Journal 7#... The Journal
“Free At Last” by Jennifer Demski, free lance writer

“You can’t use technology as the foundation. If you do not know where you’re going, adding technology just helps you get nowhere faster.” I agree with that statement. Teachers must have a goal or teaching standard in mind when doing a lesson plan. The iCal calendar which allows districts to place schedules or mapping for each grade gives a time line for when standards should be taught. Concepts appear on the calendar as hyperlinks that take the teacher to a Wiki. Once there, they will find the standardized curriculum calendar and the availability of materials necessary to meet the teaching standard for the grade they choose.

Standards based design is the most important organizational criteria for the downloading of materials. The Wiki has the flexibility to change as state requirements change affording the districts the ability to stay current with the ever changing teaching standards, thus eliminating huge binders.

The author explains in the article that teachers are free from printed textbook documents. It is not digital textbooks, they are excited about, but instead information streams that allow teachers to download and tailor materials in a dynamic interactive ways. The district says, “A Launch Point for Creativity” which allows teachers to build a resource library. The need arose when textbooks were not fitting the standards in education. Each one may contribute to the information and all may have access to appropriate materials for each standard.

!. How can a Wiki page be used? I was wondering how a Wiki site could help me or be used in the classroom. The trouble I had with formatting made me wonder if it would be a burden to me in the classroom. Based on the article it can house numerous support tools, such as links to other educational streams, support platforms for inexperienced teachers, and easy the hunt for appropriate materials. After reading the article I would use the Wiki for the classroom.

2. How can “ical” calendar benefit the teacher or school district?
As an organizer and communicator ical calendar would be welcomed in my classroom. It can make sure teachers are following what is expected of the and at what stage or during the year. To be able to keep educational standards and expectations together in a time line or calendar is an imaginative way to achieve state standards communication. It sure is easier than reading a huge binder that may or may not have current information in it. The other use is to be able to map the moon or plot the moon or astrological signs. Many multicultural events can be viewed by just clicking and downloading ical calendars. I see many creative uses for this.