I especially enjoyed the comments regarding focusing on technology as a tool to teach the subject-matter. This is a discussion we have been having in my school district in regards to professional development. All teachers and students have laptops, so technology training is certainly imperative, but I think we have been approaching it the wrong way. We have been teaching classes like “Blogs - What They are and How to Use Them” instead of classes like “Using Formative Assessment to Improve Student Writing” (and then discussing blogs as an option). We tell our teachers that technology use should be “seamless” yet I don’t think we have been modeling this in our staff development sessions. We are making this paradigm shift with our summer training, so I hope it will make a difference. Hopefully, by placing the emphasis on the curriculum and illustrating how technology can enhance student learning, we will have a larger buy-in from our teachers.

So many of our teachers do not use the technology effectively because they don’t see how it will help them teach what they know (their content). They feel comfortable with their content and how to teach it and many of them are not willing to make the stretch to implement technology because they are scared to give up control, scared of how to use it or they just don’t see why it is necessary… or they are afraid it won’t help prepare students for the TAKS. I am hoping by switching the focus from technology to curriculum teachers will feel more at ease and make the connections… wish me luck.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

I think you all missed the boat. In fact, I think you were all left on the dock trying to figure out how to get on the boat. Ewan and Jeff caught a glimpse of the gangway just before the boat pulled away. Granted, David Warlick was a little vague, and his challenge was not as well defined as it could have been. Perhaps the abiguity was intentional. I got the sense that what you were trying to do was figure out what the new story is. It sounded like “what new story needs to be told in order to get educators fired up about blogging or, in a larger sense Web 2.0?” In the end there appeared to be some consensus that the story had to be about teaching and learning and how newer technologies fit in. I would never presume to speak for Mr. Warlick, but I don’t think this is what he was getting at.

Teaching and learning is a very old story. I don’t know if it does us any good to simply find a new way to tell it. To be sure, there may be some benefit to that, but there’s more at play here.

There is no new story. No, not just one. There are lots of new stories! And they are as varied as snowflakes. Every person has a story to tell. There are lots of good old stories, but there and new and exciting ones born everyday. Our challenge as educators, parents, pastors, etc. is helping students find the story they have to tell. That is where they will find their passion. Their passion will then infleunce what they learn and how they learn it and how and with whom they share it. Their story and how they learn it and how they tell it may or may not have anything to do with technology. I think this is what Ewan and Jeff were starting to get at.

Please, I don’t want to appear too negative. Everyone had good points that they made. I was just a bit off base to me. David’s challenge and this comment are a little “out there” and “fluffy around the edges.” This stuff can be a bit difficult to get a good hold on. But, it’s the kind of thing we must try to grab sometimes.

Matthew

I am still frustrated that this is not catching on as quickly as I’d like.

Here’s the progression that I advocate and I heard mentioned in this discussion:

Step 1) Read Blogs

Step 2) Blog for personal/family use

Step 3) Blog for administrative/communication purpose

Step 4) Blog for educational purposes with kids.

I have focused on our administrators first. Using this approach, we now have 5 principals that use Blogspot as their primary means of weekly communication with their staff.

My problem is that I’m not being patient enough. I also need to provide the leadership to put security procedures in place.

Thanks for contributing to the discussion yesterday.