Blog #6 - Can you hear me now?

This week we explored tools for creating podcasts and discussed ways to build learning communities to facilitate interaction and critical thinking. With all these tools available, what are the implications for changing the way we work, teach and learn?

I think the way we work, teach, and learn can become a much more “at your own pace” and “as needed” environment. It would be nice for my teachers to be able to access tutorials to do what they need, when they need it. Anything from adding a printer to using the Pillow wiki would be cool.

Here's my first attempt at a podcast on how to access the Pillow wiki:  http://screencast.com/t/BatOk6dI

What is preventing us from such changes?

All kinds of things play into why we can’t do all the cool things we want to do when teaching. For my teachers, I would say the biggest factors are: time, funding, and fear of the unknown or anything new. For me, it’s lack of sleep, curriculum people trying to justify their jobs by coming to our campus and criticizing everything we do, having to attend school board meetings just to make sure they don’t cut librarians, having 43 computers donated without an OS, serving 670 students every week, and lack of the full time library clerk I’m supposed to have according to the state elementary library standards.

If you could wave a magic wand, what would you change and why?

First, I would want my full time library clerk that I’m supposed to have. Then I wouldn’t have to spend all weekend shelving books and could do the cool tech stuff I love.