:)

The school year is 3/4 over! It's hard to believe, but it's true. As the year approaches the final curve, it's time to take a serious look at what's happened so far. My district sprung for BlackBoard! I'm still excited about the possibilities! I'm amazed by the opportunities that this provides. Some students have really run with this program! Other have fought it for all they're worth. I get IMs from some students and frequent questions about a variety of things regarding class, which is nice. I also have some that log in frequently and watch for new things to appear. I'm impressed with these students! Just a little extra effort and they can be exposed to things that are really cool, but may not relate directly to what's happening in class. We've had some interesting conversations about things I've posted in BB!
Right now we're just beginning a space colonization project which is paperless and will be done completely in BB. The list of issues grows daily and students, overall, are very involved and most have their own beliefs about this venture. I'm open to all opinions as long as they are expressed appropriately and backed up by facts, not just gut feelings or indoctrinated "truths". I'm working very hard to get this group to think for themselves and to evaluate the information that they find, but overall this group is happy to hit wikipedia, copy/paste and call the assignment done. That's been one of the biggest issues so far. Several have earned "0" for their impressive copy/paste skills. There are some really noteable exceptions though. I have a couple of students that really do an exceptional job at making information their own. They interpret well and can synthesize facts into a work that reflects their thoughts and demonstrates and understanding without even approaching plagiarism. I've complimented these students and praised them for their individuallity, which shows in their finished products.
At the same time I have some 'gifted' students that seem to be used doing little thinking and sharing their work with many others. Similarities have been running through certain student groups, which has resulted in some interesting conversations. I'm most amazed with the students that have complained about grades. One in particular was upset that another student recieved a higher grade, even though it was obvious that the complainant did the work and the other copied...more than once. I guess it takes a while for some 'gifted' people to see the error in their ways, or their arrogance pervades their version of reality? What does it mean to be superior?
Oh well, overall this has been a really good year. I have a large number of students that are working and taking advantage of the tech available. The majority of my students seem to appreciate what they have and are willing to work to earn their grades. I've seen some remarkable progress and changes in the right direction. A few have really turned themselves around and have become impressive students as well as much more possitive people.

Sorry about the rambling this PM. It was a really LONG day today. With that April fool's virus, I spent every available moment today (including my lunch, prep and any free minute during classes) taking care of other teachers' classroom computers. While I was servicing all of these computers some were doing nothing, stating that they didn't know what to do and choosing not to learn rather than be useful. I know it's not part of my job, but I guess some just have to bite the bullet for the greater good, which in this case means lessening the chance of a full system shut down. Since I am quite dependant upon the network and classroom computers, I might not have done all I did for fully selfless reasons, but the people I helped could have at least taken a break from their lunches to thank me...while I worked through mine. Ah, that's just the way the world works sometimes...maybe our tech department will appreciate it and buy me a beer?
Well, that's my last thought of the evening. I'm tired. I might read this tomorrow and decide that it was too meandering or indirect, but for now it will do. I'm not going back to reread, spell check or edit for content: these are my thoughts at this point and I'll see what they look like tomorrow when I'm not beat....and see if they are still relevant.
Keep on infusing tech into the classroom and being creative in your uses of all the resources available! It's most likely the only way to stay sane in the world of education without becoming sedintary.

Tech Take 2

Just a quick update on all that's happening this year from a tech perspective. BlackBoard was approved, paid for and instituted. All is working well on that front, other than some students who refuse to attempt to use it, even though their tests have been available online for weeks before they actually become tests. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.
All computer related things have worked well and the tech department has been helpful and responsive to needs...something that's different and VERY much appreciated. All is good at this point.
Sorry about the quick update, but things have been very busy around here for quite a while. I really haven't had the time to vent or express thoughts online for some time now. I miss this part, but in the overall scheme of things, it hasn't been too high on the priority list. I plan on getting some more posts soon and letting everyone know about the things happening in my little corner of the world soon, but for now this will have to do.
I hope all is well and the tech is working as expected where you are.
Good luck to all. :)

