Internet

I finally got the Internet back on my desktop at the house, but still no wireless. I called the company and they walked me throught the process of seting up my modem again, but my router still isn’t working. I think that I just got a bad deal on a router and will have to purchase a new one. I have a TRENDnet router right now but will be looking at a Linksys one that the Bellsouth people can help me with. I have lost Internet services many time over this router, so I think it is time for a new one. So all of you that gave me your myspace accounts, I am going to sit down tonight and try to add you. If you don’t hear from me, I have either done something wrong or can’t figure out how to add you. Of couse, I can ask my students, I know they know how.

Ending remarks

The very last sentence of Papert’s book says “expanding its benefits to all who want them but also to make sure that those who choose not to want them are making an informed choice.” This to me is an important to beginning to the problems with some of our educational practices. We don’t make the students want our services. This is also something that the parents have a hand in because they are letting their students quit school. We as a society do not inform the students before they drop our of the lost opportunities or the doors that will close to them when they quit school. Education has to be made important in the society that you live in. It has to be seen as a necessesity in order to get the job you are wanting. I discussed this concept with a student the other day. I said, “what are you going to do when you quit school”. He replied with “coal mines”. Around here the coal mines are starting to boom and many new mines are openning up. I commented on “what will you do if the mines close again”. He said, “that won’t happen”. Of course, I reminded him that they did close, that is why they are just openning back up again. Of course, teenagers know everything so they didn’t understand what I was saying. I have several students that do nothing in my classes all day because they are counting the days til they quit. I don’t know what to say to make them understand they are limiting their options for the rest of their lives.

Change

I wanted to discuss what Papert said in the book, “The Children’s Machine” about mega-change and how I agree.  I have taken a few Administration courses for my Masters before I decided to do Educational technology.  That were really concerned with implementing change and as a principal, that makes sense.  An administrator has to be able to implement change on a large scale or a small scale, but to do it they have to get everyone on board.  That is the same idea of what Papert said when he said change need to be a “social process that will grow slowly in an organic way”.  I feel that a mega-change can not be implemented successfully unless it slowly accepted by all.  A major change can’t be done over night.  It will have to take many months or even years to inform teachers, students, administrators, board members, parents, and faculty of their roles in the new change.  That is why when Papert referred to it as slowly changing in an organic way, that to me means, naturally.  It must be implemented in such a way that it seems natural.  For instance, last year the students were allowed to have cell phones in school and even use them between classes.  Then, midway through the year they decided, Nope, no cell phones at all.  This change was not discussed with faculty (or at least not me), students, or parents that I am aware of. This lead to a problem with parents calling their students during the day and mad kids over not being able to use their phone like they had been able to the prior day.  They finally got used to it, but I think it could of had a smoother transition with more communication and a set date for the change to occur.   

Paperts ending remarks

I have finally finished “The Children’s Machine”, by Seymour Papert.  I really enjoyed his relation to math in every chapter because I am a math teacher but wonder how the English teachers would like that?  I would like to just pull out some things that I liked or had quesiton on in the last couple of chapters to disuss.  It seems to me that most of our class is reading the Papert book.  Sorry to the few that are not. 

Programming:  a Solve all? 

The first thing that I would like to comment on was the use of programming throughout the book to teach math, scienc,dance, and social studies, as the aurthor points out.  I am wondering if Papert feels that programming is a fix all in education or if that was just his example of how constructing your own learning can be achieved.  I’m not for sure if long use of the applications Logo and *Logo will keep the students engaged and creating new things because of it’s simplicity.  I, of course, could be wrong since I have never used Logo before. 

Japan says we’re lazy!! 

In chapter 10, Papert pointed out that a Japanese politician in 1992 said that American workers are lazy and ignorant.  I was unaware that this was said and kind of worried that it was said about us so long ago.  First of all, I don’t believe that it is true about ALL Americans, but I can see their point.  I have went into restaurants, grocery stores, and Wal-Mart and been met by people that just don’t want to be there or are trying hard to not work.  I also know of two students that I have in class that have NO desire to get a job and are planning on doing just that when they graduate.  I assume this type of thinking has come from somewhere other than school, but I don’t understand why.  Why do students and adults feel that they don’t have to contribute to society?  Why is it that the few hard workers are expected to carry the lazy workers through their jobs, while the lazy ones get the same check(if they even have a job).  I don’t understand a person’s mindset who can live with the fact that they are letting other people pull their weight.  I have several people that I know who are living free.  By that I mean, live in someone elses home without paying a dime.   I guess you can tell I feel strongly about contributing to life. I  would like to clarrify that I am not talking about stay at home mom or dads.  We all know that is the hardest job.   

