This week's articles were thought provoking. The scope of each and the date they were written was very telling in terms of the content. Mazer's article on Facebook showed the exponential growth and direction that has taken the social media site from a college campus hangout to a global phenomena.
I do agree with some of Mazer's points. As students we are curious about who our instructors are beyond the classroom and perhaps it makes them more human. That glimpse into their life that students got in 2007 via Facebook was very new. Fast forward 7 years and according to the video from the college in last week's content Facebook is a diversion that keeps students from engaging in classroom rigors. Does having access to your proff's Facebook page today make you a more affective learner? I doubt it. When much of what we hear about Facebook and school age children and young adults is negative and sensationalized I cannot imagine this is what Zuckerberg had in mind.
The Barrett K-12 observations on Google drive and collaboration was interesting in that it opened the door for multiple types of learning. Learning the content, learning social skills of collaboration and learning the technology. At some point everyone needs team skills and these early forays can be helpful. Not being a full time classroom study I would like to learn what some of my fellow classmates who are have experienced when using technology and collaborative exercises in their classes.
Worley's article on global learning projects was fascinating. The resources cited in the article seem valuable as well for educators to source these opportunities. Taking teams of students from around the globe to pursue research and local sentiments on subjects is a definite plus. You never know how similar you may be until you explore a subject that is deeply interesting to both groups.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Unit 1 week 2 post
The videos made me sad. I completely agree that the American classroom has to change and become a more dynamic environment. Working to make that happen is part of what I do for a living. The technology is available and it needs to be leveraged. Budget is the biggest stopgap in the K-12 system.
On the other hand the video in the college lecture hall was frustrating. The students portrayed were Gen Edger's or just slightly older using the birth year mean of 1995. The traits of entitlement and narcissism rang true in the printed messages they held up during the video. I sleep 7 hours, I surf Facebook during class, I spend $100's of dollars on text books and do not read them, I only read 8 books last year. Shame on them. Choose a college that offers compelling technology in the classroom if that is what you need. The messages that read "That adds up to 26.5 hours" and "I am a multi-tasker" got to me. What of the those tasks were leisure and what were focused on college studies and life enabling tasks?
The numbers on honor students in China and India were interesting as well. Let us remember that China and India are each nearly 4 times as large in population as the United States. They are closed societies that do not have immigration policies that reflect the ones of the United States. Much of the population of both countries earns "less than what this laptop costs."
My situation is somewhat different. I have some contact with students and much of what I take away from that contact is in line with Gen Edgers. Students are hungry for more than a chalkboard and I believe they require it. They have been engaged with technology through DVD's and Leapfrog and other modes of technology in most cases since they have been able to sit up. It does not change the learning process though. The basics of letters and numbers in order to read and write and understand mathematics still need to be mastered.
The students I come in contact with more often are adult educators in Professional Development sessions. There are Baby Boomers, Gen Ex's and Millenials. Being one or the other does seem to dictate on how willing they will be to engage with new technology, how they feel about using their own time to learn and understand it and, what is in it for them in the end. I believe it is all about attitude.
The article that impacted me the most was McKenzie. I have been handed the Prensky article in many sales meetings. Birth order in terms of which decade does not necessitate ones aptitude to learn a new technology. I am eager to share the McKenzie article with my colleagues.
Lastly, in the Twenge article a reference was made to students expecting to "create" in the classroom and during the learning process. Perhaps more application of "flipped classrooms" would be effective.
On the other hand the video in the college lecture hall was frustrating. The students portrayed were Gen Edger's or just slightly older using the birth year mean of 1995. The traits of entitlement and narcissism rang true in the printed messages they held up during the video. I sleep 7 hours, I surf Facebook during class, I spend $100's of dollars on text books and do not read them, I only read 8 books last year. Shame on them. Choose a college that offers compelling technology in the classroom if that is what you need. The messages that read "That adds up to 26.5 hours" and "I am a multi-tasker" got to me. What of the those tasks were leisure and what were focused on college studies and life enabling tasks?
The numbers on honor students in China and India were interesting as well. Let us remember that China and India are each nearly 4 times as large in population as the United States. They are closed societies that do not have immigration policies that reflect the ones of the United States. Much of the population of both countries earns "less than what this laptop costs."
My situation is somewhat different. I have some contact with students and much of what I take away from that contact is in line with Gen Edgers. Students are hungry for more than a chalkboard and I believe they require it. They have been engaged with technology through DVD's and Leapfrog and other modes of technology in most cases since they have been able to sit up. It does not change the learning process though. The basics of letters and numbers in order to read and write and understand mathematics still need to be mastered.
The students I come in contact with more often are adult educators in Professional Development sessions. There are Baby Boomers, Gen Ex's and Millenials. Being one or the other does seem to dictate on how willing they will be to engage with new technology, how they feel about using their own time to learn and understand it and, what is in it for them in the end. I believe it is all about attitude.
The article that impacted me the most was McKenzie. I have been handed the Prensky article in many sales meetings. Birth order in terms of which decade does not necessitate ones aptitude to learn a new technology. I am eager to share the McKenzie article with my colleagues.
Lastly, in the Twenge article a reference was made to students expecting to "create" in the classroom and during the learning process. Perhaps more application of "flipped classrooms" would be effective.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Hello fellow IT6230 class members. My name is Sue and this is my 3rd semester in the Instructional Technology program. I have spent my entire career in the education sales space, most recently with eInstruction and Mimio. My goal after achieving my degree is to become involved in technology implementation on a district level.
I attended Oakland University in the 90's and received a BS in HRD Training and Development. I like to think that every day provides new learning opportunities and try to live that way.
My husband and I live in Royal Oak with our 3 dogs, 2 cats and 3 fish tanks, one being a coral reef tank.
I attended Oakland University in the 90's and received a BS in HRD Training and Development. I like to think that every day provides new learning opportunities and try to live that way.
My husband and I live in Royal Oak with our 3 dogs, 2 cats and 3 fish tanks, one being a coral reef tank.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)