Words to Last a Lifetime

"Brick walls are there for a reason - they let us know how badly we want things." -Randy Pausch

Wow! and Wow! again! Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, is phenomenal. I know by this point in time, many people have already seen it. However, for those of us who never had, it is an eye-opener. Randy's matter-of-fact delivery and refusal to accept sympathy for his situation is, in my opinion, pretty uncommon today. He was facing death and looked beyond himself to leave a legacy for his children that can benefit any of us who take it to heart. He gives lasting and monumental guidelines for living and teaching.

One of his pieces of advice was, "Focus on people and learning to work in groups." I think that one of the things he did very well in life was focus on people. It is good advice for anyone entering the teaching profession. Why else would one want to teach, if not to help others and focus on what you can do towards that? Also, there are many, many times when working in a group can be a benefit to all involved. In a group, your focus can not be on yourself. One must look to the success of the whole in order to be a part of that success when it is attained.

Another principle that Randy spoke of was feedback. He said that finding out how you stack up against your peers teaches self-reflection. I think this is very important today, when so many refuse to take responsibility for their actions. Many people have a very hard time analyzing and then being honest with themselves. If we could encourage and promote that and see it become a norm for personal behavior, especially in the youth we propose to teach, I believe the world would be a much better place.

Randy said, "The best way to teach is to let them think they are learning something else." This is a slight-of-hand thing to me and I think it takes a very creative person to be able to teach like that. I have heard it said many times that if a woman wants something from her husband she should let him think it was his idea in the first place. I think the same can go for children and helping them to learn, but how to do that is harder than proposing to do it. He said to let students have fun while learning something hard, which is a terrific idea. Hopefully, there will be more and more creative people who will help teachers do that.

Another of Randy's suggestions was to learn from our students. One way teachers can do this is to be open to what they have to say, and really listen when they speak. Often teachers can get caught up in thinking they have all the answers when there are times when they should be asking the questions. Randy also said that we should, "never lose the child-like wonder," and I think that goes along with learning from our students. We shouldn't be afraid of the new and different things our students can teach us.

There were way too many good points in Randy's lecture. I was so impressed with how much he cared for the people in his life and the selflessness with which he faced what was to come. I'm sure it has been said before, but he was and is a true inspiration.

Technologically Illiterate Teachers, OK?

In his blog, Fischbowl, Karl Fisch asked the question, "Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?" In this day and age, of course, my response is a resounding, "No!" I would like to additionally answer his query with one of my own. "What teacher in his or her right mind, in this day and age, would attempt to teach while technologically illiterate?" To me, it seems as though one would be committing educator suicide. A teacher today needs to be able to operate and use effectively the technology he or she has access to. There are so many without any technology that we should be thankful and take full advantage of what we have in that respect.

I love Mr. Fisch's reference to parents who say, "I was never any good at math either." What is that but making another excuse for your child not to apply him or herself? Teachers can not afford to make excuses for their ignorance. That also gives students an excuse not to apply themselves. If one endeavors to teach, it must be with the full conviction of doing one's best. Teachers are role models and have so many young lives in their hands, if only for a short time. We owe them our utmost effort on their behalf.

Teaching is the Bottom Line

Kelly Hines' post on The Edurati Review entitled, "It's Not about the Technology," is insightful. Ms. Hines, showing that she is somewhat tech-savvy by indicating her technology use, goes to the heart of teaching in her subsequent statements. I think her first point, "Teachers must be learners," is profound. No matter how much we learn in pursuit of our degrees, certifications, or jobs, that learning does not - and must not - stop when we achieve our goal. Even in everyday life we are learning. As teachers, we should seek every opportunity to increase our knowledge and be able to better extend that knowledge to our students.
Ms. Hines states that, "Technology is useless without good teaching." Too true. For example, I was asked to teach a computer elective course in interim while a permanent teacher was sought. I did not have the necessary training to teach the course, but the classroom was equipped with Internet-accessible computers, so we had the technology. I devised a couple of projects that the students could complete , but couldn't really teach them much about the programs. There was a lot of trial and error. I think technology is a wonderful tool, and can be eminently useful in education. However, the teacher is still (and should be) at the heart of instruction.

