Digital Eyes

Welcome to the new location of Digital Eyes! Like all everything in life, things change. As our blog server goes away, it was time to migrate my blog to a new place. I hope you like it and continue to come and read. I am always open to suggestions. If you have an idea about how I can improve the site, please let me know. To kick off my new location, I thought it was appropriate to post about change. Just as we are changing our blog locations, we are also changing our district website, moving to Office 2010 and 2011, and putting student response devices in the hands of every student. This makes for a very busy summer and an even busier fall. I hear often from frustrated teachers about the rapid rate of change. It's not just technology either. Initiatives on formative assessments, data- driven decision making, cultural proficiency, professional learning teams, new curriculum also are underway. Teachers are frustrated because it is increasingly difficult to keep up with all this chang...

Which side of the bed did you wake up on today? On any given day, we wake up ready for all the information thrust at us. We must as educators make good sound decisions. The truth is that somedays, we are so overwhelmed that we say no to everything. We find reasons for them not to work. Some of the reasons are even good ones: equity, management, student distractions, high stakes testing. But none of these issues are really reason enough not to move forward if we truly believe that providing new tools or instruction are the right thing to do. On the other hand, there are days that we wake up and it is just easier to go with the flow. Perhaps we start to believe that we are just a negative Nelly. Maybe we feel like the rest of the world is moving forward and we'd better jump on board. Whatever the reason, it is not any more useful to say yes to everything than it is to say no to everything. So what are the criteria for deciding which ideas are winners and which are losers? The more i ...

This morning, I sent my son off to school to take the MCA state tests for the first time. As a third grader, this is the first of many testing "opportunities" he will have. As we talked about it, I did my parental duty and made sure he understood the importance of them, ate a good breakfast, got plenty of sleep. He was really excited! To him, this was a chance to demonstrate his knowledge. Unfortunately, this is how he has learned to define what his knowledge is. My concern is that even in third grade, my son understands that what is tested is what is valued. So the message to him is that basic knowledge of math and reading is what is important. While I will not argue the fact that they are important, I do feel like they have an overblown value in our schools. Here is what I mean. Look at some of the other things my son does that have equal (in my opinion) value if not greater value. Last night, he keyboarded an amazing three paragraph story. He took on a very challenging pia...

*Image from http://www.mediaspin.com/images/superstock/head-CFL-bulb04-hgrebe-800.jpg I have been reading How - and Why- to Teach Innovation in our Schools by Alexander Hiam. I highly recommend you read this article if you have not already done so. It really helped frame this idea of how to teach innovation in our schools. Our technology integration curriculum includes a strand on Creativity and Innovation, and Creative Thinking. However, when teachers ask me what does that look like, I don't always feel as though I have a great answer. This article has really helped me frame my answer. I knew it was there, I just couldn't put my finger on it. First, Hiam breaks innovation down into the Five I's: Imagination, Inquiry, Invention, Implementation, and Initiative. The fuel for imagination is defined as the "bridging between apparently diverse or unrelated ideas, skill sets, or objects." He asserts that many innovations in our lives come from combining two different c...

My official job title is technology integration specialist. The implication of that title is that my job is to help teachers integrate technology into the classroom. Makes sense. A large aspect of my job is to help teachers do exactly that. I do a lot of training on how to use our district technology tools. I answer numerous questions about how to use these tools effectively in the classroom. But... increasingly, my job is about other things. Redefining literacy, effective formative assessments, global perspectives, problem solving, and many other things that aren't solely dependent on technology. So maybe I need a new title. Something that focuses on learning rather than on the tools. Here are a few that come to mind. I would love your input!!! Learning Integration Specialist Learning Constructivist Digital Literacy Specialist Digital Instructor Digital Integrationist Information and Communication Specialist Digital Facilitator Curriculum Integration Specialist

I came across this video from Library Ireland Week. Library Ireland Week It got me thinking about today's libraries. Our school and community libraries are really in a state of transition. They want kids and adults alike to continue their love of reading yet what reading looks like is really changing. As reading becomes increasingly digital , how do libraries (or media centers, if you prefer) provide literature, research resources, and etc... in a format that people want? Do we still need brick buildings to provide them. Many libraries have robust websites for reserving books, doing research, downloading ebooks, etc..., but at what point, if ever, do we cease to need a place to go. I know,  I can hear many people arguing that the library is also a community space and we need to bring people together. When I visit the library (Yes, I go often!), I often see tutoring, meetings, collaborating, sharing, and librarians helping people. I love the collaborative spaces that libraries provi...

It's been a while since I posted to my blog. I had very good intentions to get back to it, but other things came about. So that has me wondering. How important is it to make time for blogging? We're all busy. We all have things competing or our attention and time. Where does blogging fit? The easy answer is that it is not that important. In the course of my day, I am inundated with projects, requests for help, needs to research new tools, communications, and much more. Giving up blogging would be a nice way to shorten my to do list. On the other hand, it has led to some really significant experiences. I have had people who I respect (and some who I do not) comment on my posts, leading to great discussions about topics important to me. Without my blog, these discussions might take place but they might only take place among those who I see regularly at work. This does not necessarily lead to a broader perspective. My blog allows the conversation to grow beyond our organization. I...