Comments for 21st Century Educator http://blog.brettmoller.com Technology Resources for Educators Thu, 30 Sep 2010 03:25:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 Comment on Educate or Block – Student access by Benhttp://blog.brettmoller.com/2010/04/15/educate-or-block-student-access/#comment-742 Ben Thu, 30 Sep 2010 03:25:25 +0000 http://blog.brettmoller.com/?p=397#comment-742 I came across you on the Mactalk Interview podcast. I am a 17 year old student at a school in NSW, and about to start my final year of schooling. My school has decided to role out iPad's to all year 12 students and staff, a move which I have criticised from day one.Our school filter blocks access to many websites. From social media sites, to even educational sites! It virtually renders the internet useless. I use my own 3G connection for research whilst at school!The problem at my school is the I.T. department and staff responsible for technology. Many of which are old, suggesting they have no real insight on the possibilities of technology. We were being taught in year 7 by old boffins on how to use google as if it were some amazing new thing. Seriously?Another problem is that 'teachers are always the smartest'. I don't do any I.T. subjects, even though that's my passion. Why? Because the teachers are annoying and useless, because they think they know everything.I wish we had someone like you at our school, Brett! You have an amazing passion and great views on technology in school. You would be the best teacher! I came across you on the Mactalk Interview podcast. I am a 17 year old student at a school in NSW, and about to start my final year of schooling. My school has decided to role out iPad’s to all year 12 students and staff, a move which I have criticised from day one.

Our school filter blocks access to many websites. From social media sites, to even educational sites! It virtually renders the internet useless. I use my own 3G connection for research whilst at school!

The problem at my school is the I.T. department and staff responsible for technology. Many of which are old, suggesting they have no real insight on the possibilities of technology. We were being taught in year 7 by old boffins on how to use google as if it were some amazing new thing. Seriously?

Another problem is that ‘teachers are always the smartest’. I don’t do any I.T. subjects, even though that’s my passion. Why? Because the teachers are annoying and useless, because they think they know everything.

I wish we had someone like you at our school, Brett! You have an amazing passion and great views on technology in school. You would be the best teacher!

]]> Comment on A letter to our education minister by Johnhttp://blog.brettmoller.com/2010/01/30/a-letter-to-our-education-minister/#comment-710 John Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:06:17 +0000 http://blog.brettmoller.com/?p=353#comment-710 Yawwwn,,,its all about the kids......yeh right. just get on with it...and do your job and there is no need for a sooky lala...lol!!!! Yawwwn,,,its all about the kids……yeh right. just get on with it…and do your job and there is no need for a sooky lala…lol!!!!

]]> Comment on A letter to our education minister by Bretthttp://blog.brettmoller.com/2010/01/30/a-letter-to-our-education-minister/#comment-709 Brett Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:52:59 +0000 http://blog.brettmoller.com/?p=353#comment-709 Ah yes I was awaiting the anti teacher response from some genius that still requires to hide behind his/hers true identity!! The purpose of this was not the fact that I have an issue of being held accountable. No problem with that as I am always held accountable by my principal and most parents of the kids I teach. My issue is the archaic method of apparent accountability exercise. This is a vote grabbing populous political move targeted at those who hold such narrow and dimwitted views as yourself. I would ask you "John" to tell me why you don't become a teacher if it is such an easy profession. Come on mate there is 13 weeks holidays up for grabs. Plus you know we just work from 9 -3 everyday!! Oh and don't forget dealing with teenagers is a breeze!! So congratulations on your sweeping statements that really have no relevance to the situation. My greatest concern in all of this mess is the children that we are destroying! If you want to hold me accountable for what results a student gets on 1 test on 1 particular day, I would insist you hold parents accountable for EVERYTHING a child does. The industrial age is over ladies and gents - time to move on and realise that education is more than just a process of conditioning children to some model of apparent "wisdom" Ah yes I was awaiting the anti teacher response from some genius that still requires to hide behind his/hers true identity!! The purpose of this was not the fact that I have an issue of being held accountable. No problem with that as I am always held accountable by my principal and most parents of the kids I teach. My issue is the archaic method of apparent accountability exercise. This is a vote grabbing populous political move targeted at those who hold such narrow and dimwitted views as yourself. I would ask you “John” to tell me why you don’t become a teacher if it is such an easy profession. Come on mate there is 13 weeks holidays up for grabs. Plus you know we just work from 9 -3 everyday!! Oh and don’t forget dealing with teenagers is a breeze!! So congratulations on your sweeping statements that really have no relevance to the situation. My greatest concern in all of this mess is the children that we are destroying! If you want to hold me accountable for what results a student gets on 1 test on 1 particular day, I would insist you hold parents accountable for EVERYTHING a child does. The industrial age is over ladies and gents – time to move on and realise that education is more than just a process of conditioning children to some model of apparent “wisdom”