New Tech: Take 2

Here it is a little later and it seems that Blackboard is coming. I stopped by a training today (the same one that I already went to) to get started, and have someone around that knew what they were doing. It seems that the district has researched a bit and found that adding large numbers of students, doesn't increase the cost that much. Now, every middle and high school student will have logins. Without these, the program wasn't that great...now, it's all good.
I am very impressed that this passed the powers that be, and am quite happy. While those of us at the middle school don't really have the infrastructure to really capitalize on all the offerings, it will be a vast improvement. This will open up the floodgates for many.
There will be those who will not take advantage of this and those who will refrain from any deviation from the norm, but there are so many who will use this to their full capacity too. Just like anything else, some will be interested and others that won't. At any rate, I'm happy that this has passed and will be available.
I'm currently laying out the skeleton of my course and look forward to adding the fleshy, interesting aspects over the summer. Now that it's official, I guess it's time to take care of all that I can over the summer.
There has been no official announcement regarding my new curricular partner, whether it will be full time, 1/2 time, 1/4 time etc, or who's really in running, but I'm hoping for someone I can work with and develop the class with. Things are changing and so must this class. I was told to keep the changes to a minimum this year and wait to see what the next PSSA test looks like, but I think it's time for a few tweaks until I can develop something new. It will be a good test of BB and how the students embrace the possibilities. Only time will tell. At least this is a step in the right direction.
Tomorrow I'll be back in the training session to see what else I can do. A little support is nice...and so is the option of taking off whenever I want to...sometimes sitting at a computer when the weather is perfect just isn't a good idea!
More later I'm sure.

New Tech

Well, two days of blackboard training are over and I'm impressed. It's a very nice set up and seems to be a great way to go. While I'd say I'm far from proficient in its use, I'm done for now.
After the training we had a meet and greet with the super and ass't super. Our school has budgeted for 200 students to be enrolled, which doesn't cover much ground. Through the course of the Q n A I got the feeling that soul purpose was to recover the cyber-school $$s that are leaving the district and not really aimed at the regular classroom.
With the cost of this program, which was staggering to me, I can see why it would have limited use and understand that end of things. With my past experiences here, I'm not about to sink my time and effort into something that I might not be using. I'm a bit tired of doing things that I can't use in my classroom and wasting my time on things that aren't worth my time.
Throughout the training there were "download and install" times when I knew that this was doomed from a school-wide perspective. We're not permitted to do that, so I started thinking that I might just be involved in something that wouldn't materialize in a global format for all to use. Even so, I was impressed with the work and skill that went into the system being sold and all it had to offer. Even though there's only so much one can gain from two training days, it seemed like something worth the effort and potential for benefit.
The cost of the program is offset by all the features and conveniences, but when it comes to dollars and cents I can only hope that sense wins. I don't know what will happen, but I'd be happy if I could merely use my wiki in school. It's free and requires nothing from anyone but me. Baby steps. Baby steps.
I look forward to seeing how blackboard develops in this district and how the administration handles the possibilities...and how IT deals with it too. In a way it's kind of like a drug dealer. They give out a sample for free knowing that you'll like what you get and hope that you'll come up with money to continue to fuel the fix. It's just that in this case, someone else has to approve of our usage and pay for our continued multimedia/interactive Jonesing.
Ah, another chapter begins. Hopefully it will be a fairy-tale experience :)

