My PowerPoint Presentation should be right about here.

It took me about 4,000 years to get it done, or at least it felt like it. I couldn't get my laptop to work with the projector, then when I used another teacher's laptop we discovered she didn't have the appropriate cord to connect her new laptop to the projector. The next day she brought her old Notebook, and we had some issues getting my project to open on her computer from my pen drive.

And then, lo and behold, we discovered that my laptop worked just fine with her projector. I have no idea why it wouldn't work with the university projector. We assumed it was a Vista thing...

I had no problems getting my presentation uploaded to YouTube--you should be able to watch it from the above link. My left arm seems to have a mind of its own, and I kept having to bend down and deal with changing the slides because I didn't have a remote or a podium to set my laptop on.

Beyond that, the lighting and the sound are terrible. I had the camera as far back against the wall opposite me as it would go, but I still kind of wandered out of the scene. I hated being stuck it that spot. It would be cool to have a remote so I could do my normal "wandering and tripping over kids' backpacks. I also would have liked to have an audience...woulda been more fun.

I'm really annoyed about the lighting because my plaid slacks and brown sweater were very cute...all dressed up on Friday EVEN!

The Movie, the Maddness, the (enter cool m-word here...couldn't think of one...)
...
Well, God forgive me, I have devoted a sinful amount of time to making this ridiculous creation, but my Philosophy of Ed movie is finished. Though I tried and tried, I just couldn't trick myself out of my normal tone of skepticism and irony, but I'm not convinced that actually swallowing one of the philosophies was part of the assignment, and I never did go out for theater.

NOTE: I refuse to redo this project. I humbly accept my C+ (It's worth at least that much...)

I never did figure out how to get the music to work. I wanted to play The Doors (Five to One) as my "theme song." HOLLY ROLLERS BATMAN! Computers stress me out!

Please, when you watch my movie, use your imagination to hear the thump of that that wicked bass line, the squeals and moans of Robby Krieger's resonant riffs, and the smooth sensuous sound of Morrison's poetry. Please...I'm asking nicely.

Despite my utter failure with the music, the rest of the movie is pretty sound (hehehe...get it?). I really like the trippy clock at the end, or what I like to call the "Scooby Doo ending."

I tried about half a dozen times to upload this project to Teacher Tube, and every time it gave me an "error alert"--(how on earth would I survive without quotation marks?). I am presently trying to post it on YouTube. It is taking forever.

If it ever actually posts somewhere I will be sure to make this hyperlink direct you to the appropriate web location--Please, don't everyone line up at once.

Do you think I'm looking forward to Monday's in-service about "How to use imovie..."

WHOO-HOO!

HERE is my Energy Conservation Project. Some of the formatting is screwy because I did it on Office 2007 and had to save it as a 2003. Oh well. It was actually a lot of fun and certainly way easier than I expected.

Honestly, the hardest part was trying to figure out how to get into the powerpoint section of Word, and uploading it to Netshare was kind of a %#@!^&*% too! Hope you all enjoy making yours as much as I did!

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROJECT ENTRY #1

• I want to find out how much fuel our family uses in an average week
• I think the website "Pain at the Pump" will come in handy
• My husband and I need to track our miles driven every day for a week, and figure out how much fuel we burned in those miles and how many dollars were spent as well.
• To collect this data we will both fuel up at the same time and then again at the same time a week later.
• On the first fuel up, we will zero out the odometers to track our mileage, and on the second fuel up a week later we will be able to use miles driven and gallons purchased to see exactly how much fuel we used.
• Then we will have to ponder the essential question of "How can we conserve our fuel usage?"
• Perhaps...eventually I could get a daycare provider who is not 5 miles out of town, and I can certainly walk home and back to work on my breaks.
• If I make the grocery store deliver my goods is that fuel conservation? I'll use less anyway...
• If I drove my piece o' crap car into the ocean I would save a great deal on fuel.

Anthro-Tech Essential Reflection

Judging from the ed tech plan and the first inservice day with the new Superintendent, I would say that Wrangell schools has a positive and ambitious outlook toward technology.

• The new Superintendent addressed the issue of technology in our first inservice day.
• He would like to see every high school student with their own, school-provided, lap top computer.
• The ed tech plan is gigantic and thorough in it's approach on technology.
• The school district maintains that technology should be used from K-12, and the tech plan describes how it should be used at each grade level

The two elements of the ed tech plan and the first inservice with the new superintendent are somewhat contradictory when juxtaposed with the immediate reality of day to day life in the school.

