Independent School Educators' List (ISED-L)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

Let me offer a perspective from the 'outside'.

We don't teach kids to play computer games, yet they develop gaming literacy
just fine on their own. They can figure out the rules, learn on their own,
from their friends, try and err and ultimately play these games. There is no
class for Warcraft and we don't send kids to class learn how to play Sims.

That we adults believe that basic computers skills are critical to student's
technology literacy doesn't necessarily make it so. In my experience,
children will solve problems and learn the skills required to tackle them so
long as the feedback loops exist. We are prone to get in the way.

Years from now, the idea that we have classes to teach kids how to recognize
the basic patterns of using software will seem as quaint as the notion of
teaching someone to make a phone call by dialing a rotary phone.

That we, as a generation, needed the five-steps to learn this stuff doesn't
mean that it should be the norm.

This isn't to say 'skills' are unimportant. Complex human activities require
skill, but I would suggest that these skills can and should be developed as
an integral aspect of the learning activity and not separate from it.

There is nothing sacred about having skills in Microsoft Word, Excel,
Photoshop or Insert-your-favorite-software. Today's Word is tomorrow's
Wordstar.

As a software engineer/designer, the only constant we believe is in the idea
that newer technology will let us design better interfaces. Nothing today is
sacred. Software is "soft--malleable by definition. Our expectation is that
people have the cognitive abilities and experience to see patterns, make
connections, relate, try and fail on their own. And their expectation is
that we do preciesly that to make things easier and fun.

We should be teaching writing, not wordprocessing. We should be applying
math, not teaching Excel. We should be blogging, not teaching Wordpress.

my humble 2cents

Ernest Koe

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Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

On Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 2:26 PM, Dennis Arms <darms@haverford.org> wrote:

> These "five step computer users" are the people who have never had formal
> training. I see them every day, scribbling down the steps I am giving to
> them..."wait, wait, I need to write that down."

And if we don't continue to formally train people in the basics, we'll crank
out another generation of five step users. However, the most important of
the steps I teach is how to RTFM, which is something many people don't want
to do these days.

Back when I worked at the Computer Center at Syracuse University, my office
partner and I had two different approaches to dealing with a new piece of
software. I'd take the manual home over the weekend and read it cover to
cover so that I knew what it was capable of doing. She'd take the disk home
and just try to figure it out on her own. By Monday morning we both had a
fair bit of knowledge about how to use this program. But despite the
knowledge we had gained from our respective methods, there were often times
when we just had to write down those much-maligned five steps until it
became something we could do in our sleep. Then we moved on to writing down
another set of five steps.

The problem seems not to be people who are five step users, but people who
remain at the same five steps for decades at a time. And yet, it needs to be
remembered, as I've alluded to before, that the five step Microsoft Word
user may be the person who knows the Periodic Table backwards and fowards
and can balance any chemical formula you throw at him in his sleep. I've got
no problem with this guy being a five step user, his brain is obviously
being used for something that I couldn't even begin to fathom.
--

keg

========================================
Keith E Gatling
mailto:keith@gatling.us
http://www.gatling.us/keith
The fact that I'm open-minded doesn't mean that I have to agree with you.
========================================

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

I'm going to push a little bit on this one. I graduated from high school =
in 2005. I took the "Business" sequence of courses which included =
electives such as Document Formatting, Advanced Document Formatting, =
Computer Applications I, and Computer Applications II. All of these =
courses taught us the basic skills such as setting margins, reinforced =
touch typing, and all of that other "stuff." =20
So after I graduated from high school I took a job working in a =
preschool, then as a computer lab aide, then as a Technology Specialist. =
I never had any kind of training but a majority of the skills I learned =
were easily applied to other areas. When I worked as a computer lab aide =
the room was full of Macs which I had never used before. =20
In my opinion the important computer skills include: being able to =
talk TO people, not AT people, being able to search effectively, and being =
willing to try. When I worked as a Technology Specialist I could always =
count on Google to provide some guidance to fix whatever problem I was =
having. =20
Technology courses are an important part of a students career. I =
LOVED my computer courses in high school because they taught me things =
that I could use right away. I can type 80+ words a minute thanks to my =
computer courses, and I can talk anyone through changing columns, creating =
tables, creating formulas, etc.
These "five step computer users" are the people who have never had formal =
training. I see them every day, scribbling down the steps I am giving to =
them..."wait, wait, I need to write that down."

>>> Renee Ramig <rramig@sevenhillsschool.org> 02/14/09 12:06 PM >>>
I have found that having a "computer skills class" does little for my
students because nothing is context. I show them how to do columns and
footers in Word or formulas in Excel. But, the first they use it in
class for a project, they often need to be re-taught as now it is in
context of some curriculum area.

Personally, I believe in the adage "No technology before its time." I
find that teaching a technology tool works best, is retained better, and
can be transferred more easily if it is taught in the context of a
curriculum project.=20

Just my 2-cents.

Renee Ramig
Seven Hills School

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Re: 21st Century Computer Skills Elementary School

I work in a K-8 school, so my "no technology before its time" I believe =
applies to all grades, especially second grade and up. Moving from =
technology being integrated to being integral is a process, but I find =
that working with students on curriculum helps them use and remember the =
tools better, even in elementary school. I also find it much better =
that students can use technology when it is needed. For a project, they =
often need it everyday for a week or two, then not again for a few =
weeks. Students, especially in the lower grades, do much better with =
this model than the weekly technology classes where a project could take =
two months rather than two weeks (and loses most of its true =
"integratedness"). =20

By third grade, students start using computers as needed, so there =
starts to be times when only some students use the computers and others =
don't need them, rather than the "everybody get a computer now" model. =
All of K-2, and most of 3rd is still spent in the "everybody get a =
computer now" model, but we start to move away from this by the end of =
3rd grade. About half of fourth grade, laptops are used when needed, by =
those students that need them. Starting in fifth grade, we do whole =
class instruction at the beginning of each project when new software or =
new ways to use software is used. Other than that, students use the =
computers throughout the day (almost everyday) whenever they need to use =
it. About half the time is word processing, 25% projects, and 25% =
online.

For grades K-1, we have added a weekly technology curriculum in addition =
to using the technology for projects. This gives the students the =
additional time needed to learn essential technology (logging in and =
out, saving, retrieving files), word processing (spacing, basic =
punctuation, etc.), brainstorming (Inspiration, using graphics), drawing =
(Pixie) and online skills (using bookmarks, links, etc.) and often gives =
the classroom teachers (who are there helping during these classes) =
these skills too :)

Renee Ramig
Seven Hills School

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Greg Stevens
Sent: Sat 2/14/2009 10:26 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: 21st Century Computer Skills
=20
As always, the discussion here is fascinating and it seems led by people
working with middle and high school students. I'd love to know what
elementary teachers think in these discussions. The loftier the =
language
and goals stated, the more I think the speaker is forgetting some basic
steps in a student's learning about computers that occur prior to high
school. I wonder what fundamental concepts and mental structures need =
to
be built (and skills developed) before students can be the adaptable =
21st
century learners described in this discussion.=20

Young children think concretely and sometimes grasp the whole better =
when
it is broken down into parts. Yes, my school still teaches word
processing in a stand alone fashion (and keyboarding and other discrete
skills), not as much as we used to, but without this emphasis on writing
by itself, the written component of a multimedia presentation is =
weakened.
Students rush towards graphics, audio, and video while building web
pages. They jot off hasty, ill-considered responses on blogs. Sticking
with language in a word processor helps them learn to focus on ideas and
content first. This year I halted a multimedia web publishing project,
sent every fourth grader back to Word to refine their thinking and
language, then returned to creating and publishing multimedia web pages
using iWeb after they reached an acceptable level of clarity in their =
text
comments. Our time spent in Word included lots of editing and =
formatting
work that yielded presentable print documents. I can't imagine word
processors going away anytime soon.

