THING #6 - DID YOU KNOW CRAIGSLIST WAS A WEB 2.0 TOOL?
I looked through the list of all the Web 2.0 tools and only recognized about two thirds of them. A lot of them were social media sites that I have no interest in, and a good number were what I consider the basic tools of any computer user. I mean - Yahoo, Firefox, gmail, Google, Wikipedia - how basic can you get! Then I saw Craigslist. I've been using Craigslist for years to buy and sell things. When you move as often as I have, you have to have a means of getting rid of the excess.
I spent some time looking at the site in more detail - beyond the buying and selling locations. I was surprised at what else is there. I don't know if all of it has always been there or if a lot of community-related content was created after the bad press of the Craigslist Killer a few years ago. There are community bulletin boards, local activities, political resources, rideshare postings. Everything is localized to your own town or locale. I can't imaging how much memory capability Craigslist must have to be able to carry local content for communities around the country and a lot of international countries as well. Truly amazing!!
You can buy a lawnmower, find a lover (or partner), hire a painter or gardener, have a discussion on any topic you can think of, sell your old washing machine, find almost any kind of job in dozens of fields, find a vacation time share or swap . . . I mean, it goes on and on and on. It even has its own search engine if you don't see what you want. There is certainly more to Craigslist than selling your old tools. Just don't expect the people that use the site to be able to spell.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Thing #5. School 2.0
The idea that the web has somehow been reinvented or redesigned into something different is foolish. I guess for those who grew up with the web as a part of their lives, it may seem that it has never changed and that the web as we see it now could be the second generation. I grew up before computers and have watched the web grow and evolve. At best, there is a smooth progress of the technology; at worst there are sudden bumps and improvements where suddenly you have a bunch of new stuff all at once. Apple has a habit of doing this sort of thing. When I was in school, the height of technology was an overhead projector or an opaque projector that would fry the pages of a book if you weren't careful.
When I was working as a trainer, we had computers, and PowerPoints, and projectors similar to what we see today. But that stuff is old technology compared to what is available today. Smart boards are probably the most flexible of the new tools, and even they have evolved in the last few years. It is inevitable that our schools use these tools, especially since the kids are so entranced by them. If there is any problem, it's keeping their hands OFF the toys. As an educator, we have to be able to use these tools. I remember teaching aspiring presenters to use an overhead projector. How could anything be simpler? But they would become completely dumbstruck because they were thinking so much about the projector that they couldn't talk. If we have that problem with our high-tech tools, we won't be effective teachers in school 2.0.
What are schools of the future going to be like? Probably were are seeing the beginning of the end of the hard copy publishing business. Got a Kindle? There are schools already that don't have books because they have converted to e-textbooks. This will take a while because of the expense and logistics involved, but it's coming. Blackboards and whiteboards are going away. Traditional classroom desks are going away. Maybe classrooms are going away. The ultimate in one-on-one specialized instruction will probably be done online. Tracking student progress will be done automatically online. Challenging gifted students will be done online. We will be online!
The idea that the web has somehow been reinvented or redesigned into something different is foolish. I guess for those who grew up with the web as a part of their lives, it may seem that it has never changed and that the web as we see it now could be the second generation. I grew up before computers and have watched the web grow and evolve. At best, there is a smooth progress of the technology; at worst there are sudden bumps and improvements where suddenly you have a bunch of new stuff all at once. Apple has a habit of doing this sort of thing. When I was in school, the height of technology was an overhead projector or an opaque projector that would fry the pages of a book if you weren't careful.
When I was working as a trainer, we had computers, and PowerPoints, and projectors similar to what we see today. But that stuff is old technology compared to what is available today. Smart boards are probably the most flexible of the new tools, and even they have evolved in the last few years. It is inevitable that our schools use these tools, especially since the kids are so entranced by them. If there is any problem, it's keeping their hands OFF the toys. As an educator, we have to be able to use these tools. I remember teaching aspiring presenters to use an overhead projector. How could anything be simpler? But they would become completely dumbstruck because they were thinking so much about the projector that they couldn't talk. If we have that problem with our high-tech tools, we won't be effective teachers in school 2.0.
