Another school year, a new beginning

Hello and welcome to my first blog entry for Tech Talk 4 Teachers.

This summer I had the opportunity to teach a graduate level emerging technologies course for area teachers for a second time and had another great experience. At the end of the course several of the area teachers asked how they could keep up with the rapid changes occurring in the ed tech world once they were back in the classroom. Of course many of the Web 2.0 technologies covered in the class offered an answer. Reading blogs and wikis and listening to podcasts are great ways to keep up with the rapidly changing world of educational technology. The problem is that there is so much out there, much of it is very good, but much of it is not. Separating the wheat from the chaff can be a full-time job.

As is often the case the cobblers children have no shoes. This blog is my attempt to put into practice a dedicated area to discuss educational technology issues and the impact upon educators and students. Educational technologists are often so busy helping others that we forget to take time to nurture our own interests. This blog will share some of my experiences of what works and what does not in a variety of settings. I currently work in the College of Education & Professional Studies at Eastern Illinois University and have experience in both the K-12 and higher education worlds. I am fortunate to be surrounded by experts in pedagogy and have many years of experience with implementing technology effectively in classrooms. I am always in search of more effective methods and technologies to improve the educational process.

As we begin new school year I will explore some of the issues educators are facing in our area of rural Illinois regarding educational technologies. I think you will find many of the issues we face in this geographic area to be similar to those faced by other educators across the nation. If you do not have a blogger account and wish to contact me please send me an email with your questions, comments, or suggestions to techtalk@eiu.edu

As we begin another school year I wish everyone a successful school year and remember, the world is changing, so must we. Keep on learning.