It has always said that being literate means that you are able to read and write. That is a pretty basic definition, no surprises there. So, how is this definition different in today’s society? Being literate in today’s society means that you are also computer and technologically literate. Now more than ever the world is at their fingertips, literally. Within a few moments our kids could be “in” Africa looking at the savannahs and the wildlife. www.africam.com My students were living and loving this site last year. They wrote about it in their journals and shared it with their parents, they just couldn’t get enough. They were as close to Africa as I could get them.
Our kids are growing up in the age of technology. In my daughter’s kindergarten classroom there is a SmartBoard, she is allowed to use it as a center. She drags and drops pictures to put them in the correct order and has stories read to her on the SmartBoard. My students have been known to surpass me in my technological abilities. When doing projects online, they will far exceed what I would have done in the same amount of time. When speaking with others (BH), they say that the kids are not afraid to take risks; they know that they won’t break the computer. That being said, we are preparing them for tomorrow. The technology is not going to stop and stay put. It will continue to expand its capabilities and with that we need to prepare our children for what is coming in the world of technology. I loved the line “We are now hiring the last generation of teachers who ‘speak digital with an accent’” (November, 2010) . But it doesn’t matter if we have an ‘accent’ as long as we are willing to challenge our kids. “Students (will) do amazing things when given access to powerful information and communications networks” (November, 2010) . It is our job to do just that. If we don’t we are doing our students a disservice- our students “continue to struggle to stay apace of their international peers” (Richardson, 2010) . It won’t get easier and we can’t sweep it under the rug.
Does your school or district have a policy about posting student work online?
We do not have a policy- which surprised me! I know that we have those fancy filters that only allow us to view certain sites. We cannot go on youtube which is a shame, because there is some really great educational ‘stuff’ on there. Our projects have been posted in the past with first names only and the site would be password protected. They recommend that we send a note home to parents explaining the project that we are going to do and state that I plan to post the finished product online. In the beginning of the year, parents and studetns are required to sign an acceptable use policy for the district. This form mentions being ethical, legal, follow the copyright laws (which apparently I didn’t even know that much about them) and of course to not give out any personal information. But honestly, do they even read that? They just sign it because without it, they cannot use ANY computers at school.
What is a Weblog and how could it be used to improve teaching and learning?
To me, a weblog was a document, a question, an idea that it is continually morphing into something else. It is so much more than that. It can be a place where someone puts their thoughts down, and others comment or it can be a place to share ideas and questions with others that have the same interests. The possibilities are almost endless. “(Weblogs) are comprised of ref\ections and conversations that in many cases are updated every day”(Richardson, 2010) . You can see these ‘threads’ almost anywhere, even Amazon has them on topics that have nothing to do with shopping. It is a way for people to communicate. We are social. We like to interact with others and webloging is another way to do that…it just allows us to do so on a global level.
To me, a weblog was a document, a question, an idea that it is continually morphing into something else. It is so much more than that. It can be a place where someone puts their thoughts down, and others comment or it can be a place to share ideas and questions with others that have the same interests. The possibilities are almost endless. “(Weblogs) are comprised of ref\ections and conversations that in many cases are updated every day”
Just testing to see if I can post comment...
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about technology being so critical within the classroom and I think it's because I am in the early childhood grades and we do more hands-on learning. I mean we use the computer but for more academic learning programs rather than blogging, skyping and completing projects. The more I hear the older grades discuss technology and how important it is with in the classroom, the more I appreciate technology and understand there are endless ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. I love hearing about how you use it in your classroom. It definitly seems your students LOVE it!!
ReplyDeleteI agree Jen, I think content learning seems to lend itself so easily to integrating technology. Stacy - I love that africam.com site!!! How awesome, I keep seeing animals, but because it is dark I can't tell what they are -- probably because I'm always checking while it is the middle of the night there -- I need to try during the daytime hours. :)
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