Check out this blog post on NCTE
I found this quite interesting. Here's a small part of the post:
"I never have understood the turmoil over Wikipedia. Sure, anyone can edit the resource. That’s how we ended up with Stephen Colbert’s influence on the elephant population last fall."
There is also a video included in this blog featuring the above mentioned person, Stephen Cobert. Have fun!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Block One And Two Team Projects
My experience with Block one (iWeb) was interesting. I really enjoyed creating web pages and taking the photos to add to the pages. What was really interesting about the whole process was working with Theresa and Willis. They made the entire process fun and even more interesting than it, at first, appeared to be.
I can see this project becoming a popular item within the classroom. Obviously the students would likely be way ahead of me regarding the process, but it could be a lot of fun learning some of the advanced items from some of them and sharing tips and techniques with those who aren't as advanced. I think that students would greatly benefit from creating and maintaining their own web pages and I could easily see them becoming an important tool as a way of giving students an overview of an entire course prior to taking it. I think it would also be a great way for parents to tune into what their teens are doing in class and what they are learning.
My Block Two experience was another rather interesting one. Both Darlene and Kristin were great to work with and I really enjoyed their ideals and how when Darlene got the hang of something she became a fiend!
I'm not sure how I would incorporate this type of newsletter program into a classroom situation. Maybe if I were in charge of a school newspaper or magazine it would come in handy there. The students would have jobs assigned to them so that each step of the process could be learned in progression or piece by piece. I would love to do something like this, whether that would mean a simpler program, at least in the beginning, would have to be seen.
I know that my prior experience with Word Perfect was a big help with this program, although there were times I didn't know where to look for specific items in order to do what I wanted to do. I would really like to see more schools feature their own newspaper or magazine. It's an item that I think many students would eagerly submit to or volunteer to help create it. Unfortunately, I don't see this done very often in the school districts I have been doing my field work hours in. Currently, Otselic Valley is not doing a creative writing (bound) booklet anymore, mainly due to the fact that the teacher who ran it has moved onto another position and funding is minimal for this type of item.
I can see this project becoming a popular item within the classroom. Obviously the students would likely be way ahead of me regarding the process, but it could be a lot of fun learning some of the advanced items from some of them and sharing tips and techniques with those who aren't as advanced. I think that students would greatly benefit from creating and maintaining their own web pages and I could easily see them becoming an important tool as a way of giving students an overview of an entire course prior to taking it. I think it would also be a great way for parents to tune into what their teens are doing in class and what they are learning.
My Block Two experience was another rather interesting one. Both Darlene and Kristin were great to work with and I really enjoyed their ideals and how when Darlene got the hang of something she became a fiend!
I'm not sure how I would incorporate this type of newsletter program into a classroom situation. Maybe if I were in charge of a school newspaper or magazine it would come in handy there. The students would have jobs assigned to them so that each step of the process could be learned in progression or piece by piece. I would love to do something like this, whether that would mean a simpler program, at least in the beginning, would have to be seen.
I know that my prior experience with Word Perfect was a big help with this program, although there were times I didn't know where to look for specific items in order to do what I wanted to do. I would really like to see more schools feature their own newspaper or magazine. It's an item that I think many students would eagerly submit to or volunteer to help create it. Unfortunately, I don't see this done very often in the school districts I have been doing my field work hours in. Currently, Otselic Valley is not doing a creative writing (bound) booklet anymore, mainly due to the fact that the teacher who ran it has moved onto another position and funding is minimal for this type of item.
Shifting from 2.0 to 3.0/A Friedman Perspective
Shifting from a 2.0 round world to a 3.0 flat world will be challenging for not only our students, but also for the many ELA teachers that rely upon the traditional methods of teaching literature, writing, and reading skills.
Unfortunately I don't see enough teachers ready to make the shift towards incorporating technology into the classroom. If our teachers aren't able to "think outside of the box" then how can we expect our students to do so? It scares me when I think about all of the teachers who are unwilling to change how they teach or who are not willing to raise their expectations for what students can accomplish.
Friedman talks about going from one type of platform (people to people) to another (country to country) as something to be cautious of. Students lacking the experience of effective communication would find it challenging to communicate on a country to country basis, especially if they are not able to effectively communicate on a person to person basis to begin with. The challenge then for ELA teachers is to make sure that our students are able to communicate on a person to person basis before they begin the next level. Students need a foundation before they can build upon that foundation. In my opinion, a weak foundation does not make for firm footing on the next level. In this instance learning to be an effective communicator on a personal level is a must before moving on to the next level.
Unfortunately I don't see enough teachers ready to make the shift towards incorporating technology into the classroom. If our teachers aren't able to "think outside of the box" then how can we expect our students to do so? It scares me when I think about all of the teachers who are unwilling to change how they teach or who are not willing to raise their expectations for what students can accomplish.
Friedman talks about going from one type of platform (people to people) to another (country to country) as something to be cautious of. Students lacking the experience of effective communication would find it challenging to communicate on a country to country basis, especially if they are not able to effectively communicate on a person to person basis to begin with. The challenge then for ELA teachers is to make sure that our students are able to communicate on a person to person basis before they begin the next level. Students need a foundation before they can build upon that foundation. In my opinion, a weak foundation does not make for firm footing on the next level. In this instance learning to be an effective communicator on a personal level is a must before moving on to the next level.
What College BuysTimes Article/Friedman?
"How important is college to Americans? — it’s more important than peace in the Middle East."
The above quote, actually two parts of one paragraph, seems to sum up the Times article quite well.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I believe that Friedman would view information in this article as a clear indication of how students need to adjust to an everchanging world. One indication of this is the text that reads,
"it shows not that its holder has learned something but rather that he is the kind of person who could learn something."
College diplomas, according to this article, are not measured so much for what is learned, but rather for the fact that a student is capable of learning and thinking. This is a valuable skill to have in the toolbox for the 21st century.
I also believe that Friedman would agree with the assertion that "the biggest rewards have gone to those whose intelligence is deployable in new directions on short notice, not to those who are locked into a single marketable skill, however thoroughly learned and accredited."
I say this simply due to the fact that Friedman often discusses how common everyday companies have taken what they have, and what they know and stepped outside of the box to make it into something more. The ability of the companies in each of his flatteners, as discussed in the book, have led to creating a more globalized world that allows for business to grow wherever business desires. What is cheaper, what is flexible, what is prepared to jump in place before, during, or after is what matters in today's economy.
Finally, I found the quote about 30-year old college graduates earning over 50 percent more than 30-year old high school graduates rather interesting. It seems to stipulate that having a diploma isn't just a luxury or for the few lucky ones, but rather it is a necessity if we want to get anywhere in today's ever evolving world.