]]> Comment on A letter to our education minister by Johnhttp://blog.brettmoller.com/2010/01/30/a-letter-to-our-education-minister/#comment-708 John Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:51:04 +0000 http://blog.brettmoller.com/?p=353#comment-708 If you are a teacher that has an issue with being accountable and under pressure to perform.....welcome to the real world where most except for teachers have to reach KPI's and targets to be assesed at the end of every week to justify keeping our job.Toughen up and get on with it and when your on your 13 week holiday every year have a look at your performance for that year and thank you lucky stars your not under the weekly intense microscope that we (the public)all are within our 9-5 and 4 week holiday roles. Enjoy and get over it!!Good Luck and nice letter. If you are a teacher that has an issue with being accountable and under pressure to perform…..welcome to the real world where most except for teachers have to reach KPI’s and targets to be assesed at the end of every week to justify keeping our job.

Toughen up and get on with it and when your on your 13 week holiday every year have a look at your performance for that year and thank you lucky stars your not under the weekly intense microscope that we (the public)all are within our 9-5 and 4 week holiday roles. Enjoy and get over it!!

Good Luck and nice letter.

]]> Comment on Educate or Block – Student access by Beverley Headhttp://blog.brettmoller.com/2010/04/15/educate-or-block-student-access/#comment-741 Beverley Head Fri, 21 May 2010 06:36:59 +0000 http://blog.brettmoller.com/?p=397#comment-741 Hello - I'm a journalist in sydney, and was given your details by someone who heard you speak at a conference recently. Very keen to speak to you for articles I'm writing on blended learning in schools and online collaboration tools.Please email. Hello – I’m a journalist in sydney, and was given your details by someone who heard you speak at a conference recently. Very keen to speak to you for articles I’m writing on blended learning in schools and online collaboration tools.Please email.

]]> Comment on Napalm – Help minimise the destruction!! by Jonathan Nalderhttp://blog.brettmoller.com/2010/04/13/napalm-help-minimise-the-destruction/#comment-728 Jonathan Nalder Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:56:34 +0000 http://blog.brettmoller.com/?p=395#comment-728 Hi Bretty boy- glad your keeping the fire burning on this one. I fully intend to keep Helena out of the testing when she gets to school too. The one thing I do keep thinking is- at least for once education etc is on the national agenda Hi Bretty boy- glad your keeping the fire burning on this one. I fully intend to keep Helena out of the testing when she gets to school too. The one thing I do keep thinking is- at least for once education etc is on the national agenda

]]> Comment on ACEC – So far… My rant!! by Jean-Michel Davidhttp://blog.brettmoller.com/2010/04/08/acec-so-far-my-rant/#comment-727 Jean-Michel David Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:35:14 +0000 http://blog.brettmoller.com/?p=393#comment-727 ...seems like there's a growing consensus here.Sure there are some useful ways in which IWBs make some sense with, especially, higher level mathematics and physics (Cl 12 and tertiary). Aside from those examples, however, I too have yet to be shown their usefulness. …seems like there’s a growing consensus here.

