BP3_Diigo Groups

BP2_iGoogle Screen Shots

The attached screen shots are of my iGoogle tabs. These images represent the required elements of this activity.

BP1_Google Reader

As I searched through the myriad sites available I reflected on what my needs were as they pertained to my job as a professional educator and my Action Research project. What I discovered was that my educator needs and my project needs were similar in scope: education technology and gaming. My thoughts on education and what happens in the classroom follows that of Gary Stager and I will borrow his mantra for a second as I quote him, “Less us, more them”. This theory is simple, but many educators miss it because they believe students need to be taught, but if we give them a computer and some instructions, they can discover.

The five I selected to follow are as follows:

ICT in Education - http://www.ictineducation.org

Edgalaxy – Educational Gaming - http://www.edgalaxy.com/educational-gaming/

Education Technology - http://terry-freedman.org.uk/artman/publish/index.php

Living in an Augmented Reality - http://www.augmentedenvironments.org/blair/

Stager-to-go - http://stager.tv/blog/

The reasoning for selecting these sites is primarily for bringing new ideas and possible research sources to my attention. ICT, EdGalaxy, Education Technology, and Living in Augmented Reality offer content that is related to the use of technology in the classroom environment, which is of interest to me. There is also content that relates to educational gaming, which is the purpose of my Action Research project. These four sites will enable me to gain ideas about new technologies that can be used in my class.

The Stager-to-go website offers a different perspective on education. I had the privilege of seeing him speak at a conference this summer and it was moving. His teaching philosophy is simple and plain, you teach the kids you have, using whatever tools you have. Instead of worrying about whether or not a child can pass a test, he focuses on creating a learning environment in which the students want to and can learn rather than a place where students prepare for a test. This perspective is different then the prevailing voice in education that places standardized test scores over the quality of learning experience for the student.

I look forward to following these blogs as I delve deeper into education.

Welcome Blog

Welcome to my first ever blog post...it almost seems anticlimactic because I do not have anything awesome to say. Hopefully, in the future, I will be able to spread words of wisdom to the masses who are willing to heed the words spewing forth on these virtual pages. You should be warned, that I am not your typical student or educator...I have been told by authority figures that I am not college material (my high school guidance counselor) and that I would not be a successful teacher (the VA person who interpreted my test results when I got out of the Marine Corps), but yet here I sit...1/4 of the way through my second masters degree and in my ninth year of teaching.

Why do I say all of this...because you can't see in the future...you can't judge a kid by what you see in class...guidance counselors don't know everything...and you never know what a kid can do until you let them be free to do it (that means letting them make mistakes and have the opportunity to correct those mistakes)...and LOVE what you do...my name is Dennis and I am a teacher...strike that...I am a Learning Guide.