Smell the coffee? Drinking IT every day, guys!

Be ready for a bit of a hot-around-the-collar one.

Over the last week I've received a couple of emails and comments (bizarrely, on other people's blogs) that have lent themselves to some dubious comments about my blogging (thankfully most are very positive and trying to push the medium more). Apparently, to blog as much as I do implies that I have either too much time or don't lead a fulfilling life away from the PowerBook. Not so, though I don't quite see how to prove it other than to invite every one of the 2000-odd readers to a night at the Compass Restaurant or Shore Bar.

No, what I really object to is being told not to think ahead of the game. Here's one example from a comment posted on another blog. The person named herself, but it was intended as a personal message, I think, so I've not named her:

I have spent HOURS last night and today on-line investigating podcasting (producing and downloading) I've found both HORRENDOUSLY frustrating and I speak as one of the most advanced teachers in these areas that I know.

To listen to podcasts: download iTunes, click Podcasts and type in the name of the podast you're interested in.

You wondered on your edublog why teahers don't use blogs/podcasts etc more. Come on, wake up and smell the coffee. My hours of effort have got me practically nowhere. Just paste the address into your what'sit. I wish it were so simple.

To listen to podcasts, download iTunes, click Podcasts and type in the name of the podast you're interested in.

I have a colleague who only has intermittent use of a windows 95 machine. I'm trying to get her to use materials I've downloaded for the department. Podcasts, blogs? You might as well live on the new planet they recently discovered as far as she is concerned.

This is plainly someone who should not be encouraged to create podcasts. However, she could easily download the PieCast and use this with her classes. Far easier than using a PowerPoint or weblink with her class (at least a podcast file is never 'down', 'running slowly' or 'blocked by the firewall.'

My very grave concern is that you are a man taking one hundred steps (old chinese adage) rather the one helping one hundred men to take one step.

This relies, once more, on the assumption that new technologies are more difficult to get a grasp of than the new ones. Listening to a podacst or reading a blog is far easier than creating an effective PowerPoint. Update: Anne Davis has simultaneously bumped into the same problem with inservice choices between PowerPoint and blogs. Guess which one people go for given the chance. And she doesn't get it either...

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like the MFLE person to work from a common denominator of hardware provision and bring teachers forward re ICT.

That's work. This is my personal blog. I don't comment on work here. Publicly, other than on this blog, I haven't even begun to push the blogging and podcasting agenda. There's far more on there that's not geeky or technically difficult. The 'MFLE Person' is certainly not going to work from a common (lowest?) denominator. As a languages teacher I would be disappointed if they did. There are plenty of educational geeks out there who want to find out more on new techniques, as well as those who want to learn how to teach reading and writing better (oops, back onto why blogging is good, there).

The geeks and passionate afficionados will always find a way to move ahead of the crowd.

And your issue is...?

I will now continue my search for SIMPLE CLEAR instructions how to produce podcasts that don't make us fall at the first hurdle of unexplained technical terms.

I'm not sure what you're referring to. I've never tried to explain how to produce a podcast. If I did, it would be a vision of simplicity, I'm sure. Where do you get this from?

On a more optimistic note I have downloaded thousands of materials and categorised them according to various Metro books and chapters and subtopics - power points or worksheets.

PowerPoints and worksheets have their place (an optimistic one...?). They are teacher-centred (PowerPoints) or an uninteractive option (Worksheets) to keep pupils occupied and under the control of the teacher. Very handy in moderation to fire home important points or give the teacher a break. Both these must not be ignored. However, blogs do both of these things and lend themselves to an interactive experience, encouraging higher motivation, peer assessment, and self-reflection of the learner. 'Part from that, just keep using worksheets. They're easy and, as you say, there are millions out there.

PS Where on earth do you find the time and energy???!!!!!!!!!

If I didn't have energy at my age I'd be worried ;-) Keep 'em coming, folks!

DO YOU WANT THE FACTS? Weblogging is the most important development in the internet since its conception. When the Internet was spelt with a capital 'i' most educators didn't think it would help them much. Well, the rest is history. I look forward to quoting this post in three years time when more edubloggers are in Scotland.

One more thing, if you look to the rest of the world they've already discovered the educational benefits and teachers have worked out how important it is that they get in on the act. Check out today's post on the Singapore competition and then type "educational weblogs" or "school weblogs" into Google or, better still, Technorati.

If you have something to say, do it here, on this blog. Let's get a conversation going.

Comments

[Chris]

Worksheets? WORKSHEETS?? Useful for a Please Take when the PE teacher has to take a French class - maybe. Otherwise a cop-out, guaranteed to bore the kids rigid and induce rebellion and misbehaviour. Not teaching, and that's for sure. I know what I'd rather be doing if I were a pupil ....

[John Johnston]

An open invite to the shore bar, what are the directions;-)
A guy writing a column in the Guardian a while back invited readers for a pizza, about 19 turned up. Is a Scot Edu Blogger meetup on the cards?
Podcasts IMO seem a bit more complicated than powerpoint to produce, but probably have a few advantages, use of voice (after writing) and audience are important bits of the 5-14. I've seen some great collaborative work with groups of children using powerpoint (discussions, sharing learning, making choices) and I am seeing the same things happening with PodCasting now. Both provide quite a lot of excitement for the children (Instinctively I am not a powerpoint fan, my nose wrinkles, but children can get a lot out of its production, and in using it to support there talking).
Your correspondent wanted to produce podcasts, sometimes some bloggers/podcasters make light of the production end. It takes some of us a while to get up to speed (I was blogging for a couple of years here (not edu content) before I started using a blog with my class. I've still spent a good few hours cursing as my css skills (or lack thereof) blow the blog off the browser.
So your correspondent is a bit right, it takes time to learn this stuff, and more time to practice until we are comfortable enough to use it with children, well worth the effort though.
Very handy in moderation to fire home important points or give the teacher a break. Both these must not be ignored. However, blogs do both of these things and lend themselves to an interactive experience, encouraging higher motivation, peer assessment, and self-reflection of the learner.
I wish I had enough machines to have the option of blogging as a keep busy activity;-) I do have enough worksheets thou' some are writing frames for group discussion and writing of blog entries. I hope to develop some simple worksheets to support podcast scripting.
Anyway, my point seems to be, its not the resource it is how it is used that is exciting.

[David Muir]

Just to pick up one point from John's comment... I think Ewan was saying it was easier to listen to podcasts. I don't think he was talking about creating podcasts... but I could be wrong.

And on Ewan's post... isn't it fun watching someone get steamed up about something. :-) You tell 'em Ewan!

[Derek]

Hey Ewan!

After reading your blog it's clear you have a real passion for education, learning, teaching, weblogs, & podcasts!

There are lots of people interested in what you're saying! So keep blogging! Keep pushing the envelope!

Cheers!

Derek

[Fiona]

I think it is great that someone like Ewan has so much enthusiasm and energy to embrace new technologies and to see the potential of them in the classroom. I feel inspired to try new things when I read some of the posts in Ewan's blog but obviously you are not going to please everyone.I have been getting to grips with blogging and the more I find out about it the more I want to try new things with it. Keep up the good work Ewan.