I enjoyed the "Emerging Technologies for Learning" article. I think it would be valuable for k-12 teachers to read this, especially if they already use a project-based, or inquiry-based approach to curriculum. In these learning environments, where students usually create some sort of final project or presentation - sure, let them use whichever technologies they want, as long as the final product meets the requirements. At the independent school I'm working at this semester, technology is not driven by the students at all. They have to keep their cell phones and iPods in their lockers during the day. Yet, laptops are used effectively (in my opinion) because their use has been well thought out and effectively integrated into the curriculum and culture of the school. The teachers are held to very high expectations by both the administration and the parents, and there is excellent technical support. I wonder though, what kind of message the school is giving the students by banning cell phones and iPods? The question of whether or not students should be allowed to use them during school is complex, and I don't think Prensky's article considers all consequences to sufficiently provide an answer.
In Prensky's article the section on Wikipedia may be especially useful for k-12 teachers. Wikipedia has become a "thorny" topic for teachers because of the information on the site is not written by experts, yet, students should understand how to use this information. Prensky suggests that students use the technology to search, but not research. Additionally, he calls for teachers to make students become contributers to the site, writing articles and evaluating contributions. Prensky presents a clear, convincing argument, however I think he omits a key element of working with technology in schools: professional collaboration between teachers. The case of wikipedia is an information literacy issue, and I think a school librarian can be a valuable resource for a teacher wishing to teach his or her students about research and Intellectual Property. Also, I think teachers within a school should have a consistent message about how these technologies can be used for school work. Imagine if a History teacher told the students never to use wikipedia, while the English teacher created an assignment for the students to contribute information about local activities? These mixed messages might impact how students view technology for learning.
Tu's article discusses the relationship between social presence and social learning theory. Tu argues that social presence is required "to enhance and foster on-line social interaction." I found his discussion of the degree of social presence to be most applicable to my final project for this course. Tu claims that social presence may be cultivated though conference leaders, interactions with instructors, and initial learning sessions. Within communities of practice social presence may be strongly impacted by the technology used to "host" the community, but I think leaders can have a strong impact by facilitating social interactions. There are a few interesting articles written about Tapped-In that cover how researchers and peers can facilitate online interaction and cultivate social presence.
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Total agreement with much of your post. Prensky's suggestion that students use the technology to search, but not research is a big one. The fact is that as much as Wikipedia is useful for garnering a basic understanding of certain things, one of the more valuable aspects of it is that it contains a list of references which direct the researcher (k-12 or not) towards other information that can be used to verify facts.
The weakest wikipedia entries are those that do not attribute sources to its content.
Another good point you documented in your post was Prensky's suggestion that teachers assign students to participate in the authorship of wikipedia. At the very least what this does is force students to understand and confront the fact that *anyone* can add text to the archive, even k-12 students. By doing so themselves, students may have a better gauge of what a wikipedia entry is actually composed of, and how this composition affects the research and researchers in their quest for information.
APPROVAL NEEDED??? hehehe
Sarah, take note! my participation grade is in the hands of a gatekeeper!
Jen,
Can not agree with you more about k-12 teachers should read this article along with other articles. After reading Prensky’s article, you would think technology is being used in every school but most schools barely have up to date computers. Your questions about schools banning the cell phones and ipods, I do not think that is sending any type of message because I do not think cell phones and ipods has anything to do with learning and promoting learning. Even in our class the instructor tells us to turn off our cell phones just so she has our attention. I think teacher are having enough problems trying to get the attention of their students with having to deal with cell phones and ipods. I do think it is a good idea for teacher to start using the wiki in k-12. It is a very useful tool to use for education. There are a lot of things Prensky does not consider in the article when it comes to new technology between students and teachers not every administration allow the use of new technology that Prensky talks about. So, I do think there is a level of professionalism that has to be considered when teachers allow their students to use the wiki, podcast , etc… in school for learning.
Sorry Tucker and Shenetta, I thought that I had turned off comment moderation!
Sarah- the time stamps on the comments are correct. Sorry for the delay.
-jen
I have always been an advocate of Wikipedia (in part because I think that academics tend to take themselves too seriously). NOW....BEFORE everyone in TC comes after me with pitchforks and machetes, I assert this by adding that editing by self and others has been the benchmark of wikis, which helps to keep them straight and allows for addressing of multiple viewpoints (especially when it comes to tenuous subjects like history).
While I agree that Wikipedia entries cannot stand on their own, they often are an excellent places to start research, and as such, in agreeing with Tucker's statement, largely provide sources for information that is stated.
The challenge to THINK about something, whether it is in the classroom or outside is the greatest education in itself.
I also somewhat agree with Shenetta that iPods and cell phones don't have a place in the classroom because they are largely created and promoted to be "personal" devices that help people dissociate themselves from others...the very opposite of collective classroom learning. But I do leave room for the possibility of that changing the near future.
An interesting side note... Edublog awards just announced the winners and the most influential post presents a realistic argument against prensky's article: http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/09/is-it-okay-to-be-technologically.html
check it out!
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