Of Mice and Middle Years…

Yes this blog has been neglected…. but check out the result of my concentration..

The wiki.

The Blog.

This is REALLY changed my practice! Communication permeates the course. Never again do I need to find documents, or remind students of assignments, or come to me to ask what is needed, or “I’m done, what do I do now?” (hey, what’s new on the blog?).. hehehe …. SO MUCH that we do everyday, the repetitive that (for me) sucks the life out of just plain teaching and learning… the red tape is now out of my hands and now virtual, accessible and manageable.
2 more weeks. That’s it. Now I am going to look for educator feedback. Really wondering how to do that!
Well, Google docs to mark… (did I mention NO PAPER– Haven’t lost an assignment YET!)

license

I was pondering a name change for this blog, but since I found out I will be teaching a class with grade 9 students, I figure it can stay for now. I am sure in the future the blog with have to reflect my new position, but right now I just love the name!
I am not sure if I blogged this already, but I have moved from the elementary school to my present position at J.P II Collegiate teaching Information Processing and for the remainder of the day as a “technology consultant” for the rest of the division. Technology consultant. The name makes me cringe.

I have been listening to quite a number of podcasts as of late in regards to working with teachers in schools/divisions and I have to admit I have been quite a fan of Dean Shareski’s work. His ideas have provided a positive direction, in my view, of what this new position should entail.

Dean considers himself a “digital learning consultant”. I e-mailed him recently and thanked him for moving from a nebulous title like “technology consultant”, to one which succinctly identifies teaching and student learning. Dean’s approach is to develop conversationsand then suggesting digital tools to “amplify” their practice. Ugly as that description was, I hope I got that right Dean.

Love the name, and love the fact I can get a running start on some innovative trail blazing.

More about my developing I.P course in the next postings…. exciting stuff!

I have really enjoyed Dr. Schwier’s 873 course (Introduction to Instructional Design). In my quest to find an assigned reading, I came across an article entitled Web 2.0 how-to design guide

I would like your comments on the article. Is there a specific concept for designing web pages for the concept of Web 2.0 (considering it’s definition)? If so, what would it look like?
The article, in my opinion, does a very poor job in describing the rationale. Is there one?

Your thoughts.

What is Edupunk? Wikipedia’s definition lacks the clarity I see in the article by Stephen Downes. I especially liked the passage, “Edupunk, it seems, takes old-school Progressive educational tactics–hands-on learning that starts with the learner’s interests–and makes them relevant to today’s digital age, sometimes by forgoing digital technologies entirely.” Please read the article! I love the concept. Going for an eye appointment on June 12th. I now have inspiration for the edupunk eyeglasses.
Turn it up!!!!!

The Uncultured Project / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0“>

Wait, the title didn’t fit the video content? Well, IT SHOULD HAVE!
The generosity of the young man providing monies (13 dollars a book), while applauded for the short term, does not address the real problem.
One man can buy a book. A government can place the content for all to access in whatever manner fits the context of the society.
The old adage of feed a fish and teach one to fish will not apply if we allow only the privileged access to the lake.

Created by GeekandPoke

Well, it started off with a simple request to transfer to the high school. No positions.
Fine.
Then the principal of said high school resigned. Suddenly an ed tech position (.5) opened up along with a trip to the high school.
The Batman theme music certainly didn’t accompany my visit to the board office.
My mood and mindset was more to the effect of Law and Order…. bum bum, doo doo doo doo doo..
Well the interview went well, I think (in the fact I could not remember a thing I said).
And I got it. I am a .5 tech consultant. Huh?
So, the summer approaches, challenges loom (including the final year of my masters….) O. K.

Alright, this blog needs a name change. Should have happened long ago. Looking for ideas in relation to educational technology. My wife, in consideration that I work for a Catholic School Division, has offered “Tech See Scrolls”. She is officially in the running.
Any idea offered and and accepted will be given full credit under an “attribution license”!

The video may be old, but I have never come across it….

Gotta love those parfaits.

What would you do to safeguard children that may be involved with your social networked site? Well, Facebook, in conjunction with the power of the judicial system of 49 states, have decided on the following changes to help combat cyberbullying and sexual predators: A quick cut and paste to show the listed initiatives… See the full article here.

-Ensure companies offering services on its site comply with its safety and privacy guidelines.

-Keep tobacco and alcohol ads from users too young to purchase those products.

-Remove groups whose comments or images suggest they may involve incest, pedophilia, bullying or other inappropriate content.

-Send warning messages when a child is in danger of giving personal information to an adult.

-Review users’ profiles when they ask to change their age, ensuring the update is legitimate and not intended to let adults masquerade as children.

Just a thought…what present day institution that is directly involved with children would be the ideal conduit to address cyberbullying and predators and halt this “Big Brother ” mentality?
Here come the vid screens.

Zellers presents….the V-Book! Linux operating system! No hard drive….flash drive?!! Wireless? Could this be the OLPC that could have been?


Sync: VisionQuest V-Book

Just received this great e-mail and I decided to throw it on the blog! Take the test! (It does make you think) The page claims that thousands have taken the test (based on what norms who knows?)
No comments needed on the results. Let’s just say I was happy with mine….
Click here.