Then this morning a colleague of mine stopped me in the hallway as I was dropping off 37 hamburgers for my son's Christmas feast and mentioned that someone had commented on the story via the news website:
(Yes, I am aware there are some writing mechanics issues here...) Hurt and mortified that someone would think that about me, I wanted to get all of my friends to add comments to validate what I have dedicated the past 16 years of my life to: teaching.
And then I laughed.
I don't just teach Latin and English anymore; I've added an entirely new dynamic to my curriculum with this paperless thing. I teach Computer Troubleshooting, Computer Maintenance, Materials Management, Digital Organization, Personal Problem Solving, and Thinking Ahead 101.
Remember that poor soul who just couldn't get a screenshot to work nearly when we first started this project? He's so good at navigating a computer and thinking through computer glitches that I never have to fix anything for him any more. There was another boy (about whom I never wrote) who last year thought that his computer was personally out to drive him crazy. The other day out of no where, he raised his hand and said, "You know, I can't believe how good I've gotten at all of this." And he's right. He and 59 other people have gotten a free computer course in addition to the Latin and English that they signed up for. So, @idahoser, I don't use technology as an excuse to internet shop and catch up on my soaps; I use it to connect to kids, to save trees, and teach kids to do more than decline a noun or conjugate a verb.
As a fellow teacher (and Memphian) who uses technology in the classroom, I was puzzled by such a random insult by a person who obviously knows very little about 21st century learning. A quick google search of the username confirmed some of my immediate suspicions. My guess is that idahoser is a frequent commenter on the Commercial Appeal site, too, since that's where all those who like to generalize, stereotype, and stone throw gather to do their business.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the spot and keep writing and sharing. We are all better teachers when we share what we are learning.
Best regards-
Thanks for posting, Phillip. Feel free to share any blogs you read or favorite tech websites. I'm always looking for good stuff!
ReplyDelete