Hopefully the House, Senate and Governor are ALL UND graduates.  This is long overdue.

While I understand that colleges need to comply with the rules of the organization they choose to belong to, in this case, the NCAA (a.k.a., “the organization”)–it’s quite another thing when the organization moves to a new level of arrogance by deciding that they are in a position to determine which university logos and nicknames are hostile or demeaning.

Clearly, if UND was ever perceived in that manner, or behaved in that manner toward its Native American Indian students–there’d be thousands of students (of all backgrounds and races) attending colleges elsewhere. Native American Indian students would certainly choose other schools to attend. Alumni would definitely send their donations elsewhere.  UND would have ceased to exist long ago.

Quite the opposite is true. UND thrives.

Anyone visiting the campus can see the growth–and not just in the new construction.  Spending time with students and teachers–the dedication to academic excellence is clear. UND even has “academic appeal” to “out of state” students.  In fact, more than half of the students in the IDT Master’s program I’m participating in are “out of state” students who have chosen to attend UND instead of attending schools in their resident states.

The NCAA’s activities and mandates have become increasingly capricious–one might argue–hostile and demeaning.

Member schools, like UND, need to stand up for their individual traditions—especially those that are associated with a school that actively promotes high academic standards and respect for all people.

When I started this blog, “Dragon @ School,” my intent was to share how voice recognition, specifically Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional, has been “transforming” the educational process for me as I attempt to maintain sanity while going to school and working.  My posts may come from the perspective of a student or teacher most of the time, but my immediate reaction to Mr. Lucas’ comments was as a parent who is now a student in a very different educational format for a very traditional pursuit.

Mr. Lucas’ vision for education is not disimilar from mine–technology brings many tools to the classroom for teachers and students while also challenging the theories our educational systems are based on.  I agree with his comments about how education in the past is changing, “…(past education) the end of this education assembly line comes a diploma–if the student can spit back the facts correctly…(present education) unleashing contemporary technology—combined with classic methods of inquiry-based learning that date back to Plato and Socrates–to transform the learning process into a rigorous and more relevant experience.” 

Technology alone doesn’t transform education–no way; rather, it is the effective use of technology built on instructional design models suited to the learners and their environments that hold the keys to transforming education.

Technology doesn’t guarantee accountability–but it certainly makes student accountability easier to manage for teachers who have dwindling budgets and increasingly larger class sizes.  For parents, it makes teacher accountability transparent–we know what teachers have assigned and their expectations for academic success. 

Technology doesn’t make communication better–in fact, in our own district we’ve seen quite the opposite–but it certainly has teh potential to make communication better, and more frequent.  Students, parents and teachers who take time to use technology can improve communication…but that IS the challenge…

Learning to use the technology…

So, transforming education in the United States absolutely requires that all three points (student, teacher and parent) of the communication triangle learn to use technology effectively to transform education.

Read more about George Lucas’ perspective.  His “transforming education” article:  http://www.care2.com/causes/education/blog/george-lucas-says-join-the-movement-to-transform-learning/”http://www.edutopia.org”/

His foundation’s website:
http://www.edutopia.org/mission-vision

Today, I added several more custom commands to augment my existing Blackboard navigation commands.  I am now moving from one database to another in Ebsco while trying to find articles Dr. Ruth Colvin Clark has referenced in her article entitled “Hang Up Your Training Hat.”

When I’m doing an “old-fashioned” google search, it’s even smoother–fewer Dragon commands to create–since I can usually say the link names…or a small part of the link name…to immediately “ziggy” over to that site/page.  If I’m using my Tablet PC–tolerating the keyboard and touchpad, or even an external wireless mouse; searching can be a chore.  Depending on Dragon instead, has improved searching the Internet tremendously if I’m using my Tablet PC AND is even improving the Internet searching I do when I use my business workstation.

The ability to search for things on the Internet is NOT just for school kids like me.  Nope…searching for just about anything is as easy as saying “search the web for hockey rinks in Columbus” or “find a site about Ruth Colvin Clark.”

No doubt about it–Dragon has removed the keyboard from my life…and for Internet searching, Dragon is well on the way to kicking my mouse to the curb!

Since finishing the last semester, Dragon and I have been in “major re-write” mode as I have separated my project from last semester into two projects.  My IDT 520 class covered the first steps in the ADDIE process–IDT 525 follows-up with the remaining steps and gives us time to work with our students/customers for their feedback.

Work activities are keeping me very busy redesigning our training courses while still actually doing the training.  What I’m learning in school has helped so much.  The positive feedback has been very encouraging–so good to know the effort is beneficial to the people participating in our courses.  Well, back to the writing…

Along with separating one lesson into two–I’ve been updating our survey forms and writing the Scholarly Project proposal–I’m working on adding a “collaboration” unit to our existing training services, then using a research instrument to determine whether the collaboration tasks improve (lower) the technology abandonment rate for Dragon.  It’s proving to be very challenging.

And, of course, I’m writing reports from the training sessions and updating our marketing materials for 2011.  Yes, my hands would be “toast” if I didn’t have Dragon…the only “toasting” I plan on–is raising a glass of my Izze Sparkling Pomegranate juice–Happy 2011 Everyone!

For this class, I’m using some of our “instructor-led” services as a model for the computer-based instruction. I am working to avoid the “trap” of taking paper-based types of materials used in an “instructor-led” situation and tossing them onto the Internet in some type of electronic format. Instead, I am applying my recently acquired instructional design methodologies and tools to create what will hopefully be an exceptional learning environment for people integrating voice recognition technology.

In creating the blueprint, Dragon Professional 11 allows me to create several navigation commands to quickly move between the “open cells” of my table as well as edit my work as I go. My first of two blueprints is finished – need to work on the second one.

Thankfully, with Dragon 11 Professional, I’m able to “keep up” with my ideas–as few as they seem to be–by not getting caught up in the typing, navigation and logging in–all that I now do by voice with a few shortcuts.  So, I say:

1. Open Google Chrome
2. Go to Blackboard
3. Blackboard Login

And I’m off to the races!  Since Blackboard might log me out or do something crazy while I’m working, I actually dictate the majority of my work in MS Word–either 2007 or 2010–and that way I have a record of my work apart from Blackboard.  Having that extra document also makes it easy for me to go “old school” if I want to and print my “work in progress” so I can be thinking about it and using my digital recorder to dictate more if I want to–even when I’m away from my computer.

The only downside to all this nifty productivity is that occasionally I forget my passwords,  but I use that as an excuse to change them and update my custom Dragon commands. 

It all works out since I’m supposed to be a “techie” who changes passwords about as fast as the weather here in Ohio changes…minute by minute!

In the educational research class, I spent the semester preparing quantitative and qualitative research projects and in the Instructional Design survey class, Dragon provided a huge “assist” in writing three 10-20 page papers. In addition, the Instructional Design class was offered as a “compressed” class where we completed a 16 week course in four weeks.

This semester I am attempting an internship while taking the last course divided between the fall and spring semesters. With Dragon NaturallySpeaking, I am looking forward to rather than dreading the enormous amount of writing the internship will require as I prepare daily notes, correspond with instructors and supervisors while continuing full-time as the lead instructor for my own business.

No doubt about it, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional 11.0 is a stellar partner!

Dragon 11 will begin shipping by the end of August 2010.  

Check back for further details!