Can They Learn Like That?

Michael Wesch's video, A Vision of Students Today, is, in my opinion, fairly accurate. Although I am not the typical twenty-something college student, I have a daughter who is. She recently transferred from a four-year university into E.M.T. training at a local college. She said, "Mom, I can't learn like that (at the U.), I need something I can get my hands on." She was bored and dissatisfied with traditional classes, but is thriving now. Now, the learning is exciting and interesting to her.

As for myself, I believe I have done well in the traditional class setting. But, I think that is because I am older and have the patience to withstand the tedium. In one of my classes, the instructor "taught" by writing everything she wanted us to know on the board. We took notes for the entire two hours. Personally, I loved it. I could write what I needed and not have to listen to a boring lecture. The younger students, however, were bored out of their minds. I would be amused to see and hear them sigh heavily and give each other looks when the instructor began writing on the board. Some would say that she is an ineffective teacher for the young crowd. I do think teachers today have to be increasingly creative in order to hold their student's attention. Technology will keep us all on our toes, in a variety of ways.

Plagiarism and Copyright Information

Bates College of Lewiston, Maine, in its Statement on Plagiarism defines plagiarism as, "the representation of another person's words, ideas, or information as if they were one's own." The Purdue Owl's resource, Avoiding Plagiarism, gives examples of plagiarism as, "buying, stealing, or borrowing a paper or copying an entire paper or article from the web; hiring someone to write your paper for you; or copying large sections of text from a source without quotation marks or the proper citation." Basically, plagiarism is using someone else's work and claiming it as yours. As long as one gives credit to the original producer of the work, he or she should be fine. Acceptable ways of crediting one's source include using quotation marks, foot or end notes, a bibliography, or a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. Other tips on plagiarism can be found in Indiana University's website article, "Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It."
According to the United States Copyright Office's article, Copyright Basics, "copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S.Code) to the authors of 'original works of authorship,' including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works." One important aspect of the copyright law is that in order for something to be copyrighted, it has to be in a fixed form, like a book or compact disc. Once the material is in fixed form, it belongs to the author unless other circumstances, like a work that has been commissioned, exist. One thing that I found interesting in Copyright Basics is that, "the use of a copyright notice is no longer required under United States law." Although a copyright notice would save an author or producer some legal trouble if his or her work was copied, it is his or her job to add it to their work if they want it. Also of note in Copyright Basics is information on how long copyright protection lasts, transferring copyrights, copyright registration, and international copyright protection.

Ideas on Tools for Alternative Web Browsing

Both Stephen Sullivan's, Accessibility for All, and the Alternative Web Browsing page, owned by the World Wide Web Consortium, give information on different ways people with disabilities can access the Internet or use computer programs. Sullivan includes federal laws and guidelines established for disabled persons, as well as his own Principles of Adaptive Technology. The Alternative Web Browsing page also includes a section for all people that disabled users have been able to use with adaptive devices. Although the Alternative Web Browsing page is now out-of-date and not actively maintained, it still had some useful information.
Sullivan cited three laws which make web accessibility required by law. They are: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and The Telecommunications Act of 1996. He also provided the names of groups or guidelines that strive to improve web accessibility for disabled persons. Some of these include: The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), and the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG). The Alternative Web Browsing page mainly gave information on products that could be used to ease accessibility. JAWS and Window Eyes, which are both screen-reading software for the blind, were listed on both sites. For those with limited hand use, voice recognition software, such as Via Voice and The Voice, are available. The Screen Magnification Homepage or Screen Magnification Software can be used by those with low vision or learning disabilities. In addition, Sullivan's Principles of Adaptive Technology are common sense guidelines for identifying a need for adaptation and his ideas on how to solve some issues related to that. For example, Principle #4 states, "When the performance is currently at acceptable levels, leave it alone," or Principle #5 says, "Adaptive software is only the tool, accessing the resources of the computer is still the task." Some of the links on the Alternative Web Browsing page don't work, and some do. Both articles would be helpful for those looking at alternative web browsing.

