Sore back and neck? Suffer no more! Use this correct keyboarding position to relieve those aches and pains.
Take note:
feet flat on floor
straight back
forearms parallel to the keyboard
elevated wrists
fingers curved gently over the keyboard
Don't give in to the temptation to slouch or put your feet up on the desk. You might kick your coffee over anyway :)
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A couple more thoughts...
Just a couple small things I forgot to mention...
Imagine if , instead of Blackboard, each instructor at Western used a different blog site to facilitate his/her own online courses. When talking about edublogs it is important that some standard of consistency is used within each school district. As a parent I would get very tired of having to check several different blog sites, each with its own set of rules, not to mention a different username and password. As edublogs come into common use, districts must determine the standards of use while giving teachers the freedom to add their own content.
Also, there were some web links in our course textbook that pointed to pages that are no longer available. I found myself wishing the author would release an updated version of this book. Well, guess what. Corwin Press will release Blogs, Wikis, Poscasts, 2e on July 15. Check it out here!
Imagine if , instead of Blackboard, each instructor at Western used a different blog site to facilitate his/her own online courses. When talking about edublogs it is important that some standard of consistency is used within each school district. As a parent I would get very tired of having to check several different blog sites, each with its own set of rules, not to mention a different username and password. As edublogs come into common use, districts must determine the standards of use while giving teachers the freedom to add their own content.
Also, there were some web links in our course textbook that pointed to pages that are no longer available. I found myself wishing the author would release an updated version of this book. Well, guess what. Corwin Press will release Blogs, Wikis, Poscasts, 2e on July 15. Check it out here!
Tying it Together
Oops! I guess I already did this as part of my Blog 2 posting. Well, in my defense the “2” was deleted from where it said “reflect in a paragraph or two on Module’s readings…” on the instructions for the Blog 2 posting, so I thought it meant the readings for the current module. Anyway, after reading Chapter 9 I gained a better understanding of the importance of teaching the art of collaborative learning. I don’t just mean teaching concepts that incorporate collaborative learning – I mean actually teaching students how to learn collaboratively. For example, telling students that “studying for a test will help you score higher,” doesn’t help them unless they know how to study for that test. Likewise, students will not necessarily learn better in a collaborative situation unless they have been taught how to use collaborative learning tools to their advantage.
As I stated in Blog 2 above, my career goal is to work as a technical coordinator (or support person at the very least) in a K12 environment. I described how web tools will help me integrate collaborative learning into the K12 curricula. There is one thing I need to retract though. In fact, if I had reread my writing before publishing it I would have changed it right away. I said that the main reason collaborative learning is not used in K12 is because teachers lack the necessary training. Honestly, I have no idea why I said that! Surely there are some teachers who do not have this sort of training, but there are many, many more who would be willing participants if given the opportunity. In addition, I’ve realized that the biggest stumbling block is more likely to be the fact that schools typically operate on low budgets and do not believe they can afford the “luxury” of a good technology setup. News flash – the day has passed when technology was a luxury and it has now become the running standard. Schools that get on board with this approach to learning will be at the front line of producing forward-thinking students: students who will adapt more quickly to the change in society’s demands. We have a wonderful K8 district in my town, and it would be very exiting if I could in some way help the teachers and administration incorporate collaborative learning tools into their curriculum.
The most important thing I learned in the readings and activities is about tools like edublogs. Edublogs seem like the most simple and comprehensive web tool that can be used in a k12 classroom. They can be used to set up group and individual blogs, collaborative group areas (like the Wiki), newsletters, calendars, demonstrations, assignments listings, and other communication between teachers, administration, students, parents, and others. All of the other web tools we have learned about can be tied into an edublog anyway. RSS feeds, photos, audio/video files, text files, and TeacherTube demonstrations can all be linked into a class blog site. I realize that I probably will never have my own k12 classroom, but as a technology coordinator I will have a vast opportunity to train teachers on how to integrate these tools into their own curriculum.
The most important skill I learned is how to refine my web searches. It is a very basic skill and one that many people probably take too lightly. It’s true that most Internet users probably know how to key a topic into a search engine. However, as more and more information is added to the web it will become that much more important to know how to finely tune those searches for the desired result. Not to sound presumptuous, but I also think having good searching skills could earn a person a reputation of being indispensable to coworkers who need help finding information.
