Ain't no Justice; Just us,

"Very crudely, I think, we are discussing how the good and bad things in life should be distributed among the members of a human society." That is how David Miller defines Social Justice in his book Principles of Social Justice (Social Justice, Swain & Edyburn) If I don't use technology in my classroom am I doing a Social Injustice to my students? I would argue that there is some validity to this idea that it is a moral issue to include technology. In order to best prepare students for a career we probably should incorporate an amount of technology. I do believe that it will be most effective if I can find a way to blend the technology I teach with something they do already do for fun, or something they might want to do for fun. If they can create podcasts for their friends then it makes learning that skill a lot more enjoyable. The issue becomes cloudier when we consider social justice, it is a great ideal, but in the end it is an ideal, if social justice were prevalent, or even common we wouldn't be having this discussion, but alas it isn't. So I am caught between a desire to teach children about technology and to teach children how to think. Technology is like a knee brace, or a crutch incredibly helpful if you need it, but it can become harmful if you come to rely exclusively on it. I see my role as an educator to learn what access my student have to technology, keep current on the skills that they will need in the workplace, and incorporate those skills with my subject matter in as entertaining a way as I can. I need to teach them that technology is a tool, not an end all be all. As I see if I want social justice for my students then I have is to ensure that they know how to think, not just to have thoughts, but to truly assess, analyze, and implement solutions. If I have a child with limited access to the internet at home, I can tell them where they can get access, or I could challenge them to find it on their own, and guide them if they need it. The lesson for me isn't in the technology it is in the creativity and the adaptability. We live in a world that has no social justice, and will not have it for the foreseeable future, so instead of pretending it exists, I want to teach children how to overcome whatever social injustice they face, and technology is a tool, but not the only one. The Greeks said "everything in proportion and nothing to extreme" this is a sentiment that is no less true now than it was then.

PowerPoint or PowerPointless

The best items that I saw during the PowerPoint presentations were the continues use of excellent pictures and video that applied to the content, I also liked the use of music, all of this would have been wasted on cluttered slides, but most of the presentations had very clean easy to read slides. I enjoyed the slides that just had a few words and then the presenter elaborated on the rest of the information.
There were a few presentations that were fairly difficult to sit through, despite everything that every article in the required reading said they still had a metric butt-load of words on each slide, many without pictures, and even a few with clip art. These slides were painful, but not nearly as much as when the presenter read the same slides to me.
After seeing all of the other presentations I would make a concerted effort to limit the words on each of my slides to the very minimum. I would try to find pictures that were captivating and helped illustrate what I was talking about, not become what I was talking about.
I really like using PowerPoint as a presenter it provides visual and audio props all on one platform, it makes it easy for me to outline my talk for a natural flow. PowerPoint also allows me to create notes for students on a separate piece of paper. The drawback of using technology in the classroom is firmly centered around one Mr. Murphy and his first law "if it can go wrong, it will go wrong". If we get into a position where we rely solely on technology for our lesson then we risk the loss of a lesson with the failure of that technology.

Cell phones in class, fighting the weather, and various other Herculean tasks.

I understand the concept that teachers would like to keep cell phones out of the classroom because of the disruptive potential, but the reality is that cell phones aren't going anywhere and in fact they are only going to get more, and more prevalent. The economics of technology are that if you can't afford something now just wait and you will be able to. The personal computer has been getting smaller since its inception and with the invention of the smart phone these two have been on an irreversible collision course. The I-phone, and the Droid are getting closer to becoming multi-functioning netbooks. The standard rule of technology is that it will get better, cheaper, and smaller, and the logical destination for personal computing will be the palm of your hand.
If cell phones are and will continue to be a major part of our students lives shouldn't we teach appropriate etiquette and teach students how to best use the tools that are available to them.(Allen & Kolb 2007) All students might not have smart phones, but if we integrate the best practice principles of group work then we can form the groups around those that do. Not acknowledging that cell phones will become more and more a part of all of our lives and incorporating the option to use them is like telling kids that they can't drink or have sex till they're 21...pretty much ineffective.

Say it again and I'll kick you in the Motherboard!

