Epilogue
Tom McHale has the computer as the centerpiece for everything he does. I am not even close to that. I feel good when I introduce a piece of technology into my instruction, but it's usually a small component of the lesson. I'm slightly envious of Tom's style of teaching in that he can accomplish so much from one seat in such a short span of time. I wouldn't want my students in front of a screen all of the time...because I think they do need to develop communication skills that are of the more face-to-face variety, but so much information gets shared and so many conversations can occur when you provide online forums. With chat rooms, everyone gets a voice, and nobody has to yell to be heard!
I think I'd be nervous about running the whole class through an IPAD in that the distractability factor can be so high. It's hard to monitor students if they are always online. I guess if they are accomplishing the specific tasks that I've planned, then I shouldn't worry about it so much, but I think I would like to have more control over their computer usage. I want my instruction to be less teacher-centered, but I'm not ready to hand over the reigns completely!
Upon finishing Richardson's text, I feel motivated and, to some extent, pressured, to incorporate more technology into my instruction. I have never shied away from trying new practices or equipment, but the pressure comes from trying to do too much all at once....especially after doing too little for too long. I think I like the idea of introducing a couple new technological components at a time. I'll start with the class Wiki for our novel which I'm so excited about. I will then try to set up some sort of Blogosphere so that the kids can discuss the book online. I'd also love to try to post student writing and gain feedback from classmates online. Perhaps I could then expand it to getting feedback from other classrooms. Eventually, I'll feel comfortable (as I'm sure the writers themselves will) launching writing to the universe for anyone and everyone to see. I love the fact that this could really strengthen a currently weak connection I feel between home and school.
