Random Musings

Funny Flier

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

I can’t yet figure our why we have to continually revisit the same argument….how (and why) we should be assessing technology skills for elementary students. We’ve been over it and over it–we have a good project with a rubric based assessment that basically tells us what we need to know in a format that the school board will accept–it will give them pretty little numbers in graphs and tables.
Why do we need to do this for other elementary grades? I can’t imagine asking a teacher to record a “technology” grade for any project that uses technology–and then to report it or…
have students come into the lab to complete a series of technology tasks on which they are assessed or….
have a spot on the elementary report card for a technology “grade”.
All of these ideas were seriously proposed today.
Technology changes too fast to spend the $ to develop any sort of application-based assessment (even if you thought it was a good idea) and, in the end, I don’t care whether or not you can create a formula in a spreadsheet–what’s important is that you know the possibility exists and how to find out how to do it if you need to. Those are 21st century skills!

Change comes slowly, like the imperceptable differences in the moon from one night to the next but, over just 14 short days, it is complete. In the education field it’s something like 14 months, or even 14 years, but it is possible to create change.
I’ve been working on a presentation for the school board. The model for these presentations is everything that is bad about Powerpoint; the epitomy of “sliduments” that are “powerpointless”
In last year’s presentation I actually talked them into putting a few images on the slides and reducing the text a LITTLE bit..this was hailed as a dramatic difference…especially when we embedded just a little video into the presentation itself.
This year we actually have slides that are almost totally images and bullet points that are 4 words or less (on MOST of the slides).
It’s progress–but is it ever slow–or am I grasping at straws?
The good news is that we are trying to find a way to make the presentation interactive–WITHOUT using clickers (which I hate)….will see how that goes.

Twilight

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

58 turns out to be a really good number tonight; no explanation, it just really appeals to me. I’m finding it to be very restful and something nice to focus on, just like the light on this thistle.

There are so many days when I wish I could just make things recede and blur into the background. It’s do easy to do with the right aperture—but what’s the right aperture to make stubborness, territoriality and barriers fade. It’s been quite a week, where the actions of others have dramatically impacted those I work for every day. I don’t understand the “mine” attitude–the “you don’t need to know about this-but you better be prepared to support this” that seems to permeate some.

As a former superintendent used to say “make the main thing the main thing”—but there are too many people who think they are the “main thing” and that they can make things happen all by themselves–and don’t need to make use of the support of others.

All of this makes a nice looking number very pleasing to look at tonight.

Half-done!

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

I guess this is my rant about “tokenism”. My temporary stray into “handicapped accessible” land has given me a new view on things. If you are one of those people who parks in a handicapped space–be d***d!
If you are a restaurant that makes me go in a side door–with tables so close together that you can’t breathe-or nothing but narrow booths-I won’t be back–even without the crutches.
And if you are my place of work, which makes me go outside, down the ramp, up the sidewalk hill, out to the main sidewalk and then back in to the building to get to the 2nd floor–I don’t know how you call yourself handicapped accessible…..I should report you.

On the other hand, thank you to all the people who have picked things up when I’ve dropped them, put up with my far-too-foul mood, opened doors rearranged meeting locations and asked questions. You’ve driven me places, gotten my lunch and even taken things out of the microwave for me……..THANK YOU.

I can’t imagine doing this alone; I don’t know how people function when something like this (which I hesitate to call even a minor disaster) happens . If not for my friends and wonderful husband I would not be a work….how quickly the things we take for granted can could disappear….which brings me to my final point.
If health care is important to you–it’s clear that something has to change–but a McCain/Palin change is not an acceptable solution.

Like Mother, Like Son

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

I’ve spent most of this week as a “junior trainer” in a “humanware” class. The core idea of the training is that, when someone comes to you with a problem/issue/concern that you are much better off serving as a guide and helping them use their own knowledge and experiences to come up with a solution rather than simply giving them your solution.

I would divide class participants into 3 categories:
-those who readily see the benefits of the approach
-those who see the benefits but realize how different it is from their current style and how hard they will have to work to make the changes
-and those who struggle with the idea that being the “expert” is not the best choice.

This 3rd group fascinates me because of the make-up of the group—and they are having such a hard time with the idea that a solution other than their own might be the right one for that person at that time. Does this speak to an attitude about teachers that says “they can’t be trusted?” or “they don’t really have the expertise?” I just don’t know. Is it these kinds of people that are promoted or naturally gravitate to leadership positions?

I do know that even the most beginning of teachers has some knowledge, both of content and strategies, and that they will have more control if they devise their own solution, even if it isn’t mine. In the end, it’s about letting go; letting people (and groups) solve their own problems and I think that may be extremely foreign to the culture of this system and of many schools.

Interesting research that says that teachers who feel efficacious actually ARE more efficacious and that is reflected in test scores..

…that for the first time since I started voting (cast my first ballot in Virginia in 1972-for McGovern) that my vote will “count”……and that I will vote with the majority of Virginians.

As of tonight Obama is leading in Virginia and a democratic presidential vote in Virginia has been an anomaly since the break up of the “solid south”  in the late 50’s and early 60s.

I know that I’m not the only one sitting with toes crossed and holding my breath.  The possibility of 4 more years of Republican cow-towing to big business, the abbrogation of personal rights and the continued deterioration of the United States in the eyes of the rest of the world is frightening.

So now the question becomes–do I even bother to watch Palin/Biden tomorrow night.  Never was there a vice-presidential candidate who is less qualified for the position and the mere thought of President Palin makes my blood run cold.   I also do not understand women who think that Palin’s nomination is a good thing–just beccause she’s a woman.  She is NO Geraldine Ferraro.

Just a few random rantings this evening.

Enchanting

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

….I know that’s what I should be doing. It’s so terribly hard to be dependent on other folks for the basics….food, transportation. I HATE not being able to do for myself and I’m finding that it is penetrating my energy level to it’s very core. I have so much to be thankful for but I also have this nag in the back of my mind that says “what if this cast doesnt’ work—and I have to go in for surgery after all”—I try very hard to suppress the thought and to think–OK 30% done, but it’s not working very well.