Covid 19 Funeral

I just attended my first Zoom funeral.  While it is good to see so many of my fellow temple members attending, showing love and care, physical presence is greatly missed.  Seeing the rabbi and the deceased family gathered around the grave is heartwarming and heartbreaking. This man suffered so much in the last year of his life.  I am thankful for the technology that at least allows us to partake, even from a distance.  Even a beautiful song and eulogy by the wonderful Sol Zim was streamed.

I am hoping one day soon, I can hug my friend, the grieving widow and tell her I love her.

Might Not Be Einstein Wisdom

 

Smart board, computers, calculators do not teach critical thinking.  Technology does not make an effective teacher!!!!!!!

It's A Whole Different World Today



Girl 1:  Ms, don't tell me you didn't text when you were in school.

Girl 2:  There were no cell phones or texts when she went to school.

Girl 1:  Then how did she ever make plans to meet her friends?

Thank goodness no one answered that I didn't have any when I was their age.

I Feel Good

I just spent 30 minutes with my Casio and I got it!!!!! It is not that hard. In fact, it is easier than the TI 83. I feel accomplished. I am as good or better than any teenie bopper who grew up with technology! (I still doubt its value in the classroom and I still think it should not replace real working knowledge of math.)

Too Bad It Didn't Work Well

The kids worked for weeks creating and marketing exciting products for their economic class and were anxiously awaiting their big day, the day when they would present their products, along with the ad campaigns they have created to their class and their invited guests. They arrived in school early, all dressed in business attire, raring to go. The room was packed with people who had come in an hour early to see this presentation.

And then.....the computer did not work. There was no possible way to show off all this hard work

The guests had arrived for nothing.

The teacher was embarrassed.

The kids were devastated.

TECHNOLOGY WAS SUCKING BIG TIME!!

In the past, these presentations were done live. They went off as scheduled. The kids shined and everyone was happy. I believe next year the teacher is considering a return to the past.

I-Pods In Math

I was just about to tell Kevin to put away his I-pod, when I looked down and saw the graph of the function we were looking at on it. I did not know I-pods had this capability. He said that he downloaded a program with math applications and that is why he was able to do this.

Some days, I just love my job. I yelled at Kevin. "It's kids like you that are keeping me from retiring."

They Suck Out Our Hearts and Souls

The following is a comment Justice left after reading one of my posts. The school system has sucked my heart out also. I get through by concentrating on the kids I am working with, by the kids who come by to share their successes and by hugs I (I know, I should not be taking them) they give me in the halls as they pass me by.

How can I be "human" when I am being treated inhumanly?How can I show compassion when I am treated with contempt?It seems to me that by introducing this "corporate model" of and increasingly privatized public school system "humanity" is not a factor.

You should've have seen with the reverence and fetish ardour Klein and Liebman spoke about the ARIS system that will tell you everything" about your charges in front of you, at this past week PEP meeting at Tweed. They even produced a young corporate type newbie Math teacher who lovingly talked about how ARIS is helping his students. The newbie "talks" to ARIS on his laptop from home. I am sure he does not talk to his colleagues but he talks to the 81 million computer system! Remember HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey?"I have seen the future and it does not work." Zardoz (1973)

The Human Touch

Technology is being pushed as the answer to all that ails the school system. Smart boards will bridge the gap between the knowledge that is being taught and that which is being absorbed by the child. Tablets will make everything clear. ARIS will provide all the data necessary to figure out why Johnny cannnot learn.

Technology does nothing to give kids what they really need--the human touch. Kids need to know that the person teaching them cares about their success. These kids need to know that we are proud of their successes and want to help erase their failures. They need the human touch, something that no amount of technology will ever add to the classroom.

Technology

I love technology. There is nothing like using a smart board or watching a presentation on power point. I get chills watching those little pictures fade in and out. Unfortunately, when you are working in a 21st century school that is stuck in the 19th century, technology is really hard to use.

As I have written before, my school has only four computers available for teacher use. More often than not, at least one of these computers is not working. We do have a tech guy, but he is always "busy." Last time the computer was down he told me to send him an e-mail explaining the problem. This, from the tech guy, makes me wonder about him.

We have four librarians in the library. They are very good at yelling "Table 3 you are making too much noise." They are also fond of saying "No games on the computer." When there is a computer problem, they have no clue as to how to fix it. When a CD I was using got stuck in the computer, I got yelled at for using the CD drive. When we need long paper in the printer, we are told not to change any settings.

One of my friends just finished her master's in library science. She has great ideas about bringing the math department into the library and incorporating our work on the computers. I'm happy she has these ideas and this enthusiasm. I had to remind her that although her job will now be in the library (hopefully) and time will be allotted to her to get these projects going, I will still be teaching my six classes and I will still be doing my C-6 assignment every day. Luckily, she remembered the workload of a regular teacher and told me she understood perfectly where I was coming from.

My school did get those special computers, the ones hooked up to an overhead, in every department (two rooms). We were given 40 minutes of training. When I said we needed more, the AP in charge told me to use my prep for training. In fact, the little twerp told me that prep did not mean a second lunch (as if I or anyone else I know ever has time to take even one full period for lunch.) Needless to say, these computers are gathering dust and will be obsolete before most teachers get to use them.

As I mentioned before, I love technology. I love being able to use the EGG grading system so I don't have to bubble anymore. I love my TI -83 calculator with the overhead attachment. (Not exactly 21st century technology, but the best I have to use.) I'm happy when the screen goes up after I've used it. Mostly I am happy when I walk in and the board eraser is still in the room and there is chalk.