In response to comments about the five-step user, I also feel in early
learning about computers there is a lot of pressure to provide handouts,
even though these end up being single-use documents. Young children =
need
lots of support and clearly identified small, manageable steps. =
Sometimes
this looks like instruction focused just on skills, and sometimes it is
mini-lessons to move along a bigger project. =20

Students as young as first grade already fit the contrasting profiles of
five step users wanting manuals and those who adapt to feedback while
using a computer. Some students who start out as five-step users soon
gain the confidence and proficiency to work well with less external
support, but some never do in the six years that I teach them. I don't
expect that every young student has a strong built-in technology =
instinct
or intelligence, and I hope there are opportunities in the future for
those who don't shine with technology. All of these children have =
gifts,
talents, and strengths of one kind or another.

Greg Stevens
Lower School Coordinator of Instructional Technology
MICDS
St. Louis, MO

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Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

On Feb 14, 2009, at 6:59 AM, Greg Kearney wrote:

> teach people to drive only one kind of car

We do just that. The ordinary kind of car that Hertz and Avis rent at
every US airport.

Left-hand steering wheel.

Automatic transmission.

Gas and brake pedals in customary position.

Direction signal stick on left of steering column.

Rear view mirror in center of front window.

That's all you need - twist the key to start and go.

Standard high-school driver education stuff.

All of these are different from my car in England.

American kids are lost if they try to drive a manual shift British car
on the right hand side of the road and navigate round-abouts. And use
hand signals for turning -- with their right arm.

William New
The Novent Group
Palo Alto, CA
94302-0979
T: (650) 328-4000
E: wnew@novent.org

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

Dear ISED-L Colleagues,

I have been reading this thread with a lot of interest. I agree that
teaching skills without context and usage won't achieve "stickiness"
of the skills - but I feel that's partly symptomatic of the fact that
we have (still) not achieved technology integration throughout our
classrooms.

In theory if teachers were using technology as a vehicle for teaching
and learning, continually, teaching skills to students would result
in quick application in a subject-specific class, a day or two later.

Instead I think too much technology is happening in discrete isolated
specific "projects" and not happening routinely.

Best regards,
Pamela

-------------------------------------------
Pamela Livingston
livingstonp@mac.com
Author of "1-to-1 Learning: Laptop Programs That Work"
Blog: http://1-to-1learning.blogspot.com
973-476-4819

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

On Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 9:59 AM, Greg Kearney <kearney@tribcsp.com> wrote:

> Would we find t acceptable to have "5 step divers" that is we teach people
> to drive only one kind of car in only one kind of condition? So if it should
> rain or snow or should other drivers on the road do something unexpected
> they would be unable to cope? Would we accept that people have stickily note
> in cars telling them how to start them, how to put them into gear and how to
> work the accelerator.

Ha! The car is that one instrument that just about everyone wants to learn
how to play, and thus will move beyond the five steps almost immediately.
But I'm betting that in the beginning there's a lot of indoctrination of
five steps going on before Johnny or Susie gets to sit behind the wheel.

As I said earlier, I use the equivalent of a sticky note to remind me how to
change the time on the clock in our cars. I could probably use a few sticky
notes to remind me how to change the radio stations, how to deal with the
"fold and go" seats in the van, where the wiper fluid goes in each car, etc.
Things I don't do on a daily basis. And I have to admit that the fact that
the windshield wipers work differently in my wife's Alero than in my Town
and Country makes me crazy the minute it starts to snow or rain.

> I don't expect students to need to know how to program computers, but I
> think it reasonable to expect that they can take a skill learned on one
> program or platform and be able to apply it ton another. Which is why we
> force our students to us a different OS every time they come into the
> computer labs.

They can do it when they have to, but the simple fact of the matter is that
most of them don't have to, and will never have to.

> I have worked in hospitals around well educated people, some very bight,
> who are incapable of dealing with even the slightest change in a computer.

Ah...but this is why you are an *expert*, and perhaps being an expert has
given you an unrealistic expectation of what everyone else should know how
to do.
--

keg

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

On Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 12:05 PM, Renee Ramig
<rramig@sevenhillsschool.org>wrote:

> I have found that having a "computer skills class" does little for my
> students because nothing is context. I show them how to do columns and
> footers in Word or formulas in Excel. But, the first they use it in
> class for a project, they often need to be re-taught as now it is in
> context of some curriculum area.

Funny you should mention that. Many of the skills I try to teach are the
outgrowth of the typing class I took as a 10th grader 37 years ago because
nothing else fit in that spot in my schedule. It was totally out of context
to what we were doing in English or History (where most people still did
their papers in longhand), but all of a sudden I learned how to do what
little I had been doing on my mother's typewriter *correctly*, with proper
formatting, and what that MAR REL button was really for. I also learned to
yearn for what would become the modern word processing program, so that when
I was finally introduced to one, I checked it out thoroughly to see if it
had the features I had always dreamed of it having. It did, and more.

But continuing with learning the skills out of context, once we got the
basic keystrokes down, there was exercise after exercise on business
letters, short papers, items with lists, etc, so that when you encountered
one of them, you had an idea of what to do and how to set it up. Was I the
only student who came away from that class able to use those skills, learned
"out of context" to type English papers, History papers, scripts, etc when
the appropriate time came? Was I so unusual back then that it's totally
unreasonable for me to expect my students to take the skills learned from
the practice exercises I give them and apply them to Ms Lackland's English
paper or Dr Jobs' History project?

I tell them at the start that as much as I would prefer otherwise, I fully
expect that they'll forget *how* to do most of what I taught them because
they're still in that "Why do I need to know this?" frame of mind that only
retains things long enough for the quiz. On the other hand, what I *do*
expect them to remember is that there is a way to do this particular thing
that they now need to do, and that it's in the handouts, which are online at
my website (http://www.gatling.us/keith/class/handouts.html).

I am often a Science Fair judge at our school, and it thrills me to no end
when I see students using some of the word processing and spreadsheet skills
I tried to teach them in 6th and 7th grade in the write-ups they do for
their posters. Some will grasp its usefulness and use them immediately,
while others (my daughter included) have to be hit over the head with a
brick to stop using the space bar to get the name of the class lined up
nicely at the end of the line in the headings of her papers, when using a
right-hand tab would be so much neater and easier.

Personally, I believe in the adage "No technology before its time." I
> find that teaching a technology tool works best, is retained better, and
> can be transferred more easily if it is taught in the context of a
> curriculum project.
>

But isn't there something to introducing a concept a few times before it
"catches?" Maybe they all don't get it the first time when you do it out of
context, but maybe a few of them see its promise, and use it on their own.
Then when you introduce it again, in context, not only do more people get
it, but you have those early adopters to help out the ones who are still
having problems. I know that the subject area teachers I work with count on
me having taught certain WP and SS basics so that *they* don't have to teach
them from scratch to the whole class. They may have to do a little refresher
on it, but they're comfortable with that.
--

keg

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

As always, the discussion here is fascinating and it seems led by people
working with middle and high school students. I'd love to know what
elementary teachers think in these discussions. The loftier the language
and goals stated, the more I think the speaker is forgetting some basic
steps in a student's learning about computers that occur prior to high
school. I wonder what fundamental concepts and mental structures need to
be built (and skills developed) before students can be the adaptable 21st
century learners described in this discussion.

