Kim’s Ventures in Educational Technology

While reading some educational blogs online today, I came across an article on the Teacher Leaders Network website. The article was entitled, “Six-Word Inaugural Addresses“, and referred to a challenge to create an inaugural address with only six words. The challenge was originally issued by the National Constitution Center.

When SMITH Magazine and the National Constitution Center invited Americans to write six-word inauguration addresses (or, more accurately, “six words to inspire a nation”), we were reminded that in six words a President can say a lot. In his 1961 inaugural address, for example, John F. Kennedy told the world that America would “pay any price, bear any burden” to assure the success of liberty.

The winning phrase in this year’s SMITH-NCC contest was submitted by Donna Formica-Wilsey of Philadelphia, PA, who wrote: “Divided by fear, united in hope.”

To accompany this blog post I was looking for an image on flickr in the creative commons area and came across the wordle I uploaded here using President Obama’s inauguration speech text – I think the image captures the essence and power of words to inspire and motivate.

In the spirit of the recent inauguration of President Obama I pose this same challenge to you: what would your six word inaugural address be?

I knew it wouldn’t be long before Google somehow combined resources with Wikipedia. Sure enough, there is now a search tool called ‘Googlepedia’ for Firefox/Mozilla browser users. I use Flock exclusively and added the Googlepedia add-on to my browser and gave it a trial run.

After performing a search for Googlepedia , I received the following search results:

Links to sites resulting from my search are listed on the left and on the right side of the page is a Wikipedia entry on the keyword used in the search. Often times I have wanted a definition as well as sites that used a term I was searching for and with this add-on I am able to have links to websites featuring the searched term as well as any related Wikipedia entries. I will definitely use this feature often and so excited about this time saving feature in search results. Thanks Google!

Alas, I have finally written the last part of this four part mini-series on awesome technology tools that you can use in the classroom or create instructional materials for use with your students. This blog post features the recently discovered website, www.jogtheweb.com. A few weeks ago as I was reading the plurks of my professional learning network at plurk.com, someone plurked about a track created at jogtheweb.com so I decided to venture to the site and see what jogtheweb was all about.

Jogtheweb started in 2007 and allows users to create a ‘track’ at the website. Details and comments about the websites featured in a track are displayed as the user jogs along the track of websites. Tracks are generally created around a theme, skill or features of a specific website. Two tracks are featured below:
Exploring New Worlds by ProfB
Web 2.0 by Yennyg

Source: Jogtheweb.com

The image to the right shows a basic track. Viewers ‘jog’ along the track from website to website with a description of each part of the track displayed. At jogtheweb.com a variety of tracks have been created. Many have been created for educational purposes so you may want to look the tracks in case one has already

Source: View of a track at Jogtheweb.com

been created on your topic. One user in my PLN created one about the features of her district intranet and where to find district resources. I created one on technology tools that can be used in the classroom and once finished I will send the link out via Twitter and Plurk. Next time you are searching for a creative way to display content or technical information, consider creating a track at Jogtheweb.com. I think you will find this a great resource to add to your technology toolbox.

I just finished reading an astonishing blog post commenting on school districts that are resorting to shortened teacher prep programs, if you can call it that, to ease teacher shortages.

Recently I was surprised to hear two different school districts in major cities advertising for “anyone with a bachelor’s degree” to apply to teach. The advertisements stated that the districts were desperate for teachers and could certify anyone with a bachelor’s degree. One district even said certification could be accomplished in only two Saturdays of preparation.

In Texas, a candidate with a bachelor’s degree can participate in an alternative certification program. After teaching for one school year and attending classes on evenings and weekends during that year, provided he/she passes the state certification exam, a candidate can become a certified teacher. In my city with many school districts, primarily only the smaller school districts hire candidates in alternative certification programs. In my experience, those districts are have a difficult time attracting highly qualified teachers due to poor working conditions or low performing campuses. Although that isn’t always the case, it happens more often than not.

After having been asked to step in and ‘assist’ teachers in these alternative certification programs, my experience has found the caliber of teachers generated by these programs to be of a lesser quality. Especially those that retired from a military career. Teaching is on the opposite spectrum of careers and the candidates I taught with had a hard time dealing with disrespect from students, managing a classroom and being flexible with schedule changes. If I were a parent I would not have wanted my child to be a student in their classrooms as their students definitely suffered academically. One year is not enough for some of these candidates for preparation much less ‘two Saturdays’. For some, no time period will assist them in becoming a highly qualified teacher according to NCLB standards.