Current Issues

I've signed up for a blackboard training this month. I'm not sure what's expected or what's going to happen (or where I have to be yet), but I know that this is something that should help me in my career. I hope that this will be something that my school actually allows me to do.
I'm still awaiting the day that my wiki will be available in school. It's supposed to be and the tech department said that there was a server issue which might require students to hit refresh " a few times" before getting in. I had a student with nothing to do during ASP (study hall for us older folk), so I asked him to try the wiki. He said that nothing happened so I told him about refreshing. After literally 30 minutes of hitting F5, the page still would not show. If that's not proof that the kids still can't view the wiki, I don't know what is...I guess I'm just not doing something right.
Along those lines, my school is involve with some "schools of the future" or some other sort of thing and getting “really involved” with technology, so all the teachers have to take a survey about our tech use. I was amazed at what was asked! If people at other schools are able to say 'yes' to some of those questions, I'd be amazed!!! I'm fighting for some simple things and getting nothing but grief and excuses.
There were a series of questions regarding my district's encouragement of tech uses. For example there were questions like - Are you encouraged to infuse technology into your classroom - unfortunately "F@#K NO" was not an option. Another - Are you rewarded for attempting to use more technology in your classroom - which also failed to have the appropriate response box..."Are you f@#king kidding me????? Penalized, ridiculed and on the s$@t list is more like it." was sadly missing from the option list. Then there were the questions about what we have in our rooms/have access to/could use if we wanted to. It read like a wish list, to which I answered "no" to far too many times.
To make a long story short, it was a survey that really showed me that my school is supposed to be a member of this group and encouraging/ supporting my (and that of others) tech uses. I guess it was merely another ploy to get additional $$$ and not do much more than that. If we're expected to be doing what was in that survey, I can only hope that this group takes their money back OR makes my district burst into the current. I'm not looking at being futuristic, just hoping to be in the present.
Last year I used much more tech in the classroom and published regular newsletters for the parents (which received many responses from parents) and a MUCH expanded interaction with parents. Now that doesn't happen. I don't even have a projector at the moment and am making copies of things that are used for a few minutes instead of viewed, used and connected to the next step. Now it's a paper trail of waste.
Even the grading program has fallen FAR short of expectations to say the least. We have an upgrade coming April 15th. The list of improvements includes things like the ability to increase the size for easier viewing--which has been available for a long time due to the fact that it's viewed in a browser, the 'ctrl and the mouse wheel' thing is old news, how they can call it an improvement is beyond me. There are numerous other gripes with it, but since I was TOLD not to have a direct interaction with anyone involved in creating this thing, I'm stuck making my thoughts known during meeting times and wondering whether or not these ideas are going beyond the room in which I speak them. I'm constantly told how powerful this great program is, but haven't yet had anyone show me how it is soooo powerful for MY job on a daily basis.
Damn, I was in a really good mood before I started typing this one. Sometimes I wish I'd never seen the light of what tech can do in the classroom. At least ignorance is bliss. Trying to use it here is way far from bliss, unless you're in a select group in control/related to those in control. What a....anyway.
Other than the tech issues, it's been a really good year. The kids are really darn good and fun overall. So many have come so far this year and are really impressing me. I'm having fun with the students and feel that there are many who are becoming the young adults they are expected to be. That's what's really amazing about this age: the transition that students make through the year. Growing up happens right before our eyes. If only they knew how much fighting there was behind the scenes to get them the few advances that they see in the classroom. I take great pride in the fact that my students really have no clue how much I'm upset with the powers that be when it comes to what I can and can't do in my classroom or on the computers, even though it's my biggest bane.
I'm done for now...hopefully the next post will be more positive, but today I found out that the teacher on the other team, who is retiring, will not be replaced and I'll be taking over at least some of those students on the other team, so I'm not sure how positive that will be. More on that later I guess...hopefully it will be a good thing.

Status Quo

Things are still at the same point. Nothing really drastic has changed. I will most likely take my home computer to school after break to show the students some clips from NASA, which I still haven't found a way to show with my locked down school computer. Just another inconvenience as I try to implement more technology...even though I've used some of the same clips for the past 4 years and now can't. It's a weird setting and a strange dynamic. I'm hoping for better things next year and am working with a couple of administrators to help get the ball rolling in the right direction.
I've been keeping my head down and my opinions to myself, which has been really tough. I don't know if it will pay off or not, but at least I'm not getting grief on a regular basis, although I'm really not getting anywhere either. Hopefully I'll find some others in the same position in my district and get something going soon. Next year has to be better. Only 53 days left now. This year's been a wash on the tech front. I hope to plow ahead next year.

