Article by Ellen R. Delisio, Copyright © 2007 Education World http://www.educationworld.com/a_lifestyle/lifestyle/lifestyle007c.shtml
The current ideas of Web 2.0 -- creating Internet content, using the Web for social interactions, and giving each student access to a personal technology device, are ones that could transform education. Yet, because of cost, lack of professional development, and sometimes concerns about safety and cheating, schools still are not moving rapidly in that direction.
Young people, meanwhile, have plunged ahead. "Teachers are excited about e-mailing and searching -- kids are excited about text-messaging and social networking," said Krueger. "Kids have moved on to online collaborations."
"Kids already are doing this," added Susan McLester, editor-in-chief of Technology & Learning. "They are not asking permission -- they are just doing this -- and seeing how it can be put to good use."
"When they publish personal blogs, they are thinking longer and more deeply on certain topics."
Many educators still are wary of the devices that have become standard issue for teens and pre-teens and the access these devices give students. "Most of the technology kids own -- like cell phones, iPods -- schools don’t have enough of or ban use of them," said Krueger. "Schools still are not re-looking at education."
iPods, for example, can be used to transfer large digital files. But many schools are forbidding students to bring iPods to class because they can download formulas and test answers onto them. Cell phones also are banned from many classrooms in part because administrators fear students will send text messages to each other with test answers.
Still, changes are coming. Technology is being used more for administrative tasks and certain evaluations. "Some schools are using handheld computers for formative assessments," noted Hendrie.
"Classroom uses of social bookmarking sites, wikis, and blogs allow easy collaboration on projects as well as a means of publishing one’s work to a wider audience of parents and community -- if not the world," noted Johnson. "Teachers are using more Web resources, including streaming video, increasing the demand for LCD projectors."
And while there still is wide-spread concern about social networking sites, technology observers are seeing more examples of teachers assigning blogs for homework and of educators realizing how motivating online work is for students. "Everyone in the class can see what they’re doing and ask people to comment online," said McLester.
"When they publish personal blogs, they are thinking longer and more deeply on certain topics," McLester continued. "They get very involved with each other, get motivated, and work after hours. They see that it [writing] is not just for school -- it has a real-life feel to it. And parents can see what kids are doing in school."
Today’s students tend to find online, collaborative work more engaging than the typical classroom lesson. "Kids say they can work on more in-depth projects; you can give them the task of investigating a problem," McLester noted. "You get more out of some kids than you normally would. Kids are becoming empowered by this technology. But it is not coming as naturally to educators."
Please react to this article and to using Web 2.0 tools in education. Do so by clicking below where it says comments.
Then when asked to choose an identity, choose Name/URL, and just enter your name, OR choose anonymous. Thanks.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
I agree one hundred percent with your thoughts and opinions. Thanks for your insight, Viking is lucky to have such a great tech guy on our team.
There seems to be a fine line between appropriate and inappropriate use of of this technology and being able to control it in the school setting.
Thanks Dain. If schools don't give teachers time to learn and become proficient, the technology will pass us by. Let us have the time to create a practical use for all this great stuff while still planning standard lessons.
Thanks Dain,
You are a wealth of knowledge, the students ( and staff) are lucky to have you as their tech teacher. I am impressed with what you are teaching. I just wish I could absorb and use all this as quickly as the kids!
Thanks again, Dain. I'm trying to use more technology this year, and you've been instrumental in making that happen.
My head is spinning with all the new ideas I brushed up against today! I'm really excited to use blogs with students, but the voice thread seems pretty useful, too. I agree that knowing you're writing for a wider audience will increase the quality of what students produce. So glad to have had this class early enough to think about it before the year starts! Thanks, Dain, for an extremely useful morning!
I think that technology is a good thing. However, I think that personal technology like cell phones, ipods, etc. are inappropriate in a school setting. While they have their benefits, not all students can reap them if they are unable to afford such technology. The same benefits could be found in the use of flashdrives which are less expensive and screenless.
I'm also concerned with the validity of the information on the internet. While students can benefit from things like writing blogs, it also increases the amount of information out there that is not (necessarily) from a credible source. I think it is blurring the line between appropriate pages and pages for personal opinions.
I agree with the comments in this article...The kids definately are light years ahead of the adults, especially the older teachers. Even though the teachers are willing to use web 2.0, it takes a lot of time to apply what you've learned and use it, just because it is unfamiliar and that always takes longer.
Great article!
Great job! Some very useful information to use! I think kids will write more using blogs!
Whats most important here is,is it the learning thats is engaging or the social interaction ? Our tendency to subordinate the value of learning to the method of the learning has lowered our standards and then depth of thought .
Interesting that the author feel educators don't come naturally to technology. Students have more time and less to do than the average adult. I'm sure all teachers could stay on top of technology if they had enough time and motivation. I can't sit at a computer hour after hour experimenting, but I am always fascinated by how much there is to look at and how fast it is changing. Also, the writer seems to think that cell phones and ipods should be used more. Has she seen how proficient and evasive children can be on these devices? They spend so much time on them, teachers would never be able to keep up with extraneous activities; makes it too easy to go off-task. By using what you have at school or in the classroom, everyone is on more even ground.
I am excited about the wide variety of technological tools that are currently available for teachers and students. I have been especially concerned about the digital divide that exists among students in areas where resources are limited; however, I am encouraged from what I have learned today!
This is a test./Users/DainElman/Desktop/Movie 11.mov
Fаntastic gοodѕ frοm you, mаn.
I've have in mind your stuff prior to and you are just extremely wonderful. I really like what you've got hеre,
reаlly liκe whаt you're saying and the way by which you assert it. You are making it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart. I cant wait to learn much more from you. This is really a great web site.
Here is my blog - Tens Therapy
Hi there all, herе eveгy person is sharing thеse fаmiliaritу, so іt's nice to read this website, and I used to pay a visit this website everyday.
Also visit my page - irving taxicab
Post a Comment