Young children think concretely and sometimes grasp the whole better when
it is broken down into parts. Yes, my school still teaches word
processing in a stand alone fashion (and keyboarding and other discrete
skills), not as much as we used to, but without this emphasis on writing
by itself, the written component of a multimedia presentation is weakened.
Students rush towards graphics, audio, and video while building web
pages. They jot off hasty, ill-considered responses on blogs. Sticking
with language in a word processor helps them learn to focus on ideas and
content first. This year I halted a multimedia web publishing project,
sent every fourth grader back to Word to refine their thinking and
language, then returned to creating and publishing multimedia web pages
using iWeb after they reached an acceptable level of clarity in their text
comments. Our time spent in Word included lots of editing and formatting
work that yielded presentable print documents. I can't imagine word
processors going away anytime soon.

In response to comments about the five-step user, I also feel in early
learning about computers there is a lot of pressure to provide handouts,
even though these end up being single-use documents. Young children need
lots of support and clearly identified small, manageable steps. Sometimes
this looks like instruction focused just on skills, and sometimes it is
mini-lessons to move along a bigger project.

Students as young as first grade already fit the contrasting profiles of
five step users wanting manuals and those who adapt to feedback while
using a computer. Some students who start out as five-step users soon
gain the confidence and proficiency to work well with less external
support, but some never do in the six years that I teach them. I don't
expect that every young student has a strong built-in technology instinct
or intelligence, and I hope there are opportunities in the future for
those who don't shine with technology. All of these children have gifts,
talents, and strengths of one kind or another.

Greg Stevens
Lower School Coordinator of Instructional Technology
MICDS
St. Louis, MO

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

I have found that having a "computer skills class" does little for my
students because nothing is context. I show them how to do columns and
footers in Word or formulas in Excel. But, the first they use it in
class for a project, they often need to be re-taught as now it is in
context of some curriculum area.

Just my 2-cents.

Renee Ramig
Seven Hills School

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

Would we find t acceptable to have "5 step divers" that is we teach
people to drive only one kind of car in only one kind of condition? So
if it should rain or snow or should other drivers on the road do
something unexpected they would be unable to cope? Would we accept
that people have stickily note in cars telling them how to start them,
how to put them into gear and how to work the accelerator.

I don't expect students to need to know how to program computers, but
I think it reasonable to expect that they can take a skill learned on
one program or platform and be able to apply it ton another. Which is
why we force our students to us a different OS every time they come
into the computer labs.

I have worked in hospitals around well educated people, some very
bight, who are incapable of dealing with even the slightest change in
a computer. If they were to approach driving, an act no less complex
if you think about it, as they do computers we would all be in danger
upon the roads.

On Feb 14, 2009, at 5:21 AM, Keith E Gatling wrote:

> On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 11:21 PM, Greg Kearney <kearney@tribcsp.com>
> wrote:
>
>> The problem as I see it is we are not teaching concepts, how and
>> when to
>> use headers and footers, how to use footnote and endnotes and so on
>> we are
>> teaching Microsoft Word, or OpenOffice or what have you. We are
>> teaching
>> people to be what I call "5 step computer users"
>>
>> You have all encountered these users, they are the ones with the
>> five steps
>> written out on sticky notes and stuck to the monitors of their
>> computers. If
>> the computer of program ever does anything unexpected or if they
>> ever need
>> to do something outside the 5 steps they are lost.
>
>
> But Greg, we are *all* five step users in some field or another. We
> can't
> all be experts in everything. I know that every time we switch from
> standard
> to daylight time, and vice versa, I'm out there in our two cars with
> my
> little card detailing the steps it takes to reset the time on the
> clocks. I
> know it can be done, but not only is it something I only have to do
> twice a
> year, but the steps are so different in each car (and sometimes
> counter-intuitive) that it's not worth wasting valuable brain space
> for.
>

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

As a librarian, I can address this from a practical standpoint. I see =
students working on assignments on their own, which really gives me a =
glimpse into what they are and aren't capable of doing on a computer. =
I've been surprised to see students who can run a blog, a wiki, etc. =
without problem really struggle with the basics of writing a paper with =
a word processor. Many have trouble figuring out how to set text in two =
columns, save as different types of documents, or even changing the =
width of margins. The difficulties of Excel are even greater.

Many teachers assume that when they give an assignment in Word or Excel, =
the kids just know how to use them. This isn't always the case. Seems =
to me that keeping some of these basic skills - that may on first glance =
appear too basic to worry about - really will be helpful to many of our =
students.

__________________________________________
Emily S. Auerswald
Upper School Librarian
Indian Creek School
1130 Anne Chambers Way
Crownsville, MD 21032
eauerswald@indiancreekschool.com

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Keith E =
Gatling
Sent: Fri 2/13/2009 1:09 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: 21st Century Computer Skills
=20
As I consider what I should be teaching in the coming years, I've been
wondering, with all the neat stuff people have been doing with podcasts,
wikis, blogs, and other forms of interactive media, is there really any
point in my continuing to teach such nuts and bolts stuff as word =
processing
and spreadsheet use? I keep hearing about how the 7th grader of today =
won't
be using any of these "old fashioned" tools by the time they're in =
college,
and so I wonder if continuing to teach them now is just a waste of
everyone's time.
--=20
keg

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * =
* *
Keith E Gatling - Computer Instructor
Manlius Pebble Hill School
5300 Jamesville Rd
DeWitt, NY 13214
315.446.2452
http://www.gatling.us/keith

Some teachers teach subjects. Others teach students.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * =
* *

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 11:21 PM, Greg Kearney <kearney@tribcsp.com> wrote:

> The problem as I see it is we are not teaching concepts, how and when to
> use headers and footers, how to use footnote and endnotes and so on we are
> teaching Microsoft Word, or OpenOffice or what have you. We are teaching
> people to be what I call "5 step computer users"
>
> You have all encountered these users, they are the ones with the five steps
> written out on sticky notes and stuck to the monitors of their computers. If
> the computer of program ever does anything unexpected or if they ever need
> to do something outside the 5 steps they are lost.

But Greg, we are *all* five step users in some field or another. We can't
all be experts in everything. I know that every time we switch from standard
to daylight time, and vice versa, I'm out there in our two cars with my
little card detailing the steps it takes to reset the time on the clocks. I
know it can be done, but not only is it something I only have to do twice a
year, but the steps are so different in each car (and sometimes
counter-intuitive) that it's not worth wasting valuable brain space for.

And again, not everyone needs to be an expert. I consider myself to be
fairly adept at computers, but when mine does something outside of what I
know how to deal with, or can easily find online, you can bet that I'm at
the Apple Store letting *them* deal with it.

My wife is one of your much-maligned five step users when it comes to our
home computer. If it's something she doesn't do regularly in Word, I get
called to the study. When I finally decided it was time for her to switch
from using Eudora for email to Gmail, I had to *teach* her how to use it.
However, she's a nurse, and she uses technology every night that I'd be
dangerous around, even with the five steps written down on a sticky note.
She doesn't need to know what I know about Word or Gmail, and I surely don't
need to know what she knows about the technology she uses on the floor of
the hospital. If those five steps you have written down (or memorized) get
you through 95% of what you need to do 95% of the time, then that's pretty
good. We need to remember that we're trying to teach students to be
effective *users* of this technology, and not necessarily the future geeks
of America.

