Techronicity

The Minus site says 2 GB per file now

2011-11-28T11:04:18.345-07:00

The Minus site says 2 GB per file now

Thanks again Andy for great info. I seem to be hoo...

2011-05-06T21:17:45.499-06:00

Thanks again Andy for great info. I seem to be hooked on Chrome, even if it stalls once in awhile. Definitely better than IE. Like the extensions and bookmarking feature in Chrome. And it's colorful.

Thanks for the responses. I also found that I deve...

2011-04-15T17:33:01.714-06:00

Thanks for the responses. I also found that I developed a real love for writing, something which I didn't realize that I had before. I look forward to my weekly posts.

Bruno! Actually, I purposely put your podcasts in ...

2011-04-15T17:31:52.079-06:00

Bruno! Actually, I purposely put your podcasts in this blogpost and presentation because I used them for a few years teaching French in 4th grade. Awesome to hear from you!

Glad to see my podcast is still making the interne...

2011-04-15T06:45:47.071-06:00

Glad to see my podcast is still making the internet rounds :) - Bruno for Frenchforkidsbykids

If we are encouraging students to write regularly,...

2011-04-14T09:46:28.468-06:00

If we are encouraging students to write regularly, keeping a blog is a good way to model that trait.

I agree with your feelings about blogging. I am j...

2011-04-13T23:48:29.501-06:00

I agree with your feelings about blogging. I am just drafting my post reflecting on my first year of blogging and have included many of the same reasons. The same reasons apply to teacher blogs as student blogs.

Yes, collaboration for free...

2011-04-07T16:37:18.940-06:00

Yes, collaboration for free...

This is a great free feature that Google provides....

2011-04-07T06:04:19.876-06:00

This is a great free feature that Google provides. I also like "Google Talk." It allows us to invite friends to our group to IM instead of the dreaded email. Medicine Hat is exploring Google more as a collaborative platform. Edmonton Public has gone to the cloud and is using many of these features in the district. Nice visuals on the post.

THanks for the comment. I have seen that video and...

2011-04-02T15:45:39.384-06:00

THanks for the comment. I have seen that video and it is very powerful.

Thanks for the great resources! Never thought abou...

2011-04-02T13:49:59.723-06:00

Thanks for the great resources! Never thought about dropping the "digital", but it makes sense! Did you get to see this YouTube this week? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37_ncv79fLA - so powerful! 8th grade girl from Westport, CT using social media to respond to bullying. I'm committed to helping preservice teachers integrate citizenship into their future PK-12 classrooms!

Awesome! I know that once I return to a classroom ...

2011-04-01T18:40:20.636-06:00

Awesome! I know that once I return to a classroom setting my students will be doing this as well. It makes so much sense.

My sister, a teacher, and a group do this in Red D...

2011-03-31T15:51:51.821-06:00

My sister, a teacher, and a group do this in Red Deer. When each loan is paid off, they reinvest in another person or group. They also keep track of how previously assisted groups are managing. It is really quite amazing. They also expect the group /person they help to pay it forward once they are on their feet. Impressive. I will see what we can get shaking at BCHS.

You're welcome! There are a number of though-p...

2011-03-19T16:43:04.206-06:00

You're welcome! There are a number of though-provoking and inspirational prompts that you've posted.

I have read that article, and may take down my link, but originally I was just happy to be a part of that list. Something to think about for sure.

Thanks for posting my stuff, but you should really...

2011-03-19T15:35:34.261-06:00

Thanks for posting my stuff, but you should really check out this link: http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=9672

Thanks for the vote of confidence for Wikipedia. ...

2011-03-08T08:20:47.269-07:00

Thanks for the vote of confidence for Wikipedia. I have always felt guilty for using it as a primary source!

Yes. I like the ease of use with it. Send an email...

2011-03-01T23:25:02.196-07:00

Yes. I like the ease of use with it. Send an email from anywhere and its posted. I'm debating whether or not I want to use it instead of the Blogger interface, but I discovered you can email in your blogs to Blogger as well.

Thanks, Andy. This will come in handy when sharing...

2011-03-01T05:59:55.927-07:00

Thanks, Andy. This will come in handy when sharing Notebook files. I will be sure to send the link to this post on to others using Notebook.

P.S. My sister shares the name of a Ted Bundy vict...

2011-02-16T19:52:39.163-07:00

P.S. My sister shares the name of a Ted Bundy victim. Creepy...

Great points, Anonymous! I agree with the idea tha...

