Back to Education!

It's been a long winter so far, and really it has only begun. Lots of snow in thie area of the world and much mroe to come before the first flowers of Spring start to show. In the world of education nothing ever seems to stop. The video I have included today is not new. It's not eye-catching. It is however, eye-opening. if you haven't thought about how to prepare students for the years ahead this video is something to look at. Told from a student perspective, I think it really shows what we as educators need to realize about the 30+ students sitting in front of us everyday. Take a look at the video. I am working on a presentation right now on creating digital essays for an authentic audience. I will upload it when I am complete. I presented the idea to a group of students this week and they were interested in working on creating something out of their own personal essays. More to come!

"I've got one computer...What can I do?"

It's a question I hear all the time. How can a teacher possibly be expected to integrate technology and reach students who want to use technology? The answer is not an easy one, but the possibilities are out there. Lets look at one case example:

In an elementary classroom the teacher has a computer at her desk and one older iMac sitting on the table. She also has 25 students. Not exactly the ratio we would like to have in order to make a go at using technology in the classroom. The thing is, there are lots of neat ideas that could be used in the classroom. Providing she has access to a multi media projector she could create a jeopardy game of math facts. Groups of students could be set up at a podcasting "center" to create a lesson of the day podcast. This could rotate daily so that each student will have a chance to participate in making the podcast. The teacher could use iTunes podcasts (video or audio) to enrich the curriculum.

The possibilities are there. Creativity is the key for the most part and students will enjoy the change of pace.

Enjoy!