Poetry Meets the Techno World and the Whole Damned Thing Gets Weirder

OK, it's probably me. Well, at least the Puritan, New England guilt that leeches from the granite and into my whole being is willing to accept the responsibility and required penance for trying to create a podcast of me reading and giving hints and suggestions for finding commonalities among the poems of John Keats, Wendell Berry, and myself. I am still trying to figure out if it was Keats' shade that objected most to his poem being read on a podcast, or if it's the punishment for the sin of hubris (OK, mixing Greek mythological retribution and Puritanism here, but it works in my head) of reading my own work into a microphone and hoping to post it out there in the aether. Actually, the Greek metaphor is working well here, as the downloaded converter (aptly called Lame) that I was supposed to use to transform my podcast file into an mp3 for uploading (and downloading) purposes carried a Trojan. Thank goodness my computer security caught it and blocked it (I have mental images of a burly kilted warrior with long mustaches blocking the computer...yes, I have McAfee).

For what it's worth, I was reading and asking the listeners to consider and find common elements among the three poems: Keats' "When I Have Fears," Berry's "The Peace of Wild Things," and a poem in progress of my own. This paired and compared poem exercise is not a new idea in my classes, but I thought it would be a useful project to transform the idea to a podcast (final project for class), and demonstrate to my students that a/ I am not a Luddite, and b/ poetry is an aural and oral art, and hearing it read makes a world of difference.

That all being said, my Prof is helping me figure this meshuggah mess out.

How's that for being multicultural? Puritans, Greeks, Yiddish, and TechnoSpeak. woot, me.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Oh, look out you rock n rollers
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Pretty soon now you're gonna get a little older
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
I said that time may change me
But I can't trace time
(David Bowie)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbnJo88kuP8

Change. It's the one constant in life, and, by extension, in the world of education. Some changes are extrinsic, others, the ones that are more permanent and quite probably more important, are intrinsic. Institutional change is ongoing, often creating some chaos and resulting in abandoned initiatives and disaffected teachers, students, and parents. Changes in educational policy have much the same results. The most powerful change is the change that comes from a deeper understanding of what one's role is as a teacher and co-learner in both the educational setting and the personal one as well. How does this relate to technology, students, and the expectations that are set by others outside the world of the classroom? As a co-learner and mentor in the classroom, one's role is to investigate all opportunities and vehicles for learning, embracing the ones that make sense and that can make a positive contribution to the learning process for everyone involved. Some aspects of technology are "gadgets" and the things that dress up a lesson or a finished product. Others are far more useful; some management tools do, in fact, make record keeping and reporting easier (when they work!), and some educational tools are quite helpful, and support the learning process in meaningful ways. It is our job to first inspect what it is we hope to achieve with the lessons we offer to our students, and then seek out a variety of ways to support the lessons and the learning expectations. Online resources such as Purdue OWL, Wikipedia, and other forms of locating and sifting for informational texts are beneficial, while other forms of technology can be a distraction (at worst), or a novelty to engage students' interests (at best). The teacher's role is to determine what the proper tools are to bring students to the place where their best learning can take place. 

Have I changed due to this short exploration of various forms of technology? I don't really think so, except that it has given me an opportunity to look at what I teach, what I want the students to learn, and consider a variety of tools and how they can best support what we are working on. Could I continue to teach with very little technology embedded? Sure I could. However, I can, and do, use technology as part of my teacher's "magic bag of tricks" to call upon to assist my students and myself. There are times and opportunities when the newest and brightest innovations bring what we are doing to a whole new level, and that is exciting and will bear good fruit. I hope, though, to never lose sight of what the true goals of education are: to read, to consider and think critically, to learn to communicate effectively, and to reflect on what one thinks. When, and if, technology can support those goals, then it's certainly a good choice to use whatever is available to us. 

