Month: September 2005

The CDW-G Teachers Talk Technology 2005 survey reaches what seems to be a familiar conclusion. The subhead claims “Survey Reveals Gap Between Technology For Teachers And Technology For Teaching”.

Among the conclusions I found interesting:

The survey showed that teacher technology training has focused on administrative applications, rather than instructional applications.

Closing the gap between administrative use and instructional use appears to be more a question of where computers are located, as opposed to just the number of computers available. (locate more computers in classrooms)

Established, seasoned teachers indicate no innate resistance to classroom technology; in fact, the impact of technology on personal teaching style increases with teacher tenure (the assumption things will change when the future teachers now in college reach K-12 classrooms may be flawed)

Bernie Dodge is allowing access to his newest venture – QuestGarden. The site was developed to promote the webquest model and assist those new to developing webquests. The site is also intended to encourage a community approach. Users are free to modify the webquests developed by others to fit with different classroom requirements. The association of the project with the original author is maintained.

The title? I drew on my agricultural roots. Once the site contains a larger number projects I can write a new post – The garden has been seeded.

Andy Carvin urged bloggers to devote entries of Sept. 2 to the survivors of hurricane Katrina. It is an extremely difficult topic and a situation in which words sent from a distance seem of little consequence, but I thought I would try.

At first I thought I might have something to say to the people suffering in the aftermath of Katrina. I know what it is like to leave your home as water comes up your street in the middle of the night. I know what it is like to worry what condition your home will be in when you are allowed to return. I know what it is like to stay in a shelter. While I was there for only one night, I remember the smell. I remember the sound of helicopters circling overhead. The picture above is from the Grand Forks flood of 1997.

Our experience was regarded as a great disaster because the flood required the evacuation of the entire community and nearly every building was damaged in one way or another. In comparison to your situation, it was nothing. There was little actual threat to human life. Help was close at hand and it was a disaster only in economic terms.

The present circumstances seem more akin to the terror of combat. The devestation is so total and the needs of people so basic. What I see on television is haunting and disturbing. I cannot understand what I see.

When I was first back in Grand Forks after the flood, I posted a web page with some pictures of the damage and some I thought portrayed the goodness in people I observed while living through the experience. I looked for these images for a long time tonight, but without any luck. However, remembering was a good thing for me.

What I hope for all of you presently living in such misery is that a few years from now you are able to look back and have memories that also convince you of the goodness in the people around you. I have no explanation at present for how this will happen, but I urge you to know that you are not alone.

Mark

Words are not likely to be enough – a little more is required from all of us.

If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!

(Not sure why “Christmas is Coming” keeps running through my head, but the sentiment seems appropriate)

Hey, you are just going to spend it on gas anyway. (Ways You Can Help).
(international blogging for disaster relief day)

Addendum:

I found my own flood pictures. This was my favorite because at the time in the midst of the debri it seemed positive and hopeful.