The above quote, actually two parts of one paragraph, seems to sum up the Times article quite well.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I believe that Friedman would view information in this article as a clear indication of how students need to adjust to an everchanging world. One indication of this is the text that reads,
"it shows not that its holder has learned something but rather that he is the kind of person who could learn something."
College diplomas, according to this article, are not measured so much for what is learned, but rather for the fact that a student is capable of learning and thinking. This is a valuable skill to have in the toolbox for the 21st century.
I also believe that Friedman would agree with the assertion that "the biggest rewards have gone to those whose intelligence is deployable in new directions on short notice, not to those who are locked into a single marketable skill, however thoroughly learned and accredited."
I say this simply due to the fact that Friedman often discusses how common everyday companies have taken what they have, and what they know and stepped outside of the box to make it into something more. The ability of the companies in each of his flatteners, as discussed in the book, have led to creating a more globalized world that allows for business to grow wherever business desires. What is cheaper, what is flexible, what is prepared to jump in place before, during, or after is what matters in today's economy.
Finally, I found the quote about 30-year old college graduates earning over 50 percent more than 30-year old high school graduates rather interesting. It seems to stipulate that having a diploma isn't just a luxury or for the few lucky ones, but rather it is a necessity if we want to get anywhere in today's ever evolving world.
RSS Feeds
RSS, to me, is a so-so, ho-hum application. In other words I can take it or leave it. Currently, I have set-up feeds in the blog lines account and I get news via Yahoo alerts. Some days I have time to look at these and some days I don't. Of course, according to Will, we all should take one to two weeks to look over everything in his chapter and slowly learn about RSS as we use it. For me, this translates to a better chance of appreciating RSS and possibly incurring a little more enthusiasm along the way, but then again only time will tell.
Currently though, despite my non enthusiasm, I have to say I do see plenty of uses for them.
One in particular would have to be as a research tool for students. Any topic that a student choses to work on will have plenty of up-to-date information that can be used for their research papers.
Another use, would have to be as a way of keeping students in touch with each other. When students are working on blogs (like our class), they can link them all into one feed and read any new content that comes through by accessing the feed. They are able to make comments to any of the blog posts that they want, without having to navigate from blog page to blog page.
A third use, would have to be for background for literature, short stories, poems, and other texts that are explored in the ELA classroom. Students can create a book list feed and use it to discover information about books they like, don't like, haven't read, or would like to read. They can also use it to write book reviews at various websites in response to what they have learned.
Currently though, despite my non enthusiasm, I have to say I do see plenty of uses for them.
One in particular would have to be as a research tool for students. Any topic that a student choses to work on will have plenty of up-to-date information that can be used for their research papers.
Another use, would have to be as a way of keeping students in touch with each other. When students are working on blogs (like our class), they can link them all into one feed and read any new content that comes through by accessing the feed. They are able to make comments to any of the blog posts that they want, without having to navigate from blog page to blog page.
A third use, would have to be for background for literature, short stories, poems, and other texts that are explored in the ELA classroom. Students can create a book list feed and use it to discover information about books they like, don't like, haven't read, or would like to read. They can also use it to write book reviews at various websites in response to what they have learned.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Podcasting - Who Cares?
Check out this short article/blog on Yahoo. It's called "Podcast, Schmodcast!". It talks about what a podcast is and why we should care and it gives a couple of links to other related items.
Judge Tosses MySpace Lawsuit
I was surfing the net and came across this article titled "Judge Tosses MySpace Lawsuit" on Yahoo. It is about a young girl (13) who lied to get a MySpace account and then began talking with a 19-year-old male, who later assaulted her.
A Texas judge threw the case out based upon the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and the fact that MySpace is considered an "interactive service." Besides the fact that the girl lied in order to get a MySpace account, I felt that this article raised a number of questions, particulary questions that we as future English teachers will need to consider as we prepare to teach students in our classrooms by using techonology.
Some questions that came to my mind included:
How will I make sure that my students are safe while they are using the internet?
How will I make sure that students are not on sites they shouldn't be on?
Will the school district block sites? If so, what sites will be blocked? Will sites that are of use be available or blocked?
Should students help to create their own set of internet rules?
How much should parents be involved in the process?
These are only a few of the questions that popped into my head. I'm sure there are many more. What do you think?
A Texas judge threw the case out based upon the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and the fact that MySpace is considered an "interactive service." Besides the fact that the girl lied in order to get a MySpace account, I felt that this article raised a number of questions, particulary questions that we as future English teachers will need to consider as we prepare to teach students in our classrooms by using techonology.
Some questions that came to my mind included:
How will I make sure that my students are safe while they are using the internet?
How will I make sure that students are not on sites they shouldn't be on?
Will the school district block sites? If so, what sites will be blocked? Will sites that are of use be available or blocked?
Should students help to create their own set of internet rules?
How much should parents be involved in the process?
These are only a few of the questions that popped into my head. I'm sure there are many more. What do you think?
Saturday, February 17, 2007
NCTE Position Statement
The NCTE position statement on composing with nonprint media clarely states NCTE's position regarding technology and the teaching of English in the classroom. I was happy and relieved to see that NCTE is willing to encourage technological research and development models within school districts and classrooms, with the purpose of creating policies for multimedia composition.
NCTE's position also supports encouraging multimedia (technological) composition within an English language arts environment and in the teaching of future English teachers. It's great to know that an organization I belong to, and admire, is willing to step forward in support of technological integration in our schools. Technology has, and continues to influence our world in many, often, unseen ways. In Friedman's "The World is Flat," book, he clearly demonstrates this point in chapter two, mainly when he talks about the United Postal Service.
Who could have ever dreamed that UPS employees might someday not only ship our computers back and forth for repair, but also fix those same computers as a part of insourcing!
To take the NCTE position paper one step further, I would like to add that I was pleased to see that NCTE now has it's own blog on, yes, you guessed it, blogspot!!! It's called NCTE Inbox and I have actually visited it. Now how cool is that?
NCTE's position also supports encouraging multimedia (technological) composition within an English language arts environment and in the teaching of future English teachers. It's great to know that an organization I belong to, and admire, is willing to step forward in support of technological integration in our schools. Technology has, and continues to influence our world in many, often, unseen ways. In Friedman's "The World is Flat," book, he clearly demonstrates this point in chapter two, mainly when he talks about the United Postal Service.
Who could have ever dreamed that UPS employees might someday not only ship our computers back and forth for repair, but also fix those same computers as a part of insourcing!
To take the NCTE position paper one step further, I would like to add that I was pleased to see that NCTE now has it's own blog on, yes, you guessed it, blogspot!!! It's called NCTE Inbox and I have actually visited it. Now how cool is that?
Toffler-Future Shock
This article was interesting. Some parts of it I agreed with, while other parts I found a bit hard to swallow. Toffler's makes some very radical comments that I can't imagine occurring, but then didn't we say that about a man walking on the moon at one time?
