Change can be a bumpy road, but the view from a new perspective is usually worth it.  My move to a new team and grade-level this year is one such example.  Learning a new curriculum has been challenging, and adjusting to younger students has taken some time and flexibility.

Flickr user Darren Hester

These hurdles are nothing compared to the fantastic benefits that I’ve gained from the new members of my teaching team.  Each has her own skills and brings a unique voice to the team dynamic.  The result is–I humbly believe–the strongest team in our school.  We have the drive and ability to reach every child in a variety of ways, and the students can find at least one personality that they can relate to, and develop a relationship with.  I’ve written in this space before about the importance of divergent voices to my development as an educator, but it’s more than that.  One of my teammates is an amazing writer and photographer.  She is more reflective about her practice than most educators that I know.  She has amazed me with her ability to articulate ideas and concepts, and I am constantly envious of her gift.

Recently, she sent me an email with this statement:

When I recently reread Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, I was struck with how you and I both exemplify the contrasting ideologies of the “classical” vs. “romantic” when it comes to technology in education. You not only enjoy using technology, but you derive great purpose and satisfaction from using your problem-solving abilities to maintain the equipment. You strive to understand the inner workings of the computer. I, on the other hand, highly enjoy the user-friendly aspects of technology, but have no interest in fixing or understanding problems should they arise. I get easily frustrated and choose to rely on others to maintain the equipment.

The problem in education is that there is a building full of romantics. Even when training is provided, the majority of educators view technology maintenance as someone else’s job, and, unfortunately, there is really no one on the payroll with that job description. With no real in-house tech support, the pressure and expectations rest on the shoulders of the few “classical” educators who not only possess the ability but also the desire to work with the maintenance of out-dated computer systems and blissfully ignorant, “romantic” teachers.

Wow, huh?  Not only does she pull in a fantastic literary reference, but she manages to clearly and eloquently explain the frustration that I have felt all year due to my new tech trouble-shooting responsibilities.  It’s not just that she can understand what is going on, but the way in which she expresses it.

What do you think?  Do you see these two “classes” of educators in your space?

I have been following some of the dialogue that began with dy/dan’s Dan Meyer’s comment on Wes Fryer’s blog entry at Speed of Creativity. Most of the discussion has revolved around appropriateness of Web 2.0 tools, specifically the photo-animating web application Animoto. Dan showed his concern (disdain?) for the use of commercial web-based digital tools for educational purposes, as he wrote:

“I am only now fully struck by the fact that the goals of profit-driven Web 2.0 applications and the goals of educators only align accidentally.”

The issue has made me think seriously about my own use of these tools in my classroom. I considered whether my aims might be at odds with the creators of applications such as wikis and VoiceThread. It concerned me that many educators, like myself, may be pushing the use of applications that take away the challenge that spurs learning. My reasoning was crystallized by the recent entry on the Official Google Docs blog in which an educator shared his mixed success using Google Docs as a collaboration and communication tool. The distinction becomes clear: if the learning objective is the demonstration of content area mastery through creation of a product (and the communication and collaboration enhances that goal), then these tools properly facilitate that process. If the collaboration process itself is the goal, then one must be careful not to implement an application that completes a signification portion of the process for the student.

In my own classroom, more often than not, I am seeking to measure mastery of the Science concepts and these tools can provide simple options for student assessment (and self-assessment by the students). Just as the use of calculators in a mathematics class is appropriate if the teacher is assessing something other than the student’s ability to perform arithmetic operations, so must these tools be deemed appropriate only when they do not remove the impetus to learn.

In the end, the presence of this controversy suggests that critical review is an important part of the incorporation of digital tools into education. Are Web 2.0 tools on the horizon that will be catered to the needs of educators by encouraging collaboration and communication without doing too much for students?

As I have found myself immersed in the world of edublogging lately, and I have even been able to work face-to-face with some of the bloggers whom I respect enormously, I have come to a sobering conclusion.

I have known for some time that praise from administrators and fellow educators does not always correlate with sound pedagogy or exceptional work in the classroom. After all, these individuals are basing their opinions and evaluations on (at best) very short glimpses of teachers working (they don’t call ‘em snapshot observations for nuthin’). I have blogged in the past about the somewhat empty praise that I have received. But, my ego still gets the best of me.

Over the past few months, I have read posts from the likes of Will Richardson, Dan Meyer, Bill Ferriter, and Scott McLeod extolling the virtue of using digital tools to enhance instruction. Bill, in particular, has described the how he uses these tools to improve what he has always done. All along, I have nodded my head in agreement. After all, I said to myself, anyone who is confident enough to engage in a discussion about what works in the classroom must be already doing it, right?

It was only in the past month, as I began to think about what my teaching assignment for next year will be, that I have felt like the Emperor who suddenly realizes that he isn’t wearing any clothes. A better analogy might be the addict who counsels other users to abandon their habit. I have opened my eyes to the truth, and it has been somewhat painful.

