Prensky, Marc. "Simulation
Nation: The Promise of Virtual Learning Activities | Edutopia." Edutopia:
K-12 Education & Learning Innovations. 21st-Century Learning, 09 Apr. 2007.
Web. 26 Jan. 2012. http://www.edutopia.org/simulation-nation
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Tech reshapes America's Classrooms
Szep, J. (2008). Technology reshapes america's classrooms. Reuters,
Retrieved from
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/07/us-usa-education-technology-idUSN2547885520080707
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Wiki-wiki-wiki!
Summary
There was once a day where (and some teachers still do this) teachers gawked at the use of Wikipedia and other related internet sources. Their qualms revolved around accuracy. However, there was some truth in their distaste for, sometimes, a lack of truth. Notwithstanding, the use of Wiki's have changed outstandingly. Instead they are now a viable educational tool. Reynard's article spends some length discussing the value in Wiki's use in the classroom. I think his most essential point is relevance and constructed meaning. Indeed, Wiki's allow students to collaboratively engage in a process. He says: "Knowledge is not a distinct or quantifiable body of content; knowledge is information that has become understood and applied in some sort of meaningful context so that it can be "known" by the student." There is some reality in this statement, by putting a hand in the construction process, students are then engaged in the consensus of public knowledge. Wiki's are on the forefront of new ways of thinking about shared ideas.
Response
Remember the "Wikipedia doesn't count" thing I mentioned in the summary. Accuracy is an issue with Wiki's. Where I do think that there is tremendous value in the Wiki as a means of public collaboration of ideas, there is also a tremendous assumption that the public consensus of reality, is well, real. Trends and emotions often overshadow truth. And just what is 'knowledge' anyways? The classically philosophical ways of looking at thinks still haven't been disproved, just disputed. Let us not just undermine epistemological realities just because a hybrid technology/public realm makes consensus easy. Knowledge isn't simply constructed. However, individual meaning can be. Wiki's allow us to engage in ways that help us compartmentalize knowledge, but it doesn't make us simply 'construct' it. Take Wiki's with a grain of salt, because they're excellent tools. But they aren't accountable for truth just because they're public.
Reynard, R. (2009) Why wikis? Campus Technology. Retrieved from:http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2009/02/04/Why-Wikis.aspx?Page=4new collab, new process, knoweldge/ideas not just for elite!
There was once a day where (and some teachers still do this) teachers gawked at the use of Wikipedia and other related internet sources. Their qualms revolved around accuracy. However, there was some truth in their distaste for, sometimes, a lack of truth. Notwithstanding, the use of Wiki's have changed outstandingly. Instead they are now a viable educational tool. Reynard's article spends some length discussing the value in Wiki's use in the classroom. I think his most essential point is relevance and constructed meaning. Indeed, Wiki's allow students to collaboratively engage in a process. He says: "Knowledge is not a distinct or quantifiable body of content; knowledge is information that has become understood and applied in some sort of meaningful context so that it can be "known" by the student." There is some reality in this statement, by putting a hand in the construction process, students are then engaged in the consensus of public knowledge. Wiki's are on the forefront of new ways of thinking about shared ideas.
Response
Remember the "Wikipedia doesn't count" thing I mentioned in the summary. Accuracy is an issue with Wiki's. Where I do think that there is tremendous value in the Wiki as a means of public collaboration of ideas, there is also a tremendous assumption that the public consensus of reality, is well, real. Trends and emotions often overshadow truth. And just what is 'knowledge' anyways? The classically philosophical ways of looking at thinks still haven't been disproved, just disputed. Let us not just undermine epistemological realities just because a hybrid technology/public realm makes consensus easy. Knowledge isn't simply constructed. However, individual meaning can be. Wiki's allow us to engage in ways that help us compartmentalize knowledge, but it doesn't make us simply 'construct' it. Take Wiki's with a grain of salt, because they're excellent tools. But they aren't accountable for truth just because they're public.
Reynard, R. (2009) Why wikis? Campus Technology. Retrieved from:http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2009/02/04/Why-Wikis.aspx?Page=4new collab, new process, knoweldge/ideas not just for elite!
ELL: Not just at school anymore.
Summary
In the days of immersion as the dominant paradigm in ELL pedagogy, there just may be more tricks, tools, and techniques to improve the game: technology. With Ipads, Smartphones, Laptops (you know the like), students can now access ELL tools everywhere. Demski suggests that many ELL students have significant motivation problems at school. And why shouldn't they? It isn't easy to constantly be practicing and learning English just to communicate, and it certainly isn't fun. Instead, programs and access to ELL tools allow students to practice when they feel comfortable, such as their own homes, or maybe with other friends who are also learning English. Demski maps the different dimensions where ELL's can improve their language skills outside of the classroom, and they all have specific applications and tools that cater to each. Much to one of the teachers Demski studies surprise, the most common application used is the dictionary.
Response
Unlike many disciplines like Math or Science, learning the dominant language doesn't end when the school day's over. If anything, it becomes more difficult as the support offered by the school is no longer available. Tech tools like Ipads allow students to have the supports, if they want or need it. Instead of a teacher-driven motivation, students can self-direct their learning when they deem it necessary. Sometimes they may not need it, sometimes they want to practice, and sometimes they may need something as simple as a quick definition. The point is, technology is available, fun, and extremely useful. Rather than fight it, we should embrace it, that way many ELL's are both proficient in technology and communication skills.
