A concept from page 542 jumped out at me when I read Scientific Habits of Mind in Virtual Worlds(Steinkuehler & Duncan, 2008) this week. The divide between the have and have-nots is overshadowing the divide developing between the do and do-nots. Online writing can be powerful learning tools. Don't we owe it to our students to show them online tools like blog writing and discussion forums? If they are not shown these types of tools, they will be missing out.
I think this is a great question to ask ourselves no matter what grade we teach. Being that I teach second graders, I often ask myself if my students (and their parents) are ready for me to introduce certain types of technology into the classroom. As I plan my curriculum for next year, blogs are something that I want to introduce (possibly over the summer since I will have the same group of students as my third graders). If I decide not to provide this opportunity for them, how responsible should I feel if they miss out?
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ReplyDeleteCory, I had a question about moodles, basically how to get one started. I know it's the end of semester and things are probably nuts for you, but if you could spare a few minutes, I'd like to talk to you when you have the time. Can you give me your email address? Mine is vcastro2@csustan.edu.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
I think we definitely owe it to our students to teach them the latest in technology, including blogs. Our students should be aware of new technology because it will help them in their future education. There is a whole new side to education, which is educational technology, and it is unfortunate that some of our students miss out because of lousy school network infrastructure as it is in my case. We are going on the third year of trying to get Moodles up and running, but it hasn't happened yet. For those technology education advocates out there, have your voices and opinions heard, otherwise things will stay the same and kids will continue to miss out.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link of how students and teachers feel blogs benefit learning.
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/avee/web/blog_benefits.html
Here is another link on a report by MIT on the benefits and risks of blogging.
http://web.mit.edu/itpartners/conf/spring2006/blogs.pdf
I feel ashamed that I have not yet introduced this topic to my students. I wonder how many of them are even aware of what a blog is, or how it can empower them by giving them a voice and a creative outlet. I think I will take a poll this week and see how many actually know something about it - and then take the opportunity to introduce them to blogs before the year is out. I don't want my students to miss out just because I didn't take the time to tell them...
ReplyDeleteWe are starting Moodle next year. I am very excited about it. I really haven't had time to set a lot up yet. I will be working on it this summer. I'm very excited about the possibility it will give me with my students. I'm just not sure how I will get the students involved. I know that it will be a great tool for parents, but I really want to make sure my students are taking part as well. It's a little harder to get students involved when you only see them once a week.
ReplyDeleteYou’re absolutely right – if youth aren’t being exposed to technology in school, there is a good chance that they are not using technology any place else. Considering the economic downturn we are currently experiencing, more and more families are going to cut costs any where possible and one of the most expensive things to be cut first will likely be computers. If our students are not able to type up their essays and other homework at home, not only will this slowly but surely impact their education in their current classes, these kids will not be prepared for the work load and academic expectations they will be faced with in higher education.
ReplyDeleteTo go back to what Craig said about students not knowing what a blog is – I can honestly say that until this class I hadn’t been a part of a blog. I knew what blogs were but never had an interest or need to participate in one. Since doing one for this class, I have found a way to implement those skills into my everyday life and have in fact found a legitimate reason to start a blog with co-workers and friends. Since I have a real reason to have one, I’m learning to appreciate blogs for all they have to offer.
I found an encouraging article that you all might find interesting.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nten.org/blog/2006/03/13/the-use-of-technology-in-low-income-communities
This is an article that talks about the way technology is implemented and used by people in low income communities. The statement that I was excited to read was titled "Low-Income Persons are MORE Likely to Use the Internet for Self-Betterment." It goes on to say "according to A Nation Online, there were three online activities that had higher percentages of use by low-income persons than by their upper income counterparts: Completing school assignments, Job Search, and Chat Rooms / Email Lists. This indicates that for low-income persons in need of advancement, the Internet is a powerful tool that can change their lives." This statement as well as the rest of the article should be considered positive proof that technology can help everyone so long as they have some level of exposure to it and given the opptorunity to use it.
Another great article was published by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2003/Americas-Online-Pursuits.aspx
The article talks about how Americans use the Internet on a daily basis; the effect of a downturned economy on the Internet; email is still the “killer app” compared to other online features based on their 2003 article.