Research, Electronic Constructivism, and Web 2.0

         I collect the better part of my research, by searching for it through the Internet. The majority of the time, I use Google and simply search for key terms. However, if the professor I am doing research for requires us to have multiple sources, from different types of media, I will get the information I need from the Internet and then add little factoids from books or journals, in order to satisfy any requirements. I never use Wikipedia as a source, but I will always read what Wikipedia says and then find other sources to back it up.

         I definitely see myself in the descriptions given underneath the heading, “We are seeing students…” I am frequently overwhelmed by the amount of information given on each topic. I am sure that I have spent a ridiculous amount of time searching for an answer I could have found within minutes by looking in a book instead of the Internet. I am guilty of not always checking to see if my resources are credible. Lastly, as much as I hate to admit this there have been times when I have simply “regurgitated” someone else’s thought. I would never purposefully plagiarize, but I would reword something and not add my own ideas or thoughts.

         I thought the article, “Electronic Constructivism” by Maureen Brown Yoder, was very interesting. In fact, I agree with the basic message of the article far more than Marc Prensky’s article, “Digital Native, Digital Immigrant.” Yoder described projects that students could work on with each other, in order to teach themselves. Students learn about the material, but also learn to question and analyze information. Prensky basically says that students should play games in order to learn. I find this idea ridiculous. I think that games are a great tool to aid in the education of students, but that should not be the only method. I believe that teachers should engage students, however, games are not the only way to gain and keep students attention.

         As a teacher it is important that I assist my students in time management. With proper time management students use their research time more efficiently and more meaningfully. If there were one sure way to do this, the teacher that figured it out would be a millionaire. However, different methods work for different teachers, and different groups of students. I honestly have not figured out a way that works for me. The best I can say for now is that I will monitor students as they work on projects. Also, I will give students the option that if they stay on task I will give them an allotted amount of time at the end of class to browse the Internet. Hopefully this will keep students from getting distracted while working on their projects.

         I use a several aspects of Web 2.0. However, none more than Facebook. I have had a facebook account for over five years. These days I have notifications sent directly to my phone. I also spend a lot of time on Facebook, on a regular basis. I check it throughout the day, look at pictures, and message friends. I also use Google Docs occasionally. Mostly, for reviewing papers and assignments sent to me through email. I have created a podcast, and I have also blogged. 

Digital Nation

The video, “Digital Nation,” caught my attention immediately.  It began with a family all in the same house, but all in their own little worlds. Each individual was using technology in a different way. I honestly felt bad for that family. I thought these people don’t even talk to each other. I thought what has happened to the American family, I would never have that for my family. Then I though about it, and realized that, that is my family.  My boyfriend and I will sit on the couch, each with our laptops, not even speaking to one another. He checks his updates on his fantasy sports, while I check my updates on facebook.  When I go out with friends we spend a majority of our time on our phones texting others or checking out facebook, discussing what other people post on facebook, or taking pictures to post immediately on facebook so that others can see how fabulous our lives are. It actually shocked me. I realize that I felt the same way as the narrator, who happened to be the mother in the family shown. She said something along the lines of, “ … it kind of snuck up on us, I didn’t see it coming.” I could completely identify with what she was saying, along with many of the other individuals that also commented. They were saying things such as, “everywhere you go people are looking at a screen,” and “ I can’t live without my blackberry.” I hate to admit it but I’m one of these people, and as a future teacher I cannot help but contemplate the effects of this technology in the field of education.

A large portion of this video addressed the issue of technology in education. On one hand there are the numerous benefits to using technology to educate students. For example, with the use of the Internet students have information on any subject, in any discipline, at their fingertips. If students don’t know how to do something they can simply Google it, and the answer is right there. These days people Google recipes, hairstyles, relationship tips, etc; homework problems are no different.  On the other hand, we have all the negative consequences, such as, students being distracted in class and therefore not doing as well as they should. Some people believe that students are being “dumbed” down because of technology. Evidence of this stated in the video is that, statistically students do not have the reading and writing skills that students had just ten years ago. However, students do not see it this way. They believe that they have the ability to multitask and still do their best at each task; meanwhile classic psychology argues that in general our brains can’t multitask. I tend to side with those that believe that latter, that think this multitasking environment is a disservice to students and teachers. I’ve sat in a class held at Grand Valley State University, where the teacher allowed laptops, and watched the person in front of me watch a video on their laptop computer. Others are on facebook, instant messaging friends, or emailing others. The idea that all this can be going on and the individuals partaking in these activities can still absorb the teacher’s lesson is absurd.  I’ve said it before that I think using technology in education can be extremely beneficial. However, it has to be used appropriately. Letting students have cell phones, iPads, tablets, laptops, etc without limits, in class is going to the extreme and I feel that it will have adverse effects.

