I do read on vacation. One book for this trip is titled Teachers Have It Easy (subtitle – The big sacrifices and small salaries of America’s teachers). I am not finished yet, but the book provides an interesting analysis of the reasons educators receive such low compensation and the consequences to the productivity of the educational system. I like the way the authors break down the thinking of various groups in generating explanations for this reality and offer counter arguments to each position. The book includes descriptions of school systems which have attempted to compensate teachers in a competitive fashion.
I have been unable to post for several days. The problem was back at the office rather than in the camp grounds I have visited. My server has a nasty habit of freezing up when I am out of town. We have found that about 1/2 of camp grounds offer Internet and some wireless. I am sitting outside a campground office building in Homer, Alaska. It is one of those experiences I keep having that show just how much things have changed and how much technology is a part of the change.
I love to travel and feel it is a great way to spend time with my family and to learn. I do feel a little guilty filling up the gas tank over and over again. It is not the money, it is the issue of using up a resource. Because I live in a very rural setting, the opportunity to move about is a big deal. Grand Forks, ND, offers a very narrow view of the world.
I have been taking many digital pictures and generating a nice collection in iPhoto.
We fly back to Grand Forks tomorrow. When I arrive home, I will place my bag in the house, grab a different bag I packed before I left, get in my car, and head for Alaska. We have to reach Prince Rupert to board a ferry by Tuesday.
I hope to offer a few posts while I am gone and hope to offer more than travel stories. I love to travel by car and camper for long periods of time and think of the experience as a learning opportunity (hence relevant to the purpose of this list). It is a great opportunity to read, listen to my iPod (audiobooks or music), and edit papers I owe students. We take a couple of computers, digital cameras and video cameras. We have a converter that allows us to plug in our technology while in the car so we can write, edit video, etc. No Internet access, but there may be opportunities at stops.
First, I would like to announce that I have won a prize at the “end of conference give away.” Year after year I have attended this event without a reinforcement. I wondered about practice – bribing folks to stay to the end in hopes of winning a computer, air fare to next year’s even, etc. If one believes in the principle of thin schedules of reinforcement one might predict I will attend the give away again next year. I feel a certain sense of loss – I can not longer complain about the probability of attending year after year without a prize. Now, I must attend many more years to get back to the basic law of averages. Oh – my prize? A 64 flash drive. I still have mixed feelings about the strategy – my preference would be for a few larger prizes (rather than many small prizes) and more time spend on a presentation of some type.
Latest episode in the web quest saga?
Bernie Dodge presented on new developments in the world of web quests – how to make development easier so more teachers use them. The grand strategy is a new web site called “Web Garden” that will be available Sept. 1. It is basically a scaffolded online development site which includes the opportunity to export the code for the finished product and the opportunity to load a webquest developed by another author and made modifications.
Most of today involved Cindy’s poster session. We spent about three hours demonstrating the web site and projects associated with her Teaching American History Grant.
The editor we worked with on our original book made the trip from New York to see us and we spent most of the rest of the day discussing the projects we all are now working on.
We did make it to the exhibits and I will describe a few items that caught my attention tomorrow.
Before some news of the day (as it relates to NECC), I have to give Apple a plug. Apple upgraded iTunes (cross platform) and included a system for downloading and then playing podcasts (see image below and note NECC podcast link).
It is now extremely convenient to download podcasts and play them on your computer (or your iPod). Will this have an impact on education? I think it is hard to say at present. I think this will be a more innovative technology than most my assume (note the potential to use images in the same manner as the artwork that comes with downloaded music) and it will be a big deal. This is not the same as predicting schools will find useful applications.
The Old Guys (Gender Neutral) Can Still Teach You Something
I attended a research session today that appears to reach a conclusion that may run contrary to an incorrect conclusion some may be reaching. In the day of “millenials”, thumb typers, gamers, and school programs that propose students should teach administrators how to use technology, it turns out that students familiar with technology appear to become more versatile and creative users when exposed to a school environment that integrates technology. In other words, educational experiences with technology improve the “skills” of young, but experienced users of technology. Andrew Gersick presented impressions based on a two-year observation of technology savvy 7th graders in either a “deeply integrated” or “superficially integrated” school.
Findings from observations and interviews were summarized by reference to three continua:
– resourceful —- restricted
– author — consumer
– community of practice — isolated
Students educated in the school with more deeply integrated technology were more likely to make use of technology in ways described as resourceful, as authors, and within communities of practice.
Exploring a variety of educational uses of technology helps frequent users of technology apply technology with greater versatility and creativity (my terms).
We had an opportunity to talk with people we know from eZedia. Improvements in eZedia products are planned for the coming year and may involve issues related to digital rights management. Given the integration of eZedia within Safari Video Networks makes sense. If this company can find a way to allow students to create products that make use of bits of video from the providers Safari can access, this would be very cool.
For the next three days, my blog will originate from Philedelphia and NECC 2005. I think of NECC as the best conference for K-12 practitioners – a great mix of vendors, people with ideas, and a few researchers. Cindy and I come here to keep up.
For those who cannot attend, there are several ways to follow what is going on: Web Video Podcasts Blogs
We will offer a few comments and images of our own.
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