Class
Assignment Q and A
Extra help on basics like PowerPoint and wikis and blogs (before or after class???)
0) Comments on the readings/listenings/watchings - Is this the dumbest generation?
Lack of basic skills, remedial courses are being offered, academic writing course offered which wasn't offered before
Good at using applications but many of us have no idea how it works, disposable society
More kids going to university than ever before, but is technology the reason? No evidence to suggest technology is the reason
Students are boring, their form of entertainment revolves around texting.......
Students are more gullable, but is some areas they're less gullable, selectively well informed, can check things on the internet
Is there proof that they're dumber? It's not a yes or no answer......
Difficulty in deciphering what they find, they have everything they need to find the answer but can't find it, they have difficulty finding meaningful info, don't know how to properly read a text, have too many choices that they don't know what to choose, don't know where to start, stopping is harder,
1) What are