personal and professional reasons has taken off in an incredible escalation in recent months. People are hearing daily about Twitter, Facebook and other not as popular networking sites. They are popping up all over. There are many reasons why and the most important is so that we can connect with others. We are social beings. We can be anonymous or important just with a few clicks of the mouse. Personally I feel like the amount of time that I could spend on these sites is huge. I am a very chatty gal who likes networking with others.
I am concerned though that the amount of time that I spend in networking has changed me in a way that is not necessarily positive. I can easily get lost in networking sites for two or three hours. I don't think that I am alone in this. How does this happen one wonders? It is easy. I write something on a networking site, read what others are saying, visit links that others suggest, find something interesting and before I know it, 2 hours have passed. Is this wasted time? In some ways "yes" and in other ways "no". I am going to get better at watching the time, walking away after a set amount of time and being more judicious about the purpose of my time on the computer.
I think I will always enjoy social networks. It is about balancing time and that is not always easy for me.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Partner? Educational Use?
Our school districts spend many millions of dollars to adopt reading, math, science and social studies textbooks and series resources. They have been for years the partners that school districts and teachers have counted on to help our students to learn in a organized and thoughtful way.
Something distressing has come to my attention that I think others need to be aware of- Tim Holt's Blog "Intended Consequences" David Vs. Goliath: The Right Thing vs. Copyright has a podcast in which first grade teacher Janice Schlottmann explains what she would like to do with the little books that her students use to practice their reading. The school district has purchased multiple copies of the books, purchased the audio recordings and now she wants to record herself reading the books so that her students and the parents can listen on a podcast from home. As any responsible teacher would do, she requested permission from Houghton Mifflin and was denied this electronic use. This teacher is not interested in selling or profiting in any way from this educational use of these books. Her students were going to be able to benefit from listening at home and following along with the words in the book.
The copyright violation that the company is claiming is not rational or thought out clearly. Prior to the internet, podcasting, and the ease of transmission of audio and video files, these companies that provided educational series had much at stake to keep copyrighted materials free of violations. Now however if these companies wish to stay in business they need to truly partner with the schools, families of the students and the world at large.
We are living in e-times. Without forward thinking educational companies realizing the benefits of integrating technology tools with the purchase of their educational series, we are making the job of our teachers much harder than it has to be.
Something distressing has come to my attention that I think others need to be aware of- Tim Holt's Blog "Intended Consequences" David Vs. Goliath: The Right Thing vs. Copyright has a podcast in which first grade teacher Janice Schlottmann explains what she would like to do with the little books that her students use to practice their reading. The school district has purchased multiple copies of the books, purchased the audio recordings and now she wants to record herself reading the books so that her students and the parents can listen on a podcast from home. As any responsible teacher would do, she requested permission from Houghton Mifflin and was denied this electronic use. This teacher is not interested in selling or profiting in any way from this educational use of these books. Her students were going to be able to benefit from listening at home and following along with the words in the book.
The copyright violation that the company is claiming is not rational or thought out clearly. Prior to the internet, podcasting, and the ease of transmission of audio and video files, these companies that provided educational series had much at stake to keep copyrighted materials free of violations. Now however if these companies wish to stay in business they need to truly partner with the schools, families of the students and the world at large.
We are living in e-times. Without forward thinking educational companies realizing the benefits of integrating technology tools with the purchase of their educational series, we are making the job of our teachers much harder than it has to be.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
When it goes right!
I have been witness to a few incidents this week that have been extraordinary. We as teachers need to be reminded that our efforts are paying off. At times it seems like we are pushing that boulder up the mountain only to see it fall down the other side. Sometimes the effort that we put forth pays out in rewards that we can see. Other times our efforts are never seen by us.
The following was shared with me. It is truly a wonderful thing to witness. A student that had been unwilling to work for their primary teacher in the classroom has had a complete turnaround and is showing tremendous effort and enthusiasm for learning. Another student that has worked very diligently but the school work has been difficult a has had a breakthrough and the concepts are clearer. It makes your heart feel glad, your body jump for joy with excitement and your tired mind renewed with enthusiasm for teaching.
We need to celebrate and remember these times because teaching is challenging for many reasons. We are here for the students. Our reasons for getting into education are many and the daily grind does not often allow us to step back and see our students progress. Keep at it!
The following was shared with me. It is truly a wonderful thing to witness. A student that had been unwilling to work for their primary teacher in the classroom has had a complete turnaround and is showing tremendous effort and enthusiasm for learning. Another student that has worked very diligently but the school work has been difficult a has had a breakthrough and the concepts are clearer. It makes your heart feel glad, your body jump for joy with excitement and your tired mind renewed with enthusiasm for teaching.
We need to celebrate and remember these times because teaching is challenging for many reasons. We are here for the students. Our reasons for getting into education are many and the daily grind does not often allow us to step back and see our students progress. Keep at it!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Mandate from the President: No Paper Day/Week
I had an epiphany the other evening while brushing my teeth and participating a plurk radio program hosted by Kevin Honeycutt. We were discussing how do we get technology to be used effectively in the classroom. We shared ideas for teacher development and the role that administrators take in leading the charge.
Most people don't want to be left behind as the world is changing around them. We want to use best practices for our students. TIME to learn and support when problems occur tend to be the reasons(excuses?) why technology integration is not happening at the pace we would like it too.
