Okay, here again I feel like my purpose is kind of dodgy. But, whatever, right? It's my blog and I'll do what I want to. So, I'm essentially posting this so that we can get a grip on how the following gadget works. I know that's not necessarily content-related, but it seems critical at this point. Furthermore, I'm doing this on my phone, so I can see how the blogger app works in terms of ease of posting and so forth.
So, I have a couple of things on my mind with regard to all that we've been doing. First, let's talk about blogs. I went to work yesterday and attempted to check out some of the blogs that we have created. Understand that I work in a school district where we host a technology-specific in-service once a year. One of the most popular sessions at that in-service is on blogs, wikis, and Web 2.0. But here's the rub. When I tried to look at your blogs, what I got was for the most part your blog, but the following gadget was blocked by our district's filter. What's more, when I tried to comment on a blog I could not do it, again because of the filter.
How do we, as educational leaders, deal with the facts that technology is the wave of the future, technology is what speaks to the kids, technology is what our professors want us to push as we lead, but the technology itself is working against us? Just some food for thought.
The other thing I'm worrying about tonight is my action research. I had planned on looking into Istation. I was going to track my students use of it, their performance on the ISIP assessment, and their overall reading ability after using the program over the course of several months. Last Friday we went into the lab to take the ISIP assessment, today we went back into the lab to use the intervention platform, and I have discovered one giant flaw. My kids hate Istation. They can't stand to be on it. They hate the cheesy songs. They hate the campy animation. They hate the fact that it is operating at such a low level that it is insulting to even my lowest readers. Could it be time already to change direction? Do I need to listen to Travis, I think, who posted something on Facebook about doing the reading this week and having a better idea of what a sound topic for research is? I don't know.
Thoughts?
So, I have a couple of things on my mind with regard to all that we've been doing. First, let's talk about blogs. I went to work yesterday and attempted to check out some of the blogs that we have created. Understand that I work in a school district where we host a technology-specific in-service once a year. One of the most popular sessions at that in-service is on blogs, wikis, and Web 2.0. But here's the rub. When I tried to look at your blogs, what I got was for the most part your blog, but the following gadget was blocked by our district's filter. What's more, when I tried to comment on a blog I could not do it, again because of the filter.
How do we, as educational leaders, deal with the facts that technology is the wave of the future, technology is what speaks to the kids, technology is what our professors want us to push as we lead, but the technology itself is working against us? Just some food for thought.
The other thing I'm worrying about tonight is my action research. I had planned on looking into Istation. I was going to track my students use of it, their performance on the ISIP assessment, and their overall reading ability after using the program over the course of several months. Last Friday we went into the lab to take the ISIP assessment, today we went back into the lab to use the intervention platform, and I have discovered one giant flaw. My kids hate Istation. They can't stand to be on it. They hate the cheesy songs. They hate the campy animation. They hate the fact that it is operating at such a low level that it is insulting to even my lowest readers. Could it be time already to change direction? Do I need to listen to Travis, I think, who posted something on Facebook about doing the reading this week and having a better idea of what a sound topic for research is? I don't know.
Thoughts?
Choosing an action research project wasn't so hard. Writing about it is more difficult. Good luck with the technology....I don't have time to check out anything for school while I am at work..sadly I'm just too busy.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see, I suppose. And believe me, I understand about being too busy. If I don't work through lunch, I'm toast. That's when I try to cram some of this stuff in. I'll just have to stick to the reading while I cozy up to my nuclear meal for fifteen minutes. :)
DeleteAnd, you know, my greater concern isn't really that I can't check out homework while I'm at work. It's that I kind of drank the Kool-Aid a few weeks ago when we were reading about and learning about technology, and I have a very real fear when the abuse of it causes those who control it to winch down access to the very thing that our universities and professional development team are encouraging us to use. I've had visions of maybe a school blog for parents to subscribe to and stay up-to-date on goings-on with the campus. The idea of facilitating a PLC this way is very appealing. But if the Info. Tech. guys have the filter screwed down so tightly that those things are inaccessible to us, in what dreamland do we ever put these lessons to work? Because 18 months of me sitting on the computer listening to web conferences, creating blogs, and writing treatises on educational leadership is about all my family is going to take. I need to take care of work at work. Not here at my house which is the only place in the world where I control the flow of information but also the only place I get to hang out with my wife and watch my kids grow up. You see?
Thank you first for the test blog, I know understand how it will pop up. Maybe you could look into something different instead of Istation that provides the same type of information. Will your results be flawed if they "hate" the program? We have an online program Study Island and our kids "hate" it but we still get decent results from it, they do it but not with a smile. Not sure if this helps at all, but I'm trying.
ReplyDeleteNo. Actually, Patricia, that is a decent perspective. We also use Study Island as a math intervention and in science for all of our 8th graders. I'm particularly curious about Istation, though, since the state has purchased it for every district that wants it and because we've been sort of looking for something to replace the broken-down, half-baked Read 180 program we purchased years and years ago. I'm hoping that Istation is the thing and between the kids just starting and me not having a clue what I'm doing with it, we'll find ways to make it more comfortable for them. For now, though, even I have to admit that some of the activities are more than a little silly. We'll have to see. At any rate, since I swim in RtI all day long, my action research plan will have something to do with continuing to fine tune that paradigm at our campus with an eye on maybe seeing it grow into the rest of the district.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the different perspective. I needed it after all the groaning today.
I totally sympathize with you on the technology issues! My action research is over Think Through Math, which is the math component of the Texas Success Initiative. Kids keep coming in the lab to use the program - and they are loving it because they are elementary aged AND they get to earn points to purchase accessories for their avatar! - and keep getting stuck! That's right - the screen freezes and they cannot proceed to the next step! I've chatted with the TTM tech peeps several times and apparently our district tech people have blocked streaming videos and such, which are required in order to use the program. *sigh* Still waiting for them to Unblock it so our kids can experience some success before the frustration of "sticking" wears them out. We haven't had any trouble with iStation so far. Fingers crossed...
ReplyDeleteI hate that you can sympathize. I wish I were the only one. That would mean that more kids are getting the quality education they deserve. But if you can sympathize, then the number of children getting the goods is less. Have the geeks running this stuff never been in the classroom? Or to an inservice, even? Or to any kind of pedagogical training whatsoever? I mean, surely someone, somewhere thought, "Hey! We should show the tech guys the specs on this awesome freakin' program that's FREE to everyone in the state. Since we're having them upload our kids and all, maybe we should make SURE that they're not then going to get in the freakin' way, right?" This is why we're in school for this stuff. I know that I, for one, will take NOTHING for granted when I am in a leadership position. I will operate from the default perspective that if the tech guys can screw it up, they will. To combat this, I will have them on speed dial, I will have their fax number on speed dial, and I will email them incessantly with everything that any thinking person would be able to assume that they know and will respect since I have the knowledge that they either will not know the damage they cause or do not respect its impact on our classrooms.
DeleteWow. I'm sorry. I was ranting. I feel a little better now, though. So thanks.