Liz Davis wrote a summary of her take away from EduCon, which I think reflects the elusive feeling I took away from the weekend. Before continuing please read her post. I left the following comment, which I continue below. Liz, I too have this odd, elusive feeling leaving EduCon. Seems more intense this year then in the past. I am not sure if it is frustration, annoyance, or what. I just know I leave unsettled. I have always thought that…
I finally have a chance to sum up my experiences from spending a few days in the ‘think tank’ that is EduCon. I have been to all four so far and always leave unsettled, with many more questions then I when I came. I just can’t quite sum up my feelings. It is like having something on the tip of my tongue, I just can’t grab that fleeting thought. It is most annoying and won’t go away. So knowing I…
A few posts back I wrote about students vs learners and questioning. A conversation with some teens about their report cards a couple of days ago pulled it all together. One student received the comment “Does not answer questions.” The teen replied, “I answer questions, just not the right ones.” He then went on to talk about all the things he was reading, and the projects he was working on, none of them school related. A prime example of a…
Tomorrow I leave for EduCon 2.3, this will be my 4th EduCon. I have been there since the beginning, and I would not miss it for the world. I attend other conferences, sit in sessions and try to absorb all that is shared with me. It is when I get in the hallway, chat with others and have time to think that I can I finally process what I sat through. EduCon to me is one long hallway conversation, filled…
I have been following a few conversations recently that have focused on the negative aspects of technology and it disturbs me. The belief is that technology causes people to be withdrawn, anti-social and isolated. That technology gives people the freedom to bully, lash out, and lie therefore more of that behavior occurs. This is glass half empty thinking. Technology can be enriching, allowing communication and collaboration where it was not possible before. It can be perceived as isolating when we…
It is hard to predict the future and even harder when it comes to technology. In my last post Getting Ready for eBooks I wrote about how we need to prepare for eBooks as they are becoming ubiquitous. As a school we need to make sure we have the infrastructure to support a variety of web ready devices, a process for creating and distributing eBooks and support for staff in how to create and use eBooks and “eDocuments” for their…
One of the roles of a tech integration specialist to is to explore new technologies and how they might play a role in education. When I started in this field it was how to use word, excel, powerpoint, and video. We talked about how to share work with each other by passing around floppy disks. We could create web pages but nothing was download and upload-able. A mere 10 years later I help teachers sort through the overwhelming number of…