I just read Matthew Kearney’s blog posting based on a presentation he had attended about the use of technology to connect students from around the world. As I read about his views about a presentation he had attended, I felt really positive towards the idea of using technology not only for use in the classroom on individual projects, but also in terms of developing students’ broader understandings of the world around them. I love the fact that students can connect and learn from each others’ experiences, just as is discussed within the collaborative project Matthew talks about.
I feel that whilst technology such as Ipods and video games draw children into their own little worlds where they may be oblivious to the world around them, I can feel assured that there are aspects of technology that open children’s eyes, preventing such oblivion. 
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Maree Skillen drew my attention to a very confronting factor about our future students…in one of her blog postings, she stated that “This year’s crop of Year 12 students was born at the same time as the first web browser (Head, 2008)?”, from which she found out through her own reading. This was quite a reality check for me; the fact that basically every student coming into our schools today has not lived in a world without the technology we have today. Whilst it may depend on their personal circumstances as to the experiences they will have actually had with technology, students of today and the future are now referred to as “Digital Natives”, of which I learned from Maree Skillen’s posting.
Whilst I don’t mean to generalise and over-stereotype,iIsn’t it funny to think that our knowledge of a “native” is someone along the lines of an Aboriginal, the original owners of our country’s land, and the tools they may have used consisted of a hand-carved spear as opposed to an Ipod?!?
Reference
Head, B. (September 2008). Who’s Teaching Who? Education Review: Technology Guide.
Available at: www.educationreview.com.au; www.campusreview.com.au
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After reading one of Lucy’s blog postings involving the huge scope of terminology within our techno-savvy world, i couldn’t agree more with her feeling of being mind-boggled!
I would also like to thank Lucy for including some of the new terms she has learned from her reading within her blog, as i too now have a broader technology-based vocabulary and understanding thanks to the few she mentioned.
I also agree that young students of today do have a slight advantage, as whilst their general vocabulary is expanding, they simply just stumble across new technology-based words and accept it as the norm, just like any other word they learn…yet whilst you “can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, I too, like Lucy, will do my best to stay tuned with the latest terms
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I’ve just read one of Amy’s blog postings about her views on an article about how technology has changed so rapidly, looking into whther or not everyone is dealing with it. Whilst technology-advancement is a positive move, Amy and the actual article both imply in their reasoning whether or not technology is suiting everyone, and whether or not those within the minority who feel like they are left behind with the advancements are socially and skillfully appropriate for today’s workforce.
I feel that this is a very topical issue, as workplace technology is forever changing and supposedly improving. My own answer to this debate is that i feel that there needs to be a balance and congruency between tchnology used in schools and technology used in the workforce and other areas of one’s life. There’s not much point for schools to be still hiding in the dark ages if their students, who are future economy-contributing citizens, cannot keep up with the workplace technology; and vice versa…it would be a waste of time and money to have techno-savvy schools but old-fashioned lives beyond…so there you have it…balance is the answer!
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I just read Kathy Shields’ article based on past personal teaching experiences of hers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article as I felt the sense of sarcasm and humour coming through as she questioned herself about her different experiences when a) teachng with an interactive whiteboard, and b) having to take a supposed step backwards and perhaps back in time in her eyes in teaching without one.
Kathy Shields did questioned whether those of you/us (including myself!) who hadn’t used an interactive whiteboard before could understand the real benefits as a teacher using one, which i believe is true. Based on the saying “you never know if you never go”, as I haven’t to-date had the pleasure of using one I don’t really fully understand the benefits, so I suppose i’ll just have to wait and see.
Yet I also liked the message within this posting of hers; the fact that every now and then perhaps we as teachers in the 21st century should stop and have a little reality check, that it still is possible to teach without interactive whiteboards and such advanced technology! Yet there’s nothing stopping us from enjoying the wonders of technology, so let’s go for it
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I just read a very convincing article from an external blogger in this wonderful blogging world, an article by Kathy Shields. This article made a point of stating that teachers often blame their lack of technology-use on the fact that they do not have the skills and training in such areas, hence making them feel not confident enough to use such technology in the classroom.
