Happy New Year all "Firesiders".  

 

I'm finally back home in Canada and settled in. It's been  a battle but will be focusing on building an online school and working for myself. Hope to catch up here and reconnect.

 

I'm writing because I'd really like any and all to watch this wonderful lecture by Sugata Mitra - The future of…

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...alternatively titled: "Why Facebook isn't the Devil, it just isn't such a great classroom tool" followed by "Afraid of Facebook? My students have my cell number."

My posts tend to be almost painfully long-winded. I try to spare this good network from the entirety of the text. If you're interested in the full deal, check it out…

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There isn't a summer goes by that I look forward to the next year. Yes, I probably need counseling and yet I can't afford it. As the topic suggests, every year I find another "hook". Last year it was learning how to publish a web site and the year before it was desktop publishing. You ask, “How does that fit the title?” Simply by example! While I haven't gotten all the students involved in the competition with what Mr. M does for his class, some are determined to at least to do likewise or… Continue

An odd. but pleasant turn in the Ning shake out for profit scheme. If you are a teacher (and for that matter, thinking about becoming one) , Pearson has apparently decided to pick up the cost of the basic service for Ning originators. I'd recommend anyone visit the site and be amazed by the materials available for the 21st century classroom. At a minimum this would be good practice for those wanting to see how to set up a ning and become familiar with this vehicle, before committing…

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After reflecting on my experiences of my first year of teaching and my student teaching in China, I have so many questions. After reading some of the blogs on this site, most of my questions are on technology. How do we keep up with other countries? I went to the National Middle School Association Conference in Denver a couple of years ago. One of the presenters had a little girl from another country show all the information she keeps online and how her teachers teach online. I was amazed… Continue

I hosted a tutor/mentor conference in Chicago and about 120 people attended.We had guests from Arizona, Mississippi, Indiana, Iowa, Virginia, Wisconsin, and of course, Chicago and Illinois. One of the workshops was on twitter, and another on ementoring. Lots of good ideas were shared and I'll be writing about them on my blog.



I'm also in many on-line forums and in one… Continue

Yesterday I wrote about my concerns that teachers have a wide range of knowledge with regard to current technology. I believe if things remain the same, students will, indeed, suffer. It seems time to consider mandating instructional technology skills for all educators at all levels.



The question is where to start and how to measure to what extent teachers have integrated technology… Continue

Just as there is a problematic digital divide among regions of the U.S., where some students have 24/7 access to information while others have no access, there is a problematic division between teacher's understanding of and use of technology for learning. I am talking, here, about situations where technology would actually be significantly more beneficial than traditional means of learning.



It seems we may be approaching a point where technology standards ought to be developed for… Continue

Many of us are interested in using primary sources in our work and the work of students. I am especially reminded of our friend Nancy Bosch and her excellent work with students as shared with us in A Very Old Place. Many of us would like to use primary sources in teaching our students. We may need a bit of guidance, so I would refer you to Nancy's blog and the efforts of… Continue

Hello all and Happy New Year,



I posted this question (below) on Linkedin. Or-Tal provided me with a prompt and excellent answer and was also kind enough to invite me to this group. I am happy to be here.



Scott Smith



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http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2008/12/23/03obamareaction_web.h02.html



In the US. a planned economic-stimulus package is rumored to be heavy in the area of educational… Continue

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Teachers have a job like no one else. No kidding.



Get unruly with a cop you can get arrested or detained.



Get unruly at a restaurant and you’ll be refused service.



Get unruly with your partner and they will tell you to get out.



But, get unruly in a K-12 class and the responsibility of a teacher is to run through their discipline system with the priority to keep you in class and have you be educated. My discipline system worked like this:

- first… Continue

Ok, this is the week of techno. Just bought a new Mac, and along with it got a free iPod touch. (Educators get this bennie along with the discount until September 7th, I believe.) Oh yeah, a new scanner/printer... Big deal changes.



Beyond that (and quite necessary) new glasses. Bifocals! Graduated bifocals.



I can't get used to anything. Just taking baby steps before the big immersion. Today, fire-wiring the two computers together, getting all the old stuff onto the new… Continue

I am re-reading Neil Postman's The End of Education. I have just finished the Chapter where he criticizes educators who made predictions about technology that actually came to be.

(He wrote this in the late 1990's.....before i-pods, The Semantic Web and social networks). Reading…

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