In response to the celebration of the first
Digital Learning Day on February 1, we've been doing a series of posts on how the digital age is affecting us as writers, readers, and teachers. Mary Ann wrote about "
learning to love the e-book," not only as an author, but as the mother of a child with dyslexia. Jeanne Marie shared how she's
trying to incorporate technology into her lesson plans to appeal to today's "digital natives" (aka our students). Esther blogged about her courage and determination (my words, not hers) in
learning new classroom technologies despite her own learning disabilities. And JoAnn shared her approach to facing the deluge of digital-age opportunities:
focusing on trying "one new thing" at a time.
I'm intrigued by the unique relationship each of the
TeachingAuthors has with computer technology, especially because my own undergraduate degree is in Mathematics and Computer Science. Unfortunately, that education predates personal computers and the widespread use of the Internet. (I know, I'm dating myself here.) However, although the programming languages I studied in school are virtually obsolete (Ever hear of
COBOL?), the basic principles I learned back then still come in handy. Plus, I'm not intimidated by having to tweak HTML code once in a while to get around some of Blogger's quirks. :-)
In an interesting bit of Synchronicity, I'm preparing to teach a brand new class this Saturday that is very technology oriented: "Get Started Blogging." Not only is this a new subject for me, but it's also the first time I'll be teaching a class in a computer lab. (And I keep imagining all the things that could go wrong with the computers!) Of course, as always happens when I teach, I'm learning, too. For example, I learned that the word "
blog" has it's origin in the word "
weblog," which itself was coined back in 1997 by combining the terms
web + log. I'm also learning new software. I decided to use
Wordpress.com as the blogging platform for the sample blogs my students will be creating, instead of
Google Blogger, which is the platform for our
TeachingAuthors blog. That way, I can better share what I see as the pros and cons of the two platforms. If any of you have used both, I'd love to know which you prefer and why.
But back to the topic of how the digital age is affecting me, personally:
As a teacher:
I can't remember the last time I wrote a check. What used to be an everyday occurrence at the grocery store or doctor's office is practically a thing of the past. Now I whip out a debit card for nearly all my financial transactions. I pay bills online. I order walking shoes and reserve hotel rooms and book airplane flights online. And I welcome the change: the transactions are faster, less paper is wasted, I can see right away that something is taken care of and cross it off my list.
Technology surrounds us, helps us, and sometimes overwhelms us. In planning this post on the impact of the digital age on us as writers, readers, teachers, and/or parents, I struggled to find a place to begin. I visited the site for Digital Learning Day, February 1, "a nationwide celebration of innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology that engages students and provides them with a rich, personalized educational experience." I followed link after link to sites bursting with ideas and plans for enriching students' learning experiences by using new technology in classrooms. (I also read comments from teachers about the availability of that technology in these days of severe budget restrictions, but that's a whole 'nother topic.)
Somewhere I found a link to The National Writing Project's February 2 post, "Digital Learning Day: Celebrating Innovative Teaching Strategies." There I found the advice I needed: try one new thing.
Try one new thing. The age of writing checks to pay for purchases is over; so is the time for using transparency film and overhead projectors for author visits and conference presentations. I made that transition nervously and gladly accepted the convenience, portability, and vividness of PowerPoint presentations. At first, I hauled the transparencies along as backup; eventually, I relaxed and considered the new system reliable enough to let them go.
Now, in addition, I visit with students across the country using Skype, which cuts out travel time and transportation costs. I can even share those PowerPoint presentations without leaving home.
I used to rely more on paper for teaching, too. Now classrooms are equipped with projectors that enable me to share examples from books, handouts, or the World Wide Web. Students can post their assignments online, and we can discuss their work in class without having to print copies for everyone.
Facebook and Twitter were nerve-wracking at first, too, but I came to embrace them both as rich resources for contacts and information I never would have accumulated otherwise. I learned how to send text messages because that's what our kids do, and I wanted to be able to communicate with them. I take pictures with my cell phone camera and send photos to my e-mail account, to friends, and to Facebook. On one particularly brave day, I posted a video of chimney swifts (the subject of a picture book manuscript) on YouTube.
So, yes. We learn. We keep trying one new thing. And then another. Each step forward brings us to a new challenge. What's next? I'm comparing the options for self-publishing a manuscript based on the poetry writing workshops I present in schools, Write A Poem Step by Step. I'm as excited about this new possibility as I am curious about the best way to approach it. But I'm determined to learn. Wish me luck!
Don't forget to enter our contest to win an autographed copy of Barb Rosenstock's new book, The Camping Trip that Changed America. The interview and entry details are here, and the deadline is tomorrow (Saturday, February 1
Carmela, My daughter Kath of Katheats.com is a popular food blogger (if you can spare me a motherly boast). I asked her, and she said that Wordpress is much more versatile. She swears by Windows Live Writer as a blogging program. I don't quite get how it interfaces with wordpress, but she says she couldn't live with out it.
I am teaching a blogging class soon myself. So I was happy to read this post and look forward to posts about your class!
Thanks for the info, Barbara. I'll have to visit your daughter's blog. Have fun with your class, Tarie. Will you be teaching a specific blogging platform?
I'm planning on introducing them to several of the platforms. Good luck to me!
You mentioned meeting “writers, teachers, librarians, editors, agents, and booksellers” in this digital community. I hope you’ll add one more to your collection – a speech therapist! I’m amazed at how the digital age is increasing the learning opportunities for my students and for myself. Thank you for the ideas and information you’re passing along in this blog.
Yes, Tarie, good luck to you! My class is only one-day, from 9-3, so I'm showing them only one blogging platform. I'm worried we won't have time to cover everything I want to share. So good luck to me, too.
And Jeanette, how cool to have a speech therapist in our community. Welcome!
I'm approaching one year blogging and have loved every bit, of stretching my writing challenges, of meeting people all over the world, in teaching, writing and reading, and expanding my tech abilities. I am a lit coach now but taught middle school gifted students at my school. I recently started a small group blogging & we used Edublogger. I learned about it & thought it was great with students. One thing I still read is the blog from that platform. The woman who writes it covers many things applicable to all blogging. I am more and more interested in tech tools & am amazed at how much things have changed. I have a new IPad and have only read a few books on it. I like the other tools and apps better. I liked all the areas you covered in your post. I hope you have fun teaching your blog class.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Linda. I found a great article on the Edublogger site that I plan to share with my blogging class students: it discusses copyright and fair use issues and links to places where you can find free clipart, images, and photographs:
http://theedublogger.com/2012/02/09/the-educators-guide-to-copyright-fair-use-and-creative-commons/
And I know what you mean about reading books on electronic devices. Although my NookColor comes in handy, I still prefer reading paper books. :-)
Thanks so much for stopping by!
I'm glad you liked the blog; I've read & shared that article too & find other words she writes very useful.
Thanks for stopping by my 'snowy' blog! I'm sorry to say that I've not noticed your lists at the top of the blog. Yikes & I want students to notice things! But, thank you for pointing it out; I love it, know some but not all. When teachers at our school urge students to send some work, it nearly always is successful in some way. I've had students (middle school 6,7,8) publish several places & one teacher is devoted to the Letters to Lit contest & some students place in some way there each time. I hope you can get your students to risk trying. Nice talking!
I'm glad you came back to check out the page of markets for young writers, Linda. I'll keep you posted if any of my students submit their work.