The Name Changes...Nothing

As Kristin Hokanson pointed out in a recent post, someone down at NECC mentioned the following:

Of the 5 questions who, what, when, where, why... 4 of them you can google—the only one you can’t is WHY--Well this has been rattling around in my head ever since.

One little word.

But really the point of everything we do in education.
I am often amazed that no one fired me from teaching in my first few years on the job. Reflecting back on my days as a neophyte, I often wonder if I made any impact at all.

The real joy in the integration of technology is not the technology, but the level of reflection, questioning, and creativity that drives everything I do.

Better yet is the impact it all has on my students.

There is no doubt that after ten years of teaching Hamlet, students in my class this past year had a deeper appreciation for and a heightened level of critical analysis due to their Hamlet blogs.

What did I see, in process and product?

1. Ownership over content.
2. Sharing with peers.
3. Thoughtful consideration of their message.
4. Meaningful integration and analysis of quotes.
5. Reflection and extension of individual and peer posts.
6. Creation of new content for an authentic audience.

And when it was over, I asked myself 'why'?

And today, seven months later, I am asking my faculty 'why?'.

And they struggle to answer.

And I know, it's about the why of it all.