Technology

I've been involved in teaching and technology for quite some time. Currently, I am interested in how technology can practically be used by a wide variety of educators. I'm not talking about the early adopters, I'm talking about the mainstream teachers. There are certainly quite a few educators out there who are using technology in wide variety of exciting ways. However, the majority of teachers haven't hopped onto the bandwagon yet. There are a couple of roadblocks: like the frustration of the technology not "just working". All too often, I've seen teachers try a certain technology only to be frustrated because it just didn't work (eg. a wireless lab). Too many people involved in technology in education don't understand technology. If you're lucky enough to have some people who understand both technology and education, consider yourself blessed (and there really are many of them out there).

One of things that I've enjoyed for a while are podcasts. Here are some of my favorites:
The MacGeekGab
The MacObservor's Weekly Roundup
This Week in Tech

Middle School in Spring

Spring is definitely in the air. Middle School is in full bloom. Our district has had a quite an energetic discussion about middle school. Which led to the simple question- Just what makes an excellent middle school? As an extension of that basic question, many, many other questions arise. How do you continue to meet the needs of students, teachers, and the community in difficult economic times? How important are standardized tests? Will every child need to go to college? How big of a role do parents play? And many, many more.