Going...Going...Gone

This morning I was discussing with my friend Krissy the advances in technology and how they cost us so much money and time. Well, maybe venting is a better word to use than discussing. For instance, the other day on the bus I noticed a man reading a business newspaper with the headline "Blue-Ray Predicts DVDs Will Go the Way of the Dinosaur Within Three Years". Aaargh! Didn't DVDs just go mainstream five years ago? What happens to the movies and TV shows that we've already spent money on? Will we actually have to buy them all over again? I know the same thing happened with VCRs, but they were around a lot longer than DVDs. And the same thing has happened with music, too - records, eight tracks, cassettes, CDs, MP3s... When will it ever end?! Sure, advances in technology make these things easier to use - CDs, after all, are easier to use and have better sound than records. And eight tracks were just a plain bad idea. But it's not as if we are hard done by if technology stops advancing. There is such a thing as being content with what you have. And it's frustrating because we have to keep spending money in order to keep up with all these upgrades. Call me a cynical, close-minded, stuck-in-the-mud pessimist, but it's just a big money making scheme on the part of the companies who are continually pushing for change. Sure, they have jobs that enable them to experiment with technology and stretch boundaries - that's cool. But must the entire population be forced to conform to all their whims? I don't know - the whole thing has just been bugging me lately. I just think that all these things add more complications to a life that is already complicated enough. It is hard to take pleasure in the simple things when we are constantly being forced to keep up with the rapid pace of change in this world, especially technology. Okay, this is starting to border on a rant now, and I don't want to go that far. To whoever has read up to this point, thanks for sticking with me. Am I the only one who feels this way? Does this resonate with anyone else? Or am I just being stubborn in my inborn resistance to change?

Parent & Teacher Education

As teachers, it is important that we stay on top of the current trends that today's youth are engaged in. We have to have an understanding of what is going on so we can better relate to our students and address their needs. We need to have a knowledge of these things so we can teach them to think critically and act responsibly. If we demonstrate understanding they will be more likely to respect what we have to say, and subsequently take what is said seriously. If they feel we are clueless, this puts them in a position of power over us, and they will follow their own beliefs and ideas, which might not be mature enough to help them be responsible. This is absolutely the case with technology. In my Moral Education class we read a book called Teen Sex: Reality Check by Stephen and Shelagh Genuis. They address the influence of technology on teenager's exposure to sex, citing that more than half have recieved pornographic mail through the internet. They write: "Because adolescents are frequently more computer-savvy than their parents, teens are commonly learning about the Internet environment from personal experimentation and from peers. As a result, teenagers receive little teaching on safe, appropriate Internet use" (p. 88). I think that it is extremely important for both parents and teachers to educate themselves on the things that children are doing and are exposed to. If we want children to be responsible, we must first be responsible, and that means doing our research on the lives of children so we will be better equipped to help them make good choices. We can't protect them from the nasty things in this world, but we can prepare them.

Tech Task #7

For this tech task I listened to a podcast on learning to speak German. I listened to the first lesson, which focused on simply listening and getting a feel for the language as it is used in different contexts, like news broadcasts, songs, and plays. As I read about the podcast program, I discovered that the series is constructed in the form of a story, and each podcast builds on the other. I took German 100 last semester, and believe me, if you don't keep practicing the language, it does not take long to forget what you've learned! I found that the lesson I listened to was helpful in refreshing my memory, and I think I would utilize this program in the future. It is a great way to retain and continue to learn the language. The website the podcasts are found on is:
www.dw-world.de

Do Computers Equal Better Writers?

I've been thinking lately about the difference computers have made in our ability to write material. Penmanship and typewriters were useful tools in the past, but I think that computers have allowed people to take their writing quality to a new level, be they students or authors. Never before has it been easier to draft, revise, and edit. Is a paragraph just not working? Highlight the whole thing and hit delete. Would a paragraph work better on page 5 than 3? Copy and paste! I would caution, though, that spell check is of limited use and should never be an excuse not to proofread! I can't help but wonder if writers are able to produce compositions of higher quality because computers are such an efficient tool. Of course, there is always the danger that they will freeze or somehow lose your work, but that is beside the point. There are also some writers who have tried computers but find that inspiration comes more easily when they write freehand. I guess it's ultimately a matter of personal preference. Whatever tool works best for a person is the one they should use. I often find that I prefer drafting freehand, and then typing out what I have written. It gives me a chance to rethink wording and sentence structure, and also leads to further inspiration and insight on initial ideas.