It is far too easy in the isolated world of a public school to frame your abilities within the context of your classroom, team, department, and school. It’s so tempting to look around, without really seeing what others are doing, and tell yourself that you are Great. I’m embarrassed to admit that my measly seven years of experience, along with praise from teachers (who had never seen me teach), students (who enjoy a good joke), and parents (who listen to their children), led me to believe that I was doing all the right stuff in my classroom.

But, in reality, I am that guy. I am the self-absorbed “Sage on the Stage” that turns every class period into a one-man stand-up comedy show. I keep their attention by making them laugh. I bestow knowledge and dispel myth from my lofty residence at the front of the room. I use technology extensively, but I rarely put it in the hands of students. Sure, I use excuses like, “There aren’t enough computers in my room” or “You can’t trust eighth-graders with expensive equipment”. In the end, though, it’s about control and my ego, and when the show is on, it is intoxicating to be anywhere in the room. It’s fun… but it isn’t good teaching.

You’ll notice that I use the present tense to describe this problem, in a similar way to how a recovering alcoholic will always call himself an alcoholic. I will always be that guy. Now, I just have to begin to become That Teacher.

As the time for promising to improve one’s life approaches, it’s time to offer up websites that can help teachers to meet their New Year’s Resolutions (even the ones they didn’t know they had).

Let’s start with the goal of Learning in 2008. Few educators would argue that they know everything that they need to know. In fact, many with whom I work during technology workshops tell me that the problem is that “we don’t even know what we don’t know.” Especially when it comes to new technology, I think many teachers have a sense that they don’t even know which questions to ask.

So, in the spirit of modeling lifelong learning, here are some fantastic resources that you can use to increase your understanding of the world.

1.) For some reason, we all seem to value the views and advice of celebrities and scholars more than the average joe (which begs the question, “Why does anyone read this blog?”). To this end, the TED.com site is a fantastic place to view streaming video and audio recordings of speeches given by experts in Technology, Entertainment, and Design who are brought together for the annual TED conference. Highlights include Al Gore speaking about climate change, Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon.com) discussing the next innovation of the World Wide Web, and Jane Goodall talking about the connection between humans and chimpanzees. Look around and you will find dozens of excellent talks by lesser known thinkers that are no less interesting.

2.) Can’t afford college credits? Want to attend some of the best lectures in the country? Fire up iTunes and check out iTunes U. (link opens in iTunes). You can download and watch video podcasts of a variety of lessons as recorded by actual collegiate faculty from some of the most prestigious universities in the country (including the OpenCourseWare Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology). I recommend the remarkably entertaining Physics lectures by Professor Walter Lewin of MIT (read about him here). Start with the Course Description for Physics III, and you’ll be hooked.

3.) While you’re at it, try listening your way to a more booksmart you. With the advent of powerful portable audio devices, such as iPods, and the duration of the average commute in America reaching 50 minutes roundtrip, there exists a tremendous potential for learning during traditionally “down” times. I highly recommend a membership to Audible.com or your local public library, where you can get high-quality audiobooks to help the time pass faster. You could choose to “read” the latest non-fiction bestseller, a self-help guide, or a selection from a suggested reading list (e.g., Oprah’s or Battle of the Books). You can’t go wrong with one of my favorites: The Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips to Clean Up Your Writing.

Do you have any other suggestions for ways to smarten up for the new year? Leave them in the comments, and stay tuned for our next topic: Being Part of the Debate. As a parting gift, remember that enjoying your job doesn’t make you good at it.

Okay, so I’m a technology junkie. Call me an “early adopter” or a “technosavvy educator“, but the bottom line is that:

• I love technology. In my classroom, in my home, in my life.
• I love the look in a child’s eye when they see a new toy piece of technology.
• I love being the one that introduces something new to a teenager.

I have played around with interactive whiteboards (aka Smartboards, electronic whiteboards, etc.) at conferences and sales pitches for years and always drooled over them. I’ve heard new faculty members at my school go on and on about the Smartboards that every teacher had at their previous school. I’ve read online articles extolling the amazing abilities of these devices to engage students and connect them, mentally and physically, to the lessons in the classroom. I even joined the Technology Committee at my school to try to effect change in the long-term plan and budget at that level, to no avail. After all of this, I am left with one clear mandate:

I am going to make sure that I have an electronic whiteboard in my classroom by the end of this academic year.

I don’t yet know how I’m going to do it, but I am committed to making it happen. I have grant options to pursue. I have PTA members to woo. Heck, at one point, my selfish side almost won out and got me to latch onto the new DonorsChoose “Bloggers Challenge” and siphon funds from my fellow bloggers. The problem with DonorsChoose right now is similar to the problems that have plagued the American middle class for decades. Rich schools don’t need funding, and poor schools get sympathy funding from every donor on the site. Schools in the middle (like mine, with 30% free lunch students) get overlooked, even though our budgets continue to shrink and technology costs continue to rise. I have had three medium-sized (<$500) proposals on DonorsChoose get funded, but five of my larger proposals have languished and eventually expired while waiting to be funded. Pardon my despair… I will find a way.

Any suggestions? Share them in the comments.