"If we want them to learn it, we have to invest in that area." - Dr. Dunn

Day 2 of EDUC 730 began the climb uphill. We covered a massive amount of material: Glogster, Google Sites, Voki, Voice Thread, Smart Art, PowerPoint hyperlinks, just to name a few. I understand the purpose of covering a variety of online resources is to give us exposure and we have the opportunity to select the ones that best suits our needs. The problem is, I want to use them all!

I played with Glogster this afternoon and created a snazzy document which I would share with my undergrad students. As an adjunct faculty member for the School of Education, I am constantly striving to create interesting and engaging lectures and materials. Glogster is a fun, attractive way to display information that can be mundane and heavy.

By the end of the day, I was overwhelmed with content, tackling the literature review project, and planning the instructional video. I can't believe there are only two more days. I wish I could take this class for an entire semester and focus on one program or resource one week at a time!

Lilly the mouse said it best when she stated, "Wow," that was just about all she could say, "wow."

That is about all I can say about the first day of Education 730. I entered this course with an attitude of I don't know much, but I'm ready to learn as much as possible and apply it immediately! One statement Dr. Dunn made first thing this morning shifted my thinking of technology in education, " It’s not about the technology, it’s about the pedagogy. Everything is about the pedagogy. They’re teaching tools. It’s just a way to help students and meet their needs.” This was huge for me. He went on to break down the four elements in teaching technology; three of those are basically good teaching. 

I have not been a classroom teacher since 2008.  A lot has evolved in the way of classroom technology use. Needless to say, re-entering the classroom as an instructional coach I feel out of the loop and lack resources to provide for my teachers. I was so excited to hear about great resources like Mind Node, Poplet, Google Drive, Prezi, Padlet and End Note. My only hope is that we will have the opportunity to implement some of these tools during the week so once I get home I will feel confident in utilizing them. 

My Relationship with Technology

Describing one's relationship with technology, in present day, is like describing one's relationship with water. It's ubiquitous. Every morning at 5am Siri announces our agenda for the day. I then check the iPhone for the current temperature and decide how many layers the kids need to wear to the bus stop. Checking emails, using the GPS, playing Wheel of Fortune on the iPad...all part of an ordinary day.

I don't consider myself tech savvy, nor do I feel inept. I'm frequently reminded of my mom. At seven years old, I always had to operate the VCR for her. My seven year old son now guides grandma through the various remote controls to operate the DVD player or access Netflix. I guess what I'm trying to say is: I'm not a crackerjack technician, but at least I can work the VCR.

I tried something new to communicate with my student teachers this year. As a student teacher supervisor, regular communication is important. Every Friday night my preservice teachers would post their highs and lows of the week on a Face Book page I created just for us. It became a great tool for encouraging, brainstorming, venting, but most importantly, communicating. I am highly interested in utilizing social media for educational purposes, whether in a university lecture hall or a second grade classroom.