If we allow our self-congratulatory adoration of technology to distract us from our own contact with each other, then somehow the original agenda has been lost.
Jaron Lanier 


As I sit here, randomly checking and rechecking my emails and social media posts, I wonder just how connected we are with each other. I mean, yes, we have the means, but do we truly have the desire to do the real work of maintaining interpersonal relationships? Today, when friendships are formed digitally, bullying occurs in a faceless medium, and people hook up and break up without having to look each other in the eye, the human contact element seems to be suffering. One of the unintended and tragic casualties of our hyperconnectedness is a lack of true connection; the anonymity of the Internet, texting, and instant messaging makes human commitment fleeting, or deceptively intense, with little in between. Teenaged dramas are enacted hourly online. Family issues are aired openly in the social media. All of a sudden, private issues are now overtly public, and the audience is not the three best friends crowded into the girls' bathroom or around the coffee table. It is all of us. And I, for one, feel that this is both inappropriate and immensely sad.

We need to make sure that there's art in the school. Why? Why should art be in the school? Because if art isn't in a school, then a guy like Steve Jobs doesn't get a chance to really express himself because in order for art to meet technology, you need art.
LL Cool J 

I sense that the tenor of my posts is often negative, but that's not really how I feel about the world of technology. I love the way I can find sources, information, entertainment, or friends in the blink of an eye. I'm an information junkie; the web provides me with the means by which I can satisfy my need to know as fast as I can think up things to think. As it were.

However! I do want to address the issue of balance. Like any other new-ish thrust in the world of education, and in fact, in the consumer-culture we live in, technology is holding center stage pretty securely. We are allowing Big Tech to monologue, and this is a source of frustration and failure on our parts. We should consider what we hope to achieve, before we jump immediately to the tech component. This is not to say it's not useful, and in the right hands, and with the right amount of pre-planning and intention, great things can, and have, been achieved already. What concerns me the most, though, is the imbalances that are now apparent in many schools, and in our culture, today. The misuse of technology, and the over-reliance on computers and other digital media, has caused a shift away from the other elements of an education that make us whole humans. We desperately need art, music, literature, play time, thinking time, and drama. And not the sort of "drama" that comes from social media kvetch-fests. If technology can be used to enhance what we have traditionally treasured, and not replace it, then we'll be doing okay. I mean, I love the fact that I can take a virtual tour of the Louvre; I would like to still see it exist and thrive in the real world as well. I fear, though, that because we can visit it virtually, people will not go and do and see, and thereby cause the demise of that fine institution. And so it goes for concerts, plays, and other forms of human-created, human-enacted, forms of art and culture. We should be educated, wary, and informed consumers and users of the tech available to us, and we should take it upon ourselves to guide our students wisely as well.

In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. - Desiderius Erasmus

Today is the last day of the school year, with students, anyhow. Grades are due by tomorrow, to be posted to the computerized grade book and this ingenious program will tally and make the grades all neat and pretty, ready for the world to see.

Welcome to the mythology that we are operating under in my little world.

Today is definitely the last day. Grades have been posted. That much is verifiable fact, not to be confused as truth, which is another thing altogether, being, as it is, rooted in agreed upon mythologies and the like. From this point on, the situation is a bit muddled. See, we have this brand-new, time saving, super-muscular entity that runs all of the record keeping for us...and none of us really know how it works. Grades entered do not tally in any mathematical universe, but this is not true for all teachers, just some. We don't know why. Grades posted appear on the web, so parents and students can receive info instantly; thus, we are subject to immediate scrutiny, and we have no solid answers. And reports? Pish. Who needs those to reflect what we know to be fact, as entered by our own (fallible !?) human hands. 

Case in point, a student of mine earned a 70 for the semester. It shows a 70. Yet, when I wanted a print out summary of the semester grades for my class...it shows a 69. Now, I know it's not a rounding down thing; I hand entered the 70. What??? Weird, eh? Teachers are stressing, the Administration/Guidance people are hatching an egg, parents and students are confused, and grades are due. As in, due. Over. Semester/year all done. And NO ONE knows or is completely sure what needs to be done/can be done. See, in a perfect world, someone would have arranged for training about this program for us. We.Had.None. OK, a photocopied handout of links. We were informed that it was easy to use, to just click around and get to know what it can do. (In my spare time? OK, I did. I'm compliant.) If we couldn't figure it out, we should ask each other for help, or look on youtube. For the entire school year, we've been clicking around, and guiding each other, stumbling along...and now, it's the end of the year. I think my data is correct. I entered it, and checked it. What the program does from here on in is beyond my ken. And I honestly feel just passive-aggressive enough to be glad it's not my problem. At least not yet.

