Can we really live without technology?

There's a virus creeping through our class. Dr. Kilborn's computer crashed from a malfunctioning CD-ROM. Cody's computer is on the fritz with a video card problem. And my car broke its head gaskets last night. It is in the repair shop until Thursday.  I cannot get home without my car! I live 75 miles away. So can I live without technology? No...

I am hoping this virus does not spread to anyone's machines; life is much more difficult when the machines you depend on do not operate. My husband came late last night so we spent the night in a motel. Cable television is not very entertaining after midnight; I'm glad I do not subscribe to it at home. My husband drove back to Alexandria and is driving here again; I taught my 191 class today so there was not enough time to go home with him. Spending the day on campus was okay; I updated my students' grades and corrected papers. But I do not want to live like this. It will be nice to get my car back and return to normal life. Life without technology is just a hassle.

Maybe there is not a virus. I think that bad things happen in threes. Dr. Kilborn, Cody, me; maybe the curse on this class is over.

Only 5 blog entries left...

As a student, I do the tasks the instructor assigns and meet the deadlines for those assignments. I like to get As so I put forth my best effort. I know without the deadlines I would re-write, tinker, and tweak for a long time and perhaps never finish the task. Just ask my children about their photo albums. Or my husband about the boxes of teaching materials I have been meaning to clean out. I student taught a long time ago; I still have some worksheets on ditto paper.

As a teacher, I know my students need deadlines and that they work right up until the deadline. I do not really mind unless the work is incredibly sloppy. (Then I am annoyed and grade the paper with as little effort as the student gave it when writing it. ) I also know my students need grades to motivate them to work hard. I am pragmatic; I understand how the system works.

But sometimes I wish I could just do the task for the sake of learning - to not be pressured by deadlines and grades. That seems like a luxury. I would like to tweak my webpage more, but I know I must finish it tonight. No more time for playing...

I think I am going to keep this blog going. I am wondering how often I will write on it after the deadline and grade pressure is gone. I like having some place to write my thoughts; typing on a computer is easier than handwriting like I used to do. Posting on a blog is an easy to review all my writings. I can understand why people are attactive to a blog journal.

Webpages are the way to go!

Yesterday I showed my almost completed webpage to my English 191 class. There was an instant "ooh" factor. I was rather surprized as these students are on the web all the time. I had one student come up and click through the page. I asked them to write down their thoughts, but hardly anyone did. Instead they were so intrigued that they just told me what they thought.

They liked having the current class schedule and assignment up as text on a page. One girl expressed her wish that this page should have been available all semester; she does not like going to D2L and finding the schedule and assignment list. They liked all the links to the other pages and resources. They want the pdf files to show up as separate windows rather than having to push the back browser button. I intend to follow that suggestion.

They told me they did not need the word "doorway"; they would click on the underlined words or links to see those pages. Some of them would click on the pictures, but they noted that not all pictures on the webpages have links so they are not in the habit of clicking on pictures. Once they knew the picture worked, they would use the picture link. But they agreed that text and pictures both could be linked to the same page.

They liked the colors, pictures, layout, and easy navigation of the webpage. They wanted to use the webpage rather than D2L. If I were teaching next fall, I would definitely use this page instead of D2L. On the first day of class, I would include my URL and ask them to bookmark or favorite on their computers. I could see my students were ready to interact with this website so I am convinced that webpages as a teaching tool are the way to go.

K.I.S.S. with PowerPoints

Keep it simple, stupid. This is the message my students sent me yesterday about my Teachnology PowerPoint. I know students are tired of looking at Powerpoints; the high school teachers use this technology all the time. My students are no longer amazed at crazy fonts, wild colors, lots of pictures or graphics or even whirly animations. Nor are they engaged when the PowerPoint has subtle messages or layered meanings. They are just confused.

While my students watched my PowerPoint, I asked them to write down any thoughts they had. They did say they liked the metaphor when I compared writing to painters or woodcarvers. They liked the pictures, though there were too many of them sometimes on one slide. They liked the idea of explaining the objectives of the course with the PowerPoint over just getting a white piece of paper and having to read them. They did understand my basis message of these are the technologies we will be using in class, but they did not think that pencils and paper were technologies.

When I watched their faces as the PowerPoint was being presented, I could see their confusion or disinterest. As an instructor I hate to be boring. So I am disappointed that this PowerPoint was ineffective. I learned that the basic layout is what my students or audience wants: a heading, one or maybe two pictures, and text on the side. The PowerPoint can only be ten or less slides unless the PowerPoint is paused and the students do an activity. What has been a cool, hip technology for me has become worn out technology for them. In the future I will use the KISS approach with my PowerPoints.

