Instructional Technology Ponderings

Randy Pausch, Carnegie Mellon Professor, died this past week. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer and took the high road. His last lecture was given and taped. It is now on YouTube for everyone to view and experience. His last lecture is both thought provoking and motivational. I often wonder what the meaning of life is. Then, I come to the conclusion it is the small things that matter most. Many of us spend so much time on the big things that we get lost. You can find this same idea in technology integration in our schools. We look at the big picture without noticing the smaller picture – the teachers, students, the need for collaboration and community. We forget to focus on what is important in our schools – teaching, learning, and pedagogy. If you have not heard Professor Pausch’s last lecture do so. Afterwards, think about the smaller picture as it relates to technology integration in our schools. What is important?

Did you know that the present Administration is again trying to eliminate education technology funding - again! With our global economy and the need for digital literacy this may not be the best strategy to take. Just my opinion, but our country should be a leader when it comes to technology and innovation in the classroom. It will be very difficult without funding! As citizens, it is our responsibility to let our leaders know how we feel about this issue.

Learn more about what is happening and if you agree that this is not a good idea go to http://www.EdTechActionNetwork.org to send a letter to your Members of Congress. Once your voice is heard, let your colleagues and friends know about this new development so their voices can be heard as well. The more voices heard the better for the bill.

For more information about this bill, Preparing Teachers for Digital Age Learner, visit the Web sites below…

• View the whole bill at Open Congress.org
  • http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h5848/text
    
• ISTE open letter of support from the CEO

I am happy with this first phase of the Wikibook project. Each student in the online Information Literacy course participated by researching, writing, ultimately conveying this new found information in an interactive and visual manner. Not to mention, each student learned how to work with wikibooks itself, within a relatively short period of time. This activity provided good experience on many levels but definitely it highlighted information literacy skills in our digital age. Future classes will work on this book by adding to it and ensuring that the content is relevant, accurate, and timely.

What a good and interesting experience.

Lately, I have been juggling classes, writing a book, finishing a grant, and trying to have just a bit of a summer. I am not sure I have achieved my last task - a bit of a summer - but, I am hanging on in the hopes that I will get one soon. I have, though, had a terrific summer as classes go. My students in my instructional technologies course are producing interesting, creative, and engaging activities and products that can be easily transferred to their present or future classrooms. Most of my students are trying new tools and doing so by combining personal interests. How terrific is that. In this way, students will begin to learn something new and foreign to them and then, when comfortable, apply these lessons learned into their classroom.

For example, a student created a flickr photostory of a process - making brownies.
My information literacy course is beginning to combine their hard work and effort into their wikibook. They as a class are learning a lot about wikibooks - style, formatting, coding, etc. - as well as, working as a team to create an interactive book. This is a difficult task but one that each student is accomplishing very well.

All in all, this is a very interesting semester.