One quote in particular that he makes runs something like this:
"New technologies make possible customization in a way that the old system--everybody reading the same textbooks at the same time--did not offer."
This is seems to suggest diversity with the use of technology. Toffler appears to be quite right with this thought. I can easily see how technology like blogging can place students at their own level of skill development. They are learning as they progress. They are also participating in class to the best of their ability at any given time (that is provided they are interested in doing so). I also can see how this could adapt to different learning styles. Students learning English as a second language could use the blog to show how they convert their language to English, this in turn becomes a learning tool for the rest of the students. I can also see LD students (that's learning disabled) take off with this type of technology. It offers them a chance to publish to a number of people and to receive feedback to what they have written. By conducting a mini-lesson on proper blogging etiquette students are more likely to leave constructive and productive comments to classmates blogs. This in turn offers an LD student an opportunity to build confidence in their abilities to communicate. Quite often this is a skill that LD students feel they don't possess.
The rest of the article was just as provocative, but instead of discussing it I'd rather take a quick look at Toffler's ideal "School of the Future." These are:
Schools that are open 24-hours a day
I sort of like this ideal. I could see it working for many parents with work schedules that aren't the usual 9 to 5. Also students have different times when they are at their best. My best thinking times are, believe it or not primarily after 9 p.m. until around midnight. Our world doesn't always operate on a 9 to 5 schedule and kids really need to see this. Still, I can see this as hard for school district to adapt to, almost equates with that old thought of students going to school during the summer.
Customized educational experiences
This is a good idea. Students are not all alike. We can't expect to crank them out like cookies we have cut from the same mold. Each student has their likes and dislikes, and they have their strengths and weaknesses as well.
Students coming and going at all hours
Difficult to do, but it would be a good ideal.
Students starting school at different ages
Somehow, I can't see this one.
Integration of curriculum across all disciplines
This is a great one. I would dearly love to see more of this occurring. I can't imagine teaching something without giving pieces of other subjects. For example, students need to understand background history in order to understand certain historically related books.
Non-teachers working with teachers
Another great one. Non-teachers doesn't have to mean any Tom, Dick, or Harry, but it could include the expert on whatever the current topic of discussion might be. Perhaps an author of a particular book, or someone's favorite NASCAR driver!
Exposure of teachers to both the world of business and the school room
Ahh, this one could be a bit touchy. On the one hand I can see exposing teachers to the business world by having them employed within it's boundaries, but on the other hand I can't always envision them as enjoying it or as being altogether successful. A good teacher does not mean a good business person and vice versa. A better approach to this one might be to allow the teacher to work with someone in the business field (a mentor), to learn about how business functions and what needs to be taught in the classroom. A business person could also try working with a teacher in the classroom in the same manner - this is a bit like asking the author of a book to visit the class, but for a much longer visit.
Allowing local businesses to have offices at the school
I'm not sure about this one. It could be good since students would be able to visit local business men and women, yet it could be bad as well. The influence of business on students future buying habits could become an issue.
An increase in the number of charter schools
This is not an ideal that I am enamoured with.
One quote in particular that he makes runs something like this:
"New technologies make possible customization in a way that the old system--everybody reading the same textbooks at the same time--did not offer."
This is seems to suggest diversity with the use of technology. Toffler appears to be quite right with this thought. I can easily see how technology like blogging can place students at their own level of skill development. They are learning as they progress. They are also participating in class to the best of their ability at any given time (that is provided they are interested in doing so). I also can see how this could adapt to different learning styles. Students learning English as a second language could use the blog to show how they convert their language to English, this in turn becomes a learning tool for the rest of the students. I can also see LD students (that's learning disabled) take off with this type of technology. It offers them a chance to publish to a number of people and to receive feedback to what they have written. By conducting a mini-lesson on proper blogging etiquette students are more likely to leave constructive and productive comments to classmates blogs. This in turn offers an LD student an opportunity to build confidence in their abilities to communicate. Quite often this is a skill that LD students feel they don't possess.
The rest of the article was just as provocative, but instead of discussing it I'd rather take a quick look at Toffler's ideal "School of the Future." These are:
Schools that are open 24-hours a day
I sort of like this ideal. I could see it working for many parents with work schedules that aren't the usual 9 to 5. Also students have different times when they are at their best. My best thinking times are, believe it or not primarily after 9 p.m. until around midnight. Our world doesn't always operate on a 9 to 5 schedule and kids really need to see this. Still, I can see this as hard for school district to adapt to, almost equates with that old thought of students going to school during the summer.
Customized educational experiences
This is a good idea. Students are not all alike. We can't expect to crank them out like cookies we have cut from the same mold. Each student has their likes and dislikes, and they have their strengths and weaknesses as well.
Students coming and going at all hours
Difficult to do, but it would be a good ideal.
Students starting school at different ages
Somehow, I can't see this one.
Integration of curriculum across all disciplines
This is a great one. I would dearly love to see more of this occurring. I can't imagine teaching something without giving pieces of other subjects. For example, students need to understand background history in order to understand certain historically related books.
Non-teachers working with teachers
Another great one. Non-teachers doesn't have to mean any Tom, Dick, or Harry, but it could include the expert on whatever the current topic of discussion might be. Perhaps an author of a particular book, or someone's favorite NASCAR driver!
Exposure of teachers to both the world of business and the school room
Ahh, this one could be a bit touchy. On the one hand I can see exposing teachers to the business world by having them employed within it's boundaries, but on the other hand I can't always envision them as enjoying it or as being altogether successful. A good teacher does not mean a good business person and vice versa. A better approach to this one might be to allow the teacher to work with someone in the business field (a mentor), to learn about how business functions and what needs to be taught in the classroom. A business person could also try working with a teacher in the classroom in the same manner - this is a bit like asking the author of a book to visit the class, but for a much longer visit.
Allowing local businesses to have offices at the school
I'm not sure about this one. It could be good since students would be able to visit local business men and women, yet it could be bad as well. The influence of business on students future buying habits could become an issue.
An increase in the number of charter schools
This is not an ideal that I am enamoured with.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Lockbumping
Okay, so this isn't really related to our class, except for the idea of using YouTube to see this, but I thought it was a rather interesting video clip about lock bumping. Take a look and see what you think. This actually came in an e-mail.
Richardson's "Unlearning Curve"
Okay, so I'm having a bit of difficulty here picking out just three unlearning curves to discuss. I found all of Richardson's unlearning curves not only interesting, but items that I agree with and have agreed with for quite some time, and despite not knowing anything about Richardson before this semester began.
Be that as it may, I will attempt to comment on just three, but please excuse me if I end up adding more!
