This is one of those days where I feel that I am just overwhelmed! We all have those days, of course. Some days you don’t know how you are going to get everything finished—you see your homework, your kid’s daily homework and projects, house hold obligations, dinner to fix, clothes to wash and the list seems to go on and on. I am just venting a little—it is nice to have a place to vent and not have to worry with someone rolling eyes at me. 

It will all come together—I always have to fix my to-do-lists and rank the list. My absolute “have tos,” take my focus and I sort of let the others slither in the background and catch them on another list. It could probably be called a rolling list because the list never seems to end. Oh well, what would life be like if we didn’t have anything to keep us occupied? Sometimes I wonder if I could function in a stress free environment—honestly. Ok, I’ll hush—I feel better.

I was reading some articles on Engadget, and I couldn’t help but relate them to my reading on educational access. There was articles on X-Box, I-Pods, Wii Vertual Console, Colbot Blue Nintendo DS, and the list goes on and on. This is what our children know and they work with everyday. Think of how far technology has come since we were little–it is unbelievable. My husband plays these games and everytime a new system comes out, he goes and buys it. It seems crazy to me, but it happens.

On educational access, I was thinking of how many types of games and entertainment systems that are available for purchase. Does this mean that every child has all of these systems? Of course not. Think of the diversity among children. There are some children that may be lucky to have on of the systems while others may have quite a few. Nonetheless, there are different degrees of access and this goes the same for children and up-to-date technological access.

I have commented a little on the access to up-to-date hardware, software, and connectivity that is mentioned by Solomon. This is a thought that I hadn’t given much thought to until I read this chapter. There are situations where children don’t have the technology needed to participate in certain technological functions. In the same way, there are even instances where schools don’t have up-to-date equipment and it seems to put a damper on a very enthused teacher that is so excited about incorporating new technology into the classroom.

As far as having “access to meaningful, high-quality, and culturally responsive content and the opportunity to contribute to that content,” this is an area that is well covered across the Internet. There are unlimited types of learning aids that are available to our children. For children that don’t have home access to these particulars, there could be some time offered in school where children get to participate in these learning programs. If the classroom is limited on computers, the children could even be put on a rotation so each child gets to use the computer.

Educators are becoming more familiar with technology and how to use it in the classroom. I have met several teachers, that have been teaching for a while, that use technology in the classroom on a daily basis. Obviously, this is a great advantage to the children. On the other hand, there are some educators that are “scared to try technology,” and this can have a negative influence on children.

Change definitely plays an important role in the world of technology. Technology is ever changing and it becomes difficult to keep up with it sometimes. Nonetheless, it is important for people to have a vision for change and be willing to accept it.

I have a perfect example of being scared to be adventurous and complete a project on your own…..

Ok, I was sitting here at work today (let’s remember this is a brand new job for me), and I was handed my Performance Evaluation to add my comments to.  I asked my supervisor what types of things that are supposed to be included in the comments and he said, “Whatever you want to include.”  So I proceeded to ask him, “Can you give me an example, cause I am not sure what you are expecting?”  He said, “It is simply whatever you want it to be.”  I was devastated!  Needless to say, I came back to my computer and I searched for examples on our website.  I couldn’t find any examples of “comments.”  By this time, I was a little aggravated and I tried to focus the thought of venturing “out side the box.”  I continued to think, “Don’t underestimate yourself.  Trust your abilities.  It’s ok to be different from everyone else.  Quality is much better than Quantity.  Don’t stress….”  All of this was rambling through my head over having to write simple “comments” about what my supervisor and I had discussed about my job abilities!!  Why does it have to be so difficult!  I want to trust my abilities and be able to be given a task and go with it—not have to have an example, but trust that my finished project will be just as good as anyone else’s!  Does it have to be a competition?  Are we trained to be like this from our early years in school?  Is it an insecurity within myself and maybe my past learning experiences actually do not have any affect.  I definitely want my future students, and my own children to be different.

OK–I feel better.  :-)

When thinking of Education, Technology, and Culture it almost seems difficult to see the relationship only by reading the terms and not thinking about them.  However, ponder on each idea separately and think of each individual meaning.  In actuality, it seems that Education, Technology, and Culture work hand in hand–there is a cycle associated here.  For the past week, it seems that I have been working endlessly to get connected with my classmates via Instant Messenger, Blogs, Email, Blackboard, etc.  Nonetheless, when I look at this learning community I think, “Are the people that are listed on the roster the only members of my learning community.”  If I were in a traditional classroom, then yes those members may very well be the only people that play a part in my learning atmosphere.  Nevertheless, in the online world the learning community can almost seem endless.  When you look at your gator, do you only see the people that are enrolled in this class?  No, I have a variety of feeds that I read in to and they are not just the members of this class.  In the past, I have had people outside of class comment on my posts and I learn from what they have to say.  With that said, there comes a variety of cultures that interact in the online learning community.  Nonetheless, the learning community is expanded around the world–we are not limited to only the members on our roster.

I haven’t had a chance to catch a Tips and Tricks Tour.  Seems like everytime I have available, there isn’t a tour scheduled.  Nevertheless, I do have some experience with TappedIn and I love the setup.  I created an office and changed the layout of my space. :-)  It is a nice feeling to have an office of your very own.  This is such a nice atmosphere and it has several benefits for the classroom.  This is one of the many tools that I would most definitely use in my classroom.  The virtual world seems to have endless learning opportunities–I love it!!  I like to think of ways to keep children engaged in learning–something to keep them enthused about the world around them. 

While venturing throughout TappedIn, I couldn’t help but think of how useful such an environment would be in the classroom.  I have seen office spaces that have all types of additional learning links and tools that are included in the area.  In addition, while typing my thoughts and feelings, I can relate the value of blogs in the classroom.  We have a learning community that is beyond the people that are enrolled in this class–it is a very nice feeling. 

My name is Frances R. Hackney. About three months ago, my family and I moved to Lexington—this has definitely been an adjustment. Currently I am working at the University of Kentucky, and this change has been a very stressful one for me. For the past five years, I worked for Big Sandy Community and Technical College. I have a five year old son, and a daughter that will be born somewhere between April 17th and April 30th. In 2006, I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree in Education. This should be my last semester before I earn my Master’s Degree in Educational Technology. This is such an accomplishment for me since no one in my family has ever graduated with anything higher than a high school diploma.

My husband and I have been married seven months and he is working toward his PhD in Neuroscience Physiology. In what little free time I have, I love spending time with my son, singing, and just relaxing (that very rarely happens). In the same way, I hope to obtain a teaching position where I can fulfill my dream of working with young children. Nonetheless, I have so many visions for my classroom and a variety of ideas which allow me to incorporate technology into the classroom environment to meet diverse learning needs–I can’t wait until I get the chance to be in the classroom!