I thought wouldn't it be interesting for the our new president to designate a day or a week that no paper can be used in education? It would really upset the apple cart but it would be an opportunity for students and teachers alike to change how we teach and learn. More hands on activities would need to be planned. We would go on community field trips. We would use our computers for online collaboration and communication. The possibilities are endless! It is a bold action and vision but one that would reap rewards that I think are immeasurable.
We have so many "special" days and weeks that are put into the calendar. I think my idea could take off. I don't know how to get it done but I am putting it out there for others to think about.
Most people don't want to be left behind as the world is changing around them. We want to use best practices for our students. TIME to learn and support when problems occur tend to be the reasons(excuses?) why technology integration is not happening at the pace we would like it too.
I thought wouldn't it be interesting for the our new president to designate a day or a week that no paper can be used in education? It would really upset the apple cart but it would be an opportunity for students and teachers alike to change how we teach and learn. More hands on activities would need to be planned. We would go on community field trips. We would use our computers for online collaboration and communication. The possibilities are endless! It is a bold action and vision but one that would reap rewards that I think are immeasurable.
We have so many "special" days and weeks that are put into the calendar. I think my idea could take off. I don't know how to get it done but I am putting it out there for others to think about.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Grateful & Lucky
These past weeks I have been thinking a lot about how grateful I am, how truly grateful I am. In no particular order- I have a wonderful family. We are all relatively healthy. I have a home that is comfortable and warm. We have the money we need to pay the bills. I have friends that care about me. I have a job that I love. I live in a country in which freedom of speech is a right. I live in a technological time and have a pretty "comfortable" life compared to my ancestors.
It is easy to forget how lucky a person is when something upsets the normal routine. Recently a person I don't know well had her husband die unexpectedly. Another person I network with, lost her mother. I cannot imagine either of their losses. I would imagine the death almost like a hole in ones heart. Our son recently had a health crisis but fortunately he is going to be ok with the drug therapy that our health insurance will cover. I am relieved and grateful that we have insurance, good insurance. The costs of the tests that he took, the doctors that looked at the results and the drugs that he is on, would have been a huge financial burden on us that I hope never to experience.
Like so many school districts in the United States, the one that I work for is losing students. The way that the public funding is calculated is based in part on the enrollment numbers. We have had the privilege and luxury these past 8 years of having the state and the district support low class sizes with SAGE funding. One teacher to 15 students is the ratio in kindergarten to 3rd grade for reading and math. This gives the youngest of students an opportunity to get a great start in their formal education. I returned to the classroom after a 10 year hiatus from raising my own children. I was so happy to get hired to teach kindergarten during the expansion to all-day kindergarten and SAGE classes that our district embraced. After 2 quick years I was asked to move to the technology computer teaching position. I have been teaching k-2 ever since and love it!
I may or may not have a teaching job in the future. The district is facing budget cuts. A primary computer technology teacher is not a mandated class that a district has to have. I would hope that I could move back to teaching kindergarten if that were to happen. I have never taught another grade and don't feel qualified to do so. If the district wants to restructure and decides that SAGE is not necessary and that budget woes can be solved by increasing class sizes, then the laying off of many teachers will happen. I hope with all of my body that this does not happen. I know that life changes and curve balls come at you fast. I will tell my readers this, " I am lucky to have a job." I don't take it for granted. I love working for my school district and touching the lives of the students in positive ways. I hope that in my future I can keep being employed as a teacher in whatever capacity the district chooses.
It is easy to forget how lucky a person is when something upsets the normal routine. Recently a person I don't know well had her husband die unexpectedly. Another person I network with, lost her mother. I cannot imagine either of their losses. I would imagine the death almost like a hole in ones heart. Our son recently had a health crisis but fortunately he is going to be ok with the drug therapy that our health insurance will cover. I am relieved and grateful that we have insurance, good insurance. The costs of the tests that he took, the doctors that looked at the results and the drugs that he is on, would have been a huge financial burden on us that I hope never to experience.
Like so many school districts in the United States, the one that I work for is losing students. The way that the public funding is calculated is based in part on the enrollment numbers. We have had the privilege and luxury these past 8 years of having the state and the district support low class sizes with SAGE funding. One teacher to 15 students is the ratio in kindergarten to 3rd grade for reading and math. This gives the youngest of students an opportunity to get a great start in their formal education. I returned to the classroom after a 10 year hiatus from raising my own children. I was so happy to get hired to teach kindergarten during the expansion to all-day kindergarten and SAGE classes that our district embraced. After 2 quick years I was asked to move to the technology computer teaching position. I have been teaching k-2 ever since and love it!
I may or may not have a teaching job in the future. The district is facing budget cuts. A primary computer technology teacher is not a mandated class that a district has to have. I would hope that I could move back to teaching kindergarten if that were to happen. I have never taught another grade and don't feel qualified to do so. If the district wants to restructure and decides that SAGE is not necessary and that budget woes can be solved by increasing class sizes, then the laying off of many teachers will happen. I hope with all of my body that this does not happen. I know that life changes and curve balls come at you fast. I will tell my readers this, " I am lucky to have a job." I don't take it for granted. I love working for my school district and touching the lives of the students in positive ways. I hope that in my future I can keep being employed as a teacher in whatever capacity the district chooses.
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