The information Highway

We say that the Internet is the Information Highway. It has spawned a whole new era of information sharing and added a whole new dimension to our economy. The economy of jobs is where this rambling is headed. As I move further up the food chain in the land of professionalism I move more and more into the world of the ethereal . What do you mean ? asks a colleague or friend. Na not the colleague as they are quite familiar with this ethereal world. The world of 30 years at a manufacturing facility for some unskilled (?) laborer are yes fading but not totally gone. There are a few left.

What jobs do we have? I have become all to familiar with one job. This is the job of administration of information. The administration of personal information and knowledge highway.

Recently I have been attempting to gather all the information that I need to file for my professional teaching certification. This journey (the paperwork portion, as I have completed all the requirements i.e. time in a classroom and correct number of credit hours beyond the Bachelor degree CEU's as they are commonly known) started appropriately enough at the education department of my local university. They gave me the appropriate papers to take to the school I am now teaching at and told me to have the office fill them out. I took them to the office, who then sent me to the main office, who then sent me to the administrative office for the whole school district, who then sent me to the sub placement agency who works through the school, who then told me that they could fill out the form to the best of their ability but that usually was not good enough for the ed department at the university and if I had an issue with that I should go to the ed department and take it up with them. Does anyone feel like their own a merry go round? I don't remember buying a e-ride ticket.

I have not been a traditional teacher in a traditional classroom. There are a lot of us teachers out here doing non-traditional teaching. I have taught two semester as a long term sub-teacher in my major where I was responsible for all curriculum, student behavior, 100% of the teaching duties. Nothing was left by the other teacher for me to follow. I spent three years as a teacher at a non-profit for at risk students teaching mostly Science and math, by mostly I mean 90%. All responsibilities there were also mine. So now as I file my paperwork I get kudos from everyone but a reluctance on the part of administrators to put into writing my nontraditional teaching experience. Is is really so nontraditional? There are students in a classroom. I preform all the duties of a teacher who has been hired to do a job whether that job is for 3 months or 30 years is irrelevant because the student that I teach still need to learn the material now.
I must continue my search for the allusive administrative official capable of making a final decision. They do exist for I have found them in the past and I am always very grateful for their continence. I think I started this with a journey and it continues.

Week Two LD 2 Engage Them or Enrage Them

Week Two LD 2 Engage Them or Enrage Them

Week Two AR1 Thinking about Technology

Week Two AR1 Thinking about Technology

Week One - Part B Intro Lecture

Week One - Part B Intro Lecture

Week One - Intro Part A

Week One - Intro Part A

Post for EDT 6440 Resource Links and stuff

This is a blog that I started when I began taking classes toward a Masters degree in Educational Technology. I have not used it in a while but am very glad to be back at the site adding more resources that I can utilize through out my career.
It is some what disheartening to see so many teachers who treat teaching as a job and not a profession or career. Years seems to wear a person down for sure. It is a job where you are ON almost all of the time when you are there. In this post are a few new links that we have shared in this class EDT 6440.

Emerging Technologies: In this website are a multitude of opportunities for educators to learn from other educators or share your knowledge with other educators.  It is great resource and you can access at your own pace and in your spare time.( you may laugh now)
http://www.edu20.org/log_in/required?from=%2Fhome

Broadband Applications: I have used YouTube extensively in my biology class to offer educational opportunities to the students that are at their fingertips but they didn't know were their.  There are thousands of short instructional science videos that allow the use of an electron Microscope image on video to come right into my classroom and on the big screen also.  School tubes is great when you want students to have more filtered access to online videos. They are prescreened so no accidental adult content will come up in a search.
http://http://www.schooltube.com/
http://http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=5FyA4mrIn_k


Planning for implementation for future technologies:

edu 2.0 has people who would be good connections as to how to fund projects and grant writing from people who have successfully obtained funds. I am also including my home school because using the technology in your classroom and having other teachers see the students response to the use of technology and offering to train fellow teacher during otherwise boring PD meeting is an excellent way to lobby for school funding for advancement of technology. It also allows you the chance to introduce the use of technology in a constructive and productive way.
 http://www.kalamazoopublicschools.com/

http://www.edu20.org/log_in/required?from=%2Fhome

Additional Resources:
This section could go on a long time but here are a few of the resources that I use for Biology, Aviation classes and private tutoring.
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/TRC/Aeronautics/AeronauticActivitiesHome2.htm  NASA Science website with many different resources including lesson plans and activities

http://phet.colorado.edu/ online help with chemistry, general science, physics, and more

http://www.mathnerds.com/mathnerds/ an online math resource with chat availability for help with specific problems

http://www.ajdesigner.com/index.htm  simulations and other design work aids
 
http://www.virtualclassroom.org/index.html Just what is says how to have your own virtual classroom
 
http://space.xprize.org/x-prize-cup/x-prize-cup-education-day Science challenge for high school students
 
 
That just about wraps it up.  I could go on and on as the world wide web and all that computers offer go on and on and changes all the time.  Fun stuff.

Review of Google Documents Presentation Maker and Spreadsheets

The Google Documents Presentation Maker was incredibly easy to use. It operates the same as PowerPoint in Microsoft Office but I think the share and edit features are a bit more transparent in the Google version. I was easily able to import pictures and add them to the slides. The choices of slide lay out were readily available. I also set it up so that it would be an online collaborative effort. My question is if it is online can I go to my account from any computer with Internet access and have my presentation come up? Could it be that simple? No more need to carry my laptop with me and need the sign in for someone else's hot spot? That would be just too cool. Check out My very important presentation: https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AWNfkZp5VMppZGNnOTY3eGdfMGMzejg2eGZk&hl=en 

I found the spread sheets to be just as easy to use. The features were all the same as Microsoft office and again the sharing and saving and accessibility was awesome.  Check out my spread sheet;
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AmNfkZp5VMppdE9pRHlUX2NqVk9JYXlNOGhaOG8tZ2c&hl=en&output=html

    So why do we pay big money when there is so much good free software and how can Google offer so much for free? I know advertising pays for a lot of things. Maybe they count on the people who do not know how much stuff is for free. Kind of the same way rebates and coupons count on you never sending in the forms. We may never know or will we ?