Finally . . . The Podcast

My Podcast

Tinker, Tinker, Little Star

     I have done it, no I am not talking about Tweeting or Facebooking because in all honesty both of those scare me. No, I haven't recently discovered a postcard that I constructed on the main page of postsecret.com.  No, I am not queen of podcasting or Evernoting or linking my blog to another.  Instead, I have officially started to use my blog as a means of cultivation.  Cultivation of my thoughts, cultivation of ideas and my Google Reader (AH!)  that is just pure cultivation of the highest degree.  Not only am I cultivating things that interest me like DIY (I am a sucker for a good DIY) and cooking, but also resources and words of wisdom from educators who have tested the water before.  Now, I know what you are thinking, Lindsay we needed to do that weeks ago, seriously that's not that exciting.  But, see, the thing is, I have finally begun to understand blogging as something enriching, not something assigned.  Yes, I have tinkered with my blog a bit, but until this week, I hadn't taken a good hard look at random peoples' blogs to help me refine my thoughts and ideas.  Until this weekend, my Google Reader was relatively barren, with me rapidly scrolling through 90% of things to get them unbolded - side note, I am not sure what it is about bolding that puts me on high alert and in the mindset that I have to unbold this and I have to unbold it fast.
     So, tinkering for me this week wasn't trying out something brand new, instead it was working with something that I was somewhat familiar with.  I think this is equally as important as figuring out something new.  More videos were watched, blogs visited, words defined through comparing blogs this week than in the past 6 weeks combined.  When I started the class, I don't honestly think I understood how much energy the blog takes.  Initially it was just a place to type words, but over my time in the class it has become a sanctuary of words, of thoughts, of ideas, of like-minded ideas from like-minded people.  Tinkering this week wasn't about how much I could learn about something new, but rather it was about figuring out how to make something that I have been using work more to my advantage.  I honestly couldn't stop wandering from site to site looking for similarities and differences, searching for common threads to draw people closer than their physical locations would suggest.  Tinkering for me actually is a lot like the song title I remixed, "Tinker, Tinker little star, how I wonder what you are (technology=unknown), up above the world so high (Signal-sending-space-satellites), like a diamond in the sky (Internet is definitely worth more than a diamond/Big Brother?/Something shiny that catches our attention?)" Perhaps that is a bit of a stretch, but I think you get what I am saying  . . . I hope.

Grappling 'Til The End

     As this literacies and technologies class is drawing to an end, I realize that my grappling has become very different over the last few weeks.  Initially, grappling was something that I was doing with the text and myself, trying to strike a balance between understanding the theoretical reasoning behind having technology in the classroom and figuring out where I stood on the barometer of technology implementation in the classroom.  However, as the weeks have ticked by, I have come to notice that my impenetrable outer shell protecting me from technological invasion has become weaker.  Now, when I read the theory of Lankshear and Knoble or the practical application courtesy of Will Richardson, I don't find myself skeptically proceeding from paragraph to paragraph, sighing each time a technology is discussed and its significance is defended.  Instead, I read what they are saying and think about how I can take their information and make it work for me.  I think this is the biggest change that I have undergone throughout these six or so weeks.  Instead of me trying to fit myself into technology, I see how I can fit technology to my needs.  Perhaps why I was so apprehensive in the beginning is because I viewed technology as an all or nothing deal, either I used it or I didn't, end of story.  But, as I have come to learn, it's not about all or nothing, it is about what you use and how you use it. Sure there are lots of classrooms that may be all or nothing, and I am sure they work quite well using that framework. However, that is not how I have begun to envision my class.  

After speaking with Paul Bogush, reading Lankshear and Knoble, speaking with peers and tinkering with the technology myself, I have come to the conclusion that although technology is still a very scary thing I am willing to give it a shot, in very small, manageable doses at first.  Rather than seeing technology as something that can be supplemented to make a class more enjoyable, I am SLOWLY beginning to see technology and education as codependent.  Students are capable of using the Internet to produce interesting, well thought out creations as opposed to using it to rapidly find the quick version of last nights reading that wasn’t completed.  Perhaps my difficulty with technology isn’t that it will be used in my classroom, but instead it is because when I think of technology I think of how it was used when I was a student – read: only used to play games to fill gaps of time, or send us off to research something without even knowing how to tell the difference between a credible and a non-credible source.  Rather than keep myself in the past, I need to allow myself to catch up with the times and not be afraid to have things go less than smooth in the classroom.  Technology is as much about being literate in a hyper-connected world as it is about taking risks and the willingness to have things go really really bad.  Learning comes from experience and if I don’t allow myself or my students to experience what the technology has to offer, I am doing them and myself a huge disservice as an educator and as a citizen of the world.