Demski, J. (2011, May 2). ELL to Go. THE Journal. Retrieved from: http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/05/02/ell-to-go.aspx.
In the days of immersion as the dominant paradigm in ELL pedagogy, there just may be more tricks, tools, and techniques to improve the game: technology. With Ipads, Smartphones, Laptops (you know the like), students can now access ELL tools everywhere. Demski suggests that many ELL students have significant motivation problems at school. And why shouldn't they? It isn't easy to constantly be practicing and learning English just to communicate, and it certainly isn't fun. Instead, programs and access to ELL tools allow students to practice when they feel comfortable, such as their own homes, or maybe with other friends who are also learning English. Demski maps the different dimensions where ELL's can improve their language skills outside of the classroom, and they all have specific applications and tools that cater to each. Much to one of the teachers Demski studies surprise, the most common application used is the dictionary.
Response
Unlike many disciplines like Math or Science, learning the dominant language doesn't end when the school day's over. If anything, it becomes more difficult as the support offered by the school is no longer available. Tech tools like Ipads allow students to have the supports, if they want or need it. Instead of a teacher-driven motivation, students can self-direct their learning when they deem it necessary. Sometimes they may not need it, sometimes they want to practice, and sometimes they may need something as simple as a quick definition. The point is, technology is available, fun, and extremely useful. Rather than fight it, we should embrace it, that way many ELL's are both proficient in technology and communication skills.
Demski, J. (2011, May 2). ELL to Go. THE Journal. Retrieved from: http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/05/02/ell-to-go.aspx.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
The New Literacy
Summary
Response
Remember the 3 R's? It seems as if they need to be supplemented in order for the contemporary student to become successful in succeeding generations. Armstrong argues that there needs a quick transformation into the 4 'E's.' Reading becomes 'exposing knowledge;' arithmetic becomes 'employing information;' writing becomes 'expressing ideas compellingly. The fourth E, Armstrong says, is 'ethics.' Todays job global job market, paired with an ever-accelerating technological increases requires an equally transitional pedagogy. Students need to learn to use technology effectively and ethically, as well as flexibly, in order to survive the rapidly evolving world. Armstrong introduces a plethora of resources and aims for students and teachers to slowly destroy the technology-skill void that is doing many students a tragic disservice.
Response
Given that I am just now becoming 'computer literate,' I realize that I've never had any traditional training in the technological world. Most of what I know, I've learned by either doing it and suffering, or by watching a friend. I do think that there's some truth to his statement that he "convinced prospective employers that he could teach himself all he needed to know while on the job." Self-directed learning is an essential skill in itself. Notwithstanding, this is often a skill that, for some reason, seems to requires an expensive undergraduate title. There needs to be more scaffolding at the secondary world, so that students can quickly join and survive in the new world, with or without a degree. Integrating the 4 R's into every discipline allows students to use technology in many contexts, which is essential for the 21st century human.
Armstrong, S. & Warlick, D. The New Literacy. Tech & Learning. Retrieved 12/4/2011 from http://www.techlearning.com/printableArticle.aspx?articleID=47102021
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The Gr8 Debate: Does spelling matter?
“A Case For and Against Proper Spelling,” National Public Radio, Retrieved May 2nd, 2012 fromhttp://www.npr.org/2012/03/01/147741215/duz-prawper-speling-mader-nemor
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Student Safety in the Age of Facebook
Summary:
Margo Pierce merely scratches the
surface of an emerging issue in contemporary schools: the role and safety of
social media. No longer is the Internet
a luxury that you had to beg your parents to go to the library for; it’s in
students’ pockets. Though having
Internet access everywhere is quite useful, it can also be dangerous. Sexual predators and cyber bullies can roam
anonymous, which can obviously lead to adverse situations for adolescents.
Pierce cites a story of the state
of Missouri banning any and all use of ‘non-work-related’ sites, after a
student-teacher sex abuse incident in the 1980’s. The ACLU-led coalition ended up suing the
state and reversing the law. Though an
extreme case, she highlights the tacit grey are associated student Internet
use.
Pierce
also suggests that other school districts and organizations are using
‘protection measures’ and ‘acceptable use policies’ to help curb the woes of
the unregulated Internet. The problem
with any overregulation, however, is that students lose the skill to be able to
navigate it outright. Pierce, via Bosco
states “You can’t make kids water-safe by eliminating swimming pools. You make kids water-safe by teaching them how
to swim.” This suggests that the best
way to operate a vague area is by teaching people how to navigate it.
Response:
The question: does Internet access
in schools impact or increase these risks? Social media is here, at least for
the time being. Pierce highlights two
competing views: banning or regulation.
But I’m not convinced that either regulating student use or banning
outright will curb dangers. What happens
when students go home or pull out their smartphones? Cyber bullying and sexual abuse generally
happen out of school, so we need to teach our students how to use social media
both responsibly and safely, not control their use.
But Pierce is right, respectively,
in one sense: “it’s complicated.” Whereas dimensions like the Child Internet
Protection Act (CIPA) certainly are aimed at controlling the woes of Internet
dangers, we must remember how often students have Internet access. It pervades everything nowadays, and who
knows, social media dwindle away in popularity as fast as it came to being.
Citation:
Pierce, M. (2012) Student Safety in
the Age of Facebook. T.H.E. Journal. Retrieved from:
http://thejournal.com/Articles/2012/03/02/online-safety.aspx?Page=1
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