RSS in Education

RSS is a tool that can be very useful in education.  My school district is in the early stages of adopting Google Apps for education.  I decided to make a video that would demonstrate how classrooms could use RSS in a Google Apps environment to publish and discuss their learning.  Blogger is still a new idea in our learning environment.  It is now readily accessible, and teachers are excited to have their students give it a try.  RSS and Feedly are great for teachers and students to collect all student blogs into one clean and easy to read place.

I made this video with the intention of providing it to teachers and students in my district.  This was my first effort with some of these tools.  I believe it is something we can use and build from.  I hope you enjoy it.

In taking the time to complete this assignment I have reflected on the importance of screen casting as a method to provide instruction.  I am experiencing its value as a student in our program, especially in 502.  As a technology director, I am realizing the need to have simple instructions on topics unique to my district's computing environment available in this manner.  At the moment, we have no videos of this type available to assist staff.

Elements of Educational Technology

I am part of something. I used to joke to some of the other techs in my shop that I am an education reformer.  After reading “The Meaning of Educational Technology,” I acquired a bit of background on the shift happening in education theory. In the past, the emphasis was on teaching and delivery; now the focus has moved to the needs of the learner.

View my reflection on why learning is the most essential part of the definition of educational technology.

I love the idea of learning. When I chose a career, I chose technology. I chose it because I had no idea what I wanted to do. I understood the pace of change would require regular learning. There is so much to learn that technology can be a very humbling profession. I learned there are no experts. You have to be able to work well alone and know where to go when you need help. The Internet was invented to share solutions to technology problems.

More recently, I have had the opportunity to work in IT for a school district that was having conversations about deeper learning, 21st century learning and project-based learning when I arrived. The spirit behind these talks stressed qualities that were already of value to me in my field. The district empowered the technology department to think about and add to the learning environment. I have been known to help rearrange classrooms and cover tables with dry erase paint to facilitate small group collaboration. That is not exactly high-tech, but it is exciting to see how moving things around can change the way a teacher delivers lessons. Maybe I am an education reformer.

Welcome!

Welcome to my EDTECH Learning Log. My name is Tim Rocco and I am the Director of Technology for a K-12 school district of eight schools and 3,400 students. I intend to use this space to add artifacts and share learning as I make my way towards a Master of Educational Technology at Boise State University. Posts will be labeled according to standards set by the Association for Educational Communication & Technology.

About Me

I have been professionally helping people resolve computer issues since my start in 1994 at a Kinko's computer services desk. Since then I have had success in help-desk and network support roles with a number of organizations spanning big, small, public, and private. I've been supporting K-12 education for five years and have been involved in school district technology administration for just over a year. It is an exciting time to be involved with the educational technology field.

Personally, I love to spend time outside and cooking, either separately or together. I was raised in Cleveland, Ohio and have also lived in Tokyo, Seoul and Seattle. I live in Ketchum, Idaho and have done so since 1999. I came to ski one winter, and stayed because it turns out I enjoy the generally quieter pace of life. I am lucky to be married to an awesome wife and even luckier to have two healthy and happy daughters who are four and one.