         The final chapter of Will Richardson’s book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms is titled “What It All Means,” and as I was rereading it in preparation for our discussion, I found myself having a very different reaction compared to when I was reading the opening chapters.  In this chapter, Richardson talks about 10 “Big Shifts” in how to go about teaching content in this technological world.  And, although each “Big Shift” held something valuable, the shift that stuck with is “Teaching is Conversation, Not Lecture” (p. 151).  I think this is rooted in my desire to be different than the teachers that I had, nestled carefully in the desire to inspire students to be lifelong learners.  The exchange of information is education in itself, but when we open the opportunity for exchange to the world, the possibilities for individual enrichment (let’s not call it education) are endless.  

Pinterest . . . ehh

So it's official, I have been accepted into the elite (or so I tell myself) world of Pinterest.  I thought I would be excited, feel some sort of weight lifted off my shoulders because now NOW!!! I can keep all of my interests, DIY Projects, recipes, tips "pinned" in one place.  However, I have to say that I don't feel that way at all, actually not even close.  I enjoyed virtually thumbing through pages of interesting things to do with wine corks for house decoration, or the 10 commandments of putting on nail polish (actually quite helpful), but I would have to say that there was no weight lifted from me in any way shape or form.  Instead, I felt anxiety after I realized I had spent over two hours wandering aimlessly through pages and pages of ideas, suggestions, and thoughts.  For those who, like me, were blind to this website called "Pinterest" I will briefly explain what I have found to be the premise and purpose (If I can call it that).  First of all you have to be invited to the website by someone who is already a member or else, if you don't have any friends who are enlightened in the world of Pinterest, you have to buck up and request an invitation GASP! The Horror!!!! Well, needless to say I was the later.  After being accepted - not quite as fulfilling as a college acceptance, but oddly enough still brought a giddy satisfaction - you are open to a world of possibility of making a giant virtual pinboard of things that are interesting to you.  For example say you are planning a wedding, which I am not but for demonstration sake, you can go through pages and pages and pages and pages of wedding ideas, dresses, themes, color schemes, flowers, DIY ideas, music suggestions, gift ideas, and guest book ideas and basically bookmark all of the pages into one central location aka your pinboard. You are then able to write a little something special about the items to let your gaggles of friends, family members, etc comment on the ideas.  Now,  say the wedding is drawing near and now comes the time to think of home decoration, recipes, party ideas, etc, then you can go through even more pages and "pin in" to your page and then (here's the best part) ORGANIZE IT into categories.
     In my opinion, Pinterest was not all that pinteresting except that it helps you wander aimlessly through webpages planning weddings that are not on the horizon, decorating a house that you are no where near owning, and finding meals that are not even close to possible in that tiny kitchen with no counter space and horrible ventilation.  For someone who likes to keep everything organized and in one place Pinterest is a helpful tool and it can be argued it is a very helpful tool for the chronic procrastinator - unfortunately both of these describe me . . . sigh.  For those that feel the bookmark feature of their web browser is enough Pinterest is mediocre at best.

Me in 6 words or less

Hello Animoto

Olympics

   As I sit to write this post, watching the swimming finals of the Olympics, I am struck by how these very events are a reflection of the very ideas we are talking about in class.  The implementation of new technologies in the classroom is something that many teachers, myself included, are hesitant to partake in.  Contrarily, at least from the outside, the Olympics embraces the implementation of new technologies throughout the event.  Let's take for instance swimming. Years ago hand timing was the way to go, relying entirely on the stop watch and the accuracy of the timer.  However, as years passed and new technologies were introduced - touch pads, starting systems, alternative timing and pacing computers - the Olympics always had the best and newest technology no matter the event.  Now, we don't necessarily see it failing as the technology in our classrooms seem to always do at that pivotal moment, but we do always see new camera angles, new split calculations, new statistical technology implements, and no one ever complains about it.  In fact, we, as viewers, are thankful for the implementation because that means we get to be there, well almost be there.  Looking back at my experience in swimming and track, the technology was always failing, and it wasn't something that angered us competitors by any means, it was just part of the game.  So why, then, am I so afraid to let go and try out the technology.  Obviously in the world of sports the technology has failed, but it didn't keep them from trying it again.  In the classroom, failed technology means have that "OH S#!+" moment and quickly finding a different activity to fill the time.  But in the Olympics, failed technology means controversy means perhaps false results, incorrect award distribution, barely missing out on going down in the record books.
     I think what I have taken away from the past week the most is to not be afraid to fail, to not be afraid to have things go less than perfect.  I am always telling my students that they shouldn't be afraid to fail because you learn from more from failure than you do from success.  Why don't I listen to my own advice? Why don't I just say "you know what if it doesn't work it doesn't work and theres not much I can do about it?"  Perhaps it's because I get so wrapped up in getting through the material or not letting on that I, too fail.  I think as teachers we think we need to be as close to perfect and seamless and flawless as possible that we freak out and hide ourselves from any chance to have flaws or failures or seams.  I'd like to say that from now on I will take all the risks, I'll be unafraid of what may happen and just go with it, but I wouldn't be true to myself or honest if I said that because it's going to take a hell of a lot to get to that point.  But, what I can say is that I will try and that I will be (a little) ok with failing in some respect.  I will still get frustrated when the technology doesn't read my mind and produce exactly what I am thinking.  But, I will try.  I will take a risk and if, say, audacity doesn't work for me again tonight - yes, I am in the seemingly impenetrable ring of file formats and inability to figure out how to get it uploaded - I will take a deep breath and say something along the lines of, "(Expletives) - Ok, I'll try this another time."  I think this is what is required of me at this moment.  If they can do it at the Olympics, why can't I?

