Living Without Technology

Sometimes technology seems to be a double edged sword. Now that we are dependent upon it, what do we do when we no longer have access?

I am on vacation back home in a small town in Ontario, Canada. Due to the location of the cell phone towers, cell phones love dropping calls here, unless you are standing in the middle of the busiest street in town. I finally bought my computer, but had no Internet service. Luckily my cousin who is good with computers set me up on a temporary account, but dial-up is sometimes sporadic. Add to that my frequent visits with family and friends, and my computer access here is negligible. Many of my aunts and uncles don't even own a computer, let alone use email. And I'm going crazy without my daily email fix, news headlines, weather, Harry Potter fanfiction etc. Not to mention the access to my course websites. When did this happen that I became an Internet junkie?

I wasn't always this way. I started school in the late 70s, and remember record albums, films, 8-tracks, filmstrips. The teachers were so happy when videos came out because they no longer had to set up the projector, thread the film through, and then rewind it laboriously when it was finished. I had a TRS80 computer which I used to make a school newspaper on with the dot matrix printer. Compared to what our students have today, this is definitely ancient.

Maybe I'm luckier than many as my generation is essentially the bridge between the emerging analog technology of the 80s and the digital technology of the 21st century. My mother who was a teacher did not deal well when computers came out. She could make use of some of the software and could do basic Internet searches, but balked at doing report cards online. Then again, she didn't have a computer at home because she could not afford one at the time. And look at my aunts and uncles with no computers. My cousins are all online though. And my niece's generation? At five years old she can do word processing, wants to go online (but my sister does not approve of that yet), has lots of games she plays, can work a digital camera...

This is the same as our students. They have not witnessed the continual development of digital technology. Instead, it has always been there for them. They do not have the learning curve we do as we must continually adjust (cassettes no longer work in your car, must buy cds instead, now must download MP3 files to the iPod) as we remember the older technology, sometimes with a nostalgic fondness. No wonder our students sometimes look at our technological prowess and shake their heads. They have always been in a technological society. We must adjust and adopt to technology that does not always come easy for us.

Media Specialists are at the forefront of this adjustment. In my previous Media Center I used a Smart Board, dvd player hooked up to the projector, audio enhancement, document camera, digital cameras (still and video), computers... I was next in line to receive a tablet computer. This helped push (pull?) me into the digital world and I was considered one of the "techies" on staff. Add to that my online courses and I was continually wired. Until this vacation. 3 days in a car with no Internet! Help!

Podcasts

Okay, I just have to say it, I love Audacity! I used this program to create my booktalk podcast for my class, and it was so easy to use! I recorded four tracks of audio; my introduction, two booktalks, and a brief conclusion. I also used music to begin, end, and in between sections. It worked out great!

In my readings for this class, I was introduced to various educational reasons for podcasts, as well as directed to many actual podcasts. This is such a great technology to use with our students. I am a very visual learner, but many of our students are not. Podcasts allow them to learn auditorily, and at their own pace. They can download lectures, information, recreational podcasts, the list goes on, and listen to them on their iPods whenever they can. This is what 21st century education is about.

So, if we have the technology, and it is a great tool for students, why aren't we all doing this as educators? Personally I believe educators now have so much to do that many are just not interested in learning about new technology. They don't have the time or inclination, and are too busy banning iPods from the classroom. It's not on the test, so why bother. Okay, maybe I'm getting a little cynical. I must admit, I had no interest in creating a podcast before this course. I had heard of them, but no one explained what they were about, how to make one, and why I should. Now that I am more aware of how easy it is, I'm a believer. So, I guess it is up to those of us who now know the technology to preach it from the rooftops to our other educators. Put podcasts out there on our websites and make everyone, students, teachers, parents, administrators aware that they are there. And what learning objectives they are fulfilling! I'm sure many of our students are already podcasting, we need to find out from that as well. It's time to embrace technology in the classroom, and extend learning beyond the four walls. Students spend a lot of time online. Let's take advantage of that!

And about my podcast, I will try to upload it here for you to listen to. I'm on dial-up, so it may take forever. It's a booktalk about The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. Both amazing books. It's just under 5 minutes.

P. S. Still trying to figure out how to upload it. If anyone knows how to upload something that isn't a picture, please let me know!

New Computer

As I'm taking a course on Leadership in Technology, I thought it was appropriate to purchase a new computer. Also, I will be travelling home to Canada for 3 weeks this summer, and will need a computer in order to take my classes. My husband agrees that a new computer would be nice so he can play his computer games that do not work on our 4 year old desktop. So, we went to Miami last weekend to purchase my new computer.

Problem. There are no tablet computers for purchase in Miami. Yes, I'm particular in what I want. Teachers at my school are getting tablets next year, and I also use a SmartBoard in the Media Center, so I like the touch screen component. The several teachers who already use tablets rave over the cool things that can be done with the students, such as projecting graphs and math problems to the entire class, while one student solves it at his or her desk. Very cool, if I could just get my hands on one! At the three big box stores I visited, all tablets are backordered until some date in the far off future. Having to drive 2 1/2 hours to get to Miami in the first place does not make it easy to continually check in the stores. I guess I'll have to break down and order on online, which I was hesitant to do. I prefer seeing what I'm getting, instead of a picture of it.

From my reading online about tablets I discovered that they have voice recognition software and a fairly good microphone. Too bad I can't do my podcast assignment that way! My current computer requires a peripheral microphone, which is annoyingly plugged in at the back of the CPU. I can't wait to track down my new computer and learn how easy it is to play with all the fun things like podcasts, videos, wireless, and touch screens. I'll keep you posted!