Escapades Through British Literature
Follow on Twitter! (@dr_harrold)
  • Home
  • Armory
  • CP 12
    • Senior Speeches >
      • Sr Speeches 2018-Pd 3
      • Sr Speeches 2018-Pd 5
      • Sr Speeches 2018-Pd 6
      • Sr Speeches 2018-Pd 8
      • Pd 4 Speeches 2017
      • Pd 7 Speeches 2017
      • Pd 8 Speeches 2017
      • Pd 1 Speeches 2016
      • Pd 2 Speeches 2016
      • Pd 5 Speeches 2016
      • Pd 7 Speeches 2016
      • Pd 1 Speeches 2015
      • Pd 2 Speeches 2015
      • Pd 4 Speeches 2015
      • Pd 7 Speeches 2015
      • Pd 8 Speeches 2015
      • Pd 2 Speeches 2014
      • Pd 4 Speeches 2014
      • Pd 7 Speeches 2014
      • Pd 8 Speeches 2014
    • Unit 0: Digital Citizenship
    • Unit 1: Brave New World
    • Unit 2: Gods and Monsters
    • Unit 3: Twists and Tales
    • Unit 4: The Fountain and the Sword >
      • King Arthur Videos (2018)
      • King Arthur Videos (2017)
      • King Arthur Videos (2016)
      • King Arthur Group Projects (2015)
      • King Arthur Group Projects (2014)
      • King Arthur Readings
    • Unit 5: The Witch King
    • Unit 6: Journalists and Satirists
    • Unit 7: Research
    • Unit 8: Wilde's World
    • Legacy Pages >
      • Course Details
      • College Application Essay >
        • Biography Presentation
      • Beowulf >
        • Beowulf Introduction Webquest
        • Multi-Paragraph Essay
        • Beowulf Readings
      • The Canterbury Tales
      • King Arthur >
        • King Arthur Final Project
        • Indiana Jones Activity
      • The Hobbit >
        • Hobbit Readings
      • Renaissance Poetry
      • Macbeth >
        • Macbeth Readings
        • Macbeth Videos >
          • Act 1
          • Act 2
          • Act 3
          • Act 4
          • Act 5
        • Multi-Paragraph Essay
      • Research Project 12 >
        • Book Selections 2013
      • Restoration >
        • Satire
        • Web Tools
      • Romantic Period Poetry
      • Importance of Being Earnest
      • Senior Speech
  • Core 12
    • Be True to Your School
    • Beowulf
    • King Arthur
    • Catcher in the Rye >
      • Catcher in the Rye Readings
    • Values Paper
    • Macbeth
    • Short Stories >
      • Kaffir Boy
    • Research Project
    • And Then There Were None >
      • And Then There Were None Readings
    • Vocabulary 12
  • English 11
    • QUEST 1: Raisin in the Sun
    • QUEST 2: Catcher in the Rye
    • QUEST 3: Perks of Being a Wallflower
    • QUEST 4: The Great Gatsby
    • Quest 5: To Kill a Mockingbird >
      • Words of Wisdom
      • Mob Mentality LessonPaths
    • Quest 6: The Crucible
  • English 10
    • Course Details
    • War Horse
    • Night >
      • Night Readings
      • Multi-Paragraph Essay
      • Schindler's List Activity
      • Orpah Interview
      • Farewell To Manzanar
    • Short Readings
    • Satire Speech >
      • Good and Bad Speeches
    • Copper Sun >
      • Copper Sun Book
      • Socratic Seminars
    • Lesson Before Dying >
      • Lesson Before Dying Readings
    • Short Stories >
      • Harrison Bergeron
      • How Much Land Does a Man Need?
      • On The Rainy River
    • Poetry
    • Career Research
    • Lord of the Flies >
      • Lord of the Flies Readings
      • Lord of the Flies Paper
    • Research Project 10
    • Julius Caesar >
      • Julius Caesar Videos >
        • Act 1
        • Act 2
        • Act 3
        • Act 4
        • Act 5
      • Propaganda >
        • Dueling Speeches
        • Advertising
      • Julius Caesar Paper
      • Julius Caesar Readings
    • Antigone >
      • Antigone Readings
      • In-Class Essay
    • Vocabulary 10
    • Study Island
  • Contact Me
  • EBL
  • External Links
    • 3D Game Lab
    • Google Drive
    • Textbook
    • Gamification >
      • PETEC

Day 910: Who's Paying for Free?

6/28/2016

0 Comments

 
Based on my Twitter feed, it looks like ISTE 2016 is up and running. The tweets are flying in, the keynotes are heating up, and the buzzwords are everywhere.  While it was a great experience to attend ISTE last summer, it's just too far away and too expensive to go again.  Also...it doesn't look like there's been much updates based on the some of posts I've been seeing.  It seems that many of my former contemporaries (they still might be classroom teachers, I'm not sure) are now no longer presenting on ideas and practice, but working as "ambassadors" or "mentors" for specific companies to sell/advertise specific products.  Whether it's Google apps, Touchcast, Edmodo, Kahoot, or any similar/new tool, there's tons and tons of corporations selling their "free" software, bribing teachers with "badges" and swap to hoc their wares.  I don't think there's anything wrong with any of these tools...but is that really all their is?  Still?  Is that really all we can hope to become?

I came across an excellent article today by Gary Stager (here) which states that teachers/schools should stop looking for "free" software.  While this might yield a fun new tool, what it really does is kill the marketplace for actual programs that might change/improve education.  If the corporate/advertiser/data-stealing model is the only thing that's working, all we're ever going to be given as teachers is free, pop-up, dumbed-down, silly software designed to appeal to the masses.  Software is just as valid (if not more s0) than pencils, pens, books, and desks...so schools should be willing, able, and eager to pay.  Otherwise, we're going to "pay later" in a much different way.  (Gary Stager is much more fluent on this topic, so please check out his article to get the full scoop).

I miss ISTE this year...but it also doesn't sound like I'm actually missing anything.  Maybe next time...

Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    English Teacher | Instructional Technology Specialist | 2014-15 PBS Digital Innovator | Gamification Researcher | Marathon Runner | Ph.D RMU 2015

    Picture
    Picture
    Teach.com

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Categories

    All

Content and Site Design by: Dr. Daniel Harrold
 Baldwin High School English Dept.