Back To Grappling with Lankshear and Noble

    Thinking back on the last week, grappling with literacies of various types is something that I have become very acquainted with. Whether I was trying to figure out if I agree with Lankshear and Knoble's proposal of literacy and literacy practices or attempting to become literate in other ways that pertain to medicines, make-up work, and insurance, I was surrounded by a variety of literacies begging me to become proficient in them.  I've realize that I am also working to get this whole blog thing down - and by thing I mean the lingo, the catchy title, writing in a way that I don't feel awful making people read - and this has proven to be much more difficult than I had anticipated.  When I started college, participation meant participation in class, no exceptions, but as the months ticked away, Courseworks came onto the scene as did the requirement to participate online.  For some, this inclusion was great, their fears of participating in the classroom had been alleviated and they no longer possessed fear for their participation grade.  However, for others, this inclusion of a web-based participation piece meant two things, more participation was being required, and the fear that the submission wouldn't make it to the proverbial mother board, that the intellectual genius you had spent hours writing would be lost in cyberspace never to return again.  So, while I was reading Lankshear and Knoble's discussion of this "'participatory' cultural creative," I had to take a deep breath and tell myself that everything was going to be OK because I am genuinely concerned about what this entity being termed cultural creative means, what it's implications are, and how it will affect our society for better or for worse (65; excerpted copy).  
    However, I do feel within myself a push to be more open to using the Internet in the classroom.  As of this moment, I am whole-heartedly in support of using multiple modalities and media to present ideas to students, but when it comes to using the Internet, I shy away and run for cover.  Perhaps this stems from my own discomfort using the Internet, my own uncertainty with what "Big Brother" is tracking, who is gaining access to my own information, and the fear that I don't know who I am dealing with because I can't see them.  Maybe I am old-fashioned in wanting face to face interaction, with the desire to not be connected 24/7, but I think there is something left to be desired when I am constantly attached to something with a WIFI or 3G connection.  I apologize for the tangent, I had to get that off my chest. Anyway, like I was saying, the use of the Internet and technology in my classroom is something that, ideally I would love to have, but I fear that I will not be confident enough in my abilities to be able to lead my students in the use.  I think Merit wrote something very captivating in her blog post from July 19th, 2012 "Notes from Henry Clay: Determining Technology's Place in the Classroom." In the post she writes, 
     I think it's dangerous to base any pedagogy completely on computer screen or print text.  Students should learn the nonlinear thinking required of them on the web by participating in fast-moving chats and moving from article to article by clinking on link after link.  However, they should also learn to immerse themselves in a good book for an hour, two hours, even five or six.  They should learn to listen to a multitude of others' voices, then sit quietly and listen to themselves.
I found this to strike at the very essence of my feelings regarding technology in a classroom.  As educators we want to prepare our students for the spaces that the will be occupying for the remainder of their lives.  Therefore we must provide them the opportunity to explore various types of thinking and expression in order to see what fits them best in certain situations.  Perhaps for some, the creation of an animoto best fits the needs of that which they are trying to present, and for others it may be a handmade collage or storyboard.  Regardless of the medium, we, as teachers and as citizens of the world, must provide our students with the opportunity to know what it is like to hold a book, to turn its pages, to smell that old book smell and at the same time feel the gratification of finding the answer to a question immediately online. 
      In chapter 2 of Lankshear and Knoble they discuss how different people read different texts in different ways.  Just as we are reading and interpreting the texts that we are working with in this class in different ways so, too, will our students, "read academic texts very differently, and the practices of bloggers and online social networkers can differ enormously in 'look and feel'" (38).  That is what makes education possible, what makes the world exciting, without variation and difference, things would be boring and routine and the exact same.  In a way, our education system is reinforcing this sameness through its reliance of standardized tests and the push to get everyone on the same playing field, but I wonder if perhaps we are saying more about conformity through this method of education than we are about advancement and opportunity.