After reading the top 10 tips for using new media in classrooms I personally remain skeptical of many of the aspects.
On the other hand I did like some.
I really like the idea of using Wikispaces and Google Docs to allow students to not lose work and be able to access it everywhere. You always hear students saying: I forgot it at home, I lost it, I can't print it at home and so on the excuses go. Google Docs I feel is a good way to ensure that the teacher knows each student cant lose their work.
With that I have had many teachers lose my own work that I handed in so I like the idea that teachers can see that you are doing your work or that it is finished.
I think its a great idea to use online surveys such as Surveymonkey because not only does it help teachers know where students are but it helps to show different stats of the students to the everyone. Such as in another class today a group used a survey to see if we were with Dewey or Elliot on progressive education reform.
These things help students interact.
Some of the other things I am very wary of. I just dont think it is a good idea to use Twitter or Facebook for classes and even the use of Blogs just makes me nervous. You can't always control who is reading your students blogs, Twitters, or Facebooks and I just feel like it opens the floor up for issues. In college we are mindful adults and so know how to use these blogs effectively but I dont know that younger students would. This goes with Skype, this just opens students up to a whole new issue that if used correctly it could be effective in say a world language class but you never know what could happen.
The rest such as Voicethread I just don't get. I think I am just not a very tech savy and so I feel like some technology is ok but sometimes your own ability to stand in front of a class and teach is the most effective. I love the idea of things like Google Earth in classrooms and Tag Galaxy (if I could figure out how to use it) seems like it may work well to show relationship and maybe help instill empathy in students for history.
So in the end I guess its just going to take me a while to become ok with the use of all this technology. I just wonder what kind of can we are opening and what will come of it?
Sasha- I think we really took some of the same things away from this article. Wikispaces and google docs can be a good tool to use in the classroom, if for nothing else than keeping students organized and allowing us as teachers to always have easy access to their work and to see their progress. I don't have a twitter, nor do I think it is really appropriate for the classroom. I feel the same way terms of Facebook. Technology can help us in many ways, but I think that you and I we are not completely open to everything quite yet or connecting on such a social level using popular social media tools in the classroom
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you on this article. I gleamed some of the information such as google docs and wikis, but really shied away from others. I think the privacy of your students is important. However, as for blogs, students can set those to private so that only those in the classroom can see them :)
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