Article: Breathing Fire into Web 2.0
By Justin Hardman and David Carpenter
This article was very interesting to read because it is something that I have truthfully never heard about before. It is always so great for me to hear stories of how things were created by a simple idea by simple people. The two men who created DragonNet were two teachers from an international school looking to organize their calanders and information on-line so it could be shared. A simple idea grew into a fantastic way for educators to organize all of their information in collaboration with the schools, students and collagues.
The Web 2.0 service is not something that I know a whole lot about, so some of the information within the story was difficult for me to grasp. From my understanding, this new service, Web 2.0, is a new form of the internet that offers more than the older version does.
I think this is a fantastic idea because it encourages the use of technology in the classroom, which as discussed many times in class, can have numerous benefits. You can teach a science lesson online and not only are the students learning about science but also about technology. Many of the different NETS standards for students and possibly teachers, would be met through using a service similar to that of DragonNet.
Another benefit is that students could use the DragonNet for social networking, as opposed to using FaceBook or MySpace, which can have negative reputations.
My first question is would I be interested in using a Web-based program similar to DragonNet in my classroom. The answer would be an emphatic yes! I believe that this could help all of us mulit-taskers have one central location to organize all of our information for inside and outside of the classroom. I love the ability to enter all the information and make it available to students at certain times.
My second question involves the expansion of the DragonNet. Is this program only available for the teachers of the Hong Kong International School? I Googled the program and it came up as only a program for the Hong Kong International School. I believe however it could be a prototype for other schools and Web-based programs similar to this one could be created for school districts individually. What a fantastic idea!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Journal #1
Article: Professors adjust their methods to reach technology-savy generation.
By Eleanor Yang Su
This article is very interesting to me because I can directly relate to it. My mom and I always talk about how technology has almost become a second language for the people of my generation. Her generation is struggling to learn how to speak "technology" and what it means. For me and the other "millennials" of my generation we have grown up around technology as the article mentions.
I can relate also to the difficulty of lecturing to students while they are using their laptops and cell phones in class. I have witnessed many students, including myself, text messaging in class, using the internet to check e-mail or myspace, and occasionally using thier laptop to take notes in class. I have however, seen many professors being turned off to this because it is a distraction to them as they teach. I have had several professors ban computers from class, saying it is more of a distraction than it is helpful. According to this article by Eleanor Yang Su, she found that many San Diego professors are going in the opposite direction, and utilizing different high-tech teaching strategies. I believe that this is the direction that education will begin going, not just for college students, but for high school students as well. I know from observing several high school classrooms that cell phones and ipods are huge issues in classrooms.
I found the section of the article about multitasking very interesting. I feel that I am a huge multitasker and sometimes it helps me get things done at quicker pace, but sometimes it distracts me from what needs focusing and I end up doing a half attempt on all of the tasks. Not good :(
This brings me to my first question: How can I make sure that while I am multitasking with technology, I am getting all of my work done to my full potential? I think that this takes a lot of self discipline and requires that I set aside time for tasks that require my full attention. For me this is very difficult to do because most of my homework is done on the computer and my cell phone is consantly ringing. I need to make this a priority for myself so that when I become a classrooom teacher it will be a habit to focus and not distract me from teaching.
My next question is about the generation that is going to follow me. The kids born in the late 1990's and eary 2000's. These kids are by far going to be more technological savy than the Millennial generation. This will also be the generation that I want to be teaching. These kids are getting cell phones for their tenth birthday. I was not allowed to have a cell phone until I started driving, when I was sixteen. These kids are growing up with LeapFrogs and other technological learning devices that encourage reading on a computer more than reading from a book. It is a very vague question with an even vauger answer, but I think it is important for all of us to be aware of.
By Eleanor Yang Su
This article is very interesting to me because I can directly relate to it. My mom and I always talk about how technology has almost become a second language for the people of my generation. Her generation is struggling to learn how to speak "technology" and what it means. For me and the other "millennials" of my generation we have grown up around technology as the article mentions.
I can relate also to the difficulty of lecturing to students while they are using their laptops and cell phones in class. I have witnessed many students, including myself, text messaging in class, using the internet to check e-mail or myspace, and occasionally using thier laptop to take notes in class. I have however, seen many professors being turned off to this because it is a distraction to them as they teach. I have had several professors ban computers from class, saying it is more of a distraction than it is helpful. According to this article by Eleanor Yang Su, she found that many San Diego professors are going in the opposite direction, and utilizing different high-tech teaching strategies. I believe that this is the direction that education will begin going, not just for college students, but for high school students as well. I know from observing several high school classrooms that cell phones and ipods are huge issues in classrooms.
I found the section of the article about multitasking very interesting. I feel that I am a huge multitasker and sometimes it helps me get things done at quicker pace, but sometimes it distracts me from what needs focusing and I end up doing a half attempt on all of the tasks. Not good :(
This brings me to my first question: How can I make sure that while I am multitasking with technology, I am getting all of my work done to my full potential? I think that this takes a lot of self discipline and requires that I set aside time for tasks that require my full attention. For me this is very difficult to do because most of my homework is done on the computer and my cell phone is consantly ringing. I need to make this a priority for myself so that when I become a classrooom teacher it will be a habit to focus and not distract me from teaching.
My next question is about the generation that is going to follow me. The kids born in the late 1990's and eary 2000's. These kids are by far going to be more technological savy than the Millennial generation. This will also be the generation that I want to be teaching. These kids are getting cell phones for their tenth birthday. I was not allowed to have a cell phone until I started driving, when I was sixteen. These kids are growing up with LeapFrogs and other technological learning devices that encourage reading on a computer more than reading from a book. It is a very vague question with an even vauger answer, but I think it is important for all of us to be aware of.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)