No Noticalble Progress

So far, there has been no progress in getting my wiki available in school. Too bad this great tool can't be truly used! I am still getting really positive feedback from both students and parents though. So far all that have viewed the page a impressed with what's happening. I'm the one that is thinking that this could be SOOOOO much better if all my students had access. I'd hate to punish students or keep them from information simply because they don't have the internet at home. Therefore, I'm limiting what I put there, which limits the students' need to view the pages. I'm looking forward to the day when all students can see what's out there and I can put more information out there that students won't find elsewhere. Ah, to dream. Some day, some day. It's just a matter of time. Just another hoop to jump through, even though the hoop keeps moving, I really plan on finding my way through it. Wish me luck as this little issue continues to take up my time.

Wailing Over Wiki

So far this school year, I've been waiting for approval to use and get access to my wiki in school. This past week, it was given approval. 22 weeks of using it, to a limited extent due to not all students having access at home, and it's finally approved!!! That was GREAT news to say the least...which was shortly followed by the email stating that the IT department was not able to open up access to my wiki alone. All of wikispaces was opened, which, considering that not all people are in education, was not good. The decree came down that the wiki would not now or any time soon be available to the students in the school setting. Not a good day.
I'm still holding out hope, but doubt that this tool will see the light of day in school this year. Another sad thing for me in my teaching experience. It seems that the more I try to improve my teaching, the more things hit me in the face to force me into the standard teaching box.
It started a couple of years ago when my project based method was terminated to more closely match the seasoned teacher teaching opposite of me and to be sure that all students were receiving the same education no matter which team they were on. Strike 1.
I started to do things more like my counterpart. More worksheets, less teaching, less of the newest things in science, less reading work etc. I admit it's a lot less work to give the students something to do than it is to expend the energy teaching and motivating them. Strike 2.
This year also brought about the end of my newsletters. I no longer have the ability to create these or access my old ones due to the lack of MS Publisher. I miss this contact with parents and the positive responses I received from parents. Along with that program went the "Positive Points to Ponder about Your Prize Pupil" that used to go home to many students that usually don't get things sent home but that work and do well in class. Strikes 3 and 4.
Add to this the fact that I'm unable to install the Starry Night program on this new computer. This was a staple in demonstrating numerous concepts. I don't have the ability to install the school's own program to use in class. Another strike...5 I believe.
The scanner that currently does nothing but hold up the phone in my room is another strike. I can't install this school item either. This was really nice for taking student work and using it for an example or for editing and made taking things from the book to show and draw on extremely simple. Another great tool falling by the wayside. If memory serves, that's strike 6.
Add to this the death of the smartboard, for some unknown reason( it just doesn’t cooperate at all), and it's been a pretty lousy few years for advancing my teaching. Strike 7 puts me two more away from the end of the inning and ready to retire from pushing this behemoth of contradictions we call education into the current time, let alone getting into anything that even approaches futuristic. Wait, did I mention that I can no longer email progress reports to parents (strike 8) and that printing grades to post on my wall (by anonymous numbers) now takes 45 minutes or so to create, cut and tape together (strike 9 and end of inning)
Sometimes I really wonder why the (pick and expletive here) I'm learning new tools if each and every one gets a fresh, steamy crap taken on it?? Why waste my time and money? In the words of texting students: WTF???? Why bother? Becoming the worksheet king is acceptable and apparently preferred in my school. Why try? It's the end of the 9th and I lose, that's the way it is.
Sorry about the post being so negative today, even though I decided not to post last week when the pooh really hit the fan and wait to see what happens. I am happy that I did do a good job of waiting to process exactly what the 23 weeks of wiki work being lost really meant in the grand scheme of what I'm learning in education. If I'd simply reacted, I might have lost the extent to which everything I do is completely in control of someone else in education. I'm happy that I see this VERY CLEARLY now. I guess that's a positive, or sort of. Anyway, that's my recent Ed Tech experience and I can fully understand why so many people consider teaching a lower profession. Excelling is not reward but punished. There is no competition, and no reason to push for new things or methods. Status quo seems mandatory, as I'm forced, kicking and screaming into the standard teaching box. What a pile!!! Looking for other options seems necessary, but where to go from here?