Sure there are some useful ways in which IWBs make some sense with, especially, higher level mathematics and physics (Cl 12 and tertiary). Aside from those examples, however, I too have yet to be shown their usefulness.

]]> Comment on ACEC – So far… My rant!! by Dave Youlhttp://blog.brettmoller.com/2010/04/08/acec-so-far-my-rant/#comment-726 Dave Youl Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:24:32 +0000 http://blog.brettmoller.com/?p=393#comment-726 Great presentation Brett, and thanks also for your time yesterday. I'm sure I'll be in touch to pick your brains more as my school travels on this journey.Am with you 100% on the IWB debate. I visited one of the IWB trade stands the other day, introduced myself as an IWB skeptic, and gave them an opportunity to sell me. The best the guy could come up with was "you can have the students respond to questions with this clicker thingy, and you get feedback immediately!"That's it??That's the best I can do with a (now at the bargain price of $4000...) new IWB.Wow.... Great presentation Brett, and thanks also for your time yesterday. I’m sure I’ll be in touch to pick your brains more as my school travels on this journey.

Am with you 100% on the IWB debate. I visited one of the IWB trade stands the other day, introduced myself as an IWB skeptic, and gave them an opportunity to sell me. The best the guy could come up with was “you can have the students respond to questions with this clicker thingy, and you get feedback immediately!”

That’s it??

That’s the best I can do with a (now at the bargain price of $4000…) new IWB.

Wow….

]]> Comment on IWB “Research” by Benbehttp://blog.brettmoller.com/2009/06/04/iwb-research/#comment-686 Benbe Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:50:41 +0000 http://blog.brettmoller.com/?p=296#comment-686 Well, I believe effectiveness is an experimental quality, one you can only measure, but can't use it to prove or criticize anything. You can do that only based on theories, and you can gather data that might depict a positive or a negative picture of your theory, but that's all.And here come the part when individually usable gadgets can't be beaten, as a valid pedagogical system, the constructivist theory supports the idea that individual, group and class works should be used equally for optimal learning.So while netbooks, photocopied worksheets, games, photos, simulations, experiments are supplied with a reason to use them and a method clearly describing how and when to use them, how to develop the activities and promises what these efforts will cause IWB only has the saying that multimedia is good as it's close to the hearts of today's pupils. But multimedia in the iwb paradigm is used l'art pour l'art, but overall the class, the curriculum and the results too are the same as with conventional teaching.Often iwb activities are nothing else than old course book pages turned into ppt and Java, so why would they work any better? Well, I believe effectiveness is an experimental quality, one you can only measure, but can’t use it to prove or criticize anything. You can do that only based on theories, and you can gather data that might depict a positive or a negative picture of your theory, but that’s all.

And here come the part when individually usable gadgets can’t be beaten, as a valid pedagogical system, the constructivist theory supports the idea that individual, group and class works should be used equally for optimal learning.

So while netbooks, photocopied worksheets, games, photos, simulations, experiments are supplied with a reason to use them and a method clearly describing how and when to use them, how to develop the activities and promises what these efforts will cause IWB only has the saying that multimedia is good as it’s close to the hearts of today’s pupils. But multimedia in the iwb paradigm is used l’art pour l’art, but overall the class, the curriculum and the results too are the same as with conventional teaching.

Often iwb activities are nothing else than old course book pages turned into ppt and Java, so why would they work any better?

]]> Comment on A letter to our education minister by Charles Myershttp://blog.brettmoller.com/2010/01/30/a-letter-to-our-education-minister/#comment-707 Charles Myers Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:43:11 +0000 http://blog.brettmoller.com/?p=353#comment-707 Terrific!! They have created a nightmare one which they have no understanding of how much of one it is. Terrific!! They have created a nightmare one which they have no understanding of how much of one it is.

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