COMM 7712 – 2014
Reading Set 1
Everyone,
This is a comprehensive first set. I don't expect you to exhaust this set the first night or have commited all this to memory. Please eel free to browse and read the ones that interest you and you wold like to discuss.
Steve
My Kids Are Obsessed With
Technology and its all My Fault
“Instructional Technology: Foundations”
“Constructivism: New Implications for Instructional
Technology”
“Research on Educational Communications and Technology” (Parts
2 & 3)
NOTE: Please define
the difference between Communication
and Communications in this context.
Using the Technology of Today
in the Classroom of Today / The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking,
Simulations
Why Integrate Technology into
The Curriculum?: The Reasons are Many
I am posting some comments on this week's readings in the event I can't access the live discussion tonight. I'm "on the road" and don't know what to expect in terms of service.
ReplyDeleteThe NY Times article really hit home with me. Although I value the importance of technology to education, I share some of the author's worries about overexposure to technology especially at a young age. First, will it lead to more isolation and less socialization? How can we prevent the association of ownership of the latest technological devices with personal worth? Will kids become too passive and less imaginative as they rely on screen time to alleviate boredom?
I have a three year old grandson and I see how he is enthralled with the iPad. He tries to manipulate his parents to watch more shows and play more games and becomes irritable when it's taken away.
Clearly technology is here to stay and I look forward to learning more ways to use it to enhance learning. However I agree with the author about the need for caution.
I noticed the same thing, Jodi. I sensed the author was afraid his children would have the same issue he has with the technology of his childhood (TV). He does not want them to become obsessed with the IPad. I also notice in young children that they are enthralled by the IPad, as are their parents. Yet, how much of those skills are going to be applicable to the types of technology they will need in life?
DeleteI certainly agree with him when he says he is concerned education has placed such value in 1 item, essentially, as being responsible for the education of kids. Whatever happened to the value of reading and spending time with your child? Wasn't that pretty important when we were growing up? Caution is certainly needed!
Deletehttp://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/Managing-Media-We-Need-a-Plan.aspx#sthash.BuvKugGU
DeleteThe link above is from the American Pediatric Association on media recommendations for children.
DeleteIf you are joining the blog tonight instead of the hangout, please feel fee to comment on anything you see. I will attempt to keep you updated as we go along. Maybe others will post comments as well.
ReplyDeleteS
In reference to the NY Times article, I sense the author does not want the youth to lose their imagination. Hence the cardinal reference at the end of the article. I also found it interesting that the daughter didn't even like reading and simply wanted to "gain points" to win the game. I'm sure at first her parents were thrilled she was "reading" but after her comment I'm left to wonder how much of the reading is actually benefitting her?
ReplyDeleteI think the Edutopia article on integrating technology addresses some important issues. We have to make sure that technology is used to support curricular goals and is not an end in and of itself. It's not just entertainment. Effective instruction with technology has the power to reach many individual learning styles with images, sound and text.
DeleteAbsolutely, Jody. Bells and whistles for their own sake does not advance learning or instructional technology.
DeleteIn response to "Using the Technology of Today in the Classroom of Today / The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking, Simulations " I thought it brought about good points as far as using these mediums educationally.
ReplyDeleteI suppose I never thought about the idea "new technologies help us teach old and new information in new ways." I've always thought of technology as something new. This is certainly a selling point for the tech-resistant person.
The chapter on Gaming was eye-opening for me as I have never "gamed" before. Gaming has rules, objectives, goals, collaboration, etc. that kids are utilizing and we don’t even realize it. Warcraft is an example of how students utilize these skills to develop a civilization effectively. They are processing info quickly, analyzing and assessing effective strategies to expand their civilization. These are skills needed in a classroom and life. Not only are they needed, but stressed in all domains of education.
Gaming could be effective due to its real world application. Students don't have to be convinced this is a real world skill because the game itself is real world-like.
Social networks allow for community and collaboration. Chatting, face-timing, and Skypeing are ways in which students can communicate with others. And they may already have knowledge of these mediums that can be used in class, educationally.
I agree with the article and with you, Monica, that there are many valuable skills in gaming. What I worry about is the way that some kids seem to get "addicted" to gaming. I also wish so many of the games weren't so violent. In some ways we are becoming desensitized to the violence.
DeleteJust some notes I took while reading. I thought this social network sounded interesting:
ReplyDeleteDIIGO= great of English class due to annotating and sticky-note taking to discuss what they learned.
Has anyone used this before? I'm curious....
I have used Wiki's before. I also used the comment section as a response to literature with my students and found similar finding from the article dealing with social networking. They both allow more passive students to participate without the anxiety threat of being the focus of attention. Many quiet, introverted, students were so vocal during these activities.
ReplyDeleteI have used Wiki's also and have found that it gives all kids a chance to "speak." The one issue I had was in getting kids to comment insightfully and actually dialogue with each other. Comments tended to be superficial at times. It's worth working on though.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the side by side readings of the New York Times article and the edutopia article provided a nice contrast. On the one hand, there is the weary, concerned parent who feels guarded about exalted name-brand technology ("Frankly, I find it more disturbing that a brand-name product is being elevated to the status of mandatory school supply,") On the other, there are the educators who are encouraging integration in all applicable areas. I am a technology teacher and a parent of school-age children, and I can definitely relate to both. I've felt that "jonesing for a microhit of stimulation." I also believe that technology, in its evolving state, is here to stay, and we as educators are in a good position to teach it by integrating it into the curriculum and guiding students as they navigate its uses. There is a delicate balance to strike, between home and school, parenting and teaching, and above all with regard to children's developmental levels and age-appropriateness.
ReplyDeleteTina, well-said! I think the edutopia article also made a good point that technology is most effective when used regularly and to support curricular goals. To have access to lots of technology is certainly an issue, however, learning to use the little that we do have is just as important to helping students succeed. I think it's important that schools don't just ask for technology, but also ask how to use it. Smartboards are all the rage. I just got one last year, yet only one training session on its uses. Like you said, there needs to be a balance. Since $ is always an issue, focusing on HOW to use the technology is just as important as purchasing it, otherwise, it's a waste of money.
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