As far as teaching how to use Word Processing Program X rather than general
concepts goes, isn't it easier to teach the general concepts in Program X
and then say "other programs have these features too, just packaged
differently, and you'll have to know how to look for them"? Once my wife,
the five step user, had 10 years of email with Eudora under her belt,
learning how to use Mail2Web, and then Gmail, was easy. But she needed to
have time with one particular program to learn the concepts and *use them on
a regular basis*. Saying "Today we're using Eudora, tomorrow we're using
Elm, and on Wednesday we're using Gmail" is often confusing for
first-timers.

I'd love to get a little time in the English and History classes to teach
about how to use headers and footers *in context*. The problem is that many
of those teachers don't want to give up valuable time teaching about the
Treaty of Versailles or iambic pentameter for me to come in to show their
students something they assume that they've already gotten from me. Not to
mention the fact that there's not enough of me to go around to every section
of every class to do that.

Instead, what I end up with, and have hoped worked, is getting them in a
basic computer skills class, and using the time devoted to word processing
to show them some of what I think are the most important document formatting
skills (using Word, because it's cross-platform). You might mock this method
as giving them "five steps about five things" or you might see this as
giving them the foundation to explore beyond the five things. Some kids will
explore beyond this, some will ask if there's an easier way to do this, and
I'll introduce them individually to styles. On the other hand, when I try to
introduce styles to a class, most of them will yawn, not realizing what a
great tool I'm trying to show them.

I knew of a school that prided itself on the excellent college preparation
> it gave its students. Yet its technology courses were little more than
> teaching the students to be secretaries. They were fine so long as they
> never had to encounter a new program, or, heavens forbid, an operating
> system other than Windows. They were training up 5 step computer users, Just
> like all the teachers and administrators.

But in many cases that kind of computer training is just what they need in
order to get through the work of writing papers in college. You may use the
term "secretary" pejoratively, who wouln't like a good secretary, who was
totally knowledgable in how to format their documents, to type their papers
for them? I made pretty good money as a grad student being the "secretary"
for others precisely because I knew my way around XyWrite on the IBM-PC. Not
every student needs to know UNIX or Java in order to be successful. You
don't need to know how to take a car apart and put it back together in order
to be a good driver or navigator. The five step user in X could turn out to
be the expert in Y, precisely because the time they didn't have to spend
learning all of the ins and outs of X allowed them to devote more time to Y.

I don't pretend that my non-programming classes are anything more than
glorified typing class. But I still maintain that learning word processing
and effective document formatting are important skills, even if they are
"secretarial," and even if most users only know them at the five step level.

--
keg

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Keith E Gatling - Computer Instructor
Manlius Pebble Hill School
5300 Jamesville Rd
DeWitt, NY 13214
315.446.2452
http://www.gatling.us/keith

Some teachers teach subjects. Others teach students.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Friday, February 13, 2009

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

The problem as I see it is we are not teaching concepts, how and when
to use headers and footers, how to use footnote and endnotes and so on
we are teaching Microsoft Word, or OpenOffice or what have you. We are
teaching people to be what I call "5 step computer users"

You have all encountered these users, they are the ones with the five
steps written out on sticky notes and stuck to the monitors of their
computers. If the computer of program ever does anything unexpected or
if they ever need to do something outside the 5 steps they are lost.

I knew of a school that prided itself on the excellent college
preparation it gave its students. Yet its technology courses were
little more than teaching the students to be secretaries. They were
fine so long as they never had to encounter a new program, or, heavens
forbid, an operating system other than Windows. They were training up
5 step computer users, Just like all the teachers and administrators.

Greg

On Feb 13, 2009, at 9:05 PM, Keith E Gatling wrote:

> On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 10:00 PM, Beth Ritter-Guth <
> britterguth@hotchkiss.org> wrote:
>
>> This is a fascinating conversation. Here are my thoughts, for what
>> they
>> are worth...
>>
>> I cam to Hotchkiss after a wonderful career teaching College English.
>> Technology was an excellent tool for helping students manipulate and
>> analyze texts. Programs like Zotero helped them compile better
>> research;
>> Google Docs helped them navigate collaborative writing; Second Life
>> helped
>> them explore literature on a deeper and more personal level. But,
>> those
>> wonderful tools were partnered with texts (Dante's Inferno, for
>> example);
>> the technology did not stand alone.
>>
>> We should never sacrifice content at the altar of technology, but
>> we should
>> be realistic about the kinds of navigation and processing skills our
>> students will need in college.
>
>
> So my question is then, does plain old, non-sexy, word processing
> matter
> anymore? Is it still important to teach students how to format
> documents to
> some standard, and in such a way that when the time comes that they
> have to
> revise them, it's not as much work as writing it all over again? Are
> tabs,
> margins, headers, footers, footnotes, text-wrapping around pictures,
> non-numbered title pages that are part of the same document (but
> don't count
> as page 1), and inserting table important anymore in this wikified,
> podcasting world?
>
> And let's not forget desktop publishing. For those who do eventually
> go into
> it, aren't those "boring" things I just mentioned exactly the kinds of
> things you have to look out for and deal with? Aren't even web pages
> designed with some nod to traditional typography and page layout?
>
> Are we so sure that what they do ten years from now will be so
> radically
> different from this week that we're willing to say "They'll pick
> that old
> stuff up if they need it, go with the new stuff"?
>
> I'm not so sure about that. While it's definitely true that the
> tools of
> 2019 will be very different from the tools of 2009, the change
> between any
> two years along the way will be incremental, and we can't afford to
> throw
> out today's tools because we're sure that no one will be using them
> in 10
> years. After all, they might still be using them in 7.
>
> And maybe the old tools will just take on a new form. From 1984,
> when I saw
> my first IBM PC, it took about 10 or 15 years for the typewriter to
> pretty
> much go the way of the dinosaur as a regularly used tool. On the
> other hand,
> the skills that had been taught in many a typing class go on in the
> form of
> word processing, and the people who write word processing programs
> have
> taken the time to put in as standard features all the little things
> that we
> struggled to get right on the typewriter, and to combine it with
> typography
> and publishing. Ah, the typewriter has gone away, but typing hasn't;
> with a
> better tool it's become something more and better.
>
> Podcasting? To me that's time-shifted radio with a minimum of
> equipment. In
> fact, I use podcasts to listen to radio shows like "Wait Wait, Don't
> Tell
> Me" and "A Prairie Home Companion" that I can't listen to in real
> time.
> Perhaps the future of radio lies in the podcast, but not everyone is
> going
> to want or need to do their own. 30 years ago, when I wanted people
> to hear
> my music so I could become a songwriter, things like YouTube
> would've been
> really great. But again, that's not for everyone. And those tools will
> change too.
>
> I guess I figure that *everyone* still needs the "nuts and bolts"
> stuff,
> which is evolving incrementally. *Some* people will gravitate toward
> *creating* stuff in some of the newer, sexy, forms like podcasts,
> videos,
> wikis, etc, but that won't be the majority.
>
> One last example. I love listening to audiobooks. It allows to
> "read" while
> I'm taking a walk or driving, which would otherwise be "dead time."
> But as
> much as I love audiobooks, it's notoriously hard to highlight or put a
> Post-It note on a particularly interesting page of that audiobook so
> you can
> check it out later on. Or photocopy that page to send to someone
> else. In
> those cases I find myself having to get an old-fashioned *book*, and
> hoping
> that it has an index I can check for a key word in the passage in
> question
> so I can find it.
>
> It's all incremental.
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons,
> attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 10:00 PM, Beth Ritter-Guth <
britterguth@hotchkiss.org> wrote:

> This is a fascinating conversation. Here are my thoughts, for what they
> are worth...
>
> I cam to Hotchkiss after a wonderful career teaching College English.
> Technology was an excellent tool for helping students manipulate and
> analyze texts. Programs like Zotero helped them compile better research;
> Google Docs helped them navigate collaborative writing; Second Life helped
> them explore literature on a deeper and more personal level. But, those
> wonderful tools were partnered with texts (Dante's Inferno, for example);
> the technology did not stand alone.
>
> We should never sacrifice content at the altar of technology, but we should
> be realistic about the kinds of navigation and processing skills our
> students will need in college.