Judy Scharf's Podcast Collection

Judy Scharf's Podcast Collection on Curriki is a simple informational site for either someone wanting to produce a podcast or someone teaching a class to do one. Ms. Scharf breaks down the process into sensible and easy-to-view sections. She provides links for instructional videos on both YouTube and TeacherTube that show how to do a podcast. Of the two, the YouTube video was much easier to understand and showed step-by-step instructions. The TeacherTube video was a slide show accompanied by a boring speaker.
In addition to the how-to links, Ms. Scharf offers several downloadable files. These include: Benefits of Podcasting in Education, Creating a Podcast, Using Podbean, and Submitting a Podcast to iTunes. They, too, were easy to understand. For a teacher instructing a class on podcasting, she includes a time schedule, suggestions for podcast projects, suggestions for researching a topic, and a grading sheet and rubric. I was impressed with her Tips to Succeed and the sample podcasts that she included. The podcast, A Tour of the Digestive System, was entertaining and a little gross! All the information on Ms. Sharf's Collection was very informative and helpful.

Thoughts on Videocast

I watched the videocast, "Should All Teachers be Tech Literate?" from the Summer 2009 EDM310 class. The videocasters were: Dr. John Strange, Nicole Coomer, Dana Reeves, Kitty Ruzic, and Megan Brown. The conversation seemed to be mostly unscripted, with the exception of Dr. Strange's opening remarks. I thought it a mostly well-rounded discussion between the speakers. However, in my own videocast, I might ask each person to introduce a different aspect of the subject and then add individual thoughts from that point. On the other hand, I might have the "mediator" introduce each aspect and ask each participant for their thoughts, starting with a different person each time.
The videocast had nice music at the beginning, but I might have music that is a little more attention-getting. The same goes for the opening title screen. I would like to have my videocast in a less boring setting, as well. Additionally, I would like the camera to be closer to the people and that they face it more than each other. I have never done a videocast, but it seems to me that the more exciting and lively (within reason) we can make it, the more interesting it will be.
Some may find the subject material to be boring, so we should try to grab people's interest and engage them in our topic. We should also try to make it less a chore for ourselves and more something fun and interesting to do.

ITunes Podcasts

I listened to the following podcasts on iTunes: SmartBoard Lessons Podcast, KidCast, ConnectLearning, EdTechtalk, MacBreak Weekly, and This Week in Photography. As suggested by Ms. Averitt, I subscribed to them so I could move around within them and listen to different sections. I am not a fan of talk radio, which is what they reminded me of, however, I can see the benefits of podcasting for those who are interested. It is a good way to give and receive information and ideas.
In the Smartboard Lessons Podcast with Ben Hazzard and Joan Badges, the format was basically a conversation between the two. The discussion was very informal and they moved easily through the material. The main theme was "Wrapping up the School Year" and they discussed issues like math in the movies and iPod applications in the classroom. They also discussed getting kids engaged in learning. KidCast with Dan Schmit was more like a reporter doing an individual story. His subject was video podcasting. He went through some advantages of both video and audio podcasting. He also answered questions emailed by his listeners.
ConnectLearning with David Warlick and EdTechTalk both used an open forum setting but in different ways. The ConnectLearning podcast was set up in a room with a number of media coordinators in North Carolina. The host asked and answered questions from the audience and invited the guests to offer ideas they had. The EdTechTalk podcast featured the host speaking with guests in various locations. You could hear airwave disturbance and background noise with the guests. The topic was "Making New Connections with Voice Thread."
MacBreak Weekly and This Week In Photography were both more like radio talk shows with music and commercials. They both focused on technical issues, products, and accessories. MacBreak Weekly covered MacIntosh computers while This Week In Photography covered cameras, accessories, and a news story concerning Apple iPhone among other subjects.
Although, as previously stated, I don't care for talk radio, I can see the benefits of audio podcasting. They can be very effective tools for just about anyone, from educators to mechanics, because they can cover any topic. I think they would be very beneficial in the classroom. Teachers could use them to draw interest in many subjects and students would very likely enjoy them immensely.