Tag: technology

BreakDrink, Learning Technologies, Reflections

My Prolegomenon to Technology

Laura Pasquini

A few weeks ago, @JenniferKeegin posted to the #SAWTT Blog with the prompt – What got me interested in Technology?

I think that my prolegomenon to technology was definitely the Commodore 64. I was introduced to this machine at a young age, thanks to my father.

For those who do not know, my father taught high school economics, business, and computers. Beyond having a great collection of books in his office, I was often drawn to his Commodore 64 and I am fortunate that I was able to dabble with device at home. The black screen and green text provided me with the backdrop to my first writing drafts, school projects, pong quests, and weather war game battles.

Around the time this prompt was posted, we sadly said our RIPs to Jack Tramiel, the father of the Commodore 64.  Although I have no personal connection to him, this made me sit back and reflect. I felt very fortunate to be introduced to Mr. Tramiel’s machine, and how lucky I was as a child to have the opportunity to tap these keys (along with a few typewriter keys) when technology might not have been as common at home. Of course, I owe a debt of gratitude to  my father for exposing my siblings and me to computers at a young age. He challenged us to be curious and explore with technology early on. Thanks the introduction and challenging us to think beyond the possible, Dad.

Collaboration, nacada, NACADA Tech, Professional Development, web 2.0

NACADA Region 8 Technology Seminar

Laura Pasquini

Kudos to Eric Stoller for kicking of 2010 with NACADA Region 8 Technology Seminar in Seattle, WA. It’s been a while since the 1st #NACADAtech seminar, and it was good to be part of the technology in advising action.

Eric asked if I would like to contribute, and I gladly wanted to join in the fun. Last Sunday, I presented (virtually) a session for academic advisors interested in  collaborating with wikis. Skype’s screen sharing application made getting involved in this session cost-effective and simple. 🙂

There was a lot of information packed into this day & 1/2 seminar, but I could tell by the Twitter feed & comments in the session that many ideas were sparked & I could tell the wheels were spinning. It’s great to connect with other advisors to get some inspiration and share thoughts about best technological practices for the advising profession.

Learning Technologies, Professional Development, Social Media

Keeping Up With Technology

Laura Pasquini

With 2.5 online graduate courses, it’s easy to be consumed with everything digital this semester. In thinking about technology and how to best “keep up” with everything happening online, I stumbled upon a great video from Alan Levine (who will be leading a session in the EC&I 831 course), that reminds educational technology users to:

  1. Establish a network of colleagues & maintain these connections with online social tools, e.g. e-mails, RSS, blogs, Twitter, etc
  2. Tap into a sense of play & willingness to experiment.
  3. Don’t be afraid to continue to grow & learn new things.
Higher Education, Learning Community

A Vision of Students Today.

Laura Pasquini

Here is an archived clip I was reminded of today about the current state of our learners.  Although this video past posted back in 2007, I think that the “vision” or purpose of the message still holds true as we support technology & learning.

This video is brought to you by Kansas State University, who has a working group led by Dr. Michael Wesch.  This group is dedicated to exploring and extending the possibilities of digital ethnography.  You can follow along at Media Cultures or @mwesch.

K-12, Learning Technologies

Tech Savvy Students Mentor Teachers

Laura Pasquini

How much technology should be in K-12 classrooms?

This was today’s topic on CBC Radio One’s Get Talking this afternoon. Much of this discussion evolved from the Ontario Public School Board Association discussion paper What If?: Technology in the 21st Century Classroom.  This paper reviewed how technology can support and contribute to learning in school.  Many callers shared concerns and questions about the increase of technology in the classroom, with respects to relevance, budget priorities, curriculum needs and instructor knowledge of resources.

Not all listeners  approached the topic from a negative perspective.  It was apparent that technology is thought to be an excellent instructional tool.  One  current example is the “adopt-a-teacher” program at Don Mills Collegiate in the GTA. This program supports the idea of how to utilize knowledge from the digital natives – the students.  Students are able to share their experience with various emerging technologies that can incorporate into the learning experience.

donmills

Walls are coming down between teacher and learner.  The idea of fostering learning from both ends brings learning communities to the forefront of education.

Students find the classroom more ‘relevant’ when they have opportunities to interact with real world experiences and practical learning means. Lets engage our students in the entire learning process.