Confession - Two Things I Say That My Parents Never Did...

I was just realizing that I do something that I want to confess.  Relatively frequently, I say something to my kids that was completely unheard of just a few years ago.  I realize now that my parents had their own threats.  Here are mine:

The first...


"I'm going to Facebook you"

So, I find myself saying this anytime my kids do something that I can take a photo of that would be compromising.  I don't mean that I would really put anything up that's bad but I can't help it.  It's fun to say.

The second...

"We should put that on YouTube!"

The only analogy is perhaps submitting a VHS tape to America's Funniest Home Videos years ago.  I think in terms of recording everything on video on my phone.  I would love to submit all the crazy stuff my boys do but saying it pretty much accomplishes it for me.

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We all love our technology these days! 

I even find the boys seriously suggesting that we make movies for posting online as well.  Pretty amazing that they get to grow up with iPads in the classroom, Smart Boards and such easy access to information.  I know they will benefit from the collaborative learning that will come out of using technology in the classroom. 

On a personal note.  I think it's amazing that they will be  growing up not knowing what it means to have no high-speed internet.  They are going to understand devices and technology in a completely new way.  Always connected.

Fun times!

Ok, until next time.

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school fundraiser

Schools and Technology... Changing Perceptions in the Mind of the Community.

Ask a random member of your community if they think the local elementary school is on the cutting edge of technology and most likely, they'll be thinking overhead projectors and VHS tapes.

I applaud educators today for pushing to improve the reputation of teachers when it comes to technology.  I no longer picture a teacher as purely a red pen, loose paper, dusty book person.  I picture educators as Macbook toting, Smartboard using folks planning their classes on an iPad.

So, here's the trouble.  When your average person pictures a school, they do not imagine a well-designed modern layout with comfortable furniture and quiet voices. They do not see subdued indirect lighting.  They do not envision students on the newest technology available.  They do not imagine students truly engaged.

They hear the clicks and squeaks of shoes in long echo filled hallways, the grinding of pencils being sharpened and outdated textbooks hitting the desks.  In the mind, the school is exactly as it has always been.  Loud, sterile and behind-the-times. They picture a lot of horseplay and talking back.

Change takes time and that's why I have so much respect for the educators in my PLN (my Personal Learning Network).  I see first-hand what technology and communication can do to improve learning.  The development of the educators that have embraced sites like twitter and express themselves with blogs such as this one is mind-boggling.  The desire to integrate apps and devices and create an environment where collaborative learning replaces memorization.

There is no doubt in my mind that our current educators can bring a new level of awareness and reform education.  Here's proof that our educators are on the cutting edge:

2010 Edublog Award Winners

If you take a look at some of the winners listed here, you'll get the idea that blogging, social media, technology and new strategies are being widely distributed TODAY.

And the kids are ready for it!  Right now, our toddlers are fully capable of operating computers and apps of all types.

My son just turned 4 years old and can surf YouTube, find age appropriate Netflix content to watch without help, take photos and videos and play them back and he can easily operate a number of educational apps without supervision. I know that sounds like he must be online all the time but it's not that he's always using technology.  He's a regular boy and plays and we do a lot of fun things together - He's just pretty darn good at it now that the devices are as intuitive as they are today.

This phenomenon is not just happening to just a few kids.  Take a look at this:

Learning to Play ‘Angry Birds’ Before You Can Tie Your Shoes

The technology gap between home and school could just as easily widen if school budgets don't allow for integrating technology into the classroom creating a dynamic where students don't relate to school as well. Although I'm no expert here, what I do know is that children like to be challenged.  Not being up-to-date is just not all that interesting.

This is why I respect schools that pay attention to design, lighting, comfort, computers & devices, video, sound reinforcement and simplicity.  I also applaud educators that push the boundaries discovering new and exciting ways to engage students and inspire others.

In the end, changing schools is going to be a long haul but I believe it can be done.

People will have to see for themselves this 'new school' is dedicated to the integration of technology and new principles of learning in order to believe it.  It will have to shatter the expectation that the school was created from the 'hand-me-downs' of the business sector and let it be known that the educators actually know how to use the technology.

We can get there and it will happen when thousands upon thousands of little actions improve the way schools work.  I see these improvements daily from the educators in my PLN and I am impressed.  It's perhaps not yet a movement, but it is something powerful.

I, for one, look forward to following these small innovations all along the way.  Things will soon look very different as a result.

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Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising and blogs here at BelieveJay.Blogspot.com as well as TheFundraisingPln.com


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Here's the article that inspired this post: Tightrope Teaching

Why Traditional School Fundraising Should Fuel Technology Integration in the Classroom

I remember as a kid getting a number of Apple II computers for our computer lab in school. They were awesome! Not only that, but the 64 KB performed pretty darn well on the green screen as I recall.

Point is, we didn't have a school-wide fundraiser to get them.

These days, schools, districts and states have to make hard decisions. There's no doubt that the budget crisis schools are facing today is making budgeting for technology difficult. Even at the best of times, making technology a priority is a choice. It's something a state, district and school needs to pay particular interest to and be aware of what it truly takes to effectively integrate technology into the classroom.

I know that I am of the minority when I say that as a parent, I would be more than happy to provide an iPhone or iPad or iTouch or a Kindle or laptop or whatever I needed to provide for my kids. I really feel technology is such an empowering tool that it's worth any financial sacrifice I would put forth.

I also know that asking parents to contribute cold hard cash towards these items across the board would be a monumental disaster and it's flat-out not going to happen. Just because I would put that first doesn't mean others will for a number of reasons.

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Side Note: Has anyone studied replacing typical school supplies with technology? My kids come home with piles of paper. It's great in it's own way, but, I wonder how close the expenditures in office supplies, paper, printers etc. compares to a paperless classroom? A topic for another time perhaps :)

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Can the technology be free?

I think that the computer companies of the world discuss education as a 'market' and not a 'charity' so there's really no indication that technology will be free that I know of. Will Government properly fund it? Based on the computer system in the DMV, I'm guessing no. Will parent's pay? Unfortunately, not likely directly. I know it's a sarcastic little paragraph there but money always has to come from somewhere.

So, how then can fundraising help?

Traditional fundraising has the ability to raise money for a cause. When done right, it extends beyond just parents and the community on the whole can contribute. When folks get behind a cause, there is a strengthening of community and a better sense of a understanding our priorities as a civilization. They generally get tangible rewards in exchange for their money so contributors feel it's a proper exchange.

I believe that when an individual has the realization that they will do something great for a child, without really impacting them negatively, they will respond favorably.

The community will rally behind the need for technology in school if the need is presented in the right way. My job in the fundraising industry puts me in the direct path of the need to figure it out and make things happen. I will commit energy and resources towards accomplishing the goal of better funding for technology.

It's not clear how the future will unfold when it comes to replacing paper with electronics but there's not much disagreement to the fact that it will happen one day soon.

Believe Kids is honored to be funding technology in the classroom today, but we really look forward to funding the bigger technology reforms and integrations we know will come tomorrow!

In the meantime, keep integrating what you can into the classroom and we'll formulate a plan so when the switchover from paper to touchpad comes, we'll all be ready.
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Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising and blogs here at fundraising-advice.com If you liked the post, please follow or make comments/suggestions.

I can be reached directly on twitter - twitter.com/BelieveKids