What are schools of the future going to be like? Probably were are seeing the beginning of the end of the hard copy publishing business. Got a Kindle? There are schools already that don't have books because they have converted to e-textbooks. This will take a while because of the expense and logistics involved, but it's coming. Blackboards and whiteboards are going away. Traditional classroom desks are going away. Maybe classrooms are going away. The ultimate in one-on-one specialized instruction will probably be done online. Tracking student progress will be done automatically online. Challenging gifted students will be done online. We will be online!
Thing #4. Why Comment? Why not?
I think the idea of commenting on someone's blog is tied to the idea of visiting the blog in the first place. You wouldn't visit someone's home and then not talk to them. If you visit the blog, you feel obliged to comment - either to agree or disagree - or say something totally irrelevant. It's common courtesy. Once the conversation is started, then the sense of community begins. If you have a common interest, the community will thrive; if not, it will die off.
The commenting sites that I visited only really reinforced this idea about posting blogs. If you are at all skilled as a conversationalist, the points made by the bloggers were only common sense. To keep a conversation going, you make pertinent comments, ask for responses. Or you make a statement in such a way that the other person is invited to respond. It is exactly the way a conversation develops. A conversation doesn't consist of two people making declarative statements at each other; it is a give and take of ideas, or a sharing of ideas, or a comparing of ideas. A blog has to be the same way.
We are supposed to list the names of the people whose blogs we visited. I have looked at a number, and will continue doing so, but I can't tell you which ones. The comments appear on my email - and that's nice to have the backup - but its on my blog that I look for responses. I have gotten a response - and replied - from Hannah, but the others - I don't know. There is probably some way I can tell where I have visited, but I don't know how. I chose the blogs to visit because they are people in my class. I think we at should have at least a common interest in keeping this blog exercise active and sharing responses to the process. I have also visited a few blogs outside of the academic realm. I am a woodworker, and there are a host of woodworking blogs out there. A number of them are professional blogs, related to woodworking magazines and specific technical aspects of woodworking (i.e. woodturning). I have visited several, only to say hello since I don't currently have any projects under way. I have gotten very nice, friendly responses from, in one case what I am sure is a automatic response machine, but also from the people who maintain the blogs. I did find one personal blog, from a guy in Ohio who does craft boxes full time. I don't know how he can make a living at it, but he has a very friendly, chatty blog that, I suppose is at least partly to market his boxes.
The question about why I made the comments I did puzzles me. I made the comments because Thing #4 required me to. At least to start, that is the only reason. Further exploration of the blog phenomenon will depend of what I find that is interesting.
I think the idea of commenting on someone's blog is tied to the idea of visiting the blog in the first place. You wouldn't visit someone's home and then not talk to them. If you visit the blog, you feel obliged to comment - either to agree or disagree - or say something totally irrelevant. It's common courtesy. Once the conversation is started, then the sense of community begins. If you have a common interest, the community will thrive; if not, it will die off.
The commenting sites that I visited only really reinforced this idea about posting blogs. If you are at all skilled as a conversationalist, the points made by the bloggers were only common sense. To keep a conversation going, you make pertinent comments, ask for responses. Or you make a statement in such a way that the other person is invited to respond. It is exactly the way a conversation develops. A conversation doesn't consist of two people making declarative statements at each other; it is a give and take of ideas, or a sharing of ideas, or a comparing of ideas. A blog has to be the same way.
We are supposed to list the names of the people whose blogs we visited. I have looked at a number, and will continue doing so, but I can't tell you which ones. The comments appear on my email - and that's nice to have the backup - but its on my blog that I look for responses. I have gotten a response - and replied - from Hannah, but the others - I don't know. There is probably some way I can tell where I have visited, but I don't know how. I chose the blogs to visit because they are people in my class. I think we at should have at least a common interest in keeping this blog exercise active and sharing responses to the process. I have also visited a few blogs outside of the academic realm. I am a woodworker, and there are a host of woodworking blogs out there. A number of them are professional blogs, related to woodworking magazines and specific technical aspects of woodworking (i.e. woodturning). I have visited several, only to say hello since I don't currently have any projects under way. I have gotten very nice, friendly responses from, in one case what I am sure is a automatic response machine, but also from the people who maintain the blogs. I did find one personal blog, from a guy in Ohio who does craft boxes full time. I don't know how he can make a living at it, but he has a very friendly, chatty blog that, I suppose is at least partly to market his boxes.
