DVD in 21st Century book

Well, I finally got around to viewing the DVD that comes with the book, 21st Century Skills: Learning for life in our times by Bernie Trilling & Charles Fadel. The projects that the students did were different from the way I learned in high school, although I remember doing a lot of group projects. I guess the difference is the amount of technology. I was amazed at the experiments they did in the biology lab, although why would one want to make a bacterium resistant to an antibiotic? (I thought we have enough of that going around without doing it deliberately.)

I was impressed that the students on the ThinkQuest project were from different continents. I wish they had spent more time on explaining how they got together. did their teachers help them connect? Did the leader put out a plea for help and then pick people? I think we all get the idea of collaborating with others not in our school; the logistics of making it happen are a little fuzzy.

Curriculum 21 -- Creating learning connections

In this chapter I was surprised at the mention of the invention of the portable printing press. Time magazine lists it as the greatest innovation of the second millennium. I thought that Time would have chosen the Internet or the computer instead. Within the last year I read a book about Gutenberg and the invention of movable type -- Gutenberg: How One Man Remade the World with Words. The book noted that there were three main explosions of knowledge corresponding to the development of writing, the alphabet, and the internet -- with the fourth event the invention of movable type and the printing press. The change on the number of books available before and after Gutenberg corresponds to the available knowledge before and after the internet. What exciting times we live in!

Just as teaching changed when all students could have a textbook of their own, teaching will change when all students have access to technology. I'm not sure that we are there yet, but we need to start changing the way we teach in order to be ready for that day.

Educating for a Sustainable Future -- Chapter 10 -- Curriculum 21

I heard so much about "green " educating in Dr. Cramer's curriculum class that I don't think I learned anything new from this chapter. It sounds great, but I am not sure how I could possibly do anything to make it happen.

I am a firm believer in reduce, reuse, and recycle. Creating gardens and composting cafeteria garbage is easier to accomplish than changing our total consumption of energy. I, for one, did not forgo air conditioning this week to save the environment. I did, however, set it higher than most people (80 degrees). But then, I like it a little warmer than others.

Calculating how a purchase affects the environment is difficult. For example: Should we purchase a new, more efficient refrigerator? Ours is 30 years old and is still working. A new refrigerator is probably going to last only 10 years; so we will need to buy 3 refrigerators to get through 30 years. What is the total effect on the environment to create 3 refrigerators, transport them to my home, use them, and dispose of them when they are no longer working? How does the less electricity used balance with the total environmental effect of the refrigerators needed over the time period? What is the total carbon footprint of everything we use?

Media Literacy -- Chapter 8 -- Curriculum 21

Media literacy is so important. I think it goes hand in hand with evaluating web sites. Evaluation, evaluation, evaluation. How do we teach students that they must question everything on the free web? I remember being taught about propaganda on TV and in newspapers way back when I was in high school. It's the same thing, only enlarged to encompass almost everything in students' life nowadays. Is it because we tell them that the teachers know more than they do and that they should accept what we say? We do know more, just not about everything. How do we teach them to question, to evaluate, to think critically? When do we find the time?

Libraries in the Digital Age

I read an interesting article tonight by Doug Johnson. I've read many of his other articles since he contributes regularly to School Library Journal and other library /tech journals. Changed But Still Critical: Brick and Mortar School Libraries in the Digital Age discusses the future of the school library and makes suggestions on how to use the library space and library program to support learning. Johnson's conclusion states: "Be very broad-minded about the functions of the school’s library and get planners thinking less about designing an effective library, but an effective school with a library program that supports the school’s goals."

The entire article may be found at http://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/changed-but-still-critical-bricks-and-mortar-libraries-in-th.html

While I was on his site, I noticed that he is offering free downloads of his book Machines are the Easy Part; People are the Hard Part. It's a quick read, but there is a lot to think about.

Curriculum 21

As I read the essays in Curriculum 21, I am skipping around in the book and reading what interests me on a given day. I enjoyed reading the one on Digital Portfolios and Curriculum Maps. I was impressed with the review of the portfolio that the Mount Hope High School did for every junior. If both the student and the staff take the portfolio seriously, there is potential for tremendous student growth. I can certainly see this happening at smaller schools but wonder if the process would become rushed for schools with larger classes. It seems like a large time commitment for staff. I think it is an interesting side development that the quality of the assignments has risen so that the assignments become "portfolio-worthy". Do you suppose that these assignments are more thought-provoking and as a result more plagiarism-proof?

Employment

I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted a job offer from Shawano School District. I will be their sole LMS in charge of 4 libraries. I am excited, yet nervous, about this challenge! I can't wait to see the libraries and get to work!!

Any suggestions and helpful hints from those who have more than one library? I don't have the particulars about how my time is to be split.

New Technology -- Old Teaching

While I was at one of my interviews last week, I was supposed to "chat" with the superintendent for 15 minutes. One of the topics we discussed was his frustration with buying new technology and having the teachers use it like old technology. His example was SMARTboards being used as overheads. How do you get others to use all of the functions of the new technology? Perhaps their boards were so new that the teachers were not very comfortable using them, so they used only the features they were comfortable with? Maybe they were still learning to use them? Since I don't have all that much experience with interactive whiteboards myself, I couldn't comment on the learning curve for them.

By the way, I guess that I did ok with the superintendent because our 15 minute chat turned out to be 45 minutes long. The interview team finished speaking with the next candidate before the superintendent was done speaking with me.

Looking at Twitter

Finally got a chance to look at some of the tweets piling up in my account. Some of them really caught my eye, especially this one: Free Tech for teachers blog. I haven't done much with e books and this looks like to good way to promote their use without a large investment of funds. Even the ads on the page look useful. The one way to get teachers hooked is to mention the word free, as in free ebooks. Maybe I can get some to read about the web2.0 tools by mentioning the free e book advertised on the web site.

A Day at Home -- Finally!

It's been a busy week. One interview on Tuesday, three on Wednesday, one on Thursday. I am so tired of driving and answering questions. The interviews have all run together in my head. I can't remember how I answered any of the questions, or even if I did. The only thing I can really recall is what I wore. That's easy -- I only have one summer interview suit. Good thing it's comfortable. But I'm so tired of it that I want to burn it. Hopefully, one of these interviews will get me hired. Two of the positions were within driving distance of my home; the rest will require me to have a commuting marriage. I can live with it if need be, but of course, I'd prefer to live in the home we've had for over 20 years.

One thing the interviews do is eat up time. I'm having trouble getting through the texts we are supposed to read. Just got the second one (Curriculum 21) on interlibrary loan yesterday. I just couldn't face starting it last night. Hope to get to it today along with laundry and shopping.