Still Plugging Away

Nothing really new to report. I'm still working on the wiki, which I think is one of the best things going for education, and trying to do what I can to make all of my students "proficient" in the eyes of the all knowing department of education. The wiki was actually accessible in school last week. It was short lived though. What happened I don't know, but I know that on Monday, students were saying that the could get in during school and were pretty happy about it. Then on Wednesday I started hearing that they were blocked again. I will most likely never know what happened, but the response was great when the could get in and use it. When it's actually accessible, maybe I'll have more students taking part in keeping it up and adding to knowledge base. BUT, like I was told, "It's like changing course on a large ship. It takes time." While I think that 19 weeks is MORE that sufficient, apparently it's not.
I'm also still working on finding some blogging that will engage the students more. The big issue is that there are sooo many this year that are unwilling to put effort into anything at all. I'm getting a bunch of comments that sound as if the students are in early elementary and LOTS that are mere recounts of earlier posts. Laziness is the common thread this year. There are students that are great, read and comment, question and think, but they are really outnumbered this year. Even when the idea is to check out some video, some evidently don't even take that much time/effort and type a line of BS attempting to act like they did the assignment. While their grades reflect this, as long as the assignment doesn't show up as a "0" they're happy. I'll continue to work on this aspect and try to do what I can to make this more useful and draw more students into taking active rolls.
For now, as we approach the midway point of the school year, it's time to perfect what's out there and not go nuts trying too many things. I think that this approach is sensible and might result in improvements.
By the way, wikispaces ROCKS!!!! I love the setup and ease of use! It's so nice, even though the tech department here claims that wikispaces itself states that it's "not recommended for education" (why then are the offering 100,000 free wikis to educators?), it is really the most useful and simple to add to and edit web presence going. Parents seem to like the idea of knowing what we're doing, and a FEW students have commented on using it while they're out sick. I have to admit that it could be better on my end. If it were accessible to all during school, I'd have to put more on there. Until then I'll keep them coming with previews of tests, etc. I hope that I can continue to push the envelop here and bring my little district up to date without too many issues.
Hope all is well in your education world!
Good luck

Good things

Things are good in the tech world, more or less. Many of my students are enjoying the idea of the blog, while others simply copy another post's thoughts. It's interesting to see how some think. This should develop into something much more useful soon. The wiki is still not available in school. Week 15 is well underway and no progress there. It is getting hit pretty hard though. I'm getting good comments from the students that are actually using it. These are two really good tools that will grow and develop throughout the school year. I'll have to wait and see what happens, but at least the blog is working through the filter. Who knows what will come next.

Quick Update

Things are going pretty well on the tech front. The class blog is gaining momentum, even though it's not what I'd envisioned just yet, and some have been vocal about their dislike for the idea. It is however getting some of the more subdued students involved and active. I'll keep working on it and working toward its improvement. Today I changed the appearance, in favor a a simpler, easier to use template. It's been noticed by a student already...so at least one student checked it out on the weekend!
I'm still waiting for the wiki to be officially approved in school. I haven't been told to shut it down, but the tech department has yet to give the students access on school computers. That has kept the wiki use to a minimum. It's tough to use it for required things when not all students have internet at home and the school doesn't allow them to see it. Those that are using it seem to be positive and are taking advantage of the availability of class information. One actually consulted it during an absence and had the work done before returning to school! Some things make me smile...that's one thing.
Overall school's been interesting. This new stuff I'm trying, thanks to UFL, really has some great potential. I hope to continue improving and making the best learning environment I can. I should also be back in classes soon. I'll see what happens.

