Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech

Planning has always been up to classroom teachers. Teachers decide what students are going to learn and how they are going to do it. I’d like to try something new and different. I’d like your ideas. Do have suggestions for assignments and projects? Do you have a resource that you think we should be using in class? Is there someone we absolutely need to talk to? Post it here! This space is for all of us to put our heads together and create the best possible space to learn in that we can. Anything goes. This is a brainstorming space, a planning space, a space for new ideas so anything you can think of can be posted here.

Clarence is at it again. He’s decided to start the year by having his students involved in the planning process. Talk about ownership for learning. Will every kid participate? Not likely but that’s not the point. Creating opportunities for students to participate is what’s important. As Prensky says, ENGAGMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CONTENT.  Clarence actually believes that. Some may be asking, “How will he meet objectives? What about the curriculum?” I know from discussions I’ve had with him that he is well aware of the curriculum. If you do have a question for him, just ask him.

Oh by the way, this wiki’s not just for teachers, he’s invited the world.

David Warlick makes this claim:

Is a teacher who is not using technology doing their job? An emphatic “NO!”

As I think about the upcoming school year, I’m hoping to be more emphatic about my beliefs about teaching and learning. This quote inspires me.

So given this I’m going to try to committ to a few things this year.

1. Challenge everyone who uses the phrase “technology integration” As it’s been said, let’s just use it and stop forcing square pegs in round holes.
2. Rather than help 100 teachers sprinkle technology into their teaching, help 10 teachers use the tools of technology to create new, engaging learning environments.
3. Help more administrators, and leaders blog. I’ve talked enough and now I need to gently guide them into experiencing the Read/Write Web.
4. Promote and explore ideas about messy assessment.

I hope to share about a number of initiatives I’ll be involved with this year but these few things will be underlying much of my work.

And if I say to someone, “you’re not doing your job”, I’ll just blame David Warlick.