The Long and Winding Road

Many moons ago, I wrote a poem for my first tech class, "Technology and the Mule".  I hadn't even been on the web yet, I was pretty much a closet Luddite.  And now, after 10+ years, I'm about to team teach some basic Google apps to the reluctant teachers at my school.  This class has taught me that (temporary) failure IS an option, that we can figure it out together.  Failure just  means I haven't collaborated enough yet. Of course, I've also learned some pretty cool tech stuff :) So here's today's thing: I am starting to understand how these students use trial & error, and collaboration to figure out their video games and other electronic gadgets.  They just keep hitting buttons until something makes sense. Pretty different from how I was "trained" at school: do what the teacher says and get the right answer. I am rethinking how I am going to teach this year, and it's a bit scary.  The kids will be back in 11 days, 4 of which I'll be on the road delivering my daughter to college.  Can I redo some lesson plans to start the year off?  If I can meet these students on their trial&error level, will Library Class be more relevant?  Will they be more engaged?  Many thanks to Lisa and Dave for teaching us so many great tools, and for allowing us the time for trial & error!

The Great Global Puzzle Challenge

One of the cool things about working in a bookstore on my summers off from school is the different perspective on books that I get from kids.  They are there for pleasure, not because it's Library Class time. And I also get to look at new books all day, which is better than M&M's!  July's best find was a book called "The Great Global Puzzle Challenge with Google Earth" by Clive Gifford.  ISBN:978-0-7534-6721-3   It's basically a kid-friendly version of a Google Earth tutorial.  As a student works through the challenges, they of course learn how to use Google Earth with its layers and coordinates, but they also learn about Ancient Rome, Tokyo, the Great Barrier Reef, and other interesting places.
I envision this book up on the SmartBoard, and kids at their laptops, figuring out the puzzle challenges.  I think we're going to have a great time with it!

Motivating Digital Natives

So here's the Wednesday thing:
I was listening to Prof. Wagner's speech about student success, and he got to the "What motivates the Digital Natives" part, and I decided to make my in-house DN walk around the block with me and explain it.  Very low tech, sneakers. (to put this in context, she will be a sophomore in college next week, and this summer has been interesting as we renegotiate our home dynamics)  Things I've noticed about her & her cohorts this summer (in order of Prof. Wagner's list)
1. "Instant gratification and always-on connection":  Yup.  Her phone is ALWAYS with her.  Except in the shower, and then she checks it immediately upon finishing.  This is NORMAL.  I think of my phone as an intrusion on my private time, and frequently don't bother to answer it. If there's blood or a fire, they'll call back.  She and her cohorts need to check in with each other often, with varying schedules depending on the degree of friendship.  Her phone doesn't work in Canada, and when she came back across the border after a 3 day absence, it beeped continuously for 10 minutes.
2. "Use the web for a) extending friendships, b) self-directed learning, c) self-expression": Yup.  Between skyping with the boyfriend and cousins, checking up on the Mercer Report, or updating Facebook, she could spend all day on the web.  However, back to a blog post from class about helping kids sustain focus, I still think that self-discipline is the key.  Which takes maturity, which she has, but my first graders do not.
3.  "Constantly connected, creating, & multitasking, except in school":  Hmmm, in a way.  Yup, she can crochet a frisbee, watch Eureka, and text a friend all at the same time.  I take exception with the "except in school" part.  I see the projects and papers that she does at school, I think they're very connected.
4. "...Learning from peers...": Yup.  They really springboard off each other, especially when they're excited about something.  The "...less fear & respect for authority..." part, did anyone here live through the 60's?  For heaven's sake, etiquette has been going to heck in a hand-basket since my grandmother's time.
5.  "Want to make a difference and do interesting/worthwhile work".  YES!  Isn't this exciting?  These kiddos aren't out just to make a buck, they want to make their lives count.  How did they get that way?  Why aren't my grade-schoolers that way?  Is it their poverty/bad home-life?  Someone wrote earlier on the class blog about kids that struggle so at home that they don't have any energy left for school.  I see that in my school every day too.
So what's the bottom line?  Time for us DI's to wake up and smell the chai.  Actually, past time.  On our walk, her phone buzzed, and I was annoyed, but she said to me that "this is just how we are.  All of us.  This is our normal."  If they want to be connected constantly, then we need to facilitate that.  Have a class blog. Collaborate in groups more.  Stand back and let them use the Flip camera to make the PSAs, instead of doing it myself.  They'll figure it out.  Dare I say it?  maybe they could talk in class more....

So here's Tuesday's "thing":  we're (the Tech Committee) swapping our school website to Google, and I want to bring the teachers on board.  As we were looking at the website last year, there was 2-3 year old info on it, which is just ludicrous. So for those of you who have made the switch, did you
1) ease into it, a few teachers at a time?
2) just rip off that bandaid and have the principal make them do it?

So  here's the Monday thing: something that's been bothering me about all this integration.  Love the tools, love the ease of use, love the differentiation, BUT (behold underlying truth) these kids come in with such horrible social skills (as someone in class pointed out) and yet we facilitate more distance by having them collaborate online, rather than face-to-face.  Sure it helps the shy ones have a voice.  But does it give them enough confidence to use their physical voice rather than their typing voice?

So here's the thing

"So here's the thing" ~ this is a stock phrase in our family, inevitably answered by "oh, crap".  Then follows whatever the "thing" of the moment is: an idea to follow through on (or not), a comment on whatever's currently going on, a proposal for a new activity, a query, a random musing, an interesting connection, basic rumination.