Since 1999, I have taught at Booker T. Washington Magnet High School, a performing arts magnet school in Montgomery, Alabama. Traditionally I have taught Computer Applications and Sound Recording. I have loved teaching the Sound Recording class and suffered through Computer Applications. Computer Applications becomes a grind of exercises and practices. I do my best to liven it up and make it more creative, but the curriculum is narrowly defined by the state and does not allow the sort of interaction with the kids that I crave.

When you get your degree to teach Social Studies, you picture yourself leading a discussion among quick thinking, opinionated youth that you are able to engage by challenging their notions and perspectives. While I am able to engage the Sound Recording students on that level at times, notably when discussing the fate of the recording industry. But there are not that many opportunities to have an engaging class discussion when you are teaching Word and Excel. I try to open up assignments a bit and give freeform Word and PowerPoint assignments, but there is only so far a discussion can wander legitimately. The last time I taught Social Studies was in an inner city middle school during the peak of the local gang activity during the mid 90s. I was a new teacher and the situation did not become the hotbed of enlightened discussion I would hope for.

Now I am in a Magnet High School. The kids are smart, thoughtful and maybe even more importantly motivated. I will more likely be teaching Sophomores or Juniors, after the less motivated students have already washed out during their freshman year. Students do engage at this level. One of my friends and fellow teachers at the school has taught every Social Studies class in the curriculum and has a phone book sized folder of notes, handouts, maps etc. So on a bulk of preparation I have been given a head start.

I have had an interest in new media for almost three years. I started a music podcast (very noisy with some rough language in the song titles, be warned) in Summer 2005 and have had a variety of blogs for over 5 years (though I admit without a particular direction to concentrate my blogs on they have all stagnated). I am in the process of starting a new computer instructional blog and possibly a podcast companion to the blog. I am familiar with installing and setting up PHP apps, including Wordpress, XOOPS, MediaWiki and Moodle and have a love of Social Networking sites like MySpace and (my new fixation and time sink, Twitter). I will be taking a dozen computers from my old Sound Recording class to my new classroom so I will have roughly enough machines for half of a class at once. These machines work fine with Audacity and ACID, but have neither the horsepower nor licensing to do video editing adequately.

Now is the time for me to jump in with both feet and bring my love of new media into the classroom. Social Networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are blocked at school as are YouTube, Flickr and other media sites. I have plenty of server space paid for in advance until May 2008 and no qualms about installing Open Source competitors, so the task until August is to determine how I will integrate Collaborative and Social Media aspects into my new classroom and curriculum. These are the students who will jump in with both feet and I believe that if I am going to make the jump now is the time.

This blog (and its successor when I get Joomla working like I think it should in the next couple of weeks) is to chart the progress of this progress and solicit ideas from the community on how to make this project a success. Right now I am looking for a Twitter server clone, so if you have any ideas or suggestions about that or anything other situation like it you see coming, please let speak up in the comment, email me or AIM me at myclassroom20.