Won’t wonders never cease?

I get a bit done adding to this blog and I get another communication, this time from the Irish Trade Board (An Bord Failte’) and I’m contracted to help run a wiki for them.  I’m not sure if I know what’s all wrapped up in it, but–geez– I’m on board and that’s that.

getting paid to use it

This week–got a contract to write the indices for more technical manuals for the schools at Lackland AFB in Texas.  Will use these new web2.0 tools and test run some real ideas behind something I know pretty well…tech manuals for equipment.

THis is going to be fun –and profitable.  I may not be that up on all of it yet, I definantly have fallen into the paying end of it.

More advancement

Once again, I complete a busy week and realize I probably know even less by comparison of the amount of info I run into.  Oh, I’ll catch up and eventually get pretty good at this.  I just have to have some time to make it dwell.  There’s incredible ideas out there, and having been away from learning for so long, shows me how much I have got to learn.  I wasn’t a teacher, but was the big dog in another world, which took a large amount of accomphishment to win in–as I did.  I’ll beat this one too, but it’s frustrating.

And I learn even more

As I had said before, anyone that goes in to take a cat home by the tail, will learn all kinds of things.

 

And I have.  I’m not a tech person–right now.  But I do believe that some of the  incredible (and overwhelming) tech is going to change the future.  It is, however, a shame that so many will be left out.

I am learning and am really not sure how much I should learn.  Spiffy presentations and all are really nice, but it’s going to take a bit more as I play with the buttons.

I could have been a lot more on top of this stuff, if only they had let me play with the buttons when I was doing engineering duty.  You really have to get over being inundated with choices.  And I would really like to enjoy this learning.  Actually, I am.

Doing the wiki

I find the Wiki concept personally interesting, because I can use it in production of several initiatives I would like to explore.  In education–I can see when others have, and where I might involve students in ongoing projects in collaboration of the production of procedural manuals that showcase the students own ideas of how to explain and present the material.

In this, I have a central interest.  Students want to do well, and too many don’t , even if it’s only one who needs help, understanding or becoming familiaris a chore.  Math students tend to struggle alone.  But math can be done in a group better than alone, where stronger students assist weaker students.  I believe an ongoing project might help slower/non-recognition students make head way toward success.

Schools, in general, could use this same collaborative system in teaching many subjects, if we are in agreement that several students together can accomplish more.  From Powerpoint presentations to calendars and narratives, students  (together) can build and understand that they are accomplishing one goal, and when they do it together the experience is much more than a lecture.

Schools should require that student make some minimum number of contributions so that material content is observed, because what they are exposed to, they understand.

Material blocked is opportunity lost.  There are several wiki sites dedicated to educator needs that detail this action, but I wouldn’t want to say -I’m an expert on why some of the technology is blocked when it has so much potential.  But there are some real dangers out there and we have to attempt to provide some protection for students–and ourselves.  Granted, we never want to block the use of anything that contribute to the overall achievement, but there are thorns in every rose bed.  The immediacy and efficiency of communication is why social networking is so popular with young people –so if we can keep as much openess going–then we won’t lose their exuberance and spontaneous ideas.  If protection is the goal, then there is much to do to produce a safe environment.  Our text suggests that there are acceptable alternatives that still mimic free, open source solutions.  These need to be encorporated and see if ideas continue to flow.

An incredible week of learning.

Seriously, I’m starting to get more and more of this down and am getting ideas.  Granted, I’m going to hae to digest some of it, a bit more. But, I see lots of possibilities.

I recommend that we learn what the administrators know and don’t know, so that we can dig at them when they aren’t giving us what we want.

Technology is going to change everything, you can count on it.  I was contacted by a friend of mine who’s  building the new Logistics Rating for the Navy Supply Corps.  He would like me to build the manuals and POAM.  This could be right up this new tech’s alley.  It may not be the education world per se, but it’s somebody’s education.  I might just have a ball.

 

Mission Accomplished

Was able to get with partner and explore the benefits and quality behind Mindmeister site last night.  There is an incredible development behind it all and I was able to start my own map to head off into an area I want to go. 

There’s a lot of tools out there and this one might let me do something positive and developmental for my students.

Learn something new everyday

In trying to find links to software interfaces for my students to gain some practice with real time math instruction on line, I found the rss link for my testbook and wsa able to plug in and start having it support me instead of me digging elsewhere for information. Not too shabby. 

It’s still a nightmare getting ahold of the publishers for information on a helpline.

Coming up for air.

After several good reads from my textbook and several other sources, I’m understanding more about the myriad of choices of technology out there and -what they might do for me.

Now I’m a bit overwhelmed trying to gather it all and designing some ideas of what to do with these new found choices.

I would presume that the students and their needs will help drive my eventual choices, but it could be my ability to use them.

I’m very much looking forward to designing a program where my level of math students can always have an application tied to the particular area problems they are tackling.  I have a feeling that could be all the difference and it’s been overlooked too long.

In case you were wondering.

I’ve lead a varied life of military service, business world, and consulting on the business and military side. 

After a wild life aboard ships, etc, I entered business and accomplished learning about the securities world and advising on real estate and investments.  However, that military/business background rose and I have spent a lot of time advising foreign governments about the financial end of the military and also businesses about the opportunities of business with these same governments.  Hopefully, we spend enough time learning that war becomes unprofitable.  In fact, in retrospect, we can see that with more advanced countries.  But the poorer ones seem to exhaust themselves in petty warfare, till they get smart.