Take out your cellphones, please.

Last night, while in bed, I used mobile technology to get a quick answer.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was running a repeat of their July 7 show. A band called My Morning Jacket was the last guest. When they started to play Circuital, which I had never heard before, I was captivated by the intriguing way in which the song began. I often get hung up on certain pieces of melody, and I just had to know who these guys were.

Luckily, my Nook Color was at arm's reach. OK, the Nook is supposed to be a reader, and that is how I use it for the most part. However, I wanted to find the name of the song, and I wanted to hear it again, to affirm that I had indeed come across a sound that pleased me. I switched on the browser to my Nook, did a quick Google search, and there they were. A band and a song I had never heard before, and that I would certainly look in to further.

This morning, after reading the article Mobile Tech in Classrooms Boosts English Learners, it occurred to me, the same on-the-spot-let's-find-out could take place in my classroom. If my students were each handed mobile devices at the beginning of the school year - like Nooks, iPads, tablets or netbooks - their worlds would be made larger, and language learning would be enhanced.

Or, what if my students were permitted to use their cellphones in class? This past year, of my 19 fourth-graders, nine of them had their own cellphones. What if I devised activities where my students would be allowed to use their cellphones to access information, submit answers, collaborate and be even more engaged? Until mobile devices are provided to ALL learners, why not let us use what is already in our students' hands?

La tecnolución

Ya hace unos dos o tres años que ando buscando maneras lógicas y auténticas para incorporar la tecnología en mi clase. No es fácil – uno tiene que estar balanceando las demandas del horario, las preparaciones y las expectativas de los exámenes, etc. Además, aunque tenemos las herramientas, las máquinas, y la facultad, a veces nos vemos rodeados de personas que temen o sospechan a la tecnología. Pienso que, comenzando de arriba, tiene que haber una actitud de ánimo y curiosidad para que la escuela en total se ponga las pilas para intentar cosas nuevas. Los que sabemos algo debemos de compartirlo y buscar cómo interesar a nuestros colegas.


No creo de ninguna manera en abandonar el libro, el papel, y el lápiz. Pero sí veo el entusiasmo y los ojos abiertos de mis alumnos cuando usamos los portátiles, cuando trabajamos en nuestro blog, cuando entramos a sitios increíbles en el Internet… todo haciendo que las lecciones sean más grandes y llenas. La tecnología se ha hecho gran parte de las vidas de nuestros alumnos; debemos aprenderlo y manipularlo. Al contrario, corremos el riesgo de quedarnos atrás. Yo planeo ser parte de la “tecnolución”…

My Back-to-School Wordle

Wordle is an exciting tool. I plan to enlarge this one for the bulletin board outside my room. I hope we'll be allowed to access the site in class, so my students can use it. Make your own at http://www.wordle.net/!

Why I don't get my work done

For the past couple of weeks I've sat here at my desk working on several end-of-the-year tasks. In the middle of all this work, I've often stared forlornly (well, not so much) at my blog, where I haven't posted in almost two weeks. It's just been so busy, and I admit I'm easily distracted. I've also been somewhat at a loss for what to write, being that my head is in several places.

I've found myself surrounded by piles of papers needing to be read, corrected, filed, graded, organized... and what am I doing? I'm looking at several Internet pages which I've tabbed - my personal email, my school email, my Google Reader, my Facebook, my Twitter page, my Nings, and my blog.

I correct a couple of pages, check my inbox. Read another paper or two, send a message to my sister on FB. Grade a few more papers, scan my Twitter page, tweet, or retweet. Edit another few pages, read a few of my favorite blogs. Tweet again. Check FB and discover my Scrabble partner has challenged me to a new game. Play my turn. Back to the papers. Check in on one of my Nings, read. Get up to adjust the volume on the TV. Oh yeah, I'm also watching, or rather listening to CNN. I go to get a cup of coffee. Back to the papers. And so it goes.

That's how I work. Call it ADHD or plain old procrastination. No wonder I'm still looking at my undone report cards, which are due on Wednesday.

Oh well. I did manage to write this post.

Riding the train

My students and I had a great week of technology-infused learning.

First, I had the pleasure of wheeling the wireless lab (a cart containing laptops) into my classroom. Until now, other teachers had been monopolizing the cart; I would see it being moved from here to there, to the same rooms every time. I always wondered how those teachers were using them. After talking with the computer teacher, I signed out the lab and was pleased to learn I would be able to keep it for two weeks. Awesome!

So this past week, during the literacy block, I had planned to use the interactive website Into the Book to review and practice using specific reading strategies, such as making connections and visualizing. The site allows students to read passages and practice applying these strategies for comprehension. However, once every student had a laptop at his desk, I was reminded of all the little things you have to go over with 13 kids who are using laptops for the first time. And in my case, it's ELLs who have not had the same access and experience with computers to begin with.

"Open it like this."
"Turn it on... press the power button."
"Press Ctrl and Alt and Del...at the same time...where are the keys?...... Here, and here, and here..."
"Enter the log in..... enter the password.... take Caps lock off!.... Didn't work? Try it again....."
"Type this address into your browser.....

And on and on it went.... 13 times. Wow.

When we finally got going, the kids loved Into the Book. There were, of course, some passages and vocabulary they needed my help with. Overall, the site was useful for my ELLs. We also reviewed some keyboarding skills, so they'll be ready for next week, when we'll try using them during Writer's Workshop.

The second highlight of the week was the grand entrance of the Smart Board, brought to us by the Math coach. We had planned for her to do a 45 min. lesson on attributes, but when she saw how excited my kids were, she ended up staying all morning. She showed us how to set it up, how to use the various functions, and she also did several activities involving math and language arts. The Smart Board is amazing! I was so grateful to her. It was like having my own real-world hands-on training. I'm ready to use it every week in some way. I know I will.

If we are to move our students along academically and linguistically, each and every one of us ought to try new things. I for one do not want my students to be held back by language; technology is for everyone. I know there is some reluctance out there, people who are not yet ready to give things a whirl. And I certainly recognize that time is a factor; I always wondered how I would ever "integrate" technology into my teaching.

Now, it's even more clear to me. It's about making some thoughtful changes and keeping the kids engaged. It's reaching out, teaching, and encouraging each other. This kind of teaching is like jumping on a train and going to exciting places with the most enthusiastic, wide-eyed travel companions.