Daily Bookmarks 09/04/2007

2¢ Worth » Teachers & Technology — a rant!  Annotated

• David Warlick rants about teachers who are too afraid to even try to learn new technology. He also talks about creating concrete applications for technology–not just thinking about how education should change, but doing something about it.
   – post by christyinsdesign

For several years, many of us have been trying to make a case for thinking about education in new ways, largely as a result of technological advancements and their affects on how we use information.  I think that many education leaders are listening now.  I think that they are ready for clear images and stories about 21st century classrooms and what teachers and students should be doing to better prepare a generation of new century citizens.
I almost lost it when I read, in Cheryl Oats’ comment, “..someone told me they didn’t want to learn one more new thing, they didn’t like new things..“  I would want to ask, “You call yourself a teacher?”  Who more than teachers should be willing and eager to learn new things?

NKY.Com – Teacher adapts to technology  Annotated

• A teacher started using a Smartboard due to a disability but has discovered that the technology has improved his teaching as well. Too bad the article doesn’t go into more detail about how he has changed his teaching methods.
   – post by christyinsdesign

“The creativity it brings to all of us is remarkable,” said Schlachter, who teaches fourth- and fifth-graders at St. Catherine of Siena School. “I’m
teaching in a totally different way as a result.”

Art for our sake – The Boston Globe

• An argument for including the arts in education not because the courses raise standardized test scores, but because of the innovation, analysis, persistence, envisioning and other skills students develop through learning art, music, drama, and dance. (Registration required to read the full article)

   – post by christyinsdesign

“Teachers in our study told students not to worry about mistakes, but instead to let mistakes lead to unexpected discoveries.”
“We don’t need the arts in our schools to raise mathematical and
verbal skills – we already target these in math and language arts. We need the arts because in addition to introducing students to aesthetic
appreciation, they teach other modes of thinking we value. For students living in a rapidly changing world, the arts teach vital modes of seeing, imagining, inventing, and thinking.”

edublogs: The cult of the amateur and how internet changes our culture  Annotated

• Summary of Andrew Keen & David Weinberger’s continuing debate on the Cult of the Amateur, with Ewan’s own ideas about the nature of expertise in a connected culture.
   – post by christyinsdesign

Heck, as an absolute amateur in everything I do I’ve noticed that, in this day and age, being expert is not about getting more and more knowledgeable about a narrower and narrower field. It’s all about being as clued up on the reasoning behind a wider and wider range of fields. Expertise has been redefined. It’s just that academics like Keen have trouble swallowing it. There, folks, is the real digital divide.

Artichoke: The other is a cheaper thing, but the moths get into it.

• Looking at blog comments as continuing conversation, with a draft rubric for self-assessment of blog comments. The rubric doesn’t cover all kinds of comments, and I think perhaps it focuses too much on types of comments rather than the quality and/or appropriateness of the comments in a particular situation. This could still be a good guide for to help students craft substantive comments though.
   – post by christyinsdesign