--we have to unlearn the comforts of four walls that we've become accustomed to.
I really like this one. It reminds me of the theater and how the actors are always encouraged to look beyond the three walls of the stage. They are encouraged to "play" to the fourth wall, the wall known as the audience. In this sense unlearning the four walls of the classroom is similar. It is like what Friedman talks about in flattener 5. More and more people today are able to stay at home and work from their computers instead of moving to another city or country where the jobs are. In this section Friedman is discussing India and how many young people use to move to the United States to find employment. It made me realize, sort of, that people don't actually have to move from their home to do business on the internet or to gain access to information. With the internet, virtually everything is at their fingertips.
--we need to unlearn the idea that we are the sole content experts in the classroom and that we know more than our kids.
Both of these can be addressed as one. As teachers we need to realize, with or without technology, that we aren't the sole content experts, period. It shouldn't be an environment of pure lecture to our students, like Nancie Atwell states in her book, "In the Middle," there is more to teaching then sitting behind "our big desks." Students need to take responsibility for their own learning. Technology can help students to do this by giving them the world through constructive educational classroom lesson. According to Richardson starting slow and building up is a great way to introduce students to many of the technology related activities that students might participate in. It is also a great way for teachers to make sure they understand the steps in the process and allows everyone to develop at their own pace, while making sure everyone is on the same page, so to speak.
--we need to unlearn the notion that our students don't need to see and understand how we ourselves learn.
Now there's a statement if I ever heard one. How are students suppose to learn different styles of learning if we don't model how we learn? We have different styles of learning that we apply for different items/topics that we are interested in. These styles, when modeled for students gives them another option to try. Seeing our enthusiasm for a topic and for learning is also a great incentive for our students. Again, if we can't show them how excited we are about something, how can we expect them to be excited about it too? Learning, simply put, is not a solitary item. Like a kitten that watches its mother catch a mouse, it's not until we see it (sometimes) that we are able to do it. As Warlic tells us, education is continous. It isn't based upon what you know anymore, but rather on how you are capable of using that knowledge. The internet and other entities, such as the United Postal Service, other countries, etc, are leveling the playing field and our students need to be ready to compete in an ever rapidly changing global world.
Other unlearnings I really like included:
--we need to unlearn the strategy that collaborative work inside the classroom is enough and understand that cooperating with students from around the globe can teach relevant and powerful negotiation and team-building skills.
I really love the idea of working with students from another country. My study abroad experience to Ireland last summer was more than just visiting a country, it was an experience I would love to share with everyone. Using technology within the classroom that connects with another classroom in another country is a great way to learn about that country. Just think of all the photographs, music, and other items that could be shared via technology. It boggles the mind.
--we need to unlearn the fear of putting ourselves and our students "out there" for we've proven we can do it in safe, relevant and effective ways.
This is one I need to work on, but as I read more and more about technology, I realize that there are ways to work around this.
--we need to unlearn the premise that real change can happen just by rethinking what happens inside the school walls and understand that education is now a community undertaking on many different levels.
As I see it, education has always been a community undertaking. To me this is not a new concept, just a twist on an old one. The extra here is that it is on many different levels. This means that we need to step past the traditional thought processes of the local community and spread the undertaking out - it is after all a flattened world right?
Be that as it may, I will attempt to comment on just three, but please excuse me if I end up adding more!
--we have to unlearn the comforts of four walls that we've become accustomed to.
I really like this one. It reminds me of the theater and how the actors are always encouraged to look beyond the three walls of the stage. They are encouraged to "play" to the fourth wall, the wall known as the audience. In this sense unlearning the four walls of the classroom is similar. It is like what Friedman talks about in flattener 5. More and more people today are able to stay at home and work from their computers instead of moving to another city or country where the jobs are. In this section Friedman is discussing India and how many young people use to move to the United States to find employment. It made me realize, sort of, that people don't actually have to move from their home to do business on the internet or to gain access to information. With the internet, virtually everything is at their fingertips.
--we need to unlearn the idea that we are the sole content experts in the classroom and that we know more than our kids.
Both of these can be addressed as one. As teachers we need to realize, with or without technology, that we aren't the sole content experts, period. It shouldn't be an environment of pure lecture to our students, like Nancie Atwell states in her book, "In the Middle," there is more to teaching then sitting behind "our big desks." Students need to take responsibility for their own learning. Technology can help students to do this by giving them the world through constructive educational classroom lesson. According to Richardson starting slow and building up is a great way to introduce students to many of the technology related activities that students might participate in. It is also a great way for teachers to make sure they understand the steps in the process and allows everyone to develop at their own pace, while making sure everyone is on the same page, so to speak.
--we need to unlearn the notion that our students don't need to see and understand how we ourselves learn.
Now there's a statement if I ever heard one. How are students suppose to learn different styles of learning if we don't model how we learn? We have different styles of learning that we apply for different items/topics that we are interested in. These styles, when modeled for students gives them another option to try. Seeing our enthusiasm for a topic and for learning is also a great incentive for our students. Again, if we can't show them how excited we are about something, how can we expect them to be excited about it too? Learning, simply put, is not a solitary item. Like a kitten that watches its mother catch a mouse, it's not until we see it (sometimes) that we are able to do it. As Warlic tells us, education is continous. It isn't based upon what you know anymore, but rather on how you are capable of using that knowledge. The internet and other entities, such as the United Postal Service, other countries, etc, are leveling the playing field and our students need to be ready to compete in an ever rapidly changing global world.
Other unlearnings I really like included:
--we need to unlearn the strategy that collaborative work inside the classroom is enough and understand that cooperating with students from around the globe can teach relevant and powerful negotiation and team-building skills.
I really love the idea of working with students from another country. My study abroad experience to Ireland last summer was more than just visiting a country, it was an experience I would love to share with everyone. Using technology within the classroom that connects with another classroom in another country is a great way to learn about that country. Just think of all the photographs, music, and other items that could be shared via technology. It boggles the mind.
--we need to unlearn the fear of putting ourselves and our students "out there" for we've proven we can do it in safe, relevant and effective ways.
This is one I need to work on, but as I read more and more about technology, I realize that there are ways to work around this.
--we need to unlearn the premise that real change can happen just by rethinking what happens inside the school walls and understand that education is now a community undertaking on many different levels.
As I see it, education has always been a community undertaking. To me this is not a new concept, just a twist on an old one. The extra here is that it is on many different levels. This means that we need to step past the traditional thought processes of the local community and spread the undertaking out - it is after all a flattened world right?
Quotes And The Unlearning Curve
In this blog I want to just comment about two quotes I found in two of our textbooks. For some reason I just liked both of them and found them to be very well connected with Richardson's unlearning curves.
From Friedman's book:
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.
--African proverb
From Richardson text:
Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the
sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing.
--Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia founder
The first quote essentially tells us that no matter who we are, we all need to get on board, in the case of "unlearning" I would intrepret this as opening our minds to the possibilities of technology and utilizing it in the classroom. We, as teachers need to prepare ourselves to guide students along constructive paths of learning, paths that are well-suited to each individual student.
Quote number two, made by Jimmy Wales is interesting mainly because it hints at the type of tool that technology in the form of the internet is capable of giving to everyone using it. Granted Wales is talking about his Wikipedia creation, but this could be applied to all technology. We are the internet and we are creating the applications and participating in the different activities available, so we are in essence -- doing it.
From Friedman's book:
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.
--African proverb
From Richardson text:
Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the
sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing.
--Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia founder
The first quote essentially tells us that no matter who we are, we all need to get on board, in the case of "unlearning" I would intrepret this as opening our minds to the possibilities of technology and utilizing it in the classroom. We, as teachers need to prepare ourselves to guide students along constructive paths of learning, paths that are well-suited to each individual student.
Quote number two, made by Jimmy Wales is interesting mainly because it hints at the type of tool that technology in the form of the internet is capable of giving to everyone using it. Granted Wales is talking about his Wikipedia creation, but this could be applied to all technology. We are the internet and we are creating the applications and participating in the different activities available, so we are in essence -- doing it.
YouTube Video
I found this, at first, annoying, boring, and just plain a waste of my time to watch. I can remember thinking, at the time, "there has to be more to this than watching a hand or mouse moving around, otherwise Professor Stearns wouldn't have been so excited about it." So, after the video ended, I reluctantly rewatched it. It was then that it finally hit me (and likely would have sooner if the video had included the typewriter) how we have gone from the control of the pencil and eraser to that of the typewriter keys and ribbon, and now to the keyboard and monitor.
It is basically a concept that has been around for several years now, only someone has decided to create their own video to show the limitations of pencil and eraser and the infinate possibilities of creation with the computer keyboard and monitor.
Of course with all of this apprent ease we still need to be cautious about making sure we have edited our work before hitting the publish button. It is just way too easy to make errors that we will regret later and these errors do not look good to others when they read our work. Whether a person's text is professional or just for fun, I have found myself making snap decisions about a person based upon their lack of editing skills. I realize this isn't always a clear indication of the real person, but it doesn't help when I've never met the person before either. Whenever I see these types of errors (not just one or two but throughout the document) I have to wonder if the person is like his writing--uncaring and indifferent--or if he is just in too much of a hurry to pay attention to small details. Not a pretty picture is it?
Sometimes snap decisions can have some interesting consequences. Our words can easily be misread (not that they couldn't have been before) and are subject to an even bigger audience than before. Mispellings, unneeded commas (one of my downfalls I admit), extra spaces, the unintenial use of the wrong words, left out words and many, many other editing errors can easily happen.
I guess overall, for me, I didn't find this video to be that "exciting" to watch since the concept behind it is a concept that I've already embraced and thought about as a result of taking computer-related courses at SUNY Morrisville College about 10 years ago. Still, it is a concept that is worthy of a revisit every now and then. Especially since it reminds me that we have come a long ways not just within the techonology field, but also in the field of communications. It also reminds me to be thankful for the technology that has made it easier to write something, like say, this blog post. Years ago, on the old, not so trusty, typewriter, I would have given up by now and I can say that there probably would have been a wastebasmet loaded with wadded up paper. My version of this blog post would also be considerably condensed and likely not as effective in conveying my thoughts. I believe that I would have cursed a few thousand times as well and would be totally frustrated by now.
It is basically a concept that has been around for several years now, only someone has decided to create their own video to show the limitations of pencil and eraser and the infinate possibilities of creation with the computer keyboard and monitor.
Of course with all of this apprent ease we still need to be cautious about making sure we have edited our work before hitting the publish button. It is just way too easy to make errors that we will regret later and these errors do not look good to others when they read our work. Whether a person's text is professional or just for fun, I have found myself making snap decisions about a person based upon their lack of editing skills. I realize this isn't always a clear indication of the real person, but it doesn't help when I've never met the person before either. Whenever I see these types of errors (not just one or two but throughout the document) I have to wonder if the person is like his writing--uncaring and indifferent--or if he is just in too much of a hurry to pay attention to small details. Not a pretty picture is it?
Sometimes snap decisions can have some interesting consequences. Our words can easily be misread (not that they couldn't have been before) and are subject to an even bigger audience than before. Mispellings, unneeded commas (one of my downfalls I admit), extra spaces, the unintenial use of the wrong words, left out words and many, many other editing errors can easily happen.
I guess overall, for me, I didn't find this video to be that "exciting" to watch since the concept behind it is a concept that I've already embraced and thought about as a result of taking computer-related courses at SUNY Morrisville College about 10 years ago. Still, it is a concept that is worthy of a revisit every now and then. Especially since it reminds me that we have come a long ways not just within the techonology field, but also in the field of communications. It also reminds me to be thankful for the technology that has made it easier to write something, like say, this blog post. Years ago, on the old, not so trusty, typewriter, I would have given up by now and I can say that there probably would have been a wastebasmet loaded with wadded up paper. My version of this blog post would also be considerably condensed and likely not as effective in conveying my thoughts. I believe that I would have cursed a few thousand times as well and would be totally frustrated by now.
Bloglines
I have my bloglines up and running, and so far it has been great for reviewing all the new content on everyone's blogs. My only complaint comes into play when I try to leave a comment to someones post. It becomes a bit of a nuisance when I have written the whole comment out and I'm trying to publish it and instead it asks me to sign in for about the fourth or fifth time. A bit annoying to say the least. Although this time around, I was able to keep posting to blog posts without having to sign-in everytime (only once this time). I'm not sure why this was occurring before, but it seems to be much better now.
If I was doing something wrong before or if anyone has had a similar experience please let me know. I'd be curious to find out how it has worked out or is working out for you now.
Thanks!
If I was doing something wrong before or if anyone has had a similar experience please let me know. I'd be curious to find out how it has worked out or is working out for you now.
Thanks!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
iWeb Group Progress
Theresa, Willis, and myself are looking forward to finishing up our iWeb pages tomorrow before class. We have some pictures from our last class of each group working on their first project that we would like to add to a photo page on our iWeb. I will need to either burn the photos to a CD or save them on our flash drive, which incidently I feel is the better option of the two. We are looking at filling in all the basic details of everyone in the class as well. Our group will need to make up our presentation paper prior to next week's class when we will do our presentation for everyone.
We plan to meet as a group around 2 p.m. in the class Mac lab, of course that is baring bad weather. With a commute of about an hour, bad weather can translate the trip into more like two hours!
Anyhow, Willis - Theresa, I do plan on being there to see our project completed!