2011-02-16T19:52:05.490-07:00

Great points, Anonymous! I agree with the idea that we should be "cultivating our online presence." Be proactive, instead of reactive.

And your last paragraph is a homerun too! I like your comment about getting a "more realistic sense of who I am as a person." It's not about being some unattainably perfect human, rather, it is about sharing yourself as a whole so that prospective employers are able to judge whether you are someone that will fit their organization. I don't think I'd want to work for someone who took issue with me having the odd drink either!

I've always played around with the idea of usi...

2011-02-16T10:25:25.352-07:00

I've always played around with the idea of using Posterous for some sort of an image-centric blog, but haven't come up with a good idea. I guess you could use it as an easy way to show parents what's going on in your classroom each day.

The reality of social networking compels educators...

2011-02-16T10:17:34.609-07:00

The reality of social networking compels educators to engage. Opting out is no longer an option. Too many teachers and administrators have a misguided, ultra-conservative sense that, "As long as I don't subscribe to it, it won't affect me".

For those among us, I ask: have you been to "Rate My Teacher.com lately"?

Educators should not be opting out of web 2.0 or social networking technologies. We should be vigilant in cultivating our online presence. If we don't, the world will do it for us, intentionally or not. And we may not like the outcome.

Two years ago, a good friend and colleague Google-searched his own name, only to find a host of sites and stories relating to an infamous serial killer of the same name. To re-claim his name and good standing in the educational community, he created a personal webpage, complete with pictures, academic achievements, and an electronic portfolio. Hardly a perfect solution, perhaps, but considerably better than doing nothing at all.

Considering the influence of technology on society, I would fully expect to be able to learn more about a prospective hire online. Not finding ANYTHING about a person online begs an important question: "what has this person been doing for the past X years that I can't find anything about them online?"

And if a prospective boss happens to check my Facebook page and see that picture of me drinking a beer at a BBQ on a hot summer day, maybe they'll get a more realistic sense of who I am as a person. And if they are comfortable with that, then maybe that's the type of boss I might actually want to work for. Those old dogs that would attempt to scare us off of blogging or Facebook do so out of sheer ignorance and a devastating lack of vision for educating today's youth.

This is a really thought provoking article. Thanks...

2011-02-16T06:01:27.523-07:00

This is a really thought provoking article. Thanks for sharing it.

Thanks for the responses, Rusty and Anonymous. I ...

2011-01-18T20:47:57.471-07:00

Thanks for the responses, Rusty and Anonymous.

I agree completely with both of you. Rusty, you certainly ask some near impossible questions, but I believe that Anonymous provides some potential answers. The seamless integration should lessen costs and strain on districts and IT departments, even in lower income communities where resources are more scarce.

The big assumption with student owned devices is that they will cause major disruptions, widen the technology gap between the "haves" and "have-nots", and lead to un-academic activity. If districts can still supply a lesser number of devices for students without the resources to bring their own, all students could potentially have access to a device. As for the other potential issues with students bringing and using their devices at school, they are primarily behavioral concerns that should be dealt with under a school's discipline policy. Alternately, if the learning activity is engaging and meaningful for students, disruptive behaviours shouldn't be a problem.

As for districts needing to support teachers with the implementation of technology in the classroom, I agree (not just because it is my job). But I believe the focus should be more focused on supporting teachers to improve their overall pedagogy, of which technology is a part. It is certainly advantageous for teachers to have a person or persons who have the time to seek out, introduce and guide teachers through the use of different technologies, but there really needs to be a focus on improving pedagogy as a whole.

Considering the amount of time that today's yo...

2011-01-17T10:46:14.981-07:00

Considering the amount of time that today's youth is spending with these breaking technologies, and the amount of time that teachers and administrators aren't, the technology gap will only continue to widen. What educators need to master is the art of incorporating opportunities for the application of technology without dictating what that technology is, or how it will be applied.

Central to this issue is the provision of adequate support for teachers. The global trend toward seamless integration will actually reduce hard costs (less on-site storage, etc.) but really puts pressure on schools and divisions to support teachers in developing a sense of vision and direction for these technologies in the classroom and beyond. Exposure to emerging technologies is one thing, but having the opportunity to reflect on these technologies in the context of enhancing learning within our programs is something else altogether.

As for ethical usage, schools are most commonly seeking to apply the same hand of discipline and consequence for online abuses as they would for the playground. The extent of effectiveness, however, remains largely (and perhaps thankfully) untested.