Keeping the "Ed" in Tech-ed

There's no doubt, I am a "late-adopter." I didn't have a cell phone until I was 30 and I still sometimes long for the moment I can throw the whole thing in and buy the Jitterbug, a cell phone that resembles an old rotary phone more than a smart phone. While not exactly a neophyte, I view new technology like an erratic relative. On certain days, Aunt Winona is more fun than anyone you know and you don't know how you lived without her, and on others she stresses you out and you wish she would go back to Oklahoma.

That being said, I love Blackboard and don't know how teachers managed without it. More than anything, it helps keep me organized and in contact with students. Because I'm accountable to my students on so many levels, via Blackboard, I don't let myself get behind in planning or grading. I aim for transparency and Blackboard provides a platform for that. It also is reciprocal in that aspect. Students know that Blackboard is a place that will provide them with the information they need, so they acquire a level of responsibility by being enrolled.