To Stream or Not to Stream...That is the ?

Blogs are great. I love them! Have 7 different ones to "organize" my life, my writing.

Blogs let me vent. Voice my opinions (even if it's only for my benefit). I don't often "speak my mind". I'm often a chicken, but when I'm passionate, I'll speak up. Blogs let me "speak" about my passions.

Usually, I'll just voice my opinion via email, chat or blog, but often can't say what I'm really thinking out loud. Blogging has helped me think and challenge my own self/brain. Teaching is often an isolated job. I'm not often with a group of people to have meaningful, passionate conversations with. I like meetings that make me think. Meetings where we discuss things and I leave still wanting more. My brain hungers for the challenge. They motivate me. Make me want more. Blogs let me say what I'm thinking when there is no one there to listen.

This blog streams into a community blog in my school district. I flip flop often on whether I should remove it. I'm voicing my opinion for everyone to see. I feel I'm pretty careful with what I blog in this blog knowing that my coworkers, boss, etc might stumble upon it. But what I say is just my opinion. Opinions made public. A little scary for me. Today, I'll allow this to stream because today I feel like what I have to say is important, but by tomorrow (or next week, next month) I might change my mind.

Who's Educating our Children in Technology

A recent chat with someone new to the profession of teaching technology made me wonder, who have we entrusted to teach our children technology?

I will be the first to tell you that I have no qualifications to teach technology to students. I don't have a degree that makes me eligible. I have taken very few classes on technology, and yet, I teach 650 children a week all they are supposed to know about technology. I hate bragging, but I think I'm pretty good at it. I've taught myself almost everything I know. I have a passion to learn more and am constantly figuring out new things. And somehow, that makes me qualified to teach students.

Since there isn't a required endorsement, what should we be looking for in a technology educator? Are there some minimums they should know how to do before we say they are ready to teach our children? What would those minimums look like?

Someday I think I would like to teach preservice teachers in a technology methods course. They have art, music and p.e. methods courses (just in case you enter a school where you have to teach your own students art, music and/or p.e). What about technology? More and more schools are turning to an embedded technology model where a teacher will be expected to teach their students technology. Why is it that we don't prepare them for what they might have to teach in that area? Wouldn't it be best if all teachers had some minimum knowledge to make them "qualified" to teach technology?

Just my thoughts. Anyone else have any?