We plan to meet as a group around 2 p.m. in the class Mac lab, of course that is baring bad weather. With a commute of about an hour, bad weather can translate the trip into more like two hours!
Anyhow, Willis - Theresa, I do plan on being there to see our project completed!
Wilson NC Teachers and Laptops
This may be just another way that school districts are stepping up to the plate to bring technology to everyone (students, teachers, etc.), yet when the Wilson County School Superintendent, Larry Price comments that it "would cost $3 million to buy laptops for all of the roughly 1,200 students at Hunt high school," and then adds that the district might "serve as a shining example" I have to wonder and ask "where is the $3 million coming from to pay for the student's laptops?"
The article does mention grants will cover the $200,000 cost for teacher training and laptops, but it isn't going to come anywhere near what is needed for all of the students. As I have noted in a prior blog, school districts should be leery of taking on grants that help them to purchase the tecnology upfront, but doesn't provide for additional future costs. Where this money comes from and how the district ends up handling the question of technology versus finding the funding are questions that not all districts face when they are first presented with the lure of grants. A cautious approach is definately warranted.
Despite, some of my misgivings over funding, I do have to say that the concept of bringing a laptop to every teacher and student at the Wilson School district is a wonderful ideal. I just hope it's an ideal that can come to fruitation without breaking the piggy bank.
The article does mention grants will cover the $200,000 cost for teacher training and laptops, but it isn't going to come anywhere near what is needed for all of the students. As I have noted in a prior blog, school districts should be leery of taking on grants that help them to purchase the tecnology upfront, but doesn't provide for additional future costs. Where this money comes from and how the district ends up handling the question of technology versus finding the funding are questions that not all districts face when they are first presented with the lure of grants. A cautious approach is definately warranted.
Despite, some of my misgivings over funding, I do have to say that the concept of bringing a laptop to every teacher and student at the Wilson School district is a wonderful ideal. I just hope it's an ideal that can come to fruitation without breaking the piggy bank.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Long Distance Learning/Technology
Today, I just met with my host teacher at the Otselic Valley School District. His name is Michael Foor-pessin and he is an English teacher for mainly Juniors. We discussed a few ideals related to technology and how effective and/or uneffective it could prove to be in the classroom. We also talked a little bit about the long distance learning course he teaches in the mornings at Otselic Valley (OV). Students from Hancock take the course along with Michael's students in OV.
It was interesting to hear some of Michael's thoughts on technology. He commented that he does use it, but he also commented that the way it is used by many teachers in classrooms (Power Point Presentations) it could easily become "old hat" for students, and thus prove not as effective. He believes that students need to have the face-to-face element of live discussion within the classroom. He commented that there is a disconnect for students in their real lives, with all the time spent infront of a computer screen.
He also commented upon how a total reliance on technology can lead to some problems within the classroom if there is any trouble with the equipment, if the computer system should happen to shut down, or any other problems that sometimes occur with computers. For the teacher with everything that is technology oriented this can leave them in a bind and wondering just what in the world they will be teaching that day.
He also commented about technology costs for small rural school districts and how some of the technology oriented items end up costing the district tons of money. A lot of times special programs are presented to school districts with a grant that lures the district into installing the system. Sometimes the system works and sometimes it doesn't. Regardless of this though, once the system is installed it is up to the district to maintain it and to pay the costs associated with it, such as upgrades. The costs associated quite often end up costing a small rural district much, much more than what taxpayers can afford. In addition, school districts that fully incorporate technology within their schools end up taking on the additional costs of hiring someone to maintain the computer system, another cost that is tough for small rural school districts to absorb. Some simply cannot.
I found our conversation very interesting and I look forward to going back and watching the long distance course in action. I will write more about the class as I observe. I'm not sure how many of us have had any experience with the long distance learning concept, but it should be interesting to see how it all goes.
It was interesting to hear some of Michael's thoughts on technology. He commented that he does use it, but he also commented that the way it is used by many teachers in classrooms (Power Point Presentations) it could easily become "old hat" for students, and thus prove not as effective. He believes that students need to have the face-to-face element of live discussion within the classroom. He commented that there is a disconnect for students in their real lives, with all the time spent infront of a computer screen.
He also commented upon how a total reliance on technology can lead to some problems within the classroom if there is any trouble with the equipment, if the computer system should happen to shut down, or any other problems that sometimes occur with computers. For the teacher with everything that is technology oriented this can leave them in a bind and wondering just what in the world they will be teaching that day.
He also commented about technology costs for small rural school districts and how some of the technology oriented items end up costing the district tons of money. A lot of times special programs are presented to school districts with a grant that lures the district into installing the system. Sometimes the system works and sometimes it doesn't. Regardless of this though, once the system is installed it is up to the district to maintain it and to pay the costs associated with it, such as upgrades. The costs associated quite often end up costing a small rural district much, much more than what taxpayers can afford. In addition, school districts that fully incorporate technology within their schools end up taking on the additional costs of hiring someone to maintain the computer system, another cost that is tough for small rural school districts to absorb. Some simply cannot.
I found our conversation very interesting and I look forward to going back and watching the long distance course in action. I will write more about the class as I observe. I'm not sure how many of us have had any experience with the long distance learning concept, but it should be interesting to see how it all goes.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Girl Power
I found this article interesting, but not overly surprising. The shaping of young girls has always leaned towards the old stereotype of "playing with dolls." While, there has been a lot of progress in this area and women/girls do have a lot more freedoms then they ever did in the past, it's sad to note that the old stereotypes still linger.
What the answer to this might be is hard to decide. I have noticed though that in Las Vegas they are currently considering segregating students by gender. In a very short Las Vegas Review article I found on *Yahoo I read about how some teachers there have noticed "a jump in learning and achievement among students in classes where boys and girls are taught separately."
So far they have tried gender segregation in a "half-dozen middle schools and one high school." The article also reported that some students were commenting that they felt less distracted and some teachers are advocating for it. From what I understand they are trying it out in math, English, science, and social studies classes.
Overall, I found this information interesting, yet in some respects frightening. In a world were kids are already having trouble with interaction and filling the quiet spaces (as indicated in the Time article) it's disturbing to see a segregation trend starting. At the same time though, if it really is helping some students to do better, then maybe it is something to consider. Of course, there are always private schools to consider and some of those, I believe are all one sex, but then again not everyone can afford those. It sure does pose an arguement for on-line learning from your own home doesn't it? Yet, one has to consider if one spends all their time at home on the internet then where is the "real" social interaction occurring? That's part of the attraction for kids for going to school!
(*The Associated Press - from the Las Vegas Review-Journal)
What the answer to this might be is hard to decide. I have noticed though that in Las Vegas they are currently considering segregating students by gender. In a very short Las Vegas Review article I found on *Yahoo I read about how some teachers there have noticed "a jump in learning and achievement among students in classes where boys and girls are taught separately."
