Thanks for your comment on the Fischbowl! It’s exciting that even though we’re in separate states and haven’t been in the same program for six years, we’re both dedicated to the same cause: 21st century learning. Anyway, I enjoyed your comment, and it was good to hear from another TC graduate.

What level do you teach? Are you by any chance interested in having one of your classes collaborate with one of mine?

Thanks.

Things here in Seoul are interesting, since our teachers were forced to go tech by having their PCs taken away, MacBooks assigned to them, and fairly soft immediate (but more demanding middle-term) expectations for 21st c. teaching (whatever that is) announced.

I’m finding more success showing teachers how to play with iLife themselves, and experience that creative, playful power. Then leave and keep the sensors tuned for scuttlebutt from students or walkthroughs about any seepage into their teaching.

So I’m hopeful right now. But we’ll see.

Sorry for the prose. It’s late, I’m tired.

You gave me credit for Clarence’s ideas in another post, which I’d be happy to take, but don’t deserve

I don’t care if someone hasn’t integrated Moodle or e-mail or instant messaging or Smartboards or blogging into her classroom, I just request a more open, less cynical mind so I can do my thing without resistance.

Yeah, I’m with you on that. As long as I’m not questioned–strike that. As long as I’m not accused, implicitly or explicitly, of “not teaching” because I have my students doing a lot of tech stuff, I’m cool.
Quoth Damian (good to see you back, btw):

I don’t want to “convert” anyone, but I’ll be damned before I let colleagues insinuate that I’m enabling lazy students by posting due dates and downloadable assignments on a website.

Amen. And I hate our school’s website software, but I’m really happy that I’ve taken the time to learn how to use the calendar feature. There are things I’d like it to be able to do (including a clone feature that works with our eight-day schedule cycle and actual functioning iCal sync) but it’s pretty good. And when Back-to-School Night happens this Thursday night, I can tell the parents that major assignments are posted on the website, and that I hope to have all daily assignments up there ASAP. Woot.

In the weeks leading up to my first year at my current job (August 2000), the new teacher orientation ran concurrent with the schoolwide training for the new online gradebook program. I sat next to an experienced teacher who had to be taught how to use a mouse.

How.

To.

Use.

A.

Mouse.

In the year 2000.

I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me; I wouldn’t either, if I hadn’t witnessed it. This same teacher later refused a free tablet PC from our district (eventually took it, after much cajoling).

I hate to see people being dragged kicking and screaming up into the 21st century. I think it saddens me more than angers me, because that’s indicative of deeper issues than just technophobia, as you mentioned. Technophobia’s just a symptom, not the disease.

Oh, another favorite argument – folks who are actively against maintaining a website because “students should be held responsible for writing down the homework assignments when I write it on the board in class”, or some similar argument. I’ve argued that the website ultimately makes my life much easier, but they’re not buying it.

I don’t want to “convert” anyone, but I’ll be damned before I let colleagues insinuate that I’m enabling lazy students by posting due dates and downloadable assignments on a website.

I kinda downgraded my expectations right there. I don’t care if someone hasn’t integrated Moodle or e-mail or instant messaging or Smartboards or blogging into her classroom, I just request a more open, less cynical mind so I can do my thing without resistance.

That’s all I, we, or anyone can hope for, I guess.

[The bonus question is: how can we avoid the same fate when we cruise into our forties, and feel like sayin' stuff like, "back when I was in high school, we didn't have holobots ... "?]