Playing the Role of a Utensil
Once again I find myself (as TeachersFirst editor) and our entire web site playing the role of a utensil, in this case a sifter. We just completed a “chunk” of new content for the site on Internet filtering in schools: Sifting Through the Filters. Why? because we see a need to help “sift” the information about filtering into a teacher’s context and experience, perhaps providing ways for teachers to open dialog about it “within the system” they deal with daily. I especially like the section on “Key Issues About Filtering” for providing a variety of perspectives. I hope it will help some folks who are trying to make changes to the way their students learn.
I don’t think any topic was more vehemently discussed by frustrated educators at the Princeton conference, NECC, and TF’s most recent advisory board meeting than filtering. But I rarely hear any “average” teacher do more than express frustration and occasional confusion about web filters and why they seem to do everything except HELP students learn wise use of the web. Some teachers erroneously believe that the filters will prevent any “bad” stuff from entering their classrooms. Others simply have no idea what the tech magicians behind the curtains do or think in setting up this “filter” and how it blocks certain content. Just about every savvy teacher has encountered the dowsing of fired-up lesson plans that comes from finding a terrific site at home on Sunday night, then discovering (in front of 30 itchy sixth graders) that it is inaccessible in school. Shame on them for not checking, but come on…sometimes we get so busy we forget.
I hope TeachersFirst’s role as a utensil is exactly that: useful, practical, and accessible. We know our audience pretty well: willing teachers who may or may not be “cooks” with technology on their own but who constantly seek new recipes and who learn from each time they cook up a new way to use technology as a learning tool. We do not seek to inspire the most chic technology chef, but we know our utensils well. And we know good technology cooking. Eventually anyone can create a master recipe with the right utensils and some practice.
Bon appetit! I’d love to hear your reviews of this new utensil.
Hi!
Couldn’t find another place to let someone know of a bad link on the site
Edit Central
Style & Diction. This is an interactive web … It is modeled after the ancient Unix utilities style and diction. Enter or copy text into the first box below. …
http://www.editcentral.com/gwt/com.editcentral.EC/EC.html –
on new additions – went to site and either their server is down or something has happened.
Like the blog!!
ruth
Comment by Ruth Smith — August 17, 2008 @ 10:47 am
As I said, TF is a utensil…in this case dishing up our reviewed resources. Thanks for catching a “missing ingredient” for us. We inactivated the review until we can find out what happened to their site. Good for you, Ruth, for taking the time to tell us. FYI, any TeachersFirst member who is logged in will see a link to “report a dead link” in the tiny framebar above any reviewed site. We require that folks be logged in to send these bad link reports so we do not get spammed by those automated bad guys out there! We KNOW that experience and do not wish to repeat it.
CHS
Comment by Candace Hackett Shively — August 18, 2008 @ 8:35 am