The most important idea I learned from a fellow classmate was something I overlooked in my study of Flickr. In the group discussion responses (Group 4), a few people mentioned the use of comments on pictures for diagramming. It’s so obvious, yet I did not think of it. Maybe it was a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees. The reason I see this as the most important thing I learned from a classmate is for two reasons: 1) it is an extremely useful tool to use once the semantics of Flickr for classroom use are worked out, and 2) it humbled me from believing that I had covered every aspect of my critique. I will hope to remember that even the most exhaustive study can still leave facts and ideas unturned. Remaining open to the suggestions of others, which is part of the foundation of collaborative learning, will always reveal a more thorough learning experience.
All in all, I know that the K12 system must get on board with the read/write web. In doing so, they must realize that they cannot oblige the teachers to attend an off-campus workshop or two and then be ready to make full use of web tools in their classrooms. The districts will have to decide, if they haven’t already, to keep a tech person on staff at all times. Depending on the size of the district, the school may someday even be able to employ a person whose sole responsibility is to help teachers bring their class work online and into the realm of collaborative learning.
As I stated in Blog 2 above, my career goal is to work as a technical coordinator (or support person at the very least) in a K12 environment. I described how web tools will help me integrate collaborative learning into the K12 curricula. There is one thing I need to retract though. In fact, if I had reread my writing before publishing it I would have changed it right away. I said that the main reason collaborative learning is not used in K12 is because teachers lack the necessary training. Honestly, I have no idea why I said that! Surely there are some teachers who do not have this sort of training, but there are many, many more who would be willing participants if given the opportunity. In addition, I’ve realized that the biggest stumbling block is more likely to be the fact that schools typically operate on low budgets and do not believe they can afford the “luxury” of a good technology setup. News flash – the day has passed when technology was a luxury and it has now become the running standard. Schools that get on board with this approach to learning will be at the front line of producing forward-thinking students: students who will adapt more quickly to the change in society’s demands. We have a wonderful K8 district in my town, and it would be very exiting if I could in some way help the teachers and administration incorporate collaborative learning tools into their curriculum.
The most important thing I learned in the readings and activities is about tools like edublogs. Edublogs seem like the most simple and comprehensive web tool that can be used in a k12 classroom. They can be used to set up group and individual blogs, collaborative group areas (like the Wiki), newsletters, calendars, demonstrations, assignments listings, and other communication between teachers, administration, students, parents, and others. All of the other web tools we have learned about can be tied into an edublog anyway. RSS feeds, photos, audio/video files, text files, and TeacherTube demonstrations can all be linked into a class blog site. I realize that I probably will never have my own k12 classroom, but as a technology coordinator I will have a vast opportunity to train teachers on how to integrate these tools into their own curriculum.
The most important skill I learned is how to refine my web searches. It is a very basic skill and one that many people probably take too lightly. It’s true that most Internet users probably know how to key a topic into a search engine. However, as more and more information is added to the web it will become that much more important to know how to finely tune those searches for the desired result. Not to sound presumptuous, but I also think having good searching skills could earn a person a reputation of being indispensable to coworkers who need help finding information.
The most important idea I learned from a fellow classmate was something I overlooked in my study of Flickr. In the group discussion responses (Group 4), a few people mentioned the use of comments on pictures for diagramming. It’s so obvious, yet I did not think of it. Maybe it was a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees. The reason I see this as the most important thing I learned from a classmate is for two reasons: 1) it is an extremely useful tool to use once the semantics of Flickr for classroom use are worked out, and 2) it humbled me from believing that I had covered every aspect of my critique. I will hope to remember that even the most exhaustive study can still leave facts and ideas unturned. Remaining open to the suggestions of others, which is part of the foundation of collaborative learning, will always reveal a more thorough learning experience.
