The End of an Era

So it has been an interesting last few weeks. I have been unable to be with my class due to some other obligations, but technology has allowed us to drive on. Virtual classrooms, email, and blogs have saved the day. I think that the potential for digital communication via worldwide networks, along with software that can be used on shared platforms, will help anyone who wants to learn what they want.

Our world is shrinking, while the information in it expands. Our big challenge is to take complete advantage of the new opportunities to communicate and collaborate while maintaining and strengthening human relationships.

I would like to know my students thoughts on this class, technology and education, and how they plan to implement and build on what they have done in TEC 600.

Creating a Technological Lesson

I can think of dozens of ways to enrich just about any lesson with technology. One of the themes of this course is that technology isn't just a neat way to engage students, or get them to pay attention to otherwise boring content (althought those benefits shouldn't be downplayed). Technology really offers new ways to deliver instruction more effectively.

I can think back to a time when I taught a lesson to 9th-graders learning about functions. I remember having a very tough time msyelf in high school understanding what a "function" was. No teacher ever adequately explained it to me. I decide to use MS Excel to help my students understand the concept better.

When the students saw that formulas, input cells, and outputs all depended on one another in a simple spreadsheet, they began to understand the age-old "function machine" just a bit better.

What are your ideas for your technology-enhanced lessons?

PowerPoint for Power Lessons

Say what you will about Microsoft, they have created a pretty nice way to present information digitally in PowerPoint. It's neat, versatile, highly compatible, and simple to use.

In fact, it may be too simple. Many instructors (more at the higher education level than in K - 12) use it ad infinitum. Sometimes we get tired of watching PP presentations.

I am of the belief that teachers should use those tools that are simplest and most effeicient. Efficiency is a tricky thing to measure, though. One must take into account how much information he is trying to convey versus how much is actually being learned. Instructors too often fall into the trap of thinking that, since they presented material, they taught it.

Teaching only happens when someone is learning. Students don't learn much by watching boring PP presentations. There are plenty of bells and whistles in PP to allow any teacher to make any topic engaging.

We've Started Class!

This is the first blog for TEC 600 Fall 2008. Preparing for this course never ceases to amaze and challenge me. Keeping up with the ever-changing technology that can be incorporated into learning systems is an endless task. I certainly haven't even come close.

I have discovered a number of tools and applications that can enhance learning at the K -12 level, and the class blog is one of the easy ones. Giving students an opportuntity to learn, collaborate and contribute via a dynamic web page seems so natural for young people.

I am eager to see what ideas you have for blogging in your classroom. Begin to think about the potential. Three things come to my mind right away. First, students can respond in their own unique ways to class goals or questions, linking resources to support their point of view. Second, students can learn and practice good communication skills. Finally, blogging can be motivational.

The days of the textbook are not yet gone, but information is moving faster and farther. A blog can get students in pace, and I am excited to blog about that topic.