Blog Post #8

Richard Miller- This is How We Dream
Communication is changing now more than it ever has.  We are able to communicate instantly on a global scale through computer technology.  We live in a networked world.  The days of ideas being held captive to a printing press are behind us.  Dr. Miller explains how the dissemination of knowledge has taken on a whole new life.

In part 1, Dr. Miller goes through several incremental changes that have occurred.  For instance, our workspace is the laptop.  We can collaborate and compose with text, images, and film.  Also, information and ideas should be and are distributed openly and freely.  With iTunesU there is instant access to professors and lectures at schools all over the country.  We are now composing with digital material rather than word processing only.  The availability of this media enables us to push ideas into our culture.  However, he states the resources are not quite here at this point.

Part 2 explains the concept of the "New Humanities" where ideas belong to no one.  His proposed center is a place of collaboration where composing involves excelling in verbal and written communication plus digital enhancement.  As part of a Web 2.0 world where people have the opportunity to contribute to the knowledge that is available on the web, the transition from text only to multimedia compositions is one we should be prepared to accept.   I feel I am preparing myself to be a multimedia teacher, but it is a work in progress.  Education is changing and evolving along with communication.  One can't exist without the other. I hope that the availability of resources does not inhibit the use of multimedia learning in our schools in the future.

EDM310 for Dummies and The Chipper Series were both pretty entertaining videos.  I thought they illustrated well the fact that success in this class is completely in the hands of the individual.  For all of you who have requested a copy of EDM310 for Dummies, it is already available... just not compiled in one book!  As for Chipper, I'm not sure but she might have some learning difficulties.  I was happy to see she had a change of heart at the end, but her lack of understanding about consequences of her actions was worrisome!  If I were to make a video, I know I would not want to personally star in the production.  However, I think I would try to make a video that tried to promote or explain some of the tools that we are using in our class.  It would be fun to make commercials to advertise things like symbaloo, timetoast, wolfram alpha, and others.  I was not aware of a lot of those things prior to this class and a short video on them would be interesting.

Smartboards- Good or Bad?
First of all, I have never used a Smartboard. I would have liked to have one in my classroom, but I think my school of 2500 had only 1 or 2 for all the teachers and it was confined to one department. I do know other teachers who have them. Some use them and some don't. After reading Michael Staton and Bill Ferriter's argument against IWB's (Interactive White Boards) I have to admit they were pretty persuasive. When you compare the cost vs. improvement in classroom learning, I'm not sure you will be able to justify the purchase either. Staton lists 2 main reasons he thinks they are dumb: 1) they don't change the model that's broken, and 2) they are an administrative cop out". Bill Ferriter adds that they don't make teaching the curriculum any easier, they reinforce a teacher-centric model of learning, and the are poorly aligned to the vision of instruction that most people claim to believe in.

I searched for an opposing view and came across this blog- Classroom Chronicles.  A year 5 teacher in Sydney explains her top 10 list for why she loves her smartboard.  I found that in each of her reasons, she kept referring to ways she could save her lessons and notes for use later.  In addition, she noted the interest her students showed in using the smartboard, and how they had the use of personal laptops that tied into the smartboard for putting together presentations.  This teacher seems to maximize the use of her smartboard and feels it is well worth the expense. 

So, teachers love them and hate them.  I think it depends on many variables whether it will work in your classroom.  I think the best way to summarize the issue is from a comment left on one of the first critiques:  "You can give someone a Porsche but that doesn't make them a better driver".  The smartboard isnt' going to fix  problems for you.  It may make your class more interesting, but you have to be willing to put in the work whether you have a smartboard or not.