So my question is then, does plain old, non-sexy, word processing matter
anymore? Is it still important to teach students how to format documents to
some standard, and in such a way that when the time comes that they have to
revise them, it's not as much work as writing it all over again? Are tabs,
margins, headers, footers, footnotes, text-wrapping around pictures,
non-numbered title pages that are part of the same document (but don't count
as page 1), and inserting table important anymore in this wikified,
podcasting world?

And let's not forget desktop publishing. For those who do eventually go into
it, aren't those "boring" things I just mentioned exactly the kinds of
things you have to look out for and deal with? Aren't even web pages
designed with some nod to traditional typography and page layout?

Are we so sure that what they do ten years from now will be so radically
different from this week that we're willing to say "They'll pick that old
stuff up if they need it, go with the new stuff"?

I'm not so sure about that. While it's definitely true that the tools of
2019 will be very different from the tools of 2009, the change between any
two years along the way will be incremental, and we can't afford to throw
out today's tools because we're sure that no one will be using them in 10
years. After all, they might still be using them in 7.

And maybe the old tools will just take on a new form. From 1984, when I saw
my first IBM PC, it took about 10 or 15 years for the typewriter to pretty
much go the way of the dinosaur as a regularly used tool. On the other hand,
the skills that had been taught in many a typing class go on in the form of
word processing, and the people who write word processing programs have
taken the time to put in as standard features all the little things that we
struggled to get right on the typewriter, and to combine it with typography
and publishing. Ah, the typewriter has gone away, but typing hasn't; with a
better tool it's become something more and better.

Podcasting? To me that's time-shifted radio with a minimum of equipment. In
fact, I use podcasts to listen to radio shows like "Wait Wait, Don't Tell
Me" and "A Prairie Home Companion" that I can't listen to in real time.
Perhaps the future of radio lies in the podcast, but not everyone is going
to want or need to do their own. 30 years ago, when I wanted people to hear
my music so I could become a songwriter, things like YouTube would've been
really great. But again, that's not for everyone. And those tools will
change too.

I guess I figure that *everyone* still needs the "nuts and bolts" stuff,
which is evolving incrementally. *Some* people will gravitate toward
*creating* stuff in some of the newer, sexy, forms like podcasts, videos,
wikis, etc, but that won't be the majority.

One last example. I love listening to audiobooks. It allows to "read" while
I'm taking a walk or driving, which would otherwise be "dead time." But as
much as I love audiobooks, it's notoriously hard to highlight or put a
Post-It note on a particularly interesting page of that audiobook so you can
check it out later on. Or photocopy that page to send to someone else. In
those cases I find myself having to get an old-fashioned *book*, and hoping
that it has an index I can check for a key word in the passage in question
so I can find it.

It's all incremental.

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

This is a fascinating conversation. Here are my thoughts, for what they =
are worth...

I cam to Hotchkiss after a wonderful career teaching College English. =
Technology was an excellent tool for helping students manipulate and =
analyze texts. Programs like Zotero helped them compile better =
research; Google Docs helped them navigate collaborative writing; Second =
Life helped them explore literature on a deeper and more personal level. =
But, those wonderful tools were partnered with texts (Dante's Inferno, =
for example); the technology did not stand alone.

We should never sacrifice content at the altar of technology, but we =
should be realistic about the kinds of navigation and processing skills =
our students will need in college.

Beth

Beth Lynne Ritter-Guth
Educational Communication and Technology Facilitator
The Hotchkiss School
11 Interlaken Road
Box 800
Lakeville, CT 06039
(860) 435-4445
http://hotchkiss.org
http://hotchkissedtech.blogspot.com

Some teachers teach subjects. Others teach students.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * =
* *

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

Some thoughts below:

> OK, but looking at this from a musical perspective,
> don't you have to spend
> a certain amount of time practicing your scales and
> learning a bunch of
> chords (and maybe even a little music theory) before you
> can go out there
> and not only accompany anyone, especially to the point of
> being able to
> cover up their mistakes?

And this is the core of it all: theory and practice need to support each other, and be seen as part of a unified whole.

>
> Does every student have to figure out for themselves what a
> I-IV-V
> progression is, or can we give them that particular set of
> nuts and bolts as
> a start, and then let them figure out more complex
> progressions as/if they
> need them?

Tailor the instruction to the student. Some will need to be shown the I-IV-V progression, where others will just "get" it. Others may be able to apply it, but not understand where it fits within a larger conceptual framework. None of these are wrong, they are just indications of how different people learn similar things in different ways.

>
> Is it easier to learn how to use the advanced aspects of a
> tool, or a
> different manufacturer's take on a tool if you've
> been given the basics
> first?

Again, it's hard to come up with a hard and fast approach that will work for everyone. Vary the approach, as different things will work on different days (and sometimes with the same kid).

> Looking at it in a way that's much more relevant
> to the lives of our
> teenaged students, do we expect them to
> "problem-solve" how to drive a car
> on their own, or do we make sure that they have plenty of
> training in how to
> use this potentially dangerous tool?

Training, and self-directed use within a structured environmnent. I don't want to get run over by any wikis anytime soon :)

Cheers,

Bill

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 5:23 PM, Thomas Daccord <tom@edtechteacher.org>wrote:

> "I can guarantee that the job I hire someone to do will change or may not
> exist in the future, so this is why adaptability and learning skills are
> more important than technical skills." (Clay Parker of the manufacturer BOC
> Edwards quoted in Tony Wagner's Global Achievement Gap, 2008, p30).
>
> Ultimately it's not about learning technology, but learning to learn with
> technology. The tools you choose are less important than what students are
> doing with them. Ideally they should be learning how to problem-solve in a
> team framework. So, don't "teach" them word processing, but rather tell
> students you expect them to create a multimedia magazine complete with a
> Cover Page, Table of Contents, an Index, formatted text, columns, scanned
> images, graphs, and charts and they need to figure out collectively how to
> get it done. (Break them into small groups for specific tasks, if needed.)
> We should spend a limited amount of time teaching kids tools, and much more
> time trying to figure out how to use technologies to foster 21st century
> competencies in our students.
> Tom

OK, but looking at this from a musical perspective, don't you have to spend
a certain amount of time practicing your scales and learning a bunch of
chords (and maybe even a little music theory) before you can go out there
and not only accompany anyone, especially to the point of being able to
cover up their mistakes?

Does every student have to figure out for themselves what a I-IV-V
progression is, or can we give them that particular set of nuts and bolts as
a start, and then let them figure out more complex progressions as/if they
need them?

Is it easier to learn how to use the advanced aspects of a tool, or a
different manufacturer's take on a tool if you've been given the basics
first? Looking at it in a way that's much more relevant to the lives of our
teenaged students, do we expect them to "problem-solve" how to drive a car
on their own, or do we make sure that they have plenty of training in how to
use this potentially dangerous tool?