Still Plugging Along

I'm still working toward more tech in the classroom. The wiki works great!...as long as the students don't try to access it from school. It's the 10th week of school next week, and I'm still not getting access for the kids yet. Maybe soon?
The blog has started. Some students love the assignments, while others have yet to visit it. The comments I've received have been positive and some have really made me laugh. I have a really great bunch this year. Hopefully this blog will evolve into something more in the near future.
I started SAP training. Student Assistance Program training has a BAD reputation around here. The first presenter gave us handouts which she read point by point from her PowerPoint. That was painful! I think we can all read. One part where she did stray from the written part is when a question was asked about whether this SAP is required in schools. She stated that it wasn't mandated, but that they'd "take your buses away" if schools don't adopt the program. So, it's not mandated, but funding will be lost if it's not implemented. Confused? Me too.
So far, I've been to two FULL days of training. Those are two days of my life I'll never get back! I'll wait and see if any lawsuits come from the last session, where religion was really pushed...at a school training...hmmm. Then there was the "you're pregnant, right" comment from the presenter, which lead to unexpected pregnancy versus intended pregnancy in wedlock, followed quickly by comments about how most troubled youths are from families without tight ties to church, and then about how churches are free etc. Ya, it was a really iffy day on the legal scale. Something about the separation of church and state? On top of that, I lose interest pretty quickly when a "professional" removes her shoes and starts into too many stories that are off topic and about how great her family/kids are.
We did have one presenter, that knew her presentation, added enough of a personal touch and didn't merely read her information to us. That was a nice change, just too bad it was about 2 1/2 hours out of the 16 so far. Oh well, just two more days left next week and I'll be a SAP.

PowerTeacher Changed Views...?

I know that I was pretty harsh on the PowerTeacher set up. After a bit (OK much) playing around with it, there are some really nice aspects. I guess that this shows that, just as in everyday life, letting your thoughts out in the open when you're frustrated is a bad idea.
The feature of exporting to and excel-like document (which is working now) is nice and so is having access to the grades my students have in other classes. I see that there are some gains, as it's on 1.0.3.1...or something like that.
While I do feel bad about blasting the program, I'll leave that post instead of trying to erase my mistake. I will, however, not be so harsh on the program. I'm still waiting for any response from a rep, but understand that I sent 2+ pages of thoughts/complaints/wishes. Maybe a month isn't long enough to figure out what I mean, or it's just not something that's top priority. Either way, I'm making headway in my uses of this product and have a crew of 4 people that are to be helping to facilitate its use. I'm hoping to hear something soon, especially in relation to lengthy and paper intense process of creating reports for missing work, student grades by assignment and a couple of other things, but I've resigned myself to the fact that my thoughts are just not that important. I am but a peon, not to be acknowledged or heard. That's life in public education. If you think about it, from the top down, things are dictated, things must be done. Just look at NCLB....how long can you show progress before you hit the 100% mark? Then think about the 4-5% of the population that has no interest/desire to do anything other than cash a monthly check from the government...well anyway, that's the point. We are to do what we're told, right or wrong.

Still Moving Forward

This past week, things went pretty well. The blog and wiki are still growing...I have my first student-made change! A few others are signed on, but this is the first addition to the page so far. This should really become more useful when the wiki is available on all school computers. When that happens, I see the uses and edits expanding quickly.
The blog is growing as well, with many positive comments and some students running with this new type of assignment. Others contribute little/nothing, but that's no different than any other assignment :)
On that line of thought, I thought that I might want to start a delicious (or some other online bookmark system) for my students. The first research project showed that having some mechanism for sharing worthwhile pages would be useful. I'll talk to the tech department and see if this is possible from school, or not.
Things are moving forward, and all is well on the teaching front. I'm just waiting for my level II cert to arrive. I've been told that it was approved on the 16th, but the actual document is in transit somewhere. Nothing big there, just wait and see.

