Reflection on Customizing

    I rather enjoyed customizing my blog--and there will be more changes in the near future--but I did struggle with a few things. I found two gadgets that I wanted to add (instead of the fish), but I could not figure out how. Essentially, there was only an option to add it to my Google homepage, not blog. My experience with this sort of technology is not extensive, but I do have a Google Site, so much of it appears to be similar to changing my site. However, I have never added gadgets to my site, so this one eluded me. On the other hand, adding the "fish" gadget was simple, so maybe there is not a way to add those others to my blog. Sam, we'll talk soon.
    My technological confidence has been growing recently, though it was never as low as people think. (For some reason, because I CHOOSE not to have a cell phone, people assume I am a technological troglodite--thank you, Chris Michel, for that great term.) I am generally comfortable with computers, and this comfort is continuing to grow. In fact, I greatly look forward to creating an Edmodo account, as I think that will be extremely useful in my classes. As for the blog, other than posting assignments, work students miss if they are absent, or general announcements, it does not seem as useful for classes. Again, Sam, we'll talk.

2009 Graduation Speech

I struggled a bit in figuring out what video to post. After rejecting several clips from The Simpsons, Corner Gas, and Seinfeld, I decided on something different. While this feels a bit like "self-promotion," I do not want it to be that. It just seems like this video covers much of what I believe about education, so it seemed appropriate for this blog.

Inaugural Post

    My first thought after watching Thomas's video was, "Wow, what was I doing when I was twelve?" Sadly, it was nothing nearly as productive as that. However, his statement about students knowing more about technology than their teachers rings painfully true to many teachers, and I am looking forward to drawing within striking distance of my students' current knowledge and understanding.
    Perhaps what excites me most about integrating more technology into my instruction is more related to waste than "getting up to speed" with my students. Every time I run off several hundred copies, a small part of me (and a small forest) dies. I really want to move, as much as possible, toward a paperless classroom. While it might not be possible to go completely paperless due to some classes--AP exam preparation and such--I want to come as close as possible. This also will bring me more in line with the knowledge I will need to use newer technologies and easily adapt to the even newer ones constantly being created.
    All of these considerations come back to one ultimate goal: helping students to be successful. I find it difficult to imagine how one can teach a student valuable information--and ways to acquire new information--when the student knows more about the subject than the teacher. By increasing my understanding and use of technology in my classroom, I hope to become a much more effective educator.