A bit about me
I have been captivated by digital technologies since the mid 1980's and have always been inspired by the endless possibilities which have become available to education. I remember once getting an FM microphone and removing the microphone part and soldering on a small headphone plug. I issued FM radios to my students and made cassette tapes of lessons so I could broadcast to the headphone radios thereby meeting the needs of some of my faster learners. It didn't work that terrifically but it certainly started me thinking. Today with the huge variety of apps and programs made available we have an unlimited canvass to draw on.
If anyone had said to me at that time that they had a simple process which could answer practically any question anyone could conceive on a device that cost less than $250, did I think that this would be of value in the classroom? Of course I would jump at it as would any one else. Yet I can't help thinking that today we take much of the available technology for granted and do not use it's full capabilities. My feeling is that we are pretty much imprisoned by traditional software like Word and find it difficult to break free.
As the Director of eLearning at Wellington Secondary College I am always looking for innovative ways to lead staff to be creative and productive in their use of digital technologies. This is not easy. Not everyone feels about it in the same way as I do. Patience and constant availability works wonders.
If anyone had said to me at that time that they had a simple process which could answer practically any question anyone could conceive on a device that cost less than $250, did I think that this would be of value in the classroom? Of course I would jump at it as would any one else. Yet I can't help thinking that today we take much of the available technology for granted and do not use it's full capabilities. My feeling is that we are pretty much imprisoned by traditional software like Word and find it difficult to break free.
As the Director of eLearning at Wellington Secondary College I am always looking for innovative ways to lead staff to be creative and productive in their use of digital technologies. This is not easy. Not everyone feels about it in the same way as I do. Patience and constant availability works wonders.
Hi Phil, welcome to the course! I really look forward to getting to know you better over the next 4 months - I have been also involved and interested in using digital technologies in order to engage students in learning since about 1994 when I returned from 12 months overseas and became an IEARN Mentor and a Learning With the Internet trainer. My biggest passion is the teaching and learning - the pedagogical affordances that digital technologies can support in schools and I hope our discussions over the coming weeks help to explore these further so we can both gain greater shared understandings!
ReplyDeleteHi Phil, it is great to have you as part of our group and I look forward to learning from and with you as you progress through the course. Could I request that you also put an introduction into the group blog on the introductions page so the other members of the group can learn about you. Thanks :)
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