Blogs and Wikis

Lately I've been using the edublogs.org pages for a new team blog. It gets through the filter and the students are starting to use it!! I have a few comments so far, with the current topic being the 50 year anniversary of Sputnik and how it still affects our lives today. The uses may change, but right now it's just another tool to interact with the kids and to get some extra science in that doesn't EXACTLY match the curriculum map that I've been given. If something happens, it will be discussed on the blog and linked to a page for the students to read.
As an added bonus, by getting myself an edublog (thanks to another teacher in the social studies department!), I get a free wiki!!! My add-free wiki is now free for me!!! NICE!!!! That saves me the 50 bucks I thought I had to spend to keep it!! I can keep it for free, even though my students still can't really access it at school. Even so, the hits are continuing. Today, after I assigned a small assignment on completing some graphic organizer style of notes, I heard a girl say to her neighbor who was complaining, "It's easy. I saw it on the wiki last night, just go there and there's your homework". While this wasn't the idea, at least a few are looking ahead and/or exploring it. I'm happy that this is working in some way.
On top of that, the learning support classes that I used to co-teach with a LS teacher have ended and a teacher that hasn't taught this stuff in YEARS is now teaching 8th grade science to the LS kids on her own. In talking with this person, I've determined that she could use help and I've been helping as much as possible. This week I directed her toward the wiki and invited her to let her kids have the address, or for her to take the WS and SG off the wiki to use for her classroom. I haven't talked to her since then, but am hoping that this little tool will help her too. I don't care if my stuff is used, just throw a little credit my way once in while and I'll be happy! Yet another way that this semi-banned tool is useful in context of teaching.
Get a blog at Edublogs and then get a free wiki with 2gigs of space and 20meg file limit and NO ADS!! So far, the wiki is the most useful, intuitive way to get a web presence. It requires no software and no special computer skills. Uploads and links are easy, and most importantly, only those you give privileges to change things can....Oh and by the way, you can save your wiki and restore it just in case some yoyo deletes or changes things. Right now I LOVE MY WIKI!!!
On Monday, I'll go to a meeting with the committee in charge of blogs and wikis and see what happens. I'm hopeful that I can get students full access to the wiki during school and hope that I can demonstrate the uses and the safeguards in place. So far parents seem to approve and encourage this tool's use. If I can get this across, I'll be OK.

New Contact and New Things

Well, in this connected world in which we currently occupy space, I'm amazed that others are interested in this little blog. My rants about the PowerTeacher program have received notice. I'll post more as I know more. At least I feel better knowing that I'm being heard right now and may be working toward some solutions. I know that perfection to me will most likely not be perfection to others, so I'm not looking for a completely personalized program. Progress makes me happy though!

Other than that, school is progressing nicely. I have a really good group of students this year, with only a few that are in the failing range and in need of a little extra persuasion. I also have several that are signed in to edit the wiki and a few others that are willing and excited to remake my rock collecting video. I've given them the scripts and access to the original video too. They are also aware that they are expected to make this video their own and to let their humor show. They are a very funny group of students! If permissions allow, I'll post that when it's done too. It should be interesting to say the least.
All in all, the first mid-term brings with it a change of weather and a change in mindset. Hopefully, the remainder of the year will go smoothly and show improvement across the board.
My wiki got hit pretty hard during the last project, so I think that students are starting to see some of the uses. My list of students that are permitted to make changes is growing, and I'm introducing the blogging to my students this week. Forward motion is most always met with happiness! I hope that progress continues.
More posts will follow on the experiences with all the above...for better or worse.
Thanks for reading!

PowerTeacher

I just sent an email to the PowerTeacher people to see what was going on and whether or not the issues that my colleagues and I have been bringing up are being addressed. While not a very positive message, I offered my input to help make this something better. We'll see what happens, whether I catch more grief for reaching beyond my bounds or putting my nose in where it doesn't belong, get nowhere, or make progress is yet to be seen. I'm hoping that something positive will result. I have no problem taking time to make this a better product. I know that not all teachers are like me...but when there are none that are in favor of this mutant series of code, there's something wrong with it. When even those intended to sell this bastardization to us (my administration) can only say how "powerful" it is and not show us any proof, something is definitely off kilter here, and more that a bubble off plumb!
The web page says that I should get a response within one business day, so I'll see where I stand tomorrow...making progress, or continuing to irritate and getting no where, but someone has to try! Most others aren't willing to make any noise and prefer to gripe in private...not me I guess.

Improvement?