I must say that in the past I have been a culprit of feeling this way; whilst I may have struggled with figuring out technology for myself, Kathy Shields reminded me in her writing that part of the learning process is the empowerment of figuring out how to use the programs, as whilst this process may take time, it is vitally important in our understanding of how it all works.
So I must say that I agree with Kathy Shields…we all need to take the time to learn how to use such technology, it doesn’t just happen from “the click of a finger”, but moreso after numerous clicks with a computer mouse through our navigation into the journeys of discovering new technology!
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I have just read one of Alison’s blog postings which questions the value of interactive whiteboards. I too watched the video which was the basis of her posting. Before I watched the video I had curious and apprehensive feelings of what my thoughts would be, as so far in all of my practicums, i have not yet had the opportunity to experience using or even seeing one of these interactive whiteboards!!! 
So I listened to what the main speaker (“Doug Brown”) within this video had to say; he noted that whilst schools may have these wonderful new resources, many teachers unfortunately do not use them to their full potential, if at all…so since this viewing and reading, I have made a conscious decision NOT to become one of those teachers who avoid using technology!!!
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I just read Alison’s blog posting about a reading she had done about a disadvantaged school in Western Australia. Her article informed us that this particular school was fortunate enough to receive funding for appropriate IT resources..whilst that is a pleasing part of her posting, she herself made a couple of points which I totally agree with; the fact that success in teaching and learning technology is reliant on well-trained teachers!!! This is a point i feel strongly about, and an area of which I look forward to developing further in.
Secondly, Alison made the point that technology was integrated throughout the whole school and curriculum…another impartant aspect i feel needs consideration when teaching and learning with technology. After all, there’s not much point teaching students about technology if they are not likely to practice it in other areas of their education and life right? Yet not to worry, because these days we just can’t escape it! 
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We all know that the Internet is an absolutely wonderful resource tool for finding information right?!?
In my reading about children and internet usage, within a Department of Education Journal called “Click” (Sen and Heffernan, 2008), I was pleased to read up on an article relating to how to deem internet information as accurate, for all those busy parents trying to quickly help their kids with their homework and research. This article was called “Homewrk and the Internet” (Sen & Heffernan, 2008).
As my most vivid memories of the internet introduction we when i was in year 4, i remember my parents were ofetn hesitant in believing the information presented to us on the internet. It was right at the time when I had to research Australia’s early explorers, so the odd time when we would see conflicting information about dates of specific occasions threw us a bit!
Yet the main points in this article were great – easy to comprehend and very practical.
For those of you interested, the main point it suggested was looking at the source of the article (ie, who wrote it)..if you have trouble sourcing its author(s), then proceed with caution!!!
Reference:
Sen, T. & Heffernan, C. (2008). Homework and the Internet. Click A Technology Guide for Parents. Issue 8. pp.18, 19.
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I’ve just read a very practical article from a technology-based journal called “Click” (Sen & Heffernan, 2008), a magazine created by the Department of Education and Training.
The article is called “Staying Safe Online” (Sen & Heffernan, 2008), and acts as a guide for parents to be aware and knowlegdable and not ignorant about their child’s safety when using the internet. I feel that this article is a wonderful resource that every parent should read…whilst it isn’t trying to alarm parents, it acts as a pre-warning piece of information, giving out handy hints for parents monitoring their child’s internet use. One main point i feel is very useful for parents of naive and vulnerable children is the fact that it emphasises making children awarw of keeping their personal details (name, number, address) private. Secondly, i was also impressed with its focus on stranger danger over the internet and cyber-bullying, suggesting parents talk about their child’s computer use with them.
Reference:
>> Sen, T. & Heffernan, C. (2008). Staying Safe Online. Click A Technology Guide for Parents. Issue 8. pp. 14, 15.
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