Literacy Builders

For the Love of Learning

Technology

Say a Little Prayer

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My computer is dying. As I write this blog (by hand, on a yellow legal pad), I am sitting a prayer-filled bedside vigil as my husband, the computer tech, is desperately attempting to resuscitate Windows which seems to be lost somewhere on the hard drive.

I fidget as I contemplate what the loss of my seven year old laptop may mean. All of the things that I do with ease and automaticity will now be so…complicated: checking my email, tweeting, pulling up a PowerPoint for Tuesday’s afterschool workshop, writing this week’s edition of The Boost.

The gravity of this situation is hitting me hard.

I…don’t…know…what…I…am….going…to…do!

With my computer on life support, I digress from my normal musings about all things literacy. I apologize for the lapse and promise to share something meaningful as soon as I resolve my computer issues. In the meantime, say a little prayer for my ‘puter.

Professional Learning Opportunities: Always Available

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As recently as three years ago, I was the person who checked email every three days, read books for information, and went to conferences to learn and talk to other teachers.

Little by little, that all began to change.

It started with email. I went from once every three days to once a day.

Then, I got a blackberry.

Now, I check email every ten minutes (or so).

As far as books go, I still read books. I love books. But now, some of them come via Amazon on my Kindle and…I have discovered I can get information—good information—on the Internet.

I joined Diigo.(search litbuilder)

I joined Twitter. http://twitter.com/kimyaris

(I have yet to join Facebook).

And now, I have a constant stream of cutting edge information coming across my desk at every hour of every day.

Some days, I feel like I can’t keep up. The things to see and do and learn online are endlessly fascinating. I start clicking at five in the morning and I look up and it’s noon and I’m still in my pajamas. I’m smarter, but man, when will I have time to do the work I’m paid to do?

As a staff developer, I am often caught in the crossfire between teachers who want more professional development and administrators whose hands are tied because of dollars. I have watched ‘not enough training’ become an excuse for abandoning new ideas and approaches in the classroom on countless occasions. In an age when I am wondering how to scale back my learning because it seems to consume too much of my time, I wonder how it is possible that educators feel like there isn’t enough information to do the job well.

As I mull over my thoughts about this school year, I am thinking about building personal learning networks and harnessing technology for professional growth and development. I have done some of my best learning at home in front of my computer in the company of thousands of like-minded educators. The question now is, how can we help ALL teachers recognize that professional learning opportunities abound, you just need to know how to access them?

Reconsidering the Importance of Publishing

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In Writing Workshop, I have long downplayed the importance of publishing. My work with children has always emphasized what writers do to get words down on paper, how writers change their words and grow their ideas. I’ve always felt that people who write for a living don’t publish everything, so why should we have the expectation that our young writers publish absolutely everything?

These days, I find myself rethinking the importance of publishing. At the New York State Reading Association conference that I attended this past weekend, I saw Kay Gormley and Peter McDermott from the Sage Colleges present on using technology in the classroom. I watched as they demonstrated how children could publish their writing on websites like StoryJumper and Blabberize. As I watched, I couldn’t help but wonder how these programs would motivate reluctant writers to want to write more. And then, I realized. Digital savvy, polished end products wouldn’t motivate only reluctant writers, they would make ALL children want to write to the finish. Not only that, it might make them value the whole process differently. I know I write differently when I know people will see my end product.

Kay and Peter definitely left me thinking hard about the importance of integrating digital technology into our literacy frameworks. The possibilities are endless and will surely better prepare children for our fast-paced, technology-driven world.