The question about why I made the comments I did puzzles me. I made the comments because Thing #4 required me to. At least to start, that is the only reason. Further exploration of the blog phenomenon will depend of what I find that is interesting.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Thing #3. How will I use blogging in the teacher education program? Well - duh! I think I'll do posts on the 23 things for a start. I do think it will be interesting to see what some of the other students have to say, but for right now I'm just trying to keep up with the assignments. There are some possibilities for my classroom, however. I teach technology in a small private school where parental involvement is quite high - at least by public school standards. However, because my schedule is only part time and because as soon as school is out I am rushing to get to my APSU classes - I don't get to interact with parents very much. I think a Mr. Hirtle's Tech Blog could be a place to make comments and observations about what is going on in class. I would probably have to be careful about content since a blog is public, but it would give parents a chance to get some general feedback.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Thing #2 - Creating the blog
Not necessarily a positive experience. Cut and paste, sort of like when girls used to have cut-out paper clothes for paper dolls. The blogspot site apparently has changed, at least since I saw it a long time ago, so it doesn't match our directions exactly. Posting is easy enough, but I'm not someone who feels the need to put their life and experiences out there for everyone to see. As I said before, I'm not really into social media.
The process of creating more new user IDs and passwords is always a challenge. If the powers that be had their way, we would have a different, discrete, and difficult-to-remember ID and password for every site we use. How ridiculous!! I would have 30 or more passwords to remember, and of course you're not supposed to write them down anywhere - someone might steal my identity.
The process of creating more new user IDs and passwords is always a challenge. If the powers that be had their way, we would have a different, discrete, and difficult-to-remember ID and password for every site we use. How ridiculous!! I would have 30 or more passwords to remember, and of course you're not supposed to write them down anywhere - someone might steal my identity.
THING #1 LIFELONG LEARNING
The concept of lifelong learning was not a new one for me. I have always been one who searched out answers, whenever something tickled my fancy. It has not necessarily been formal education, although I have attended six different universities, for different reasons and lengths of time. I just like to know things. My wife says I'm a know-it-all, and I'm not sure she means it positively.
Some of the 7 1/2 habits were almost automatic for me, and others made me think a little more. The idea of beginning with the end in mind did not fit me. I'm a sporadic and not necessarily organized learner when I go looking for something. Seeing problems as challenges was not a problem. Guys are fixers, so seeing a problem as something that needs to be fixed (or discovered) comes naturally. The learning toolbox idea made me feel guilty because I know my toolbox is out of date. I'm a woodworker and I love hand tools. My learning tools also tend to be basic. I have resisted all the social media and communication tools. I actually started a blog once, several years ago for my business, but never got it running. This blog is actually based on that registration. As a result, the next habit, using technology to your advantage, is a weak one for me. Which is really strange since I am a technology teacher. I just don't teach that stuff!!! The last habit - teaching/mentoring others - is easy for me . I've been a teacher/trainer/coach my entire life and my greatest love is sharing what I know.
All in all, the 71/2 habits was a positive read - even without any credit to Steven Covey.
Some of the 7 1/2 habits were almost automatic for me, and others made me think a little more. The idea of beginning with the end in mind did not fit me. I'm a sporadic and not necessarily organized learner when I go looking for something. Seeing problems as challenges was not a problem. Guys are fixers, so seeing a problem as something that needs to be fixed (or discovered) comes naturally. The learning toolbox idea made me feel guilty because I know my toolbox is out of date. I'm a woodworker and I love hand tools. My learning tools also tend to be basic. I have resisted all the social media and communication tools. I actually started a blog once, several years ago for my business, but never got it running. This blog is actually based on that registration. As a result, the next habit, using technology to your advantage, is a weak one for me. Which is really strange since I am a technology teacher. I just don't teach that stuff!!! The last habit - teaching/mentoring others - is easy for me . I've been a teacher/trainer/coach my entire life and my greatest love is sharing what I know.
All in all, the 71/2 habits was a positive read - even without any credit to Steven Covey.
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