JOURNAL # 3, Mishra, P. & Koehler, M. Too Cool For School! No Way!

The Mishra, P., & Koehler, M., article "Too Cool For School! No Way!", tracked what I blogged about on Monday when defining "technology". The more I read from this article the more I felt emboldened to put this knowledge to work. I intend to teach high school mathematics and the issue of making the subject matter of the lesson plans more relevant and exciting presents my number one concern. In high school and in college my mathematics courses were the most dry. Although I have an intense interest in the subject matter the presentation of lessons has in my opinion always been the primary source of student dissatisfaction. I want to change that for my lesson plans and classrooms.

The article informed me of three search engines that I did not know existed. Viewzi, Cuil, and Clusty. I looked at the sites and played with it for awhile this afternoon and found some interesting and really cool techniques and approaches to searches and subject matter knowledge. This article also reminded me of a class of Algebra I observed this spring. I thought the teacher was dynamic and awe-inspiring individual. Now that I see some of the technologies brought to life by this course I know that I can be just as dynamic and fun teaching Algebra as he was. The teacher used music and sound devices in his classroom but the "techie" items reviewed by this article will provide me the tools to surpass the attention demanding performance I observed on that day.

The Socratic method of teaching appeals to me because of my background. I also believe that it has particular applications in mathematics instruction. But, I now know that I need to develop lesson plans which will allow me to utilize the Socratic method with enhanced techniques provided by the technologies we are learning. We can make the lessons interesting but continue to insist that the subject matter of the lesson become a long term memory cell in my students' minds.

Question 1: Does the term technology have a fluid or static definition? I believe that the technology is of course fluid as it is always changing and advancing. The definition of this word then must fit its most common application which is fluidity.

Question 2: What is the correct balance between hands on teaching, i.e. the Socratic method, versus the Web 2.0 applications teaching methods discussed in this article and class? This is my mission for the next 20 years. I hope to have the answer within five years of teaching but it may turn out that the answer is as elusive as the concept of the advancements in technology present.

Mishra, P. & Koehler, M., L & L May 2009, ISTE publications, Too Cool For School! No Way!, http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=May_No_7_1&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4305&ContentID=23582&DirectListComboInd=D