A Valuable Education and Technology Resource

I discovered a new website today that will prove valuable to me in incorporating technology into my middle school classroom, and it may prove valuable for you as well. It is called techLEARNING and can be found at www.techlearning.com . The web site caters primarly to three groups of people involved with education; teachers, school technology coordinators and administrators, with information and links relevant to all three groups. The site contains links to ebooks, professional publications, and other resources relevant to educators using technology in the classroom. There were numerous articles that covered a multitude of relevant subjects. For example there were articles on professional development for teachers and technology, or success stories of technology integration into the classroom or practical uses of technology in conjunction with school curriculum. Under one link, Digital Media in the Classroom, I opened an ebook on "The Art of Digital Storytelling", that was truly inspiring. It talked about using digital storytelling in the classroom, and a jumping off point to get teachers started. They had several touching examples of digital storys. One in particular, My Fathers Eyes, besides touching my heart, convinced me I need to be using this technology with my students. There were links to free resources and discussion forums for questions or topics of interest. They tell you how to use video streaming in your classroom, incorporate music into your curriculum, how to use Web 2.0 tools to help students express their creativity, or even how to hook your personal computer up to an HD television. Most articles had links to online books or podcasts or other helpful sites. There were literally hours upon hours of useful information. One drawback to the site was the vast amount of information. While the site was organized logically, it was hard to find specific information at times. They did have a search engine within the website but for me, at least, it was not working correctly. But that should not take away from my excitement about this site. I will be back many times for useful information as I attempt to integrate technology into my classroom.

Why create this Blog and use this Title

This blog was created in response to an assignment for a graduate class I am taking. I am a math teacher studying Education Administration to eventually become a school principal. The course I am in revolves around the use of technology in the classroom. The course requirement is to create a blog and post a review of a good teaching resourse website. There will be at least one and possibly more posts about teaching in the near future. But I think I might use this blog for any number of purposes as time progesses, so I picked a title with a personal significance. The Buffalo is a most amazing creature; small spindly legs on a massive body. They posses incredible power and surprizing speed, yet in the wild they often seem quite calm and unassuming. The buffalo has been my favorite animal since I was a young child living in South Dakota. I went on a school field trip to Custer State Park where they had helped save them from extinction and had developed the world's largetst herd. I have fond memories of college. I went to Harding University, their mascot is the Bison, so there is an educational link for me to that dignified animal. And one of my alltime favorite memories involves buffalo. A few years ago on a family vacation through Yellowstone National Park, I pulled my truck off to the side of the road between a large open field and a wide river. After a few monemts a large herd of buffalo slowly passed in front of my truck and waded into the river. The entire herd swam across the river and eventually disappeared into the trees and brush on the opposite side of the moving water. To me it was a vivid picture of the majestic simplicity of God's creation. When I think of Buffalo on the Prairie I think of a calm controlled power that's unaffected by the chaotic movement that exists outside of the peace on the prairie. Sometimes that's how my life feels, but not nearly often enough. Buffalo on the Prairie paints a picture in my mind of a place I want to be able to visit at a moments notice and where it would be okay to permanently reside.