Ian Jukes on keyboarding

Many years ago when I was doing computer in-service training as a Professional Development Associate for the BC Teachers' Federation, I worked with a fellow teacher, Ian Jukes. Ian and I lost track of one another and met again a couple of years ago at a conference. His life has certainly taken a different road than mine, as he now travels on the conference circuit doing workshops and keynote presentations for hundreds and thousands of educators.

Last week I was visiting a school in our district and one of the questions (in a long list of questions) they had for me was how to best use the installed typing tutor software and to make recommendations for alternative software to use. We didn't get to that question, and one of my ideas for them would have been to use standard text editing software to meet this goal.

I was pleased today to run across the follow video from Ian and I present it for your consideration.

Social Studies 11 - One to One

I spent an hour this morning observing a Grade 11 class working on a social studies assignment using a set of MacBooks provided by the school district. One of the purposes of this pilot project, now three weeks old and set to run until the end of the semester, is to determine if the students are able to show improved understanding of the concepts by using the computers to research information and demonstrate learning.

Some comments and questions arising from the observation:

1) Most students seemed actively involved in the assignment. They were using Google Tools - in this case, Google Documents, to answer questions regarding Meech Lake and the repatriation of the constitution.

2) When students went briefly off task (as observed using Apple Remote Desktop in Observe mode) it was usually to chat or to explore YouTube videos. The YouTube diversions were more difficult to track as being off task as the teacher uses video resources for some of the assignments.

3) One student commented that using the computers for assignments was much harder than doing the same assignment on paper. The teacher is not opposed to students using pencil and paper, but would like to see all give an effort at the one to one approach.

4) Two students were noticibly upset that their work seemed to disappear from Google Documents. The teacher was able to recover the student work by showing them how they had saved the document, and finding it listed in their documents list more than once. Something further to investigate.

??? I know in my work that I take virtual road trips from time to time. My brain will not allow me to stay on a single task for a long time. What should be the expectation of the teacher and the school district for one to one classrooms? How much leeway should be given for "brain breaks"?

??? In provincially examinable subjects, how much time can go in to talking about the technical issues so that students clearly understand the web based tools they are using.

A new group of students has just walked in the door... also Grade 11 Socials. It will be interesting to me to see what, if any, new issues surface.

What Am I?

Canadian Mom made reference to a blog which presents the reader with a series of questions (40) designed to make a guess as to your personality type. Of course, I had to try it out.

You Are An INFP

The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

Interesting results, as I generally wirte only as much as I need to - always had trouble with those 10 page assignments and was pleased when technology allowed me to vary the margins and the font size. Artist? Those who know me well would share a laugh about that. Mind you, I don't have a LOT of close friends, so I guess that was bang on.

Follow this link, What's Your Personality Type? if you want to give this quiz a try for yourself.

A great day for golf

Friends of ours who were celebrating their 2nd wedding anniversary drove up to BC from Yakima, WA to attend a concert and to play some golf with us. Our group is part of a larger internet contingent of golfers who participate in a chat group online and get together a few times a year to visit face to face. Our day at Northview Golf Course, playing on the Canal Course, was excellent. A brief sprinkling of showers just as we were teeing off was soon followed by overcast skies and relatively warm temperatures. The sun even popped out from time to time, a contrast to this dreary Easter Sunday morning with the rain coming down. Low scores are not the primary consideration when playing with anyone from the internet group. Sharing stories and building new friendships is the key.

I've participated in internet newsgroups for many years. If you have not and wondered what they were all about, join one or two. I'm sure you can find something that meets your interest, and, you may make some new friends as a result.