This week I have a little improvement. Whether it's intentional or not I don't know, but, my students can access the wiki through some of the library computers, but not the regular student computers. I'm not sure what's up there yet. The tech department appears to willing to help, but nothing has happened yet. We'll see what happens.
On a positive note, I have a student that is now signed in to edit the wiki and the usage shows that there are a few using it. I posted the next test on the wiki to entice some, and that will make a GREAT case for students not caring about their grade when the parent teacher meetings start soon. They have access, in at least on location now and have no excuses. I'm hoping that this grows and becomes something more useful than it is right now. In any event, it's about the easiest way to get a web presence!! SOOO simple and easy to use in all ways.
Another teacher found a way to get through the filter and use blogs in school too! It turns out that our filter does not block the "edublog.org" pages, so I'll be tapping that market soon too. I might use this for something different, and might send a newsletter home to parents to get them involved too...might be fun and worth while.
If anyone has any say in the grading/attendance programs that their school uses, steer way clear of "Powerteacher"...what a bum steer this is!! I keep hearing from the administration how "powerful" the tool is, but have yet to find anyone to show me how it even comes close the the old SASI and IntegradePro. The basic things are gone and lengthy, time-consuming multiple step processes replace the simple click and go of the old. The only real benefit I've seen is that it makes the mandated state reports easier, which is not much of selling point for the anyone, other than the couple of people involved with that report at the end of the year. I (and many others) are really hoping that someone is hearing our requests and thing about updates. So far 1.0 really blows! Maybe 1.1 will gain ground, but I'm not holding my breath. If you have ANY say at all fight like hell to keep this thing from entering your district!!! What a pile it is!!!!
That's my advice for the evening...hope all is well in your district!

Changes

Things aren't progressing too well as of yet. The speed of the educational process is sluggish to say the least. Right now I'm fighting for the life of my wiki. It's blocked from student view in school right now. Today, I showed my principal what I was doing, but didn't really get the feeling that this was going to survive the computer gestapo. While I do not particularly like the reference, it's soooo appropriate. Someone of little intelligence gained complete control of a country, so why not someone of lesser intelligence with complete and I do mean complete, control over what my students can do with the computers in school. I can understand the fear of access to the blog and the POSSIBILITY of something inappropriate getting through, but the wiki is totally controlled by me. So far I have granted editing privileges to one student that requested it, but I spoke with the student to verify that it was him that requested permission. Others have downloaded assignments and others the notes. It's a GREAT tool! To bad it's not available during school hours!!
Even though things aren't progressing well, I'm finding allies in some very unexpected places. Maybe we can break through the line and propaganda of fear perpetuated in my district. One of the best control tactics is to separate and isolate. If I can gain enough support and get more people interested, maybe something will happen. My other option involves going in front of the school board to plead my case and possibly get something done. THAT will ruffle many more feathers, but at this point I really don't have all that much more to lose here. My free trial of the wiki without ads runs out in early Oct. After that I have to pay...I'd really like to have this solved by then...I don't mind spending the $50 to help the kids, but to do so and still not have access in school would be nuts. Maybe I'll get on the agenda for the end of the month meeting and see what happens. It wouldn't be the first time I irritated people and most likely wouldn't be the last. I guess the other option would be to bring a formal complaint against the person creating all this trouble, but the problem there is the 'the good ole boys network' that turns a blind eye to what's happening. At least with the board, I'd have some people that are really interested in the district and MAY not be quite so willing to support what's going on.
I guess that I have some thinking to do. As far as changing schools goes, it doesn't seem worthwhile. The bulk of the administration is great, although may not so computer literate, which is where the scare tactics and BS comes in. I'm quite well supported in everything except the technology end of teaching. Not that long ago we couldn't have the Google bar installed on any computer because it was 'spyware'. Now, without doing anything, I have two Google bars up every time I fire up Explorer and yet I can't load Firefox to browse or Netscape to manage and edit my homepage from work. No reason given, just NO. That's just life I guess.

A Way Around

Well, I guess I've done my complaining and whining about my now canceled activity for the coming school year. Now I have to start finding ways around all of the blocks that have been appearing. I need to get some new ideas and ways to do what I planned in some format. Without the blogs and no Publisher, it won't be the same for sure. Ideas are welcome here :)