It was 10:00 in the evening and I began my "Trying Tech Tactics" trek into the unknown. Traversing through the wilderness, I was enchanted by the glittering lights of foxfire, drawing my attention to the vibrant folds within the fungi species.
It was widely believed that the light acts as a warning to hungry animals, like the bright colors
exhibited by some poisonous animals and insects.
Caressing it with a gentle tapping of my index finger, it was cold to the touch, as are all foxfire leaves, and the many layers of fungi concealed the viral specimen lurking in the folds of the flowering....
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If you've gotten to this point, and you have just asked yourself "What the heck am I reading?" I must apologize for my lack of Fitzgerald skills in creating metaphors to draw comparisons between seemingly unlike "things." But let's be honest, as a teacher, my bedtime was also about 2 hours ago---yes, that would mean I hit the sack at approximately 8:30p.m. because I am thoroughly exhausted from the day's work- of grading papers and implementing curriculum and disciplining children, and, most importantly, aimlessly exploring the internet, looking for tech-tastic activities, being blinded by the bright glaring lights of various websites--only to be left with baggy eyes and occasionally a virus-infested link that I idiotically accessed. Is that a run-on?
So here I am.... you can avoid my nightmare....the nightmare of taking an odyssey through the darkness of the internet because you are trying to search for and attempt "tech tactics" in the classroom.
Ok... so on one of these long enduring journeys on the internet, I stumbled upon EDUtopia.
A possible solution to the tedious google internet search for tech tools. The title of this site was very creative. Let's forget that "utopian" and
"utopianism" are words occasionally used to denote visionary reform that tends to
be impossibly idealistic. In fact, many utopias are
satires that ridicule existent conditions rather than offering practical
solutions for them; however, this website seems to offer practical solutions for educators who are trying to integrate technology into their classrooms and provide authentic learning experiences for students.
An overview of their mission sums it up:
"It’s a place of inspiration and aspiration based on the urgent belief
that improving education is the key to the survival of the human race.
We call this place Edutopia, and we provide not just the vision for this
new world of learning but the real-world information and community
connections to make it a reality."
You may want to check out the Technology Integration Research Review, which provides an overview of various ways to integrate technology into the classroom--
So instead of mindlessly doing a google search to begin your search-for-tech odyssey, make a quick stop here to see if they have what you are looking for first.