Cyberbullying is defined as when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. "What is cyberbullying. (2009). Retrieved July 25, 2010 from stop cyberbullying: http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/​what_is_cyberbullying_exactly.html."
My personal experience with cyberbullying is almost zero. When I first arrived at college the chat room phenomenon was in full swing. Many of my friends had computers thought I didn't and one of their favorite past times was trolling the chat rooms to pester other people, the desire was to needle someone to the point that the unknown person would begin to threaten physical violence. I'm not sure if we would be considered the bullies for harassing them or they would be considered the bullies for threatening us, but one way or the other it was at that time the thing to do. Now I have almost no contact with anyone that I don't know in real life on the internet so the concept of cyberbullying is more foreign.
Schools face an intriguing problem with cyberbullying in that so much communication is done via technology now that it is the preferred method for most young people. As much as the Colt .45 SAA was the great equalizer of physical prowess during the old west the internet has become the great equalizer of the new millinium. The internet offers the allure of complete anonymity. You can now say anything to anyone, true or not without the fear of reprocussions, or retalliation. This power creates an environment ripe for cyberbullying. The reality is that as long as long as the bully limits their actions to non-school mediums during non-school hours there is little that the school can do, unless they believe there is immenant physical threat, or an impedence of the school to perform its duties, both of which are very hard to prove. The main concern of the school should be limited to creating a positive place for the children to be. It is easy to recognize the victims of cyberbullying by their withdrawn or agitated responses to things like checking e-mail, or texts, but finding the bullies usually proves far more difficult. Spending time and money chasing down internet bullies is not unlike Hercules's battle with the Hydra, one would be better served to spend their efforts working to eliminate the source of the problem, the void of community in the classroom.
The cure to cyberbullying must begin in the classroom. The goal to create community in the classroom must be of the highest order, and infused into everything that we do, from lessons about internet ettiquet to group projects. If we can use trust building activities and democratic principles we can create an atmosphere where children protect and support each other, and that is the support that they truly crave. If we strive to turn enemies into mutual protectors then we can eliminate most of the major social issues in the classroom.

The bell tolls for thee!

While I have discovered there is very little information available via the Internet about me, I am conscious of the fact that this is mainly due to the volume of people with my name. I am also aware that if there is enough desire, almost everything that I do, and in some cases much of what I say is available via the World Wide Web. I was able to find my old Myspace account, but I accessed it through a screen name and realistically there was nothing there that could ever have been linked to my actual identity. Nevertheless, I set the account to private. I have some serious concerns about the current trend of punishing and dismissing educators for things they do on their free time. I understand our society's concept that teachers only exist within the classroom and the image that most children have of a teacher as a larger than life figure without a personal life seems to follow the child into adulthood. What I would argue is this, educators should set a good example for students while they are at school, but it is important that children understand that teachers are people too. Children and parents need to understand that no-one is infallible. Teachers are human beings, just like law enforcement, medical personnel and an infinite number of other occupations. Sometimes teachers are wrong. Sometimes they have bad days. Maybe they drink; maybe they have a different belief system. As long as it doesn't interfere with their professionalism at school, who is anyone to judge? I believe the American concept of a teacher as lower deity is holding our educational society back. Teachers should be part of the educational society of the classroom directly involved in learning, not standing above it. The fact that we place unrealistic expectations on people like teachers and sports figures only exemplifies what we as a society are lacking, a home based sense of personal identity. We look outward for people to tell us what we should or shouldn't do; we ask normal humans to do what we can't or won't do ourselves; and we call it cultural values. Values start within, within ourselves, within our family, within our home. The idea that we can chase values down from an external source is not only flawed, it is dangerous. If we constantly rely on other people to give us moral guidance, we never begin to take responsibility for our own actions. The other issue that I take with this current trend is what I consider to be an infringement on the constitutional rights of teachers. The supreme court ruled that neither students or teachers constitutional rights end at the schoolhouse door, as long as it doesn't interfere with the ability of the institution to perform its duty. Yet even now there are school districts and teacher licensing agencies working as de facto inquisitorial boards. They are attacking teachers for behaviors or acts that don't fit into their view of acceptable, that occur outside of school, on the educators personal time. I can assure you that not everyone or every culture has a similar view of what acceptable is. If I as an employer went down to the bar and told the members of the Local 81 that they weren't allowed to drink or swear off the clock because it might reflect poorly on me, I would at best receive a laugh in the face, and perhaps much more. If I attempted to punish one of those employees, or dismissed them for that conduct I would almost assuredly receive a letter from BOLI, and notice of a law suit, that I would most likely lose. So, why is it that we accept that treatment in education? The constitutional rights of every person in this country were guaranteed through blood and sacrifice and the last thing I will ever do as a potential role model is to voluntarily give them up. It makes no difference to me if I personally agree with what other teachers do in their private lives but I will stand up for their rights because it is all of our rights.

