ALSDE SUMMIT

A video from one of the sessions at the ALSDE Summit



Enjoy

Warm Regards

William Bishop (Bill)

Idle thought and new beginnings!

My class hasn’t had the opportunity to work on our wiki, blog at our blog, or moodle about as much as I would like because our library is being renovated. Nevertheless, I had the opportunity go in there today and it looks great. We have some nice new flat screen televisions on the wall and they should be fully functional soon. Then we will be able to show videos and use them for presentations. Also, our library has new bookshelves, reference desks, and a fresh coat of paint. It looks great!

The students and I are very blessed to have such nice facilities. Our superintendent and the board spent the money well and now that the renovation is almost complete, I hope to get my students back into the media center soon. However, this semester is almost over and with testing taking place in the library over the next couple of weeks things look bleak. Oh well, we will get back in there when we can...

Unfortunately, my aspirations will one day most likely take me away from the classroom and the media lab. Sad but expected! I feel that I could be much more productive promoting 21st Century Skills from an administrative position. Hence, that is why I have to spend so much time away from this blog. Not only do I have my regular duties to attend to, but I also have my doctorial classes to keep up with. Maybe, it will all be worth it one day in the near future. Until then I will continue to do what I can to promote educational technology within my classes. I’m not promoting technology for the sake of promoting technology mind you. I’m using technology to promote learning.

What is the premise of using technology to promote learning? Well, it’s like getting the most bang for your buck. In public education we need to make sure that we are using our funds well and appropriately. We have to think about what teachers and students need and what they get from the experience. For teachers, the most bang for the buck usually comes from professional development. We have to make sure that PD is productive and worthwhile. For students, we need to make sure that we are spending our money in areas that will produce positive gains in learning for their future. I believe by utilizing our state and federal funds correctly this can be accomplished. Moreover, Web 2.0 technologies can provide a positive avenue to accomplish the aforementioned.

Unfortunately, many administrators don’t have a clue as to what Web 2.0 technologies are or how to apply them. This is unfortunate with the expansive growth of the information superhighway and our ever evolving networks. The world is becoming flatter by the second. As such, digital immigrants and digital natives come to mind.

Is there really such a thing as a digital native? If so, does being a digital native really have anything to do with age? Young teachers coming into the system often know less about technology than some of us older folks. Personally, I’m not certain that age has anything to do with technology skills. Technology skills in my opinion come from application thereof. With that being said, who is promoting 21st Century Skills in your school?

Warm Regards,

William Bishop

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21st Century Skills and NCLB

Things that grap my attention....

"College and workforce preparedness, 21st-century skills, and the use of data to inform instruction are among the new points of emphasis in a draft version of a bill to reauthorize the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Proposed by Rep. George Miller, Democratic chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and the committee's senior Republican member, Buck McKeon." ...eSchool News

NCLB has some good points and some bad points, but adding 21st Century Skills to the bill isn't a bad idea. I just hope that the idea is funded and that ample consideration goes into the design process before it becomes law...

Warm Regards,

William Bishop (Bill)

Technorati Tags: eschoolnews, NCLB, 21st_Century_Learning, William_Bishop

I am afraid!

I often wonder why more teachers aren’t using 21st century technologies with their classes, but then I have a reality check and realize that most teachers have little or no formal training with 21st century technologies or the time to learn them. I was fortunate enough last year to be a part of the 21st Century Learning Initiative through a Microsoft grant tied to the Alabama Best Practices Center and I learned a great deal about these technologies. Unfortunately, we are not participating this year because the 21st Century Initiative lost its Microsoft funding. As for the ABPC meetings they were useful, but not as useful from my perspective as the 21st Century Initiative.

The 21st Century Initiative didn’t really teach me that much at the meetings per se, but it did provide me with an avenue where I could take the initiative and learn on my own. This is what I am all about. I love technology and I love learning. I love thinking of new ways of using technology with my classes and other classes. Last year after school, I would come home and spend hours researching other blogs, wikis, and new free open source software. I hate that the Initiative lost its funding because I believe that a number of schools benefited from the process. That is the thing with Initiatives, they don’t last. This is what scares me about School2.0 and Classroom2.0. How long will these movements stay alive? I hope that both will make it for the long haul, but only time will tell.

Personally, I plan to continue to promote and use 21st century technologies in my classroom while I am a teacher and then later in what ever position I end up in. I also hope that other individuals will also keep the initiative alive. If we don't keep them alive, then who will?

I’m getting a slow start this year due to all of my other endeavors, but I started trying to fix Moodle today for my classes. Also, our new tech staff got it loaded online for my students and I am looking forward to seeing how this works out. Nevertheless, I know that using Moodle in combination with other 21st Century technologies will help my less tech savvy students improve their Spanish skills and their tech skills at the same time. As the old saying goes, it’s like killing two birds with one stone.

As for the really tech savvy students, they are already ahead of the game. However, don’t take my word for it. Go and visit Sheryl N. Beach and read her post “Be afraid...Very afraid.” Maybe, posts like hers will get more individuals involved with these technologies. Nonetheless, it is a very cool post and worth reading!

Warm Regards,

William Bishop (Bill)

Technorati Tags: 21st_Century_Initiative, Technology, K12, APBC, School2.0, Classroom2.0, Sheryl_Beach, 21st_Century_Learning, Lost_Johns, William_Bishop, Bill_Bishop