My Social Bookmarking Link

Here is a link to my new social bookmarking page. Love this tool!
www.delicious.com/KatieESummers

Link to my Wiki

Here is a link to my Wiki! It is a work in progress, but for this class- I think I've gotten the job done!

Discussion Two

My initial perceptions about using the blogging tool in this class were mixed. On the one hand, I was very curious about what blogging is like- I have never “blogged” before, but I have heard a lot about it. But on the other hand, I was a bit confused about the whole process. It was difficult to wrap my brain around the fact that all of this personal information that I am putting out there can literally be read by countless people. However, I am not sure exactly why they would want to read my blog. On a professional note, I am always a bit concerned of sharing too much that might possibly be miss interpreted. With technology, it is so difficult to use humor, for example, because one doesn’t have the opportunity to experience the non-verbal communication that occurs when two people sit fact to face- or the inflection of the voice that one can detect from a phone call. I am a bit worried that this is the new wave of the future. I say that I am “worried” because I do value the face-to-face interaction. I value being present with another human being, and the vulnerability that goes along with sharing intimately in this way. Technology seems to erase that vulnerability to the point that more risks are taken and perhaps the consequences of those risks are not really felt in positive ways.

The RSS feeder had me really confused. I never new what an RSS feeder was until I completed this assignment, and I am not absolutely sure what one is even now. I understand that it is a way to organize media that one might be interested in, but couldn’t you do that by bookmarking your favorite websites. I am not sure what the value is in having to keep up with an RSS reader every day. I suppose it is good at giving you a “snapshot” of the day’s headlines- but what good does that really do? To me, it just seems to promote that fast-paced lifestyle that is so common today. We don’t all have to know everything that is going on in the world. In fact, why would we want to dwell on the negativity that the media so often portrays? It’s not good for us. It’s not good for our health. But if that is what one values in life, then yes. RSS readers and blogs are for them.

Where do they fall on the  cone of experience? I suppose that creating blogs and RSS readers would fall in the “experiential” realms. However simply visiting them everyday and reading what they have to say would perhaps be in the integration piece of things. You simply are reading what is already out there. However, mixed with that is a bit of media, interactivity, etc.

As far as the “imaginative” use of the blogs and feeders, I would say that they could be used creatively to express oneself. In the realm of middle school, for example, where many students are seeking the answers to the questions- “Who am I? Where do I fit in?”, they could use the tools to express themselves in healthy and appropriate ways. By selecting feeds to subscribe to that both enhance and uphold their identities and maybe even push them outside the box a bit, and by creating blogs that do the same thing, students have the opportunity to share pieces of themselves that need to be heard, and my not be listened to  otherwise.

Overall, I am still a bit skeptical, but can see the inherent value of the two tools, if not used to extremes. I look forward to working with these technologies more in order to gain a deeper understanding of them.

Discussion One

The readings for this week seemed like a great way to open a class about implementing technology in the schools because they really forced you to examine your own philosophy of teaching & learning. Honestly, I don’t think that more contrasting articles could have been chosen for this assignment, which makes the process of reflecting on what they had to say very interesting.

I read the Reigeluth article first. As I read, I was surprised at the weight placed on technology in how effective schools are. I appreciate how the authors noted the traditional means of how we sort and educate students in primary schools. It seems that what the author was trying to say is that it is not fair to group students by age into designated grade levels, when some students are far more advanced intellectually and some are behind. The article placed a high value on “performance based” learning, and this sounds great, but I wonder about the value of separating students from their cohorts- as this may take away from the diversity of the cohort and  social learning opportunities.  

I appreciate that the article mentioned the need to assist students in their development on a number of levels- not just intellectual. It mentioned “…developing methods that should eventually result in quantum improvement in meeting our children’s educational needs. These needs include not just intellectual development, but also social and emotional development, which we are just coming to realize are every bit as important as intellect” (Reigeluth & Joseph, 2002). I agree with this and feel as though school is a place where students should be inspired to learn intellectually, but really grow interpersonally. School affords students leadership opportunities, and chances for students to really become involved citizens of the world. While I feel that technology can help to accentuate this process, there is nothing like the value in learning through teamwork. So, it really left me wondering how technology will achieve this goal. Sounds great, but what exactly will it look like?

Approaching learning from a holistic perspective, I also question whether the shift to greater technology is doing students a favor on all levels. If we are really going to reach students, we must be sure that their needs are met first. Children (like adults) not only have intellectual needs, but also spiritual, social, emotional, and physical needs. School should be a place where children learn to balance those things and to put healthy practices in place first. When this is achieved, then deeper intellectual gains can be made. With this as my core, approaching education from the way that the second article did resonated both positively and negatively with me.

I appreciate Postman’s honesty regarding his feelings about computers in the schools. He seems basically indifferent. He suggests that while computers may be a great enhancement for teaching and learning, they certainly are not the fix. I tend to agree with this. While the first article mentioned them as a means to shift education into a “performance based” model, this author clearly doesn’t value technology to this degree. He even goes as fart to say that they can be a hindrance. Fundamentally, I also agree with this. I believe that students first need to gain the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills necessary to negotiate the world. Without those skills, they may acquire all of the intellectual knowledge that can be obtained, and still not be successful in life. We all know intellectuals who have no commonsense. As I mentioned before, students need to balance all of their skills. In addition, if we become too reliant on technology, we risk investing in that more than in human beings. This shift in value of what is important, seems to run the risk of humans being used by the technology they use, and not the technology used by the humans who operate them.

Overall, these two articles really got me thinking about my philosophical orientation to education. I think that I fall somewhere in the middle. While in my view, technology certainly should not be the answer to all of our problems, I do place great value in its ability to help us work creatively toward a better future. Ultimately, I don’t want to see technology take the place of the creative human spirit.