All in all, I know that the K12 system must get on board with the read/write web. In doing so, they must realize that they cannot oblige the teachers to attend an off-campus workshop or two and then be ready to make full use of web tools in their classrooms. The districts will have to decide, if they haven’t already, to keep a tech person on staff at all times. Depending on the size of the district, the school may someday even be able to employ a person whose sole responsibility is to help teachers bring their class work online and into the realm of collaborative learning.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Reflections
David Truss :: Pair-a-dimes for Your Thoughts http://feeds.feedburner.com/pairadimes
I found this site by searching on Technorati for “integration technology +k12”. This blog was one of the first in the list and I found the author to be very experienced in teacher education and insightful. The entry that caught my eye is titled “Do not go quietly into your classroom” which is similar to the title of my blog, “Do not go gentle into that dark night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light!” The originating website is very simple looking and easy to navigate. The author of the blog is a Vice Principal in Canada and is interested in student leadership, numeracy, social responsibility, and integrating technology into the classroom. I can see this site being useful to me, probably not right now but in the future. My goal is to become a technology coordinator in a k12 district. I would sincerely like to help the teachers integrate technology into their classrooms via workshops and one-on-one training.
EdTech K-12: Lesson Plan Feeds http://feeds.feedburner.com/EdtechK-12LessonPlans?format=xml
This site was found by performing a Google search for “teacher training +k12 classroom”. I was attracted to the title “Lesson Plans”. The feed originates from a site for EdTech Magazine which has two focuses: K12 and higher education. After checking it out, I felt that the K12 side of the site appeared to be a good resource for helping k12 teachers incorporate technology into their current lesson plans. This suits my goals of becoming a tech coordinator in a k12 environment.
If I described everything I learned in reading this textbook I couldn’t contain it to a paragraph or two. I am so excited to share my new knowledge with my sister who is a 5th grade teacher interested in teaching technology courses. I really liked the author’s conversational writing style, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a Cubs fan! The author is apparently very excited at the concept of making personal connections on the web. One of my favorite sites the book recommends is 43Things.com. It provides a fast easy way to make personal connections but more importantly, it gives a person a reason to reflect and plan for their own lives. I can certainly understand the attraction to being noticed through blogs – it’s like being anonymously popular. And that’s just one aspect of it. All people can have an archive of their entire lives on the web that can be found with simple searching. Of course this has its downfalls, but the very idea was unheard of when I was born – and I’m not that old!
I’m still anxious to get more familiar with RSS feeds. I don’t feel like I quite have my mind wrapped around the concept yet - probably because of the enormity of it. I think it’s obvious that it will become a highly used application. Then again, people thought that about CD’s too. Then there’s social bookmarking. I would describe social bookmarking sites as search engines that are created by public users instead of by web crawlers. I could go on and on and on about the educational applications of all these web tools. I believe the only reason they are not already in common use in education is simply because the teachers don’t have the training necessary to integrate them. This motivates me more to become a tech coordinator in k12 where I can help teachers do exactly that.
The only thing about the book that made me uncomfortable is that it is very pragmatic. I worry about the “truth” that will be created through collaborative thinking. I mean, really – I believe that truth is a constant and cannot be changed by opinions of the current culture. Society should be learning how not to be sucked in at the same rate they are learning how to read new truths on the Internet. Think of the implications of a large company or “big brother” using blogs to deceive people. Conspiracy Theorism will be the next new bachelor’s degree :)
I found this site by searching on Technorati for “integration technology +k12”. This blog was one of the first in the list and I found the author to be very experienced in teacher education and insightful. The entry that caught my eye is titled “Do not go quietly into your classroom” which is similar to the title of my blog, “Do not go gentle into that dark night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light!” The originating website is very simple looking and easy to navigate. The author of the blog is a Vice Principal in Canada and is interested in student leadership, numeracy, social responsibility, and integrating technology into the classroom. I can see this site being useful to me, probably not right now but in the future. My goal is to become a technology coordinator in a k12 district. I would sincerely like to help the teachers integrate technology into their classrooms via workshops and one-on-one training.
EdTech K-12: Lesson Plan Feeds http://feeds.feedburner.com/EdtechK-12LessonPlans?format=xml
This site was found by performing a Google search for “teacher training +k12 classroom”. I was attracted to the title “Lesson Plans”. The feed originates from a site for EdTech Magazine which has two focuses: K12 and higher education. After checking it out, I felt that the K12 side of the site appeared to be a good resource for helping k12 teachers incorporate technology into their current lesson plans. This suits my goals of becoming a tech coordinator in a k12 environment.