Bush response to education 

When George Bush took office (and I assume the dad, since there is no W in the name) he was going to have the education system become the best in the world.  So instead of figuring out what was wrong with the current system he just issued rules and tightened controls.  I just wanted to make it known that we are aware that there is a problem, but nobody knows how to fix it.

I will blogg later about the rest of my finding in Paperts book.

Environmental Learning Disappearing

I think that Papert is on to something on page 180 in The Children’t Machine by Seymour Papert. He states:

“I wonder whether the capacity of modern machines is another environemntal danger – a danger to the learning environment”

What he is talking about is how pepole used to tinker with mechanical stuff on their tracktors to keep them going and thus learning about mechanics.  Things are quite that easy now. 

He also pointed out that it isn’t as obviouse to kids that when they are eating chicken that it is the cute white chicken that is in their story books.  Kids long ago where the ones killing and cleaning the chicken.  Times have changed.

Scribd

Stephen downs blogged about Scribd getting some good press now.  It allows you to upload a document in a web friendly browser he says.  So I decided to check it out and it looks really easy to do.  It also has things for you to look at that have been submitted.  So if you have a document you would like to share, just upload it.   Or if you are looking for a story, ebook, essay, … or so on, check it out.  I think it would be great to get a math worksheet page, and everyone upload their worksheets to that page.  No answers, so the students wouldn’t figure it out, but other teachers could use the worksheets.  Mayby I’ll up load some of mine.   

Papert Chapter 6 and 7

I talked about chapter 6 earlier, but I was reminded in another blog about the clean and dirty learning.  I like the reference to Dirty Dancing and can relate to that because I have watched that movie at least 50 times. 

Chapter 7 is turning out to be quite interesting.  I think this is my favorite chapter so far.  It could be because of I like the constructive idea or just the math in it.  I really do believe that you have to teach kids to construct their own knowledge.  If they know how to go about finding things out, why do they need to memorize it. Just like most of us who forget things daily, I google everything from how to spell a word to recipies for supper.  I think my new phrase is going to be:  If you don’t know it, Google it!! 

No internet STILL!! … myspace people hold on.

I can’t remember who asked me, but yes, I bypassed the router so that I would have internet at least on my desktop at home, but that still didn’t work.  My Modem must not work either.  I hate calling the company because they don’t usually know what to do with my Trendnet router that I have.  No one has heard of them.  So, all of you that have sent me your name to add to myspace, I will as soon as I can get on.  Myspace doesn’t work at school (does anyone know what the kids know?? How do you get around the block?)

No Internet

I have a huge problem with my Internet.  I went to sign on Saturday Night and nothing.  I havn’t done anything to it and it won’t work.  I am really agrevated will AT&T from the phone line problems I have had with them, now I have to pay for internet that I can’t use.  I don’t know what is wrong, but my modem doesn’t even work either.  I bypassed the router and still can’t get the internet on my desktop.  Anyone have suggestions or a human way to kill a computer system?  I am willing to change companies if anyone is having luck under a different company since I think AT&T, Bellsouth, and Cingular has become to big for their own good. (and mine!!)

Papert chapter 6

I loved reading about the different activities and the different ways the students explore and learn, but who has time for that with Kera.  If I let a student explore a computer for 2 class periods twice a week, my administration would probably not rehire me next year.  It is not that I don’t think that time in front of a computer is learning time, it just isn’t content specific.  I would have a hard time getting my administration to believe that logo has core content.  Enough said on that, I do like the idea of maybe incorporating a computer class into all students schedules for a one class period per week so that they can do reaserach, blog, explore, or do some work that a teacher has assigned on Logo.  If the students are willing to do the work, then if we provide them time, there shouldn’t be any problems.  Expecially, the ones doing reaserch and don’t have a computer at home.  Boy, they must feel sorry for us because we had to use encyclopedias when I was a kid.