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{April 27, 2009}
Wow! It is so close to the end of the semester and I am assessing the value of the things that we have learned about and should be using. I feel that all everything has been very interesting and could be useful if only the schools would take a chance with unblocking the resources. Personally i do feel they are valuable and having said that I go home many times and show my own children things that were tauhgt. Of course sometimes they are way ahead of me but others they are not. The only problem is that because most schools have these things blocked there is not a place for them to use them as constructive tools rather than only personal entertainment. This can be overcome by presuring by teachers, parents, students and especially bussinesses and community. Otherwise the great divide between students and teachers will become deeper.
Not that it helps, but your situation is not always the norm. Many districts are becoming quite open and innovative. In cases like yours, what it takes is a persistent passion and desire to be relevant and to grow, making the case to your local administrator as to why _________ is necessary in your classroom with your students. Barriers like the ones you describe can be discouraging, but it only takes someone to persist and demonstrate powerful learning experiences that new tools can facilitate. Maybe that can be you!
Yeah, that blocking problem is definately a problem. I feel that it may just make us better teachers for it though. We now have to plan in advance and download videos we want ahead of time. We have to pull pictures from the internet from home before school. The incovenience may very well make us better teachers who are better prepared for the school day in the end.