And the Computer Gods are laughing at our hubris. 

Freestylin' with Coffee, Thinking about Technology...are we creating the Borg?

I have been considering the effects of our reliance on technology (notice, I did not say 'of technology') on the human community. The dichotomy between interconnectedness and a lack of empathy for one another is profound, and very disturbing. 

Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition and myth frame our response.
Arthur M. Schlesinger 

We have, as a developed society, given over the reins of control to our tools. So much societal and educational emphasis is placed on being competent and conversant in technology, we have, as a culture, forgotten what makes us human and humane. We need to snatch back our inner spark, before it becomes extinguished, before we become Borg-like (yah, nice little Star Trek reference, eh?), and we operate only in a hive-mind type of society. All throughout human history, mankind has sought ways of differentiating himself from the collective, to gain free will and control over his own destiny. This Promethean impulse is quickly being shoved aside, to only have our children wired up and wired together, all in the name of...what? I'm not really sure what goals we hope to achieve. 

This is not to say that computers and other forms of technology are bad; they are unbelievably powerful means by which we can, with intention, create, inform, connect, and synthesize with other people anywhere around the world. What I am concerned by is the fact that most of my students have a mental sedentariness that frightens and perplexes me. Many are so hooked in and hooked up they have no facility for independent thought. Their situation is paradoxical, at best. They want independence, yet that is expressed only in ways of being connected to others, seeking digital approval (hmu, lms, truth is), and almost frantically needing to be physically connected to their current digital devices. There will be few, if any, mavericks in this bunch, I can assure you. Innovation requires independent thought, and I fear they are not ever going to be comfortable with taking risks academically or personally, in order to achieve anything meaningful or unusual. The Collective, which is sometime a great dynamic, can brainstorm ideas. However, it takes someone with a different perspective with the innate sense of adventure that propels him or her to go his/her own way, to offer new solutions, to even inspire the Collective to go another path. This is true for every arena of human existence, not just in the field of technology. New literature, arts, music, medicine all take a single person to say 'no, this is not working, existing strategies don't apply, what next?' 

To make a rock'n'roll record, technology is the least important thing.
Keith Richards 

Where do you hit a wall with  technology, and how can you work to be better at using it?

I would hit the wall squarely in the middle, with a hammer, in order to leave a lasting mark.

Just kidding.

The “wall” I tend to hit is the lack of cooperation on the part of other humans; I am a bright and capable, computer/tech competent person. When I have a question about tech, it’s because I have not been able to research an answer, and blindly clicking about for hours on end hasn’t yielded results. I find that those who are more capable than I oftentimes fall into two categories: those who really want you to be able to play with the toys, and those who think the toys are their special province, and they only reluctantly share information. We have three really savvy people in my school; two are super and are willing to help anyone learn, and who are patient and kind with those who need guidance in the techno world. The third, well, yeah. Depending on the day and who you are, and if you are considered in the “inner circle,” the Great and Powerful Oz might deign to be of use. But I’m sure we all have people who are like that, and not just in the technology arena. We learn how to work with these types of people, too; it just takes a little more sugar and creative request-framing.

I find that the best way to get better at using tech is to just use it; attend trainings, ask people who are using the things you want to use, and just play with them. We have a class set of flip cameras available in the building; signing them out and playing with them, and then allowing students the freedom to tweak their videos and be a little goofy is fine. Experiential learning is, I have found, the best way to become adept at the various forms of digital media available. The one fear that I got over rather quickly years ago was that I’d click on the wrong thing and break the very expensive whatever it was. I found that, unless I got into files I rather ought not to be messing with, I couldn’t break anything, and that shutting the computer off (or camera, or other device) would generally earn me techno-forgiveness. So now, I click and poke and reset at will.