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

"I can guarantee that the job I hire someone to do will change or may not
exist in the future, so this is why adaptability and learning skills are
more important than technical skills." (Clay Parker of the manufacturer BOC
Edwards quoted in Tony Wagner's Global Achievement Gap, 2008, p30).

Ultimately it's not about learning technology, but learning to learn with
technology. The tools you choose are less important than what students are
doing with them. Ideally they should be learning how to problem-solve in a
team framework. So, don't "teach" them word processing, but rather tell
students you expect them to create a multimedia magazine complete with a
Cover Page, Table of Contents, an Index, formatted text, columns, scanned
images, graphs, and charts and they need to figure out collectively how to
get it done. (Break them into small groups for specific tasks, if needed.)
We should spend a limited amount of time teaching kids tools, and much more
time trying to figure out how to use technologies to foster 21st century
competencies in our students.
Tom

On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 1:09 PM, Keith E Gatling <kgatling@mph.net> wrote:

--
Tom Daccord -- educational technology trainer, speaker, and author.

Co-Director, EdTechTeacher
Chestnut Hill, MA
tom@edtechteacher.org
http://edtechteacher.org/
http://besthistorysites.net/
c: 617-455-8716

EdTechTeacher.org & Boston University Summer Workshops:
http://edtechteacher.org/workshops.html

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

Keith:
Teaching fundamentals is rarely a waste of time (if it is, then my fellow
historians and I are going to be up the creek without a paddle!). And I
assure you that applications like spreadsheets are not going anywhere
anytime soon as long as there are accountants, statisticians, social
scientists, or anyone else working with referential data or calculations.
The tools may become more robust but the basics are still going to be the
same.

I am of the opinion that we need to combine the education of the tool (word
processing, spreadsheets, databases) with the use of the tool (writing
skills, data analysis and manipulation, information management). In other
words, theory has to be part of practice. All too often, I encounter young
business professionals and students who are quite adept at using some
whiz-bang tools but can't format a professional document or do data analysis
because they don't know how to use the tools designed for those jobs.

By some estimates, the average computer user utilizes less than 30% of the
capability of the standard desktop. In part it is because we are only now
getting to the point of integrating technology in the classroom. As future
professionals become more adept at marrying theory to toolsets, people like
yourself will actually become MORE important, not less. Someone has to show
them how to use the tools to manage more and more information and the basic
applications are the fundamental tools.

Just my two cents.
TJ

On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 1:09 PM, Keith E Gatling <kgatling@mph.net> wrote:

> As I consider what I should be teaching in the coming years, I've been
> wondering, with all the neat stuff people have been doing with podcasts,
> wikis, blogs, and other forms of interactive media, is there really any
> point in my continuing to teach such nuts and bolts stuff as word
> processing
> and spreadsheet use? I keep hearing about how the 7th grader of today won't
> be using any of these "old fashioned" tools by the time they're in college,
> and so I wonder if continuing to teach them now is just a waste of
> everyone's time.
> --
> keg
>
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> Keith E Gatling - Computer Instructor
> Manlius Pebble Hill School
> 5300 Jamesville Rd
> DeWitt, NY 13214
> 315.446.2452
> http://www.gatling.us/keith
>
> Some teachers teach subjects. Others teach students.
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
> non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
>

--
TJ Rainsford
E: tjrainsford@gmail.com

Re: Google Earth - Historical Maps

At the request of many list members, here are the installation and basic
instructions for using the Rumsey Map Collection overlays in Google Earth.
I am not sure if the list allows for the sending of attachments but if
anyone wants these instructions in a word processing document, please let me
know and I will be happy to send a copy.
If anyone has suggestions on improving the instructions, I welcome the
comments.

Enjoy!
TJ

Background
Google and David Rumsey of Cartography Associates have teamed together to
provide historical map overlays for Google Earth. The overlays rely on the
Keyhole Markup Language (KML) standard for geographic information systems.
The current KML standard is KML 2.2 and is maintained by the Open
Geospatial Consortium (OGC).

Prerequisites
Google Earth 5.0 (http://earth.google.com/)

Installation of Rumsey Map Overlays
1. Launch Google Earth 5.0
2. Under the PLACES side bar menu, click Add Content
3. In the browser window in the main panel, paste the address to the Rumsey
Collection KMZ (http://www.davidrumsey.com/rumseycollection.kmz)
4. Select OPEN to import the Rumsey Collection KMZ into Google Earth
5. Rumsey Historical Maps should now be listed under Temporary Places under
the PLACES side bar menu
6. To permanently save the collection to Google Earth, click on the Rumsey
Historical Maps collection in the Temporary Places in the PLACES menu and
drag the collection to My Places in the PLACES menu

Displaying Rumsey Map Overlays
1. Connect to the Internet
2. Open Google Earth 5.0
3. In the PLACES menu under My Places, expand the Rumsey Historical Maps.
4. Select a map or maps from any of the sub menus by checking the box next
to the map name.
5. To manage the transparency of the map, use the slide bar under the PLACES
menu.
6. For additional Rumsey Map locator icons on the current map, select the
Map Finder option under Rumsey Historical Maps in the PLACES menu.

On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 9:04 AM, TJ Rainsford <tjrainsford@gmail.com> wrote:

> Greetings Everyone:
> As part of a recent lecture on the Age of Exploration, I utilized Google
> Earth to provide students with a sense of geographic scale comparing the
> "known world" of the Renaissance to the realities of Earth geography. While
> the integration of technology was well received by students (the WOW factor
> does have its advantages), it bothered me that I couldn't display historical
> borders showing the geo-political realities of the 16th Century world.
> Little did I know that a potential solution existed!
>
> David Rumsey, President of Cartography Associates and a fairly well known
> academic in his own right, began digitizing a sizable collection of
> historical maps about 12 years ago. The vast majority of this collection is
> available online at http://www.davidrumsey.com/ and are free for
> non-commercial use. But Rumsey has taken this a step farther. Working with
> the folks at Google, a growing number of the historical maps are now
> provided as overlays on Google Earth!
>
> Because of differences in cartography over time, the older maps don't
> always match up with the realities of modern land masses but that in and of
> itself is a great teaching aid. Using the latest version of Google Earth
> (5.0), educators can change the transparency of the overlays to move back
> and forth between the current and the historical. All of the existing
> features of Google Earth are also available even when the overlays are in
> place.
>
> If there is interest, I am happy to post the techno-babble you will need to
> set it up. As with many things Google, it is actually pretty straight
> forward and, thankfully, makes use of existing technical standards. Google
> has this nasty habit of providing these wonderful tools and not really
> advertising it...but I suppose that is to my benefit because I can look like
> the hero when I share it with others! :-)
>
> TJ
>
> --
> TJ Rainsford
> E: tjrainsford@gmail.com
>
>
>

--
TJ Rainsford
E: tjrainsford@gmail.com

21st Century Computer Skills

As I consider what I should be teaching in the coming years, I've been
wondering, with all the neat stuff people have been doing with podcasts,
wikis, blogs, and other forms of interactive media, is there really any
point in my continuing to teach such nuts and bolts stuff as word processing
and spreadsheet use? I keep hearing about how the 7th grader of today won't
be using any of these "old fashioned" tools by the time they're in college,
and so I wonder if continuing to teach them now is just a waste of
everyone's time.
--
keg

Some teachers teach subjects. Others teach students.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Re: Laptop machines

We have been putting the Lenovo S10 netbooks through a series of tests =
recently, as we are looking to put them into Lower School classrooms =
soon... Our results have been great. Here is what we have found:
=20
- Yes, they come with Windows XP home, but we were able to get them =
running pretty well with Windows XP Pro, Vista Ultimate, and even =
Windows 7.
- They can handle multiple applications open and running at the same =
time (including some graphic hogs). We've have Google Earth, =
Powerpoint, and streaming video going at the same time without a =
noticeable slowdown.
- They will recognize up to 2GB of memory (we upgraded to 2GB before =
throwing the netbooks through tests).
- The kids love them... When we show them to the girls here, they go =
crazy over them. Most even say they are "cuter" than Macs... a big =
point for a PC-based school.
=20
Hope that helps.
=20
-- Brad
=20
=20
=20
********************************************************
Brad Rathgeber
Director of Technology
History Teacher
Holton-Arms School
=20
301-365-6114
=20
brad.rathgeber@holton-arms.edu

________________________________

From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Brian Lee
Sent: Fri 2/13/2009 10:18 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: Laptop machines

You may want to look at the Dell Mini 12. I tried using the the 10"
netbooks, and I found the keyboard too small for my hands. It would go =
well
with lower school children, though.

