Dan Grass on "Most Freshmen at the Top Universities are Graduates of Public Schools"

This article is very interesting. I don't know if I particularly agree with it. I am one to believe that you can make data say anything you want. For instance. It says that the number of students attending top tier colleges are coming primarily from public universities. I would be interested to find out what is the percent of students applying from public schools. If more students are applying from public schools than in the past, that would skew the data. There are areas of interest such as that, that would help me form a better understanding of the situation. Additionally, what are the requirements and how have they changed for admittance to these colleges? Again this is another issue that would need to be discussed to better understand what exactly is happening within the data. I think that when you look at what public education is demanding of itself though, you'll see that it is becoming more and more aggressive to compete with the private school sector. The last aspect of this article I would want to think about is what is happening to scholarships at these institutions. Are these programs receiving scholarship funding for equal parts public and private school? Very interesting.

High school suspends student editor for refusing to print the word 'redskins' response by Dan Grass

This was a very interesting article. I am extremely surprised that the school took the stance that it did on using the word "redskins." It is my experience that schools tend to error on the side of conservative when dealing with touchy subjects such as gender, race, and religion. The fact that the school said outright that they "required" the students to use the word that some would consider racist is laughable. Someone was not thinking when they made that claim. I think that situations like this do somewhat neuter speech within schools. That being said, if a student does not want to use a particular word or language, they probably should note use force or punishment to ensure that the word IS used. This is bizarre to me. The only reason I could think they would have taken the road they did, was because they feared a snowball effect of language being deferred do to political agenda. But, on the other hand, that's what high schools make a habit of. This is a very unique situation. I would be curious to whether or not this has been addressed at other schools, you know, past the 1950's.

Can Students ‘Go Deep’ With Digital Reading? Response By Dan Grass 9/14

This was an article I could really get behind. I have a strong opinion on whether or not students should be required to use a print medium, or an electronic. This article struck a chord with me when it began talking about the study habits of students, and whether or not they preferred to use print vs. e-book during their learning. I personally have a very challenging time using electronic devices when working on school work. The biggest challenge for me, as I am sure for a high school student, is using the electronic device without distraction within itself. To me, using a laptop to read for study is like trying to write a paper in the middle of a busy intersection. There's so much to look at and mess with, that distraction comes very easily to me. Even now as I type this blog, I have to resist the temptation to scan to a different window and pull up videos of cats, football highlights, or whatever else happens to being tossed around the internet. I could only imagine that challenge becomes even greater for a student who has grown up with technology at their fingertips. Many high school children have spent more time surfing the internet then most adults will in their entire life. I suppose to a degree that means that they have an almost infinite amount of knowledge at their fingertips, but then again, it lends itself back to my distraction theory. For me personally I choose print.

I do agree with the 37% poled that note taking is much easier when you have the ability to write on the text of which you are studying. I think that if technology can provide a platform where note taking becomes equally as attainable as highlighting, and writing, then I think that number will go down.  I believe that if we could push for more successful pen to tablet functionality, students will reach out towards electronic note taking much more fluidly. Lastly, I would like to call to question the historical value of ebooks in relation to print. In a scenario where a book is published to electronic medium only, what happens when the publisher discontinues that text? Does that book simply reside on the computers or tablets for which it was downloaded? What happens when that tablet or account is canceled? I am curious to the length of availability for what could become important historical texts. Again, this is just one more reason why I feel that print should be continued as a source of education above e-books.

Dan Grass blog post on The Importance of Change Management in Facilitating Instructional Technology Adoption

Technology is an interesting beast. It is clear that day to day, it will never be the same. This creates challenges for an entity such as education. Education is notorious for being always behind the times in technology. The challenges prosed by this article let a little sunlight on the subject. This article also puts into perspective how my own experiences are directly tied to the musings of the author.

"Hall and Hord’s Concerns Based Adoption Model"

This model listed some very interesting points regarding the implementation of change in school technology. One of the more relate-able subjects was that of ensuring the technology needs of the teachers were being met. Too often teachers are left without, due to lack of chain of command leading to the individuals that can make things happen. A personal example of this can be seen in my own classroom. I have been working for FCHS for 3 years now. From the time I arrived, I knew I had a smartboard in my classroom. This is a great addition to any classroom when trying to implement technology. Sadly though, my smart board has gone without a power cord for the entirety of that time. There has been little or not connectivity between me and whatever source of technology can get me a power cord. The Concerns Based Adoption Model stated that, " 3) That technology specialists must have a well developed understanding of what is going on in classrooms and in schools." In my cases this is not accurate. The stages of concern come into play in this scenario. I am clearly categorized as "non-use."

I've enjoyed being able to take this article and compare it to my own scenarios. It raises many interesting ways of looking at technology change.

A little about myself.

First off, let me say that this is very difficult for me. From a technology perspective, I am stuck in the 1950's. I am a band director. I struggle daily with using technology in my classroom, due to the fact that it is a performance art. I am currently the assistant director of bands at Forsyth Central High School here in Cumming, Ga. I am looking to complete my studies at KSU in the areas of Leadership. I hope that one day, I can generate a learning environment in either public school, or private, that can change the education model in a positive way. I know that technology is a cornerstone of that change. This is something that I wish to improve on as we go on throughout the semester. I need a lot of help in using computer and internet resources for mass communication. This challenge is something that I will continue to develop and improve. Any help that you may have to take streamline technology for me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you guys for reading my blog, and I look forward to hearing from you all.