Computer history for Kara Roisum

Being the ripe ol' age of 42, I used to think that I was older than the computer until Louie had us reading up on the history of the Internet. I feel better now knowing that the computer has been around longer than I have been. Looking back, I now realize that without knowing it, I was using a computer long before we called them computers. My fondest memories are of traveling with my family to a skiing resort in Cable, Wisconsin, where on the second floor, one could play a classic game of Pong. Long after the parents were half immersed in their Bloody Marys and Manhattans, my cousins and I would begin our tournament play. The best thing I remember about that game was that if one was patient and waited until the game was almost over, one could simply rub their feet on the carpet and tap their room key on the console, thereby electrifying the game into starting again. Thus, despite its quarter that it cost to play, we contributed no more than $2.00 to the upkeep of this game. It was fabulous!

As far as the actual computer goes, I didn't really meet up with a desktop until I was a junior in high school where my school was lucky enough to create a lab full of Commodores - 64s if memory serves me correctly. Each year when I talk to my young students about computers, I have a difficult time getting them to understand exactly what these computers did. They have no understanding of turning on a machine and just seeing the DOS window. I try to explain how my math class spent days, devising flow charts so that we could program the computer to do something for us. "Do what?" they always ask. "I don't know," I respond, "spit out some information or something." They have no clue, and I find that forming words to what exactly that computer did always fail me.

Similar to John's first computer, my younger brother was the real computer geek of the family. He still talks about the Apple IIe he had way back in '84. I remember him playing hours of Zelda on it. I swear he told me that when all was said and done he must have invested $2000 into that machine. He loved it that much that just recently he found a place to purchase the games that came on that clunker. He was a computer geek at a young age and a loner to boot, so I fondly remember him playing for hours and hours on that thing. I, on the other hand, had way too much going on in my life, between sports, boys, and parties so didn't see the potential nor the advantages of computers. Wow, how wrong I was!

The only other significant memory I have is working on computers in college, which had really, in retrospect, come along way since my junior year in high school. By that time we were working on Apples, I think, and typing essays on Bank Street Writer, a rather sophisticated word processing software. It was a miracle for me because up until then I was doing all my work on my IBM electric typewriter - a rather expensive graduation gift from my parents. The amazing thing about that machine was its ability to "erase" mistakes with its correct tape. Wow! Anyway, so when I finally got my hands on Bank Street, I thought the Second Coming had happened. Imagine being able to word process my papers on a computer and then print them, mistake-free, on a dot-matrix printer. Of course, it wasn't an easy as I've described it; one had to "tell" Bank Street how to format the essay. I can no longer remember the exact commands, but I do recall having to use the function keys and typing in commands for making text bold, for example, or beginning a new paragraph. Now that I think of it, it reminds me of many of the commands I teach my 5th graders when writing simple HTML pages.

I laugh to think what my students might say 30 years from now when they, too, describe their first experiences with the computer. I wonder if they will observe the same glassy-eyed stares from their younger audience, along with the sweet, incomprehension that I frequently get.

Tools of the Trade

I honestly can't recall the last time I took a class where each week I was able to take what I learned and apply it to my classroom immediately. From the presentation sites, to word processing, and data applications and spreadsheets, each tool gave me the chance to really familiarize myself and to figure out the best way to include these in my classroom. I particularly found the word processing tools helpful since my students use these the most and yet have had the most issues with them at school. I have all but dumped Ms Word and replaced it with Google Docs for word processing and presentations. Specifically, I had my 6th grade collaborate on a presentation, describing their fondest memories of St. Ann's. They found the project both exciting and challenging. In addition, the videos we watched in class opened my eyes to both the possibilities and challenges I face as the tech coordinator and instructor at my school.