So far they have tried gender segregation in a "half-dozen middle schools and one high school." The article also reported that some students were commenting that they felt less distracted and some teachers are advocating for it. From what I understand they are trying it out in math, English, science, and social studies classes.
Overall, I found this information interesting, yet in some respects frightening. In a world were kids are already having trouble with interaction and filling the quiet spaces (as indicated in the Time article) it's disturbing to see a segregation trend starting. At the same time though, if it really is helping some students to do better, then maybe it is something to consider. Of course, there are always private schools to consider and some of those, I believe are all one sex, but then again not everyone can afford those. It sure does pose an arguement for on-line learning from your own home doesn't it? Yet, one has to consider if one spends all their time at home on the internet then where is the "real" social interaction occurring? That's part of the attraction for kids for going to school!
(*The Associated Press - from the Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Richardson Podcast
I have to say that I'm a bit upset and disappointed that I was not able to watch this podcast. I don't have a Mac and having access to one on campus is a bit difficult since it is an hour drive for me. Also, my local library, which only let's you on for a half hour, does not have Macs either. Is there any way I could see this podcast without having to use a Mac?
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Team Project - iweb page
So far our group has decided to create an iWeb page of our class as bloggers. We would like to interview everyone and take their picture as a part of our project. So far we are looking at creating some interview questions to share when we meet on Wednesday prior to class. Some of the questions will likely pertain to technology experience, places we like to go when we're surfing the web, and any personal information that people want to share. We may also ask some random questions and we would like to take a picture of each person to include with each interview piece we do.
We plan to secure a list of everyone taking the ENG 307 and then divide names of everyone between the three of us. Currently, I'm working with two very wonderful people, Willis and Theresa. We have all read the chapter on creating iWeb pages in our Heid book and are looking forward to beginning our first web page and adding to it as we complete our interviews.
We plan to secure a list of everyone taking the ENG 307 and then divide names of everyone between the three of us. Currently, I'm working with two very wonderful people, Willis and Theresa. We have all read the chapter on creating iWeb pages in our Heid book and are looking forward to beginning our first web page and adding to it as we complete our interviews.
Warlick sites
I decided to check out a couple of really interesting sites. The first, called the Kids Club proved to be quite cute. It is a site created and maintained by librarians. How cool is that? When I read that on the web site page it reminded me or a post that Staci made previously in which she talked about what a rich and valuable resource a medial specialist is within a school district. She commented that this person should be your friend, well in this case the Kids Club web site should be more than your friend, it should also be your middle school students friend as well.
The site was marked for grades K-7 (or kids and teens) and featured links that would take kids to help links that showed them how to search from the site, special search tools that were available to them, and searches for pictures and sound. I love the ideal that all kinds of media is available through this one website and that it is maintained by librarians, it's almost like suggesting that kids utilizing this site are in a "safe zone". With 15 main topics and plenty of related links listed under each it's clear that technology is only a click or two away for students. I saw the site as a great way to give middle school students a starting off point for all kinds of projects. With the integration of several types of media students should have a great time creating blogs and/or web pages that could be added safely with information obtained through this site.
I did notice that there was an option for people to submit website urls for consideration. There were also a list of guidelines for people to make sure that the site they were recommending fell within them. I love the ideal that these sites are checked and verified prior to allowing them to be included in the listing. What I also found rather interesting was a small link found at the bottom of the page that encouraged visitors to click onto it in order that they might see how the page would look to a librarian. I, of course, had to give it a try. What I saw was the Dewey Decimal System - way cool - and it also advised students to go ahead and reclick the link to get back to the original page!
I also decided to take a look the bookmarking/search engine website called backflip and believe me I was almost doing backflips when I saw it, since it is one way cool site. I can already see uses for implementing it within a 21st Century Classroom! This site has the ability to not only allow the user to gain access to their own bookmarks on any computer, but it allows the user to do a search of all the contents within their book mark collection, rather than just a search of the pages saved. This would be a useful tool for those students working on research projects, or other types of essays. It would also help students when creating a works cited page. Being able to access all the pages on a particular topic just by doing a search of your bookmarked items through backflip is a really awesome tool. I was also impressed with the links to newsarticles about backflip on their own website. The articles hinted at other features that could evolve in the months to come and would offer users more opportunities for downloading or uploading. Way cool. It's kinda bit like reading Warlick and Friedman all over again!
The site was marked for grades K-7 (or kids and teens) and featured links that would take kids to help links that showed them how to search from the site, special search tools that were available to them, and searches for pictures and sound. I love the ideal that all kinds of media is available through this one website and that it is maintained by librarians, it's almost like suggesting that kids utilizing this site are in a "safe zone". With 15 main topics and plenty of related links listed under each it's clear that technology is only a click or two away for students. I saw the site as a great way to give middle school students a starting off point for all kinds of projects. With the integration of several types of media students should have a great time creating blogs and/or web pages that could be added safely with information obtained through this site.
I did notice that there was an option for people to submit website urls for consideration. There were also a list of guidelines for people to make sure that the site they were recommending fell within them. I love the ideal that these sites are checked and verified prior to allowing them to be included in the listing. What I also found rather interesting was a small link found at the bottom of the page that encouraged visitors to click onto it in order that they might see how the page would look to a librarian. I, of course, had to give it a try. What I saw was the Dewey Decimal System - way cool - and it also advised students to go ahead and reclick the link to get back to the original page!
I also decided to take a look the bookmarking/search engine website called backflip and believe me I was almost doing backflips when I saw it, since it is one way cool site. I can already see uses for implementing it within a 21st Century Classroom! This site has the ability to not only allow the user to gain access to their own bookmarks on any computer, but it allows the user to do a search of all the contents within their book mark collection, rather than just a search of the pages saved. This would be a useful tool for those students working on research projects, or other types of essays. It would also help students when creating a works cited page. Being able to access all the pages on a particular topic just by doing a search of your bookmarked items through backflip is a really awesome tool. I was also impressed with the links to newsarticles about backflip on their own website. The articles hinted at other features that could evolve in the months to come and would offer users more opportunities for downloading or uploading. Way cool. It's kinda bit like reading Warlick and Friedman all over again!
Flattener #4 Uploading Communities
What should our students be learning? Warlick seems to suggest that we need to be teaching them about how to control or handle the information they are connecting with on the internet. This, according to Warlick (pg 22), means that kids need to control the information in postive, productive, and personally meaningful ways. In other words, they need to be able to seperate the good, the bad, and the indifferent and then use what they have left over in an insightful and constructive manner.
