Beginning of the School Year

The beginning of the school year is always filled with vastly mixed emotions, and this has been the case since as far back as I can remember. After all, I was a student long before I became a teacher. In fact, I remain a student to this day, completing a certificate of advanced graduate studies (CAGS) through Northeastern University's School of Professional Studies (more on that later). However, my primary role has shifted to that of classroom manager, content developer and appropriator, book group leader, academic coach, proofreader and editor, and now, professional blogger. Oh, the many hats that a teacher wears at any one time. And this is not even close to constituting an exhaustive list.

Summer was filled with some amazing times and provided some well-needed rest and relaxation. I exited the school year in June with the intention of using the gift of free time to tinker with new ideas, read voraciously, catch up with old friends, spend time with family, enjoy the outdoors, exercise, cook and eat delicious food. I am happy to report that all of these objectives were met with varying degrees of success. And while I am sad that the summer is done and the rat race must begin again, the feeling is tempered by the excitement and anticipation of new beginnings and new opportunities for growth. After all, no school year is like any other, and each one is special in its own way. And it is true what they say about teaching: it does get easier with each new year of experience. I am about to start year six (year five at Framingham High School).

So what does this year have in store? I am hoping to use Google Groups extensively with my classes to create a vibrant, exciting and transparent educational community online to supplement the classroom face-to-face learning sessions. There are those who look at new technology and say, "this is AWESOME!" and jump into using it without first considering whether it adds anything to the educational experience. I am not one of those people. I believe that a lot of the educational technology tools are nothing more than bells and whistles that school districts buy from salivating salespeople as a way to stay on the cutting edge. This is unfortunate, and Neil Postman writes an excellent chapter about the dangers of "bowing to the technology gods" in his classic non-fiction work, The End of Education. Needless to say, I do not believe that technology is the be-all-end-all panacea to all that ails public education.

However, there are a ton of useful ways that implementing technology will change education permanently and for the better. Online communities are invaluable- we are all on Facebook (*although most teachers will never accept a friend request from a current student- just a horrible idea), Myspace, gmail, Twitter (I still don't get its appeal), ebay, Craigslist, and a million other online communities that allow us to customize profiles, post ideas and pictures and other media, collaborate with people around the world, discuss issues big and small, experience common cultural phenomena, test out ideas, create (and sell) beautiful and useful thngs, and a million other exciting applications. It is an exciting and scary time to be alive, and it is essential that, as we dive headfirst into this new realm, we are conscious of both the manner and the amount we use technology. Online communities should be used as a way to connect with others in new ways, and not serve to isolate us from the real world behind a virtual wall. We must always be mindful of what we post and how we state things; the internet NEVER forgets.

I am really excited to enter this year-long discussion with all of you. Make sure to bring your A-Game to the table; we all want to know what you think.