If I described everything I learned in reading this textbook I couldn’t contain it to a paragraph or two. I am so excited to share my new knowledge with my sister who is a 5th grade teacher interested in teaching technology courses. I really liked the author’s conversational writing style, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a Cubs fan! The author is apparently very excited at the concept of making personal connections on the web. One of my favorite sites the book recommends is 43Things.com. It provides a fast easy way to make personal connections but more importantly, it gives a person a reason to reflect and plan for their own lives. I can certainly understand the attraction to being noticed through blogs – it’s like being anonymously popular. And that’s just one aspect of it. All people can have an archive of their entire lives on the web that can be found with simple searching. Of course this has its downfalls, but the very idea was unheard of when I was born – and I’m not that old!
I’m still anxious to get more familiar with RSS feeds. I don’t feel like I quite have my mind wrapped around the concept yet - probably because of the enormity of it. I think it’s obvious that it will become a highly used application. Then again, people thought that about CD’s too. Then there’s social bookmarking. I would describe social bookmarking sites as search engines that are created by public users instead of by web crawlers. I could go on and on and on about the educational applications of all these web tools. I believe the only reason they are not already in common use in education is simply because the teachers don’t have the training necessary to integrate them. This motivates me more to become a tech coordinator in k12 where I can help teachers do exactly that.
The only thing about the book that made me uncomfortable is that it is very pragmatic. I worry about the “truth” that will be created through collaborative thinking. I mean, really – I believe that truth is a constant and cannot be changed by opinions of the current culture. Society should be learning how not to be sucked in at the same rate they are learning how to read new truths on the Internet. Think of the implications of a large company or “big brother” using blogs to deceive people. Conspiracy Theorism will be the next new bachelor’s degree :)
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
My Very First Blog
Wow – my own blog! I have now officially one-upped my kids. Actually, I remember the first time someone commented on one of my pictures on Flickr – I was absolutely hooked. The idea that people I don’t even know would be interested in something I had done was startling. If it weren’t for being extremely busy with my family and my job, I hate to think of how much time I might “waste” on the internet. I guess that’s what makes me a true digital immigrant – the fact that deep down I still feel that time spent on the “internet” is a waste.
I plan to use this space to further my thinking about IDT – specifically in K12 teacher training. It will be exciting to post my own thoughts on what makes good curriculum. In the event that an experienced professional stumbles across my blog and happens to think enough of it to comment, I may fall off my chair.
My philosophy? During an intro to education class (when I was considering teaching HS math) I discovered that I am an idealist of the truest form. I see the best in people and I follow the belief that everyone can be taught. Of course that job is easier when the subjects are willing participants. When they aren’t, my job becomes to discover what motivates them.
The constructivist approach of connective writing is an ideal way to bring a classroom full of varied students to the same beginning point. An assessment of connective writing is progressed-based and would not have to be compared to peers. Students at any level of learning can delight in coming to their own realizations about a research topic. For all people, writing blogs brings thoughts into reality. Connecting those thoughts to other people’s insights solidifies their meaning. When a person knows that what he writes will be available to the world, he is likely to be more careful about what he says. That in itself is enough motivation to research the topic more carefully. This is when connective writing occurs. When you can back up your opinions with concrete evidence, others are more likely to believe, and be convinced, by you. What power!
I plan to use this space to further my thinking about IDT – specifically in K12 teacher training. It will be exciting to post my own thoughts on what makes good curriculum. In the event that an experienced professional stumbles across my blog and happens to think enough of it to comment, I may fall off my chair.
My philosophy? During an intro to education class (when I was considering teaching HS math) I discovered that I am an idealist of the truest form. I see the best in people and I follow the belief that everyone can be taught. Of course that job is easier when the subjects are willing participants. When they aren’t, my job becomes to discover what motivates them.
The constructivist approach of connective writing is an ideal way to bring a classroom full of varied students to the same beginning point. An assessment of connective writing is progressed-based and would not have to be compared to peers. Students at any level of learning can delight in coming to their own realizations about a research topic. For all people, writing blogs brings thoughts into reality. Connecting those thoughts to other people’s insights solidifies their meaning. When a person knows that what he writes will be available to the world, he is likely to be more careful about what he says. That in itself is enough motivation to research the topic more carefully. This is when connective writing occurs. When you can back up your opinions with concrete evidence, others are more likely to believe, and be convinced, by you. What power!
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