Technology in Education

I learned something today reading about Louis Armstrong in the NY Times. Perhaps we condense history too much into cartoon images of people. This is especially dangerous as all the great jazz artists begin to pass into history.

I often think educators perpetuate these cartoonish stories about artists without checking them out. Imagine if we really studied Armstrong and really looked at his music. In a perfect standards driven world what should we be teaching and learning? I hope educators model learning properly and share articles like this with their classes about possibly the greatest artist of the 20th century.

I have started a new year of web design classes at school.  This semester I am teaching three levels (Web1, Web2, Web3).  We have also added a new online grading program (GradeQuick) which has taken some getting used to after using Teacherease.

 I have noticed that I have some serious writers this year.  A majority of my students have gotten right into blogging and they are writing a ton of entries.  I have to be careful that I don’d spend all day reading them.  560 entries in the first week!

 And yet, much is up in the air.  I read about other teachers making their plans.  But I have to wait.  I know where I want to go, I just haven’t decided how to get there yet.  I know that thinkquest is on the horizon, and Lulu, and probably making Google mash-ups.  How and when that will fit–we shall see.