Saturday, May 26, 2012

Oh, my blogness.

Holy cow. I popped in on my blog for the first time in foooor-eeeeeev-eeeeeerrrrrr (what movie was that? Sandlot?) and the whole stinkin' thing has changed. I don't even know or remember what I thought I was going to write about, as I am so freaked out by the new format I am seeing right now. Yikes! Learning curve alert! Woooop! wooop! I am going to a two-day workshop on google apps in early June. Maybe I'll get some super secret blogger tips then. Heck, I don't even know how to customize my layout - I just use one of the templates google gave me - so maybe at the very least I'll figure that out. But I'm guessing I'll learn more about synchronizing calendars and sharing docs and all that. Either way, I have always considered myself reasonably tech savvy, but lately I am seeing how dusty and rusty I've become. Working with kids makes me realize how easily they can comprehend and adapt to the torrent of technology that pummels their generation. I know I can count on them to help each other (and me) figure out all the tricks that make using applications easier. This is a good thing. But I marvel at how few of their parents respond to (or even check) their emails - would they ever join an edmodo board? Or comment on a blog their kid kept? Or are they also overwhelmed by all the screen-time in our lives? If I were to position myself (and grow into the practice) as a 21st Century Literacy teacher, requiring lots of digital thinking alongside story times and conversations and handwritten journals, would the parents be inspired to grow with their kids? OR would they be out of the loop? Where do I draw the line? A few Saturday morning thoughts I had no intention of having, I guess... More soon.

3 comments:

Meesh Hays said...

Oh, Lawdy, it didn't even recognize what I thought were paragraph breaks. YIKES! This will make me crazy before I conquer it.

Emily said...

Oh Hey! Yeah, technology can be disorienting when it changes the way that it looks so quickly. Google Apps huh...you'll have you share what you're learning. Great questions at the end. You ask about being out of the loop. I know I've got to work more intentionally to keep the loop open. I think that sometimes I have focused so heavily on the tool (technology), that I'm not using it to achieve anything...I'm just using it. Thanks for getting me thinking. Happy Summer! Hope to see you!

Emily said...

Oh hey again. Happy new year. Write something. Tell us about your kids or your new long hair. Or Cheerleader Kori (a la _____ Barbie) Or Austin. Or Jimmy. Or that dog. Yes, I'm finally back as a reader because I wrote something. Gauntlet thrown. Meet the challenge.