Not all teachers that go through alternative certification programs are indequate or ill equipped. I taught with a two teachers in particular that were so successful I had no idea they were a product of alternative certification programs until we had a conversation one day during a grade level planning session. They are natural teachers with great classroom management and those two traits cannot be ‘taught’ in any educator prep program. Either you are cut out to be a quality teacher or not and generally the skills that makes awesome teachers awesome cannot be taught or even defined. Great teachers have ‘it’. Students, parents and colleagues know if a teacher has the ‘it’ factor and everyone knows if a doesn’t doesn’t have ‘it’.

Ever read about or seen the movie, “The Ron Clark Story“? He took over a deplorably behaved class and transformed their achievement, behavior and attitudes. He definitely had ‘it’. Without being overly confident I know have ‘it’. Do you?

As an ed tech educator, we teach students about creating a digital footprint on the internet. Wikipedia defines a digital footprint as,

Digital Footprints are traces left by someone’s activity in a digital environment. There are two main classifications for digital footprints, passive and active. A passive digital footprint is created when data is collected about an action without any client activation, whereas active digital footprints are created when personal data is released deliberately by a user for the purpose of sharing information about oneself.

I was reminded of this concept as I was reading the local newspaper online and came across this article entitled, “E-mails detail UTSA professor’s fantasies“. Through the open records act, all of the professor’s emails were obtained and are posted online depicting his fantasies involving the students in his classes. Although this isn’t an example I would share with students, the article clearly demonstrates the importance of being aware of the nature of the digital footprints that one leaves on the internet. How unfortunate for this professor to learn this lesson firsthand in the public eye.

This is my second attempt at a personal/professional blog and think I am finally coming into my own and understanding what makes a successful blogger. By no means do I think that I am in the same ‘weight class’ as the uber bloggers, but the fact that I have readers subscribed and hits on my blog’s clustermap is a huge accomplishment for me. Although there are many factors that make a blog a success, one of those factors is reading other blogs and posting reflections about what you have read.

In the eArticle written by Dean Shareski entitled, “Student and Teacher Blogs that Succeed“, the paragraph illustrates this point beautifully.

Blogging is mostly about reading

Blogging is way more about reading than it is writing. Many teachers don’t see this at first. Most classrooms provide a good balance of traditional reading and writing opportunities. Teachers recognize that in order to be a good writer you have to read good writing. Yet when it comes to blogging, most want to write immediately and sit back and wait for the world to pay attention. It won’t happen. Provide as much time for your students to read blogs as write. If you decide you want to blog or have your students blog, don’t feel badly about spending a few weeks or even months reading blogs. Look for exemplary work. Look for blogs that you relate to. Find blogs that have a different perspective on things you’re interested in Talk with your students about the blogs they enjoy. Before you write a post, be sure you are responding to something you’ve seen, read or heard.

I can definitely testify that following this suggestion will prove to you and your readers the truth of those sentiments. The more blogs I read, I am able to see how successful blogs are structured, created, and promoted. I can ask questions or clarification of points presented in blogs by the ’superbloggers’ and have been willing to leave an encouraging comment in return. As exciting as it is to see the red dots grow on my blog’s cluster map, utilizing tools of this type that are purposeful and aesthetically pleasing can be gleaned from other bloggers.

What I have discovered is that most bloggers don’t post their reflections, thoughts and viewpoints for fame or notoriety. Most bloggers share their reflections in an effort to explore and refine the craft of teaching through the reflection process. As educators sharing best practices and thoughts about classroom strategies that work or don’t work true enlightenment occurs in a way that is not possible without taking a moment to reflect upon our teaching practices. Without reading literature, periodicals or blogs, professional growth will stagnate – just as the progress or success of your blog without posting your reflections of your lessons, activities or readings of literature or periodicals.

I was recently invited to join the community at Diigo. Do you delight in using del.ic.ious (I think that is where the dots go) to share bookmarks and tag websites? Then you will love Diigo. Diigo is an evolving community site where people of like interests can collaborate and share ideas, websites, and converse with educators around the world. You can download the toolbar where you can easily share bookmarks, highlight text and share that with the community and a host of other tools that I haven’t even begun to explore yet. Join the community at Diigo and add me to your Friends. I want to expand and enrich my bookmarks and ed tech knowledge by checking out what you think is important, interesting and relevant. Join us!