• Money for technological tools does not seem to be exactly bountiful. (Our cup doth not overflow).
• The optimism of the new Superintendent makes me feel hopeful that this may change.
• Many teachers seem resistant to learn or use technology in their education plans.
• The teachers with positive attitudes toward technology use have "snatched" up the available tools and kind of "hog 'em all up."

I would like to try to push for more technology integration in the classes that I'm teaching. I have a few ideas about how to possibly achieve this goal.

• Perhaps schmoozing the techno-pigs with cookies will earn me a few hours of use with the precious presentation tools.
• Mafia style tactics might work better.
• Encourage my host teachers to join my gang (make them feel sorry for me that the university is making me put so much emphasis on technology and play up the need to meet the requirements to graduate the MAT program).
• (Hey, it's working with the implementation of more "cooperative learning" activities)
• If/when I do succeed in employing technology in my lessons, do a damn good job so that the teachers may develop a more positive outlook and attitude of intrigue toward technology.

GoogleDoc Ed Tech Plan for Wrangell

GoogleDoc Anthro-Tech Research

Article Assessment #3
Jamie Townsend
townsend@gci.net
9-2-07

"Tools for the Mind"

by Mary Burns

Overview

In her article "Tools for the Mind," Mary Burns addresses the issue that computers, higher- order thinking tools, are largely being used in schools to promote lower-order thinking skills. Using Bloom's taxonomy as a basis for discussion, she maintains that computers certainly can improve student learning, but neither the machines or their users are living up to their true potential. One example between higher-order and lower-order computer application would be if students were to use the Internet for collaborations and simulations rather than standard and intellectually unengaged data retrieval.

Burns suggests two strategies to change directions on this unproductive course. She reminds teachers of the necessity to consistently maintain and increase their own critical thinking skills, while actively and consciously passing these skills onto students. Burns also emphasizes the need for professional development that strengthens teaching skills first, (curriculum, instruction and assessment) and then incorporates technology use that will build higher-order skills rather than just cover weakness in material.

Reference Points

1.) Teachers need to be taught not only HOW to use computers, but how to use them to increase student learning.

2.) Districts need to increase instructional programs, appropriate hardware and software programs, adequate time for lessons, and increase technological support and leadership.

3.) Technology is used primarily in schools to present information collected rather than to delve more deeply into scholarly material and academic skills. Electronic Presentation was the most frequently used application (81%) in a poll that spanned from 1999 to 2003.

4.) Spreadsheets were only used 6% of the time, a tool which Burns insists promotes analytical and critical thinking skills when used as more than "show and tell" organization

5.) NCLB has been cited as one major reason that data-management has taken precedent over instruction in the realm of technology.

Reflection

This article was the most difficult of all for me to get through. I've spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out why, and I still don't have a very good argument. I don't know if it was the writer's voice, or all of the examples of technology that I really don't understand that made this such a dense read for me. Likely it was a combination of the two. Prensky's article irritated me enough to keep my interest, and I highly enjoyed Richardson, but Burn's writing was almost painful for me to read. I do, however, appreciate her position, and I believe she addresses a crucial topic. Maybe I also find it overwhelming because I still need to learn so much of the technology before I can begin learning how to best implement the technology. Wait a minute! Maybe that's what THIS CLASS if for! Eureka!

Burns, Mary. "Tools for the Mind." Educational Leadership 63.4 (2005/2006): 48-53.

Article Assessment #2
Jamie Townsend
townsend@gci.net
9/1/07

"The Educator's Guide to the Read/Write Web"

by Will Richardson

Overview

In his article "The Educator's Guide to the Read/Write Web," Will Richardson describes the new creation and publication tools on the Internet and how they have and will continue to contribute to education. The web used to be a place to consume information, but with new tools like blogs and wikis the web is now also a major forum for broadcasting.

Richardson writes to heighten awareness of these new tools and the way in which they have revolutionized education, but he also reminds educators to beware of content. Since anyone can post information now, it is more important then ever to teach students to discern between scholarly or reputable material and less trustworthy sources. Richardson maintains an inclusive attitude toward technology and it's ability to enhance modern education, while still reserving practical concerns about the reality of dangers and drawbacks in this relatively new media.

