I think some of the teachers at our school need to understand the reality of technology in the world of their students better than they understand it now. I don’t think some of our teachers understand their students, or see the need to know their students more than they do. I’m not sure I can express this properly in a blog but bear with me.
We’re having a professional development on January 2nd. I want to say different things and have the teachers stand up… like, “do you remember when you got your first CORDLESS (not cell) phone?” and “do you remember when a cashier had to key in the actual prices of each item because there were no scanners?” If that applies to them, they stand up. This is going to be one of the first things in the morning and kind of the get yourself moving and thinking.
Then, I want to play a video that I’m going to put together of some of our students – OUR students, not just some students – saying different things like, “I own my own cellphone.” “I have a MySpace page.” “When I don’t know the answer to a question, I just Google it.” Interspersed I would like things like, “I love soccer” and “my favorite music is [insert popular music that I, being lame, can't actually name]” because, like I said, some teachers don’t seem to KNOW their kids.
SOoOoO… I need some help. I need help deciding what I should ask the teachers, and what I should have the kids say. On the kids’ side, I’d like to provide a template that they fill out and then basically read for the camera. This is what I have started. If you have any ideas what to add to my list, please either comment here, tweet me in twitter (@digimom), or email me (digimom atsymbol techchicktips dot net) and I’ll add you to the Google doc.
Oh, and yes, my teachers have seen Shift Happens. Some of them still don’t get it. They don’t see the need for change. They think all this emphasis on technology and engaged learning (and yes, I know that you can have one without the other), is a passing fad, and just the new focus for the district. I need to shake them a little. I want them to see THEIR VERY OWN STUDENTS say this is important.
I need the kids’ template by Monday so that I can have my Tech Club video beginning after school and during the two and a half days left in the week before break.
Thank you THANK YOU for any assistance!
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Anna,
I think this is a really cool idea..I’m sorry that I didn’t read it before hand. So Charlotte and I are woking on our Jan. 2nd presentations and we came up with a few questions for the teachers…
“Do you remember recording songs from the radio on a cassette tape?”
“Do you remember ATARI and PONG?”
“Do you remember the Colecovision?”
“Do you remember when the channels only went to 20?”
“Do you remember having to adjust the dials to change the channel?”
“Do you remember when roller skates had 4 wheels and there weren’t any shoes with wheels?”
“Do you remember that when your mom wanted you home, she’d open the door and yell out your name or whistle?”
For the students:
I have created a PowerPoint presentation for a class.
I have created a Podcast for a class.
I have created a website for a class.
I have created my own technology project for a class.
Getting students to think about what kinds of technology they have used in the past might get them to think about how they can use technology in the future.
Well, I’m a little behind on my reading but this sounds like a great way to get people to “cross the line” so to speak and engage.
We did some student panels live earlier in the year and it has made a real difference for some of our teachers, I think.
Hope it goes well!
This is great. I’d love to see your lists when your done. How about:
“Do you remember picking up your grandmother’s phone and being told to hang up when someone else was on the party line?”
“Do you remember your handheld Coleco football game?”
“Do you remember when you missed your favorite TV show, you missed your favorite show until reruns?”
“Do you remember when your record got a scratch and you came to expect the skip when you listened to it on the radio?”
“Do you remember getting a Walkman?”
I love the idea of having your own student’s faces in the video.
No one has mention using a slide rule (gasp!) This is pre-calculator technology. I remember taking a first year chemistry class and having to do my lab calculations on one. Calculators became more affordable as the year went on, but we weren’t allowed to write our final exam in the spring of 1974 because not everyone had a calculator.
I love this idea! Will you share it?
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