On 2/13/09 9:44 AM, "Sherry Ward" <sward@acdsnet.org> wrote:

> We are also looking at the netbooks for similar reasons. We have
> desktops for graphics editing, etc, but the big, clunky 15-16 inch
> laptops are used almost exclusively for Internet and Office programs.
> I've heard good things about the Dell mini 9. Thanks for the hint =
about
> some including tablet features.
>
> sherry
>
>
> Sherry Ward
> Director of Technology
> Alexandria Country Day School
> 2400 Russell Road
> Alexandria, VA 22301
> 703-837-1317 (direct) sward@acdsnet.org

Re: Laptop machines

You may want to look at the Dell Mini 12. I tried using the the 10"
netbooks, and I found the keyboard too small for my hands. It would go well
with lower school children, though.

On 2/13/09 9:44 AM, "Sherry Ward" <sward@acdsnet.org> wrote:

> We are also looking at the netbooks for similar reasons. We have
> desktops for graphics editing, etc, but the big, clunky 15-16 inch
> laptops are used almost exclusively for Internet and Office programs.
> I've heard good things about the Dell mini 9. Thanks for the hint about
> some including tablet features.
>
> sherry
>
>
> Sherry Ward
> Director of Technology
> Alexandria Country Day School
> 2400 Russell Road
> Alexandria, VA 22301
> 703-837-1317 (direct) sward@acdsnet.org

Re: Laptop machines

We are also looking at the netbooks for similar reasons. We have
desktops for graphics editing, etc, but the big, clunky 15-16 inch
laptops are used almost exclusively for Internet and Office programs.
I've heard good things about the Dell mini 9. Thanks for the hint about
some including tablet features.

sherry

Sherry Ward
Director of Technology
Alexandria Country Day School
2400 Russell Road
Alexandria, VA 22301
703-837-1317 (direct) sward@acdsnet.org

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of TJ Rainsford
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:22 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: Laptop machines

Many manufacturers including Dell, Lenovo and HP (as well as Acer and a
number of others) have released so called netBooks. These are ultra
lightweight, ultra small units that do pack enough of a punch to serve
many
purposes.
Limitations on these units have to be considered, however.

1. Windows XP Home: Most come with the Home edition of Windows XP which
cannot be added to a Microsoft-based network infrastructure (Active
Directory)

2. Linux: You can, however, get these machines with different flavors of
Linux for the open source crowd.

3. Memory: Though changes will be coming, most netBooks come with only
1GB
of RAM. If you are planning on using these machines for graphics
intensive
programs or anything requiring a lot of RAM, you will regret it.

4. Cost: The intriguing part is cost. High end is about $450 and goes
down
from there.

On Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 5:11 PM, David F. Withrow <
DavidWithrow@harfordday.org> wrote:

> A big mac fan myself we are considering the acer inspire one ($279.99)
for
> carts.
>
> David F. Withrow
> Director of Technology
> Harford Day School
> Bel Air, Maryland 21014
> voice: 410 879 2350 ex 33
> fax: 410 836 5918
> http://www.harfordday.org
>
> The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its
children.
> - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
>
> In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In
practice,
> there is.
> - Yogi Berra
>
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons,
attribution,
> non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L
>

--=20
TJ Rainsford
E: tjrainsford@gmail.com

[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons,
attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L

Google Earth - Historical Maps

Greetings Everyone:
As part of a recent lecture on the Age of Exploration, I utilized Google
Earth to provide students with a sense of geographic scale comparing the
"known world" of the Renaissance to the realities of Earth geography. While
the integration of technology was well received by students (the WOW factor
does have its advantages), it bothered me that I couldn't display historical
borders showing the geo-political realities of the 16th Century world.
Little did I know that a potential solution existed!

David Rumsey, President of Cartography Associates and a fairly well known
academic in his own right, began digitizing a sizable collection of
historical maps about 12 years ago. The vast majority of this collection is
available online at http://www.davidrumsey.com/ and are free for
non-commercial use. But Rumsey has taken this a step farther. Working with
the folks at Google, a growing number of the historical maps are now
provided as overlays on Google Earth!

Because of differences in cartography over time, the older maps don't always
match up with the realities of modern land masses but that in and of itself
is a great teaching aid. Using the latest version of Google Earth (5.0),
educators can change the transparency of the overlays to move back and forth
between the current and the historical. All of the existing features of
Google Earth are also available even when the overlays are in place.

If there is interest, I am happy to post the techno-babble you will need to
set it up. As with many things Google, it is actually pretty straight
forward and, thankfully, makes use of existing technical standards. Google
has this nasty habit of providing these wonderful tools and not really
advertising it...but I suppose that is to my benefit because I can look like
the hero when I share it with others! :-)

--
TJ Rainsford
E: tjrainsford@gmail.com

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Social Networking Guidelines for Faculty and Staff

While there's been a lot of talk about social networking guidelines for f=
aculty and staff, I have not see a lot in the area of actual examples.

So I took it upon myself to try to create one, which I offer below, with =
the full knowledge that this group will provide me with gracious, honest =
feedback. My hope is that perhaps this will jump start an ISED discussion=
and suggestions for improvements
that will result in a policy I can bring to our faculty and administratio=
n, so as you can see I have an ulterior motive! :-)

Suggested Guidelines for Faculty and Staff Use of Social Networks*

1. COURSE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING: In order to provide equal, age-approp=
riate access for students to course materials, faculty should limit class=
activities to school-sanctioned online tools. New social networking tool=
s and features are being
continually introduced which may or may not be appropriate for course use=
. The same care must be taken in choosing such tools as other tools and s=
upport materials.
2. MODEL APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR: Exercise appropriate discretion when using=
social networks for personal communications (friends, colleagues, parent=
s, former students, etc.) with the knowledge that adult behavior on socia=
l networks may be used as a model
by our students.
3. FRIENDING ALUMNI: Accept social network friend requests only with alum=
ni over the age of 18. Do not initiate friend contacts with alumni.
4. UNEQUAL RELATIONSHIPS: Understand that the uneven power dynamics of th=
e school, in which adults have authority over former students, continues =
to shape those relationships.
5. OTHER FRIENDS: Remind all other members of your network of your positi=
on as an educator whose profile may be accessed by current or former stud=
ents, and to monitor their posts to your network accordingly. Conversely,=
be judicious in your postings to
all friends sites, and act immediately to remove any material that may be=
inappropriate from your site whether posted by you or someone else.
6. GROUPS IN YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK: Associate with social networking groups=
consistent with healthy, pro-social activities and the mission and reput=
ation of the school, acting with sensitivity within context of a diverse =
educational environment in which
both students and adults practice tolerance and accept competing views.
7. PRIVACY SETTINGS AND CONTENT: Exercise care with privacy settings and =
profile content. Content should be placed thoughtfully and periodically r=
eviewed to maintain this standard.
8. MISREPRESENTATION: Faculty who use social networks should do so using =
their own name, not a pseudonym or nickname.
9. PUBLIC INFORMATION: Recognize that many former students have online co=
nnections with current students, and that information shared between scho=
ol adults and former students is likely to be seen by current students as=
well.