Although some didn't like the traditional textbook format, I found it extremely helpful. I particularly appreciated how clearly laid out the chapters are and how informative the textbook is. Since I found myself quickly submerged in this field, I have been eager to learn but have been extremely overwhelmed and at a loss of how to best present this material to my staff. The textbook will be a terrific aide to me as I assist in formulating in-services and will also be of service when I begin constructing our next five-year plan. I have also already utilized many of the websites cited in the textbook into my classroom. Specifically, I have bookmarked www.internet4classrooms.com as well as several on Webquests. On the Internet 4 Classrooms, I have shared various tutorials with the students to give them an opportunity to move at their own pace when learning about such things as Hyperstudio or Powerpoint. I also found the chapter on media literacy very interesting and so have bookmarked it as well. Thanks to Delicious, I have created two accounts so far - one for my 5th Graders and another for the teachers. The students have already figured out how to log in and utilize the site with no help from me. On a similar note, I just had a meeting last night with a parent volunteer who is going to redo our website. My brain is already exploring the popular links I can add to our site for the kids to use.

In addition to the textbook, I found the self-evaluation piece very interesting and another great resource and guide for me. I have to admit that after taking the survey, I felt like an unqualified idiot, but everyone has to start somewhere, I guess. Again, I appreciate anything that gives me concrete ways to improve what I am doing. And although I have never had the need to evaluate software before requesting a purchase, the unit on software evaluation was a real eye-opener for me and emphasized the importance of looking at key elements before I make my next purchase.

Of everything taught, I have to be honest in admitting that the one area I will probably use the least are the various search engines. I appreciate the fact that so many exist and that there are other options, but I'm a victim of habit and automatically resort to Google, mainly because it's what I grab first and typically has what I need. At the same time, however, I know that I will visit the educational sites, such as Nettrekker since I am always searching for lesson ideas and resources.

Planning Tomorrow's To-Do List

Wow! It sure is easier to keep one's head in the sand when it comes to teaching: pretend that the trends aren't changing and that everything one has been doing for the past 15 years is just fine-and-dandy. Unfortunately, there are too many teachers doing just this. My daughter comes home constantly, complaining about this and that teacher who basically has the students open a textbook and read from it. There's nothing engaging and one needs a knife to cut through the blanket of boredom. Each year as I begin yet again, I, too, become concerned about falling into this rut of teaching and wonder if it will be my turn: the final straw when I am no longer interested in my subject or my audience.

With these concerns in mind I have mixed feelings about our work this week. On the one hand, it's very exciting looking at ways to expand my knowledge and professional development as Chapter 9 outlines. I like the concrete way I can evaluate what I'm doing and where I need work. I also thought it helpful having access to guidelines and affirming to see that I'm doing many things right. What I found most beneficial and yet daunting was the description of the professional development that needs to happen at my school. As the only tech person on staff and one of the few who actively searches for ways to include technology, I feel a bit overwhelmed at what I am seeing as my future role at my school. Somehow, I have to get myself adequately prepared and then figure out how I'm going to do the same for my staff. For the majority of the past two years, my staff has spent in-service days working on our self-assessment evaluation for our accreditation. No time has been dedicated to technology or to other professional development for that matter. After reading chapters 9 and 10 and thinking about professional development, I was talking to one of our parents who comes in once a week to help in the library. As I was drumming on and on about all the things I think needs to happen at school, my principal walked in. It seemed a perfect time to share my thoughts with her. After hearing me out, she suggested that I prepare a tech day for our August In-service week. Although it's a start, I was a bit fed up and emphasized that staff development can't happen in one day. I also stressed to her that what I'm talking about isn't just about technology: it's about project- and problem-based learning and collaborating. I think I may have convinced her to at least examine the issue.