Reference Points

1.) Weblogs or blogs are online forums where amateurs of "hypertext markup language" can

post writings by simply typing in the box and clicking publish.

2.) Blogs allow student to target audiences and create online learning communities, and an new one appears online every two seconds.

3.) Wikis (the Hawaiian word for quick) is a "site that anyone can edit at any time. Wikipedia.org is the most renowned example. Researchers and writers maintain accuracy by self-editing the material. Vandalism and inaccuracies are cleared up by the members themselves.

4.) Really Simple Syndication (RSS) allows users to subscribe to many feeds and receive updates from an aggregator. The aggregator targets new material and alerts users subscribed to that feed. This technology make is easier to keep up with numerous different online sites.

5.) Social bookmarking enables users to bookmark certain sites and save a copy of the site in a folder. This tool allows teachers to narrow or pinpoint "like-minded professionals" in their effort to collaborate and collect data from the web.

6.) Podcasts are homemade radio programs. Videos of news programs, field trips, interviews, oral reports and an endless variety of videos are available on the web at any time.

7.) The scope and definition of literacy is changing and expanding due to these new tools available on the Internet. Along with reading and writing-- collaborating, editing, and active questioning/evaluating of online material will be imperative skills in a students scholastic repertoire.

8.) Teachers roles often shift from content expert to guiding students through the online information supplied by a huge host of experts of every rank and station. In 2005, 75.5% of teachers thought the web was valuable for teaching their content area, 68.4% said the net improved academic achievement, and 58% believed it was effective in raising standardized test scores.

9.) Relevancy is heightened by broadening students' audience from teacher to world. Assignments are posted for large audiences to view and build upon rather than merely filed or trash-canned.

10.) Student safety must be observed when making decisions of how widely to publish their work, revealing students' personal information, and handling encounters with lewd or otherwise inappropriate content.

Reflection

Wonderfully informative and refreshingly upbeat, this article was a pleasure to read and analyze. After the previous article, "Listen to the Natives," I especially enjoyed Richardson's positive emphasis on teachers' changing roles with incorporation of the Internet into education. While Marc Prensky cynically depicted teachers as obsolete fools, Richardson actually sets up a forum for a constructive dialogue. From the statistics Richardson gives, it appears that most teachers recognize and accept the possibilities and benefits that new technology has brought to education.

The explanations of these new tools were also highly beneficial to me. Though I have blogged a little, I certainly did not understand terms like wikis and podcasts (even though I've experienced both medias countless times), and I feel a great deal steadier on these terms and concepts now. The responsibilities of educators to guide students through scholarly sources as opposed to unaccredited ramblings as they navigate the net is an issue that I've already been discussing with one of my host teachers. I am excited to get these article reviews done so that I can loan him this magazine!

Richardson, Will. "The Educator's Guide to the Read/Write Web." Educational Leadership 63.4 (2005/2006): 24-27.

Article Assessment #1
Jamie Townsend
townsend@gci.net
8/30/07


"Listen to the Natives"

by Marc Prensky

Overview (well, it would be if it weren't so suggestive and opinionated)

Marc Prensky introduces his argument in favor of furthering the use of technological tools and concepts in education by suggesting, "It's time for education leaders to raise their heads above the daily grind and observe the new landscape that's emerging." Sounds vaguely familiar...wake up and smell the coffee or how about pull your head out of the sand. He continues to assert that kids are so different nowadays that "We can no longer use our 20th century knowledge or our training as a guide to what is best for them educationally."

Why we're even here then I simply cannot figure out. Prensky thinks that scholastics should be converted into video game format to achieve optimal learning. He wants to put an equal amount of students on the faculty and administrative meetings, and he thinks students should be in complete control of who they work with on assigned projects, even if the pairs or groups reach outside the classroom and clear across the world through cyber space. He even outright declares that the only reason teachers ban cell phones is because they know their lectures and learning materials are too boring to hold any student's attention, especially with that kind of stiff competition.

Reference Points:

1.) The term digital native applies to 21st century students. These students can navigate and talk about technology fluently.
2.) The term digital immigrants implies to everyone else (except perhaps the people who invented and engineered the technology that the "digital natives" are so adept at using/abusing?)
3.) "Common sense tells us that we will never have enough truly great teachers to engage these students in the old ways--through compelling lectures from those rare, charismatic teachers" (p.11).
4.) Herding: involuntary assignment of students to particular courses. (Math? Reading?).
5.) Alternatives to herding: 1 on 1 instruction (preferable 1 student/ 1 computer, not 1 student/ 1 teacher), and of course the previously mentioned self-selection of group and partners by students.
6.) A cell phone for every student...
7.) Programming is essential for modern literacy.
8.) Schools are gigantic daycare offering irrelevant credentials.