Aside from the implications in the field of education, there are also drastic changes being made to the workplace through the use of technology. The most significant being the use of Second World, the video explained how Second World was being used at IBM. The technology involved astonished me. I thought it was amazing; people in different countries can meet in a virtual world and hold meetings as if they were in the same room. It is a great way for companies to save money and it is more personal than a phone call or email. One person commented that they needed to change clothes before they held their meeting because their avatar was wearing the same outfit as another individual. You can even put your own face onto an avatar. It makes it more personal.

However, all the technology being founded is not good. One segment of this video made me sick. The segment on the advancement of military technology was something that I was not comfortable with. I will not get into the civilian casualties mentioned, or the fact that soldiers had to wear flight suits in order to remind themselves that they were fighting a real war. However, the fact that the military was recruiting individuals with the Army Experience Center, where young people can go to play video games as long as they would like for free, is absolutely ridiculous. I could not help but agree with the protestors: war is not a game; there is no reset button in war. There are so many things wrong with this whole idea, and I think it completely desensitizes people to war and killing people.

Technology Integration

            I definitely feel that I have a responsibility to use technology within my classroom. Technology is an amazing tool and it can definitely enhance the field of education. However, I do not believe that using technology can make a lesson fundamentally better. Using technology just to use technology is lazy. On the other hand, using technology to compliment learning can be extremely beneficial.

            After listening to this weeks lecture, I realize I am very similar to Jim. I am wary of new technology. I am very uncomfortable when I do not understand something new. Yet, after learning even the basics of a new program, or piece of equipment, I become more comfortable. I then try to find ways I can use new technology to my advantage. For example, smart boards confuse me. At first I was quite intimidated by them, and then I had the opportunity to play with one. The things that the smart board can do amaze me. I still am not comfortable using one, but I definitely would like to use it again to get comfortable, and I would love it in the classroom.

            Marc Prensky’s article Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, describes the generational gap between those that have grown up with technology, digital natives, and those that are learning to use technology, digital immigrants. Prensky argues that the differences between digital natives and digital immigrants are vast. I couldn’t agree more. The way information is obtained and processed varies greatly between the two groups. However, I do not believe that if you are a digital immigrant you will always be a digital immigrant. With the right attitude towards technology, it is possible for someone to become fluent and lose their native accent. I also agree that there is no turning back. With the exception of a great cataclysmic event such as 2012, technology is here to stay.

My Technology History

The first experience I had with a computer was in the fifth grade. The computer lab was directly across the hall from my classroom. Mr. Anderson would line the class up and then march us across the hall. Once in the lab we would work on typing. It has been so long that I do not remember if we did drills or played games, but I will always remember the sayings used to help memorize the placement of the keys: quick ask Zoe, what stops x-rays, even dogs can’t, red fish vanish, than grow bigger, yaks hear noises, under Jack’s mattress, I keep commas, over long periods. The beginning letter of each word corresponded with the same letter on the keyboard, up and down and across the keyboard.

             Then came the day when my cousin got a computer. This must have been sometime during my middle school years. I was extremely jealous. However, I did benefit from her new technology, but it was not the same as having my own. It was purchased to assist us with schoolwork, yet we rarely used it for scholastic purposes. We would play Oregon Trail or talk to random people in chat rooms. I do not think I will ever forget the buzzing and beeping of signing on to America Online. It will always be a pleasant sound from my childhood.

            During high school I was finally able to talk my mother into getting me a computer. I would need one for college anyways, so why not get one a little earlier? We did not get the Internet until a few years after we got the actual computer. However, I was still blissfully happy. I would play Where in the world is Carmen San Diego, Monopoly, Chess, and another game that helped with typing. I rarely used it for schoolwork.

            Actually in school, I did not do much with computers until college. Besides typing lessons, there was not much I did with computers in the classroom. Other students elected to take Business Technology. However, I could not tell you much of what students did in this particular class. I always signed up for debate, theatre, or teacher assisting. For random classes, we would type up reports on the computer. Having said that, my K-12 formal education would not have been much different without the use of technology.