I enjoyed this reading and think I will utilize quite a bit of the resources discussed in the text. The three that stuck with me the most were the Weblogs, Wikis, and RSS. The inmplications of technology are incredible, especially in the inner city classroom which is where I work. Students who previously had trouble figuring out what they could contribute to a greater society of knowledge are now very capable of conrtibuting via wikis. Students who previsous had trouble generating netwroks through meaningful contacts are now able to do that via the internet.
I also see technology as potentially maginalizing however. Working in schools all over Jefferson county, I can tell you that a school's ability to provide every student with a working and updated computer is closely related with the economic situation of the neighborhood the school resides in.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Chapter 6
I read every chapter and relate it to my own work experience at my school. I really liked Chapter 6 "The Social Web" because it focused on the connections students can make using the internet. On page 95, it is pointed out that you can individualize currculum using Diigo: "You could insert individualized questions or other links or suggestions for follow up. In this way, you can start using Diigo as a powerful tool for individualized instruction." I am a big fan of individualized instruction. I do however feel like a lot of these technologies overlap. How different is it for us to use bookmarking services as opposed to saving websites links to a weblog and typing a reference to the link?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Chapter 8
I am not sure exactly how I am going to have my students utilize Podcasting in the classroom. There are many possibilities that jump out at me. I could have students listen to podcasts (such as NPR's Fresh Air) and respond (In their Weblogs). Or I could have students create a podcast, which would exercise the "communicating with an authentic audience for an authentic purpose" aspect of the curriculum.
Chapter 4
In chapter 2 on page 21 Richardson writes: "From a teaching standpoint, having a place to publish the course curriculum, syllabus, class rules, homework assignments, rubrics, hanouts, and presentations makes a Weblog a powewrful course management tool." I'm sold. On Weblogs that is. But what I am confused upon is how exactly a class Wiki is any better than a weblog. What can a Wiki give a class that a Weblog can't? I'm talking about a class wiki. Like Richardson, I think Wikipedia is a phenomenal if not transitional tool.
I know students can edit a class wiki, but can't they design a weblog as well?
I do like wikipedia, and think that my students have valuable knowledge to add to this all encompassing online source. Just a few weeks ago, a neighborhood many of my students live in was featured on WLKY's "Louisville's most dangerous streets." My students saw this program and thought it was mostly incomplete and mostly inaccurate. I would like to see them put out a more accurate perseption of the neighborhood somewhere.
I know students can edit a class wiki, but can't they design a weblog as well?
I do like wikipedia, and think that my students have valuable knowledge to add to this all encompassing online source. Just a few weeks ago, a neighborhood many of my students live in was featured on WLKY's "Louisville's most dangerous streets." My students saw this program and thought it was mostly incomplete and mostly inaccurate. I would like to see them put out a more accurate perseption of the neighborhood somewhere.
Chapters 3 and 5
RSS seems pretty amazing. I think I will have students set up RSS as well as their weblogs the first week of school.
Incorporating RSS and weblogs into the curriculum would be easy, especially since the English curriculum is based around reading and writing. Students could respond to RSS in their weblogs. When I was a student, I had to cut out a newspaper article and paste it on loose leaf paper and write a half page in an assignment called "Current Events." In my classroom students would just need to access their RSS feed, find an article they like, link it to their blog and write their "Current Events" online. As I think about this, I am thinking about the dozen or so students I know whose grades have been devastated by forgetting materials, whether it be completed assignments or pencils and paper.
Incorporating RSS and weblogs into the curriculum would be easy, especially since the English curriculum is based around reading and writing. Students could respond to RSS in their weblogs. When I was a student, I had to cut out a newspaper article and paste it on loose leaf paper and write a half page in an assignment called "Current Events." In my classroom students would just need to access their RSS feed, find an article they like, link it to their blog and write their "Current Events" online. As I think about this, I am thinking about the dozen or so students I know whose grades have been devastated by forgetting materials, whether it be completed assignments or pencils and paper.
Chapters 1 and 2
I have always been frustrated that so many websites are blocked by JCPS. Often I will attempt to pull up a web resource only to see that it is blocked. In chapter 1, page 5, Richardson notes that "By and large, they [students] are "out there" using a wide variety of technologies that they are told they can't use when they come to school. They are building vast social networks with little or no guidance from adults." It really makes me question the implications of not allowing students to use social networks in schools. Are we predispositioning students to be vulnerable to the dangers of the internet?
I also wonder what the implications are of technology access in the home. As an English teacher, I can tell you that students who grew up with a lot of books in the home are going to be better readers and writers. How does this translate to technology? This previous school year, I had a player who had a great deal of trouble accessing a computer. He did not have one at home. After school he stayed with the basketball team for practices and games sometimes getting home as late as 11 or 12 at night. He lived in a dangerous neighborhood and also had babysitting responsibilities so leaving his apartment after dark or during the weekends was out of the question. He has a considerable lack of computer fluency that shows any time he tries to type a piece of writing on his computer.
I think weblogs can be a great resource for a teacher. Working at the school I work at, I see everything through the lens of a teacher working low a high population of low SES students. One of the biggest problems I see in my school is wasted time. The amount of class time that could be saved using a weblogs to post assignments, class rules, rubrics, handouts, and presentations is going to be pivotal. I plan to begin working on a Weblog for my class this summer.
I also wonder what the implications are of technology access in the home. As an English teacher, I can tell you that students who grew up with a lot of books in the home are going to be better readers and writers. How does this translate to technology? This previous school year, I had a player who had a great deal of trouble accessing a computer. He did not have one at home. After school he stayed with the basketball team for practices and games sometimes getting home as late as 11 or 12 at night. He lived in a dangerous neighborhood and also had babysitting responsibilities so leaving his apartment after dark or during the weekends was out of the question. He has a considerable lack of computer fluency that shows any time he tries to type a piece of writing on his computer.
I think weblogs can be a great resource for a teacher. Working at the school I work at, I see everything through the lens of a teacher working low a high population of low SES students. One of the biggest problems I see in my school is wasted time. The amount of class time that could be saved using a weblogs to post assignments, class rules, rubrics, handouts, and presentations is going to be pivotal. I plan to begin working on a Weblog for my class this summer.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Response: Syncing Up with the iKid: Connecting to the Twenty-First-Century Student
As a prospective English teacher, I was excited to read about DyKnow Vision, which got the students actively engaged in a Nathaniel Hawthorne text. I have never had any trouble getting the kids at my school to read about Stanley “Tookie” Williams, or about gang violence, but they have always resisted literature. I am going to explore DyKnow Vision and see if I can use it in my classroom.
I think the most difficult part about incorporating technology into the class room is that in many cases, the students will lead while the techer follows. I absolutley believe that technology plays a significant role in education and should be incorporated in the classroom but I can’t help but notice that the avergae student at my school (many of whom are low SES and don’t have computer access at home) are more computer literate than most of the techers (myself included). They access blocked sites like myspace with ease, can learn a new computer program or master a new type of software in minutes and in general, are more connected than I was as a student, or am now.
I think the most difficult part about incorporating technology into the class room is that in many cases, the students will lead while the techer follows. I absolutley believe that technology plays a significant role in education and should be incorporated in the classroom but I can’t help but notice that the avergae student at my school (many of whom are low SES and don’t have computer access at home) are more computer literate than most of the techers (myself included). They access blocked sites like myspace with ease, can learn a new computer program or master a new type of software in minutes and in general, are more connected than I was as a student, or am now.
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