Field Days

An Insurance Policy with a Robot Plan?

2009-11-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like the robot invasion has finally begun. It's a good thing I have an Old Glory Insurance policy to keep me safe.

"Are you familiar with the works of Jung?"

2009-11-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

"A big man with wire-rimmed glasses, a booming laugh and a penchant for the experimental, Jung was interested in the psychological aspects of séances, of astrology, of witchcraft. He could be jocular and also impatient. He was a dynamic speaker, an empathic listener. He had a famously magnetic appeal with women."

Oh, Synchr onicity.

In Honor of Copyright Law

2009-11-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

The top five Public Domain books in no particular order:
1. War and Peace
2. Moby Dick
3. Walden
4. The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe
5. My Antonia

Assesment in the Classroom

2009-11-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

There are many ways to assess students in the classroom - some more psychologically damaging than others. To minimize trauma, assessment should be practiced holistically, allowing students ample room to grow and correct their errors so that they may learn from their mistakes.

The compilation of student work into a portfolio is a great place to start. Portfolio style assessment allows for formative and summative assessment in a way that is beneficial to both students and educators: progress can be tracked in both the short- and long-term, students learn valuable organizational skills, and teachers can refer back to one location for a snapshot of student learning.

Portfolio assessment cannot replace traditional testing, however, as studies have shown, it can reduce classroom anxiety and promote a healthier learning environment. This, as teachers, should be a critical goal.

The Digital Divide

2009-11-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

There is no doubt that the digital divide is growing at a rapid pace. In high-income schools, expensive computer equipment lines the walls (Smart Boards) and sits on the desks (laptops) of every classroom. The media has called this proliferation a "revolution" and extolled the virtues of technology as ushering in a new era in education. Educational technology, however, is still largely in its infancy, leaving many to marvel over the wonders while trying to figure out the function.

On the other side of town, there is a similar,but inverted, problem. How do low-income schools procure this new technology? The answer usually comes in the form of corporate partnerships and grants, touching only a small percentage of a community. Largely, the promise of technology has been lost for these schools.

All of this is, of course, is based on the assumption that technology can (or should) replace old-fashioned pedagogical practice. When a low-income school is forced to work without books or other vital tools of teaching, that is egregious. But when they are denied the use of the Smart Board, one wonders what has truly been lost. Conversely, we must ask: what have the high-income schools gained?

Technology has been instrumental in aiding educators and has, without a doubt, created unparalleled access to tools that would otherwise not be available. For the savvy, technology can enhance lessons and practice in immense ways, however, the savvy, it can be argued, are few and far between. Before purchasing technology en masse, administrators and educators should be educated in the use of technology so that they can make intelligent, informed decisions based on utilization instead of trend.

The outcome has already been decided regarding technology in the classroom. The assumption that those who can buy the latest toys will have the greatest opportunity to succeed is pervasive in our culture and the digital divide is, among issues, the result. There is unlimited potential that has yet to be tapped into and when that potential is tapped, schools will be ready, equipment in hand.

When Science Gets It Wrong

2009-10-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

The following article from the New Yorker details the trial, wrongful conviction and subsequent execution of Cameron Todd Willingham. The scientific evidence used to put Willingham on death row was seemingly ironclad. After his death, however, that scientific evidence fell apart. This begs the question: who is responsible for ensuring that technology is used responsibly?

Read the article here.

Technology in the Classroom

2009-10-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

The ubiquitous nature of technology is undeniable. Technology drives almost every aspect of business and, with the advent of social networking, a large part of our personal lives.

So why is technology still largely absent in the classroom?

Many teachers believe that children get enough exposure to technology outside of the classroom and that current pedagogical practice does not need the aid of technology. Roughly translated, this means that teachers are either unaware of technology, afraid of technology, or both. This unconscious incompetence plays a large role in the absence of technology in the classroom - if you don't know how technology can serve you in the classroom or even that certain technologies exist, then you don't know that you are missing anything.

While planning a technology-based lesson for a secondary practicum placement, I recently witnessed this phenomena firsthand. The classroom teacher was instrumental in the development of the lesson plan, however, the school lacked even the most basic equipment that was needed to complete the project.

Without support from the top it is no wonder that teachers have not made the integration of technology a priority. As educators, it is of utmost importance that the pursuit of life-long learning be demonstrated in the classroom and there is no better way to fall short in this pursuit then to fail to adapt to burgeoning technologies. Just as it is critical to adopt developing pedagogical methodologies, teachers must adopt new technologies - no matter how large the learning curve.