Adding Pictures to My Posting

I am experimenting with my blog tonight by adding a picture with my text. One of the questions I asked my students on D2L last week is if they thought it was easier to tell a story using words only or pictures only. It is a good question because they have to choose one way or the other. They have to write an explanation of why they like words better or pictures better. They also must reply to another student's comment so there can be some lively comments between the students as they explain which format is better. I thought adding a picture to my blog would liven up my text-heavy blog. I also changed the color of my text. I chose green because it is still easy to read, but it also matchs my picture. An astute person might also notice that "green" is a common term for my subject matter. I think adding pictures and changing the font color will add some interest to my readers. This posting feels more web-like now.

About this picture:

My husband and I were offered practice day passes to the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, GA. Attending the Masters has been on my "bucket list" (or list of things I want to do before I die), so I was excited to take advantage of this opportunity. One of the reasons I teach school is so I can golf all summer long. I have been following golf tournaments on television for many years, but it is not the same as being there.

Dreaming about Dreamweaver

I have taught in at least seven different public school systems. Every time I move to another district, I have to redo my syllabus or class expectations. I am grateful for computers as now I just have to cut, copy, and paste the pertinent and relevant parts for each new position. It's much easier than when I had to literally cut text apart and tape it down in a new location or when I had to retype the whole page. (I am not a fast typist so I really avoid retyping.) I find this task asone of my biggest annoyances when I change jobs.

On the drive tonight, I was thinking that having a webpage for my students would be so helpful; I would not have to redo my teaching philosophy, personal information, grading rubrics, grammar tips, late assignment penalties, etc. Of course, I would have to add the course syllabus, class schedules, deadlines, and such, but I have to change those specifics each semester anyway. A webpage could follow me more easily than the current handouts I have in Word documents. The time I spend creating it would not have to be duplicated. I could easily switch background and font colors to match the current school's colors. I would be more willing to invest the time in a good introduction of myself if I thought I would not have to update it for every new position.

Parents and prospective students could visit the webpage and learn more about me; this might alleviate anxiety and questions. Though I do not mind meeting parents and students, I do get tired of answering the same questions over and over again. It would be nice to send them to my webpage as a resource of information tehy need. Of course, I would have a link to my email so I could respond to them.

Yeah, I am thinking a personal teaching webpage might just be the ticket as I embark into the world of being an adjunct English instructor.

Blogging with the Entire Class

For my English 191 class, I did not set up small groups for the class blogging activity. I wanted all of my students to be able to read entries from every member of the class. With twenty plus students, this means that the postings can have twenty or more comments. With each student writing about 2-3 sentences or a paragraph, this means that there is 2-3 pages of text to read for each posting. If more than one student posts a week, then there is a considerable amount of reading to be done. This reading is on top of required readings for face-to-face class discussions and 1-2 pages of required writing. Plus there are four major papers of 3-4 pages in length. My students have plenty to do for my class.

When I read the blog comments, I can tell some of the students have read the other students' comments. But there is no way to document if they have read the comments or not, as Blogger.com does not this documentation function like D2L does. I am not sure that I care if I know if they have read each other's work. I cannot tell if they do the required class readings either unless they mention some aspect when they are talking or writing. My students are always reading text messages, Facebook entries, and other favorite websites. So I do not think it is too much to expect them to read all the comments, but I do not want to have to quiz them about their reading. Of course I read all the comments and find it fun to read what everyone is thinking and saying. At the college level, it is their choice if they want to learn or not. But I hope that my students will enjoy this blogging activity and learn from their classmates.

Real World Distractions

Katherine Ann Olson was killed after answering an ad on Craigslist for a nanny position. I was the matron of honor for her parents' wedding so I knew Katherine since she was just a twinkle in her father's eyes. The trial for her killer took place these past two weeks, and I have been following it closely. Now that a guilty verdict has been reached, I feel some relief for my friends, but I mostly feel sad that it even happened.

My youngest son attends NDSU in Fargo. My husband has two brothers & families living there along with his 91-yr-old mother. The flooding situation has been distracting me from my school work as I check on what their status is. My husband's mother was evacuated to Fergus Falls so I visited her twice in her new location reassuring her that she would go back to Eventide soon. I made her a copy of a photo album so she could show the staff her family. She was only allowed to evacuate with her walker and three outfits. My son was been sandbagging every day; he will be glad to go school where it is mentally exhausting, but not physically exhausting. My husband's brothers are safe, but they did clean out their basements just in case.

I am talking about these distractions because, as teachers, we often hear excuses from our students on why they did not do their assignments or papers. Some of the excuses are certainly lame: my dog ate my paper, my grandma died, I forgot. Some of the excuses are more plausible: my computer crashed, my car was stuck in the snow, I was sick. But some of the excuses are serious: my father died (verified by student services), I was in the hospital, there was a fire in my parents' home. I do think, at times, the real world distracts us from our scholarly endeavors. It is difficult to concentrate when life intrudes so rudely with a murder trial and major flooding.

Since I know how these events has distracted me, I know that my students have difficult times as well. I want to be able to give them a break on turning in late work. Of course this puts pressure on me at the end of the semester to correct all the late work, but I guess I am too compassionate to be a hard-ass. I do not think I am gullible, but I am sympathetic. Or perhaps I am just a soft touch. So be it.