*Some of the ideas for this list come from a Facebook group I belong to, =
Faculty Ethics on Facebook. It is geared towards higher education.
-----
Treat each piece of paper as precious and reduce waste - don't print elec=
tronic documents.
-----
Steve Taffee 650.470.7725 (office)
Director of Technology 415.613.6684 (mobile)
Castilleja School 650.326.8036 (fax)
1310 Bryant Street steve_taffee@castilleja.org =20
Palo Alto, CA 94301 www.castilleja.org | taffee.edublogs.or=
g
Women Learning, Women Leading
-------

Re: Web Refresh Document?

Lorrie:

Using something like Base Camp (along with a spreadsheet or database)
is an excellent idea. Managing Web site content is really no
different than managing print media. Creating production timelines in
project management software (along with basic project management
skills) work pretty much the same in online and print media. The only
major difference is the immediacy in which content is deployed in the
Web world. This is what tends to get businesses and organizations in
trouble.

The decentralized nature of online media makes management of the
content more critical. Knowing who is doing what and when (using
project management tools) can help in keeping some semblance of
control over the process. It will also help in giving the content
creators a sense of when they will need to provide new content. All
to often it is at the bottom of an already long laundry list of things
to do (like, oh, the business of education itself) and by preparing
folks in advanced makes it easier for them to manage their time.

I have managed a number of different types of sites over the years and
have found project management tools invaluable.

On 2/12/09, Lorrie Jackson <ljackson@lausanneschool.com> wrote:
> Thanks! I appreciate the recommendations for a CMS solution. I'll be
> honest...I'm not a full-time webmaster and the time I can spend on this is
> minimal. I was thinking of a spreadsheet template or other fairly simplistic
> model. I use Base Camp for
> managing my magazine and wonder if others have used project management
> software like this to manage their web site?
>
> Lorrie
>
> dwfitzgerald@yahoo.com writes:
>>Within a Drupal-based site, this would be pretty straightforward --
>> Revision tracking comes with the core install, and you can use a module
>> called "Workflow" to create custom publishing workflows -- this can
>> include setting pages that have not been
>>updated in x days to trigger an email to a site admin.
>>
>>Moreover, you could also create searchable pages that filtered on dates --
>> so, for example, you could look for all pages containing "alumni" that
>> have been updated within the last x days/weeks.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>Bill
>
>
> Lorrie Jackson
> Director of Communications and Marketing
> Lausanne Collegiate School (Memphis, TN, USA)
> 901-474-1003
> ljackson@lausanneschool.com
> www.lausanneschool.com
> Skype: lorriejackson
> Twitter: lausanneschool or lorriejl
> Find Lausanne Collegiate School on Facebook!
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
> non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
>

--
Sent from my mobile device

TJ Rainsford
E: tjrainsford@gmail.com

Re: Laptop machines

Many manufacturers including Dell, Lenovo and HP (as well as Acer and a
number of others) have released so called netBooks. These are ultra
lightweight, ultra small units that do pack enough of a punch to serve many
purposes.
Limitations on these units have to be considered, however.

1. Windows XP Home: Most come with the Home edition of Windows XP which
cannot be added to a Microsoft-based network infrastructure (Active
Directory)

2. Linux: You can, however, get these machines with different flavors of
Linux for the open source crowd.

3. Memory: Though changes will be coming, most netBooks come with only 1GB
of RAM. If you are planning on using these machines for graphics intensive
programs or anything requiring a lot of RAM, you will regret it.

4. Cost: The intriguing part is cost. High end is about $450 and goes down
from there.

On Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 5:11 PM, David F. Withrow <
DavidWithrow@harfordday.org> wrote:

> A big mac fan myself we are considering the acer inspire one ($279.99) for
> carts.
>
> David F. Withrow
> Director of Technology
> Harford Day School
> Bel Air, Maryland 21014
> voice: 410 879 2350 ex 33
> fax: 410 836 5918
> http://www.harfordday.org
>
> The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.
> - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
>
> In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice,
> there is.
> - Yogi Berra
>
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
> non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
>

--
TJ Rainsford
E: tjrainsford@gmail.com

Re: Laptop machines

A forum for independent school educators <ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 3:50 PM -0600 wrote:
>What kind of machines are up and coming? It seems that i-phones do
>nearly all of these things! There has to be something between the G3
>handhelds and the full-blown laptop (the vast majority of which seems to
>go unused...)
Stacey - you might want to take a look at netbooks. We are going to be using some of the Lenovo Ideabooks next year in our middle school. They have smaller keyboards and screens than conventional laptops but also weigh less. They seem to run most
programs well. And the good news is that they list under $500. Asus and Classmate also offer netbook models, including two announced in January that include tablet features.

Good luck! Karen

Karen Douse
Director of Library and Information Services
Ann Scott Carell Library
Harpeth Hall School
615-346-0116
douse@harpethhall.org

Re: Laptop machines

A big mac fan myself we are considering the acer inspire one ($279.99) for carts.

David F. Withrow
Director of Technology
Harford Day School
Bel Air, Maryland 21014
voice: 410 879 2350 ex 33
fax: 410 836 5918
http://www.harfordday.org

The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.
- Yogi Berra

Laptop machines

Hi - we're looking at adding more laptop carts to our middle school.
I've been thinking that there has to be a smaller, sleeker machine for
this kind of use. Most of the time carts are used to have students
access information, do some writing, get to a web-based activity. They
also have some software such as Inspiration and the MS office suite on
them.

=20

What kind of machines are up and coming? It seems that i-phones do
nearly all of these things! There has to be something between the G3
handhelds and the full-blown laptop (the vast majority of which seems to
go unused...)

=20

All best and thanks for your replies

=20

-Stacey

Anastasia Giordano

Academic Dean

The Albany Academies

135 Academy Rd

Albany, NY 12208

518.429.2300 ext 423

518-429-2438 fax

=20

The Albany Academies is committed to developing the potential of the
whole individual by building a community that fosters scholarship,
leadership, character, service, and creativity.

=20

The information contained in this communication, including attachments, is =
privileged and confidential.=0D
It is intended only for the exclusive use of the addressee. If the reader o=
f this message is not the intended recipient,=0D
or the employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended reci=
pient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination,=0D
distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If yo=
u have received this communication in error,=0D
please notify the sender by email and immediately delete the communication.=
=0D
Copyright The Albany Academies All rights reserved

Independent School Educators' List (ISED-L)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

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Friday, February 13, 2009

Re: 21st Century Computer Skills

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Re: Google Earth - Historical Maps

21st Century Computer Skills

Re: Laptop machines

Re: Laptop machines

Re: Laptop machines

Google Earth - Historical Maps

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Social Networking Guidelines for Faculty and Staff

Re: Web Refresh Document?

Re: Laptop machines

Re: Laptop machines

Re: Laptop machines

Laptop machines

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