Sometimes I feel like a complete spaz when I talk to her - like the Titanic is sinking, and I'm trying desperately to get more people stuffed into the lifeboats and off the shinking ship. Do I need to just breathe and slow down? The thought of doing that, however, makes me crazy because I keep wondering just what are we waiting for? Why does change in education have to occur so slowly as Chapter 10 points out? I keep thinking there are so many little things we can do now to improve the content of what we teach, so why isn't everyone on board? Do I have to keep being the squeeky wheel? One of my friends who is a principal at another school suggested that I get my five year plan together because that will help drive what we do at school. I couldn't agree more, so beginning this week I'm going to start gathering key people together for the committee. Again, these last two chapters are very helpful because they provide not only a vision for me but also the language that I need to bring to the table. I will be the first to admit that part of my panic and excitement has to do with the fact that I have never had formal training in technology so never really thought about what I was teaching. As long as my students left St. Ann's knowing how to operate a bunch of software and do some troubleshooting, I was good. And because few others really know the technologies out there, I've always been sung as the tech-no-hero at school for the few things I do accomplish. As I finish out this year, I will have to focus on finding balance between what I do well now and what I will need to do in the future.

Just In Time

I'm always desperately searching for ideas for my computer tech curriculum. Part of the reason has to do with my frustration with the dragging timeline that some teachers at my school are on in terms of collaboration. Last year, in particular, was horrible. I watched in amazement as teacher after teacher assigned the students the same type of research project on the same topic. The best example was the Saint project. Since I teach at a Catholic school, Saints are taught at every level, but what shocked me was that there seemed to be no variation in what the students did at each level. The only difference I observed was the length of their paper. Otherwise, there was little difference. No wonder if one listened closely, one could hear the audible groan whenever a teacher attempted to introduce the saint research project. The kids had been there and done that. Anyway, like the students, I have experienced the same moan and groan of boredom with some of the teachers whenever I get word on the projects they're doing. Therefore, part of my mission at school has been to serve as a catalyst for ideas. As I talk to teachers about what they're doing, I try to toss in ideas on how to integrate technology into their learning. Fortunately, we also have some new teachers at school who are just dying to get their students thinking creatively. In addition, one of these teachers is clearly moving into that Stage 3 of technology integration, even though she's not aware of it. She wants the kids to PRODUCE something for a wider audience, not just herself. That's why I always embrace sites like the InTime one - they provide more ideas of how I can get teachers to think about technology integration in their classrooms.

I took a look at the Technology area and found 32 videos. I looked specifically at a collaborative project that focused on habitats because I know this topic was recently covered in our 3rd grade, and I wanted to see how the teacher was utilizing technology. Also, the sources that the teacher used are ones that our school has access to as well. Although the lesson might be too much for our 3rd grade teacher who is very uncomfortable with technology, it did give me some great ideas for next year on how I might be able to collaborate with her in the lab while she covers that unit. I'm finding that rather than expecting the classroom teacher to run the technology side of things, I'm having to do it. And for now that's okay. I'm hoping as the teachers see others using technology and see how much the students love it they will catch the bug. In the habitat unit, I especially like the reference to Enchanted Learning and have added this to my teacher Delicious account. I also liked the utilization of Kidpix to create a more educational presentation. I have a tendency to only use Kidpix for the younger ages who create more "cutesy" presentations.

In addition to the Habitat unit, I also looked into the Harry Potter research project for the older grades. My principal is really pushing research-based projects, so I'm constantly searching for ideas, and I liked how this one utilized research, collaboration, and presentation. Based on this lesson, I can see where my school is falling short; our research projects tend to be the typical ones where students are finding information and are creating something strictly for the teacher or classroom. In other words, production is for a very limited audience, and therefore the students don't necessarily see the relevance. The Harry Potter project involves much more critical thinking on the type of audience the novels cater to, rather than on the book itself. I like this angle because the students are forced to apply their knowledge to a deeper level. I also like this project because of the integration of a variety of technologies - everything from the Internet to spreadsheets and graphing software to an overhead projector and Powerpoint. Finally, once the project is finished, the students are expected to email their results to the survey participants, emphasizing that production aspect of technology integration.

Overall, I really liked the InTime website and have also added it to the teacher account in Delicious. I'm hoping that my teachers will take a look and utilize the website. I think the added benefit of video will spark teacher interest in the lessons.