Catching up with technology

This evening I sent my first ever text message! I have been too cheap to pay for the service, but I have finally given in as I saw some benefits to sending a message once in a while. What's next? An IM account - probably not.

Time for Technology

Time is the biggest issue in teaching. To effectively integrate technology into the classroom takes a great deal of that precious time. There are many things I want to do to enhance lessons, but it requires researching the tools, learning to use the technology, setting up the equipment, and creating a back-up plan for when the technology doesn't work. It is sometimes difficult to believe that technology can make our lives easier. Even taking technology classes takes time away from the day-to-day planning and grading that needs to be done.

Some of the things I would like to do but have not had time to do are:

* read articles and journals on the latest gadgets and programs
* develop more lessons using ArcGIS
* keep up on mash-ups for Google Earth
* develop more lessons using my SmartBoard
* incorporate podcasts into my lessons
* create Web Quests

However, there are somethings that have been time savers:

*e-mail speeds up communication with teachers and provides quick support from other teachers
* Integrade makes the calculation of grades faster and the printing of mid-terms easier
* Making and editing PowerPoint slides is easier (and neater) than overheads or chalkboards.
* Test generators are a big time saver
* Bookmarking sites like Portaportal and del.ic.ious

I am open to any ideas on how to manage time better to allow for expanding my technology tools in the classroom.

2.0 be or not 2.0 be

As a geography teacher, I see a lot of potential for the collaborative nature of Web 2.0 technologies. If students can connect with other students in the world, it would make geography more "real" for them.

There were two articles in this month's Virginia Journal of Education (a publication of the VEA) related to the topic of the interactive Web. One highlighted several web sites that allow teachers and their students to collaborate on projects with students around the world. One I found quite interesting was by the Global SchoolNet Foundation, where there are many projects to participate in for free with online registration. This type of work shows great of promise.

The other article warned teachers about the dangers of social networking websites. Its main focus was on discouraging teachers from having MySpace or Facebook accounts as they may compromise their integrity as a teacher, or get them fired or sued. It pointed out that even if you keep your pages appropriate, the friends you are linked to may not be so conservative. Also, it can give the impression of inappropriate relationships with students if they are your "friends." I do have a Facebook account that I started this summer. The head cheer coach and I found it was the easiest way to keep an eye on our cheerleaders and to communicate with them easily on our "wall." We have a closed group that is just for current cheerleaders. I had not thought of this as risky. What do you think? I don't have any of the girls as friends. By the way, my son said that Facebook is no longer cool since I invited him to be my friend.

I did a book review and a research paper on this very topic during the summer and I too made the argument that we should use more wikis and blogs in school to teach students to use the web safely, just as we do with drivers ed. Many of these tools have settings to keep them closed and monitored for appropriate participation.

Good web design???

I am the last person who should address the concept of a good web page design. I cringe at anything with words like design (ie., anything involving creativity). However, I do know when I don't like using certain sites because they are not very user friendly.

Things I don't like in web pages
1. Too many advertisements
2. Too many Flash moving objects
3. Links that are not intuitive
4. Sites that do not keep the information current
An example of a web site I don't like is the WHSV home page. There are too many options across the top in a random order, and all the adds and specialty links along the sides are distracting. Then the lead stories are just condensed and squeezed into the middle.

What I am looking for in a good web site
1. To the point information
2. Readability - colors that are vivid and don't blend with the background
3. Images that are relavant
One I do like is Page County Public Schools - it isn't anything flashy, but it is very user friendly. Compare it to Augusta's and you can quickly see which is easier to navigate.

A philosophy I learned as a Cub Scout leader was KISMIF - Keep it simple, make it fun!

EDTC 611 from Denise

I have not used my Blog since I set it up in June while I was at the CyberCity camp with two students. I will hopefully use it now for my class journal for EDTC 611, which is my next to last class before completing my degree.

I have not had a lot of time lately to research new tools or web sites, but I have been working on developing my del.icio.us account, which is a social bookmarking site. You can view mine here.

I have also had my students set up Protopage accounts for more creative ways of doing reports. Last year we used them to create "climate web pages."

I look forward to learning more tools for teaching this semester.