Technology in Teaching

Stop reading this post immediately.  Before you go any further it would be in your best interest to read the following article so to be sure that i am not making this up.  http://www.theobserver.com/archives/2006/05-17-06/cupcakes.shtml

How in the world do schools ban cupcakes.  Maybe one of the problems with schools nowadays is the fact that the little fun and enjoyment are gone.  School used to be a place where you not only learned the ABC’s, but began to enjoy the company of others.  How does a school go to banning cupcakes.  As students face the pressure of taking more standardized tests schools also continue to take away the little things that we used to all look forward to.  Gone is dodgeball, the pledge is under fire.  Those with peanut allergies need to be segregated at lunch.  Any decoration for any holiday is banished to the bottom of the closets and now cupcakes.  Is it me or do you think that kids might of looked forward to these things just a little bit.  Do cupcakes really put that much of a dent in the learning curve.  I know that they say it is for health reasons, but don’t you think that these kids are getting their cupcake fix somewhere else?

In my local newspaper today there was an article that grabbed my attention.  In today’s Newsday (www.newsday.com) on page A3 the article entitled PC Phone Home covered the entire page.  This article was dedicated to the growing use of internet phone services.  Basically what it talked about was how people can now use their computers to make phone calls just like they would a regular landline.  The reason that this grabbed my attention was before i enrolled in a grad class dealing with technology i had no idea that this even existed.  However, i have since learned that the computer can be used for much more then free cell and downloading music.  Over the course of the past few months i have become familiar with two different internet based phone services that allow you to make calls from your computer.  The first one is Gizmo.  Gizmo (www.gizmoproject.com) allows you to use your computer to call other people who are on their computers as well.  By creating a screen name you can dial others who you want to talk to.  If they are not available you are able to leave a message which they can retrieve at a later date from their e-mail.  All you need is a computer with speakers and a microphone.  Some computers already have both, but you might need to find a buy a microphone.  I myself was lucky enough to borrow one from my father-in-law.  Although the idea of using a headset while talking to someone through the computer takes some time to get used to, it does work.  One of the greatest features of Gizmo is the fact that it allows you to conference call with many other users by creating your own phone number.  The next PC phone service that i will suggest to you is Skype (www.skype.com)  Skype allows users to call any phones in this country for free from your computer.  I tried it with several people and they could not tell the difference.  I am convinced that if i was not locked into the Optimum Triple Play Package i would drop my telephone service.  It works that well.  Both of these are great tools and virtually unknown as the article states.  I doubt they will continue to stay unknown if they continue to get press.  I suggest trying one or both immediately.  Let me know when you do and we can chat online (verbally).  Have a good one.  Jonathan

What do you consider the internet in this day in teaching.  Many teachers love the internet and all of the options that it has for teachers.  Teachers just like almost any other mortal can get lost on the web and be gone for hours.  I myself have spent almost four hours looking up information for a ten minute lecture.  The amount of information available is untapped.  My question however is this good or bad?  Although the internet does offer a lot of good information, it is probably filled with just as much if not more unneeded and inappropriate material.  Also many people who have never used the computer before are not as quick to hop on one now.  Are they missing out, or are they the bright ones.  For me it is a no brainer.  The internet affords us the opportunity to go places the Dewey Decimal System never thought possible.  The internet in my opinion allows us to continue looking into what interests us.  With teaching the World Wide Web allows teachers to maybe find that one piece of information that students can grasp onto.  What is your opinion?  Do you like the internet, or do you stay away from it in your teachings?  If you use it what are some of you favorite websites, and if you don’t why not?

Just wondering if anyone else out their has heard of TeachersPayTeachers.com.  This is a website established by a 33-year old former teacher who was looking for a way to have educators earn an extra buck.  He set up a website where teachers can sell their original leson plans for whatever they chose.  The website is sort of like an e-bay for educators.  I first saw this article on CNN.com on June 28th and was not quite sure what i thought.  Is it to the point that we need to sell our work to another teacher?  I am sure that not every lesson plan on the site is an original idea.  Teachers are famous for pulling many different ideas and creating a lesson.  However with the arrival of the internet the market for potential buyers has exploded.  Instead of sharing with a potential colleague in the same district, educators can now reach peers across the world.  I like the idea of interaction and the exchange of ideas, but i dam still unsure about the selling of plans.  Any opinions?

As a teacher who is entering his sixth year of teaching, I feel pretty comfortable in my own classroom.  The one thing that i wonder about is what is going on in classrooms around the world.  What types of interesting things are going on in other classes.  This blog is being developed to find out exactly that.  Let me know what you do in your class and what you find is working with your students.  I will also be posting some things that i do in my class as well as discussing all sorts of topics that interest me.  Feel free to discuss anything you want from curriculum and discilpine, to technology and lesson ideas.  HAve a good one.  Jonathan