Trying to keep up!

How do you best stay afloat in a sea of new widgets, gadgets, nings, blogs, wiki's, podcasts, gcasts, photocasts, and the list continues? When I finished my PhD in Special Education - Ed. Tech emphasis, I was feeling quite confident that I would never be one of those who fell behind. I took a great deal of pride in my abilities to keep "in the know". Those days are long gone!

Rather than feeling like a relic I'm doing the best that I can to keep up with what seems an ever quickening pace of change in technologies. Moore's law seems to have ruled and I'm feeling in the dust! I'm excited to try out Classroom 2.0 and hope to be able to continue my path as a learner and better my abilities to provide my teachers and students with tools they can continue to use to improve and empower learning for all.

Onward and upward friends!

cz

Tags: change, learning, new, technologies

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Comment by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on August 2, 2008 at 10:08pm: I think there are a LOT of us in that boat, Christy. Many of us are our building's "tech geeks", but secretly feel overwhelmed with all there is. (I know because I've READ a lot of replies and/or blogs like yours in my short two months on the site!)

I'm quite sure that it is impossible to keep up with everything, so the best thing to do, is to pick and choose WISELY instead. Classroom 2.0 seems to be a good choice. Lots of global collaboration opportunities and no advertisements/commercialism.

Best of luck in your 2.0 adventures!
-Michelle TG

Comment by Ann E Darling on August 3, 2008 at 1:40pm: No Kidding! I have been buried this summer but the best advice I have is divide and conquer which is where this place comes in. Visit the resource wiki's as often as you dare, choose one to investigate furthre and hopefully rope a few friends into doing the same(even start your own wiki for this); then you have a "resident expert" on the topics you know are going to be impacting you the most. I also cant live without my del.icio.us bookmarking.

Oh and don't forget there are times when it is absolutely necessary to shut off the computer, leave the building and Get outside!

Comment by Lauren Kelley Parren on August 3, 2008 at 5:02pm: I only survived NECC and subsequent summer learning by focusing on the needs of ONE course in my high school, believing that what I learn here will eventually be applicable to everyone in the district . It is just too distracting to try every new tool that comes along. even at that, I'm feeling very much like my knowlege is broad, not deep. But it is OK to just know some of these tools exist, believing that together we CAN figure them out as needed. Hang in there! (I'm trying to take my own advice, too....often sleepless worrying about it.)

Comment by Brian Carter on August 8, 2008 at 6:03pm: I think you need to take a step back and compare yourself to the general public. Most teachers still consider email to be technologically advanced. When new technology "tips", I'm sure you'll be in the loop. Since I'm sure you have a firm hand on the pulse of technology, you'll be aware of what is out there and available. No Worries!