Tech Task #6

In class today we learned how to make crosswords, quizzes, etc. using a program called Hot Potatoes. I made a crossword puzzle with a spring theme. To view it here is the link:

http://www.education.uregina.ca/web/richterv/springcrossword.htm

Tech Task #5

The telecollaborative project I found is called the "One Day When I" Story Circle. The purpose of the project is to have students go outside and experience the natural world, then post online a description of their experience that begins with "One day when I...". At the end of their description, they talk about what they they have learned about nature. Children read and learn from the work of other students.

I think this is a great project. It can be used for any elementary grade level and can be used in language arts, science, visual arts, or phys. ed. There is a lot of talk about showing students how different school subjects relate to one another, and this project is a great way to demonstrate this concept. Such creative writing can be incorporated in a science unit, or what is being learned in science can be referred to in language arts. There is any combination of possibilities.
Further, it is a great way to encourage kids to get outside and explore the world around them, and then be able to share their experiences easily through the computer. It demonstrates that there should be a balance between time spent in front of the computer and away from the computer, and how the two can even be interrelated.
Finally, think of the potential this has if children from different climates and countries participate in this correspondence. They can hear firsthand accounts of weather, vegetation, scenery, and animals that they have never experienced. A child in snowy Saskatchewan, for instance, could swap stories with a child in sunny Australia.

Here is the link for the website. Unfortunately, a registration fee is required for this particular project, but a person could easily start their own.

http://www.gsn.org/GSH/pr/GetDetail.cfm?StartRow=1&view=1&projtype=%2Ccurrent%3Ball&sortby=Start%20Date&fAge=8&tAge=8&pID=2769

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

I freely admit it - I'm naturally inept with computers. I touch a button and I wreck the whole thing, and that is only a slight exaggeration! Even though I have grown up using computers, there are constantly so many new features and programs that I have a hard time keeping up with the changes. I sometimes feel like an elderly person trying to figure out all this "new-fangled" stuff. But I have discovered lately that learning how to use computers is a process that naturally requires some trial and error. I used to get frustrated when I did not understand something right away, or when something did not work for me even though I was sure I was doing it right. After two months of taking this computer class, though, I have learned to relax and go with the flow. Sometimes it takes a few tries before I get something, but if I keep at it, my persistence usually pays off. It is a great feeling to solve a problem and learn something new at the same time. My advice for others like me who struggle with computers is this: be patient. Don't be afraid to try new things, and don't allow yourself to get frustrated. It's not worth your time or energy to let an inanimate machine ruin your day. If the computer freezes just before you get around to saving an hour's worth of work, though, feel free to shout at it.

Keeping in Touch

I have been thinking lately about how different the implication of living far away from friends and family is today from what it was a hundred years ago. When immigrants came to North America, they did this with the knowledge that they would likely never see their home country or those friends and family who remained there again. Occasional letters were the only attachment to their loved ones for the rest of their lives. Fast forward to today, where we can hop on an airplane and be across the globe in a matter of hours (of course, it is not that easy cost-wise). We can communicate daily via the phone, e-mail, and msn, and with technology like Skype and web-cams we can actually see the person we are talking with. It makes the distance seem less so. My friend has been teaching in Taiwan for the past two years, and she recently came home to Canada for a few weeks. Alas, I did not get to see her as plans did not work out. I was disappointed, yet it didn't seem like that big a deal. Why? Because we talk on the phone about once a month, e-mail each other, and she keeps me posted on her blog. So even though we have not seen each other face to face for some time, I still feel very much connected with her and involved in her life. Even though some people say technology is detrimental to relationships, I say that when used properly and effectively it can actually maintain relationships and help them further develop.