It will take a lot of time investment on my part to explore and discover their capabilities, but I think it will be exciting when I figure out exactly what to do with them. I'm not afraid of learning, but I am afraid of using; specifically, I hope that I will focus on the "need" (as Kristin said), and not how many different things this site or that site can do. I would like to teach my students how to use technology (especially sites like Facebook and Twitter) responsibly--that whatever they upload or type has consequences--and I think that beyond just telling them, I need to demonstrate that responsibility through how I incorporate it into the curriculum.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Post-Class Reflection on PLNs, Assessment, and Twitter
I think what I took away from Friday's class was the fact that there are a lot of technological tools available if you know where to look. Though I'm not familiar with Diigo, Evernote, backupify.com, or even Twitter yet, I can see that there is a lot of potential in sites like these. And the great part is: they're free!
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I love how we are getting lists of websites and applications that I have never heard of that would've made my undergrad so much easier. Online storage space would be so amazing for me, who has driven three hard drives into the ground and lost all their information twice. Without backing them up.
ReplyDeleteI found myself exploring Evernote when we were told about it in the Webinar, it looks intriguing though I feel I would use it more if I had the smart phone capabilities of my cell turned on. Too often there's a pad of paper right there next to the computer, it'll take a bit to break habits.
I really like the point you make about teaching responsible technology use. In all the talk about whether to use this or that, I never thought about the implications that such technologies have on students' lives. We've all heard the horror stories about Facebook pictures turning up in job interviews, or disparaging tweets being intercepted by bosses, bur I'm not sure high school students fully comprehend those consequences.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think about the comprehensive database of personal information that is being compiled about me on the internet. There is no combatting the fact that information is collected, stored, and redistributed in a variety of ways. No matter how hard we try to prevent it, information about us gets out there, and stays out there. Google even reads our e-mails, and tailors the advertisements that are displayed to us based on the content of those e-mails. It's very disconcerting to me to see advertisements for Manischevitz wine come Passover season, since the fact that I'm jewish is not something I go out of my way to broadcast.
As teachers we should definitely talk to our students about these issues, and encourage responsible internet use.
I like what you said about not being afraid to learn--it's the "using" part that's a little scary. I definitely agree, on many different levels. For one, I want to make sure that I select the *right* technology for any given situation. Second, I am sometimes afraid of the very practical matter of using technology. I am not very savvy and it scares me to think that I might run in to technical difficulties, so to speak. I won't have the right cord, the website I wanted to use is no longer available, etc.
ReplyDeleteI also like that you mentioned that you want to teach students how to use these tools responsibly. It seems like so many students end up using tools in ways that are unproductive and even hurtful (cyber-bullying) at times. That will be one of my main goals as well.