"In Germany, they first came for the gypsies, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a gypsy. Then they came for the Bolsheviks, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Bolshevik. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics. I didn't speak up then because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up." - Martin Niemoller, A Lutheran Pastor arrested by the Gestapo in 1937

I believe that persecution is not an event that happens suddenly, but a series of tiny steps, and I believe that it is all of our duties to fight every step we see. John Donne once wrote "if a clod be washed away is Europe not the lesser?" the same holds true for our constitutional rights.

Be friendly with the Natives

I would consider myself a digital transient, because I am right on the cusp of Immigrant and Native. I remember the first home game consul (Atari) and the first time we brought home a movie on Beta. We had a computer in our classroom when I was in elementary school, but it wasn’t used for anything except basic math and spelling games. My senior year of High School we were required to take a computer class, but in reality all we did was learn how to use the computer as a word processor. I have been exposed to technology for my entire life, but the fact that I lived in areas that were slow to get things like cable and internet have slowed my integration into its use. I have also spent the majority of my life working in the wilderness, where prior to the widespread use of GPS, Satellite Phones, and Solar Panels, the most high tech equipment we had were headlamps, and personal stereos.

My experiences with technology in the classroom as a student and a teacher have been fairly limited. In High School there was overhead projectors and film projectors, and in college that became Power Point and DVD. The technology that was available to me in high school was essentially as good as was available at the time for a poor school district in rural Oregon, we felt pretty lucky that our school had a laserdisc player. When I arrived at college there was an expectation that everyone would use a computer, but it was mostly for the sake of convenience, all of our papers were turned in by hand, and all of our research was done at the library. The real breakthrough for me as a student came with the growth of the internet, all of a sudden we began to spend less and less time at the library and more and more in the computer lab.

The articles from Prensky have helped me better understand the argument for the use of technology in the classroom. “Todays average college grads have spent less than 5,000 hours of their lives reading, but over 10,000 hours playing video games (not to mention 20,000 hours watching TV).” (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants . (2001). Retrieved July 17, 2010 from CU Blackboard: http://webct.cu-portland.edu/​webct/​urw/​lc9140001.tp0/​ cobaltmainframe.dowebct.) It gives me more perspective on why children have a desire for education to involve technology. I did take issue with Prensky’s assertion that digital native’s brains are actually different. While I believe that there is credible evidence that would suggest there is a correlation between brain development and stimulus there is no evidence that Digital Natives brains are physically differnt, Prensky himself states, “…we haven’t yet directly observed Digital Natives’ brains to see whether they are physically different…” (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. (2001), but he uses this supposition as the basis for his entire argument. While Prensky eloquently makes the case that I as an educator should engage my tech savvy student or I’ll enrage them “These kids are used to having anyone who asks for their attention—their musicians, their movie makers, their TV stars,their game designers work really hard to earn it” (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants . (2001) this does little to address the fact that when these Digital Natives reach the work force they will most likely be working for Digital Immigrants who will have little or no interest in entertaining their employees. They will be employed by people who expect them to self motivate and produce high quality work no matter what the job is. So in the end my question is you’re a Digital Native congratulations, Who Cares?

Ligers and Monkeys and Philosophy...Oh My

My name is Justin Wright, an I'm hoping to teach people, but if that fails maybe Ligers, or Lamas. My favorite animals are monkeys dressed as cowboys riding dogs with saddles. I believe that they truly represent American industrialism and entrepreneurship. These majestic animals symbolize the free spirit of the west (the dog) within the refined tradition of the east (the saddle) under the governance of our political system (the monkey).