It is the journey of getting that information that Friedman discusses in flatner #4. There he talks about community developed, or open source software. Usually this software is quite cheap or it is free. This type of software allows costs associated with the internet to decrease, this in turn could mean better access to the internet, but not necessarily better quality information. Today, the internet offers everyone an opportunity to be a star, whether in their own blog, podcast, photo album or what-have-you, everyone is capable of uploading all kinds of information to the web. It is clear that future technology will include the community and it's customers. A joint effort by everyone that will ultimately benefit everyone.
The example cited in Friedman's flatener #4 chapter comments on blogging and how the BBC in England not only encouraged uploading of photos, comments, and personal pieces related to a July 7 underground bombing episode in London, but the BBC also managed to channel these items into useful editorial information (119). When one thinks about what the BBC did, it not long before you realize just how wide open they made themselves. The number of photos, and written texts they received was overwhelming and not to mention a bit labourous when it came to reading it. Still the good points here just might outweigh the not so good points. You have to wonder, not only what the future of journalism might be, but also that of education, politics, writing in general and many other occupations. What will be the effects on these occupations, and how will people cope with the everchanging face of technology?
Internet Character Assassination was an interesting term I came across as I read about Wikipedia (123) in Friedman's book. It was related to a story about John Seigenthaler Sr. whose biography was posted with some untrue facts for 132 on the Wikipedia website. This, then seems to go along with my cautions that I have expressed in previous blogs about having your information out, except that this was information that was made up and designed to slander a person's identity. Just think if one of our students had looked this up an found that bio and then included some of the information in a research paper on Robert or John Kennedy. . . All I can say is it's a pretty scary thought.
As an ELA teacher we will have our work cut out for us determining what is, or is not appropriate research material. Was a particular document just created by Freddy down the street, who really has no ideal what he is talking about, but boy can he make a sweet looking web page or is it a legit site created by a reliable source? How about thatWikipedia entry? It is these types of questions that the ELA teacher must be prepared to answer.
I do have to add that learning about the birth of Mozilla-FireFox was neat, since that is the browser I use most of the time!!!
It is the journey of getting that information that Friedman discusses in flatner #4. There he talks about community developed, or open source software. Usually this software is quite cheap or it is free. This type of software allows costs associated with the internet to decrease, this in turn could mean better access to the internet, but not necessarily better quality information. Today, the internet offers everyone an opportunity to be a star, whether in their own blog, podcast, photo album or what-have-you, everyone is capable of uploading all kinds of information to the web. It is clear that future technology will include the community and it's customers. A joint effort by everyone that will ultimately benefit everyone.
The example cited in Friedman's flatener #4 chapter comments on blogging and how the BBC in England not only encouraged uploading of photos, comments, and personal pieces related to a July 7 underground bombing episode in London, but the BBC also managed to channel these items into useful editorial information (119). When one thinks about what the BBC did, it not long before you realize just how wide open they made themselves. The number of photos, and written texts they received was overwhelming and not to mention a bit labourous when it came to reading it. Still the good points here just might outweigh the not so good points. You have to wonder, not only what the future of journalism might be, but also that of education, politics, writing in general and many other occupations. What will be the effects on these occupations, and how will people cope with the everchanging face of technology?
Internet Character Assassination was an interesting term I came across as I read about Wikipedia (123) in Friedman's book. It was related to a story about John Seigenthaler Sr. whose biography was posted with some untrue facts for 132 on the Wikipedia website. This, then seems to go along with my cautions that I have expressed in previous blogs about having your information out, except that this was information that was made up and designed to slander a person's identity. Just think if one of our students had looked this up an found that bio and then included some of the information in a research paper on Robert or John Kennedy. . . All I can say is it's a pretty scary thought.
As an ELA teacher we will have our work cut out for us determining what is, or is not appropriate research material. Was a particular document just created by Freddy down the street, who really has no ideal what he is talking about, but boy can he make a sweet looking web page or is it a legit site created by a reliable source? How about thatWikipedia entry? It is these types of questions that the ELA teacher must be prepared to answer.
I do have to add that learning about the birth of Mozilla-FireFox was neat, since that is the browser I use most of the time!!!
Monday, February 5, 2007
Continuing with Warlick and Friedman
Frankly, Warlicks' "future" technology story (pgs 1-9) is, on one hand, rather interesting. I love the thought that students could create from a variety of sources and produce a wonderful technological production, like the students did, yet, on the other hand, I find the use of the name tag chips to be eerily like the "Big Brother is watching you" warning, evoked by author George Orwell, in the novel "1984". To think that people could keep track of your movements within a school building, at any given moment, through a chip embedded on a name tag - well, I have to say that privacy no longer exists anywhere. Not even in the restroom!
Freidman's chapters refer to the world becoming flat, and while this is true, it is also reflective of the name tag scenario I mentioned above. In some respects it is getting a lot harder to maintain any kind of private life. People in India line up for the telemarketing jobs that we, as Americans, consider beneath a good majority of us. What this then means is that a lot of people in another country, now have an opportunity to explore our lives. They have access to a lot of our private information - such as social security numbers, date of birth, address, telephone numbers, basically you name it and they might just have it. It's kind of a scary thought to know that someone outside of our country has our information. While most are likely not to use the information for anything other than their job, what about those who chose to do something else with it? Could this become a new form of terrorism?
Recently, I received an interesting e-mail about ordering pizza in the year 2010. It is almost as scary as the name tags above.
How does this effect our students? Well, I can see plenty of good here, but I also can see plenty to be wary of. Do we want our students to have all their work out on the web or should it just be for the school district only? I think these are serious questions to ask ourselves when we are looking to do technology related programs. I understand why school districts tend to limit the sites that students can access, but at the same time it also limits the learning process, but then again how much do we want to expose our students?
Freidman's chapters refer to the world becoming flat, and while this is true, it is also reflective of the name tag scenario I mentioned above. In some respects it is getting a lot harder to maintain any kind of private life. People in India line up for the telemarketing jobs that we, as Americans, consider beneath a good majority of us. What this then means is that a lot of people in another country, now have an opportunity to explore our lives. They have access to a lot of our private information - such as social security numbers, date of birth, address, telephone numbers, basically you name it and they might just have it. It's kind of a scary thought to know that someone outside of our country has our information. While most are likely not to use the information for anything other than their job, what about those who chose to do something else with it? Could this become a new form of terrorism?
Recently, I received an interesting e-mail about ordering pizza in the year 2010. It is almost as scary as the name tags above.
How does this effect our students? Well, I can see plenty of good here, but I also can see plenty to be wary of. Do we want our students to have all their work out on the web or should it just be for the school district only? I think these are serious questions to ask ourselves when we are looking to do technology related programs. I understand why school districts tend to limit the sites that students can access, but at the same time it also limits the learning process, but then again how much do we want to expose our students?
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