Parkour: Tech Style

Money is always an obstacle to tech availabilty, as I’ve noted before. Budgets are ridiculously tight, and the educational spending triage that has to happen is inequitable. In my school, we have a lot more technology than many schools do, which I suppose is a blessing. I mean, it’s there, and I can use it, and I don’t have to sign out a computer cart, or have my name on a waiting list and all that. Our kids have the chance to be fully wired up all day, if we wanted them to be. However, it seems the more we have, the more we seem to need…sometimes it feels like the influx of tech is creating a money pit of the sort that we’ll never be able to catch up, or be able to reasonably allocate funding to anything else. Books still matter, as does paper, and pencils, and many of the other “low tech” but hands on options, like crayons and paint. What does one do with the outmoded forms of tech that get heaped up? It’s not like there’s a trade-in program, like there is with automobiles. The planned obsolescence of technology is frankly frightening, and I am beginning to see the real disparity of funding that is a huge part of “keeping up” with educational technology.

I don’t feel like there’s a huge resistance factor on the part of the teachers, though; in many places, that is a huge obstacle to change. Not all of my colleagues are equally versed in all things tech, but we all try, and we go to trainings, and seek out assistance. Sometimes we wander around in the tech wilderness together, but we manage to get through it, and we generally embrace technology as it applies to our needs and the students’ interests. Can we do more? Probably; but then, sometimes it’s not really needed, and I find, myself, that it is often quicker, for example, to just grab a dictionary off the shelf rather than go through the shenanigans required of accessing the online dictionary.

On a practical level, sometimes tech fails us; the connectivity challenges, the less than full wi-fi coverage, and the inequitable allotting of resources can be a hurdle that takes up a lot of time to work around. I have a SMART board, but the computer tethered to it is an old desktop model, balanced on a media cart, and it sounds like its grinding coffee half the time. But, we make do. It’s not perfect, but it works. Like with all other aspects of teaching in a rural area, we must be resourceful ad have many back-up plans. When the Internet is down, we should be able to accomplish the lesson in other ways. When students lose the use of their laptops due to misuse/breaking their contract, the planned activity should be able to be accomplished in other ways.

In sum, technology is a great tool, one of many that we need to be able to employ, and sometimes, if a tool fails, we should be creative enough to be able to revise and move forward seamlessly. 

What's up, doc?

Google docs.
Some of my colleagues are using this shareware with their students, and with relatively good results. I have been told recently that our school will be switching over to Google docs next year; I'm sure it'll be a learning curve for many of us. In it's most basic form, it will give us a good place to store things, instead of eating up storage space with the X and Y drives we've been using. I have no practical experience with Google docs, so I'm looking forward to getting some direction regarding its use and functions during this course!

Some students don't find it helpful, but their reasons tend to be on an individual level, not a wide-spread area of difficulty or concern. I am uneasy about storing EVERYTHING on it, so I'm going to ask students to back up important things on flash drives and with hard copy, as appropriate. Too often, if tech fails, it tends to fail spectacularly. I believe in covering one's bases, as Murphy's Law has a whole new addendum that covers technology...and one must be prepared for every eventuality!

What to Choose/What to Use

In my tech for educators class, we've been asked to investigate some forms of tech that we don't currently use and/or know much about, and determine their usefulness in our classrooms. I have to be honest; we have a ton of "toys" available to us at my school, and we've been enhancing our programs with their use for a long time. I haven't, however, utilized podcasts or skype in my classroom or in my lessons.

I spent a bit of time yesterday talking with one of our tech ed teachers at school, as she is both knowledgeable and approachable, and she will also help teachers and students in any way possible. I asked her about podcasts and skype, and how I might use them effectively in my high school English classes. We brainstormed a bit, and I have decided to try both in the coming school year.

Students enjoy creative writing, but they are often shy about sharing. They also don't always have a keen sense of audience when writing or sharing. I think podcasts might be a fun and useful way to get them to not only consider audience, but also be more willing to share their own work, as the audience is, effectively, anonymous. Skype could be valuable as a way to connect some of my author friends with my students, in a cost effective and immediate way. Working with published authors, and hearing them read/speak about their work and the writing life, is always such a good way to engage students. Too often we are limited in our contact due to budget constraints, time, and distance. Skype would be a great way to connect everyone in a fairly relaxed way, and would bring literature and writing to another level for the students.

This could be very exciting, and has few obstacles that I can see, other than getting our IT guy to let me download skype to the classroom computer. That may take some doing, but who knows...I can be pretty convincing, especially since it will save money...ah, budgets. What a weapon to use in all negotiations...