Reflection (or "more of the afore")

Footnoted at the close of this article is the information that "Marc Prensky is a speaker, writer, consultant, and game designer in education and learning." Note that the word teacher is not present in the list. Then again, Idealist is also not in the list, but Prensky is a model subject in that regard. With unlimited funds, unlimited resources, and no pesky little scores and standards to reach, all schools could at least strive to swim in the inviting waters which Prensky depicts. Although, while busy "involving [students] in discussions about curriculum development, teaching methods, school organization, discipline and assignments" teachers might not have time to teach the students any actual academic content, and most of them would likely sink to the bottom when weighted with even a moderate exam or assessment.

Before Pensky's romanticized world can even begin to take shape, a lot more is going to have to change than just teachers' attitudes toward technology. How about NCLB? What about kids who don't even know how to read? These technological geniuses that Pensky is describing do not describe all 21st century students and districts. Reality can be such a bummer. Technology IS invaluable in the classroom. Technology HAS revolutionized education and that revolution will continue and grow, but impractical good intentions arrogant presuppositions are only a flimsy raft as we attempt to navigate into that oceanic future.

Prensky, Marc. "Listen to the Natives." Educational Leadership 63.4 (2005/2006): 9-13.

Futuring

I watched "Fox Becomes a Better Person" and "School Train" at home, and though I seriously considered busting out the assigned two paragraphs right then and there, I decided to legitimately adhere to the directive guidelines and showed them to one of my host teachers, Bob Davis.

Boy am I glad I did that. Where my brain was struggling to think of what type of rubric I could use to assess these pieces, and how I could masterfully BS an entire paragraph about a lousy rubric, Bob's brain produced (with impressive immediacy) a much more practical and relevant response. Bob declared, "The first thing I'd need to know in order to assess these products is how much time was spent on them." Ah-ha. A very good point indeed.

If students are spending many days or even weeks on producing a video to prove that they have a firm grasp on the concept of "metaphor," do they have time to learn anything else about language arts? Of course, students are learning technology and perhaps creative collaboration, but will that help them when they sit alone in front of an old-school style exam? The kids from Glen Bledsoe's 4th grade class might feel more like they're being run over by a train at that moment in time.

Despite the lesser graphics, Hannah's retelling of "Fox becomes a Better Person" actually shows a broader range of learning, and her work might make a better argument against Bob's initial distrust. Hannah's knowledge of story mapping and written vs oral story telling is apparent in her video (see Jason Ohler's article in Educational Leadership vol. 63, no 4), which incorporates a variety of complex concepts rather than just a singular literary device such as metaphor. I agree with Bob that the time taken to produce these videos has to be balanced with amount of actual material being learned.


Responding to the "epic2015" video is a little harder since I haven't been able to enjoy it in more than six to ten words at a time between loooong, irritating pauses, but I'll take a stab at it anyway.

• The possible future portrayed in this video could certainly have a huge impact in the classroom. Podcasting might turn out to be a highly effective means of squelching out the epic dilemma of nasty writings on bathroom walls. Why, with all the fun they'll be having on those ipods, kids will probably never even dream of graffiti, violence, drug use or most other behavioral nuisances. Of course, they might not frequent class at all as they stare, spellbound, into those tiny screens, podcasting this and podcasting that.
• The image is almost as haunting as the bit about Googlzon personalizing the advertisement webs to spin around individual consumers. It brings my Amazon account to mind: "Jamie, we have recommendations for you!" Titillating.
• The last seconds of the video, however, left an unexpected impression of putting the power in the hands of the "podder." Listening to the podders alert drivers to traffic delays and alternate routes and announcing amateur weather forecasts (which are sure to be 95% more reliable that the professional ones), I had a brief and tantalizing vision of technology obliterating the media.

Could it be that the media might just abate their own usefulness and impact right as they were within a finger's breadth of world domination with their stunning new devices and gimmicks? We shall see...perhaps even from a 2 inch by 2 inch pod screen. Maybe I'll finally buy one myself this year and join the growing ranks of the REAL, 21st Century Pod People.