It’s now 2:52 pm. I started this assignment at 7:00 this morning. What is wrong with me! I read the article and come across the links and CLICK! I’m off in another world. And I keep clicking and clicking and clicking. I came across many useful ideas, blogs and sites. Which one do I use first!
Is this how kids feel when they’re online?
Richardson states, “These tools are fast changing, decidedly social, and rich with powerful learning opportunities for us all, if we can figure out how to leverage their potential.” Figuring out how to funnel this energy into a useful purpose IS the most challenging part. We want what we invent/create/design to be useful, to provide some sense of accomplishment and achievement. In a blog post on Classroom 2.0 one-teacher states:
I don't believe that technology is supposed to make life easier, but that it's supposed to enhance your life. However, there is a limit to the amount of extra work that I'm willing to do in addition to everything above-and-beyond that I already do. By Kerin Ho Mayne on July 11, 2009 at 8:47am
I hear her. It’s overwhelming and I’m on the fence. I want to go forward and re-invent how I support students learning because I know they’ll find it as exciting as I do and at the same time I want to avoid mayhem and it’s really easy to get pulled into doing work 24/7.
Do kids really view technology as a learning tool? There are two teenagers, seniors who will graduate next spring up stairs right now. I’m going to go ask.
Me: Do you think that your school has integrated the use of technology into your classes?
Them: Oh, yeah…everything is a powerpoint these days. We have projectors. We can e-mail our stuff.
Me: Are there any restrictions that you feel impede your learning from technology.
Them: The firewall keeps out a lot of sites. Not even the teachers can use YouTube to show us how to do stuff.
Me: So how do you access the information you need to know?
Them: At home.
Me: What is technology to you?
Them: (pointing to the X-box) That! Entertainment.
So … not a scientific survey by any means and maybe it was bad timing on my part because they were in the middle of a game. I’m pretty sure they have the technological know how. There are times when I’ve asked for help with my Mac and my son can show me lickety-split what I’ve tried to do on my own. But is he learning digital citizenship, collaboration skills, and how to produce high quality work? I think that SHS has begun to embrace the new paradigm, but is more or less as on the fence as I am.
You make a very valid point. Our students are comfortable with technology because they have grown up with it, BUT do they really know HOW to use the technology effectively? Let's take the research process, for example. Students know how to Google, but do they know the search terms necessary to really find the right information and once they find it, how do they know it's viable? And, as you point out the digital citizenship is another whole area students need work on. It is indeed easy to get sucked in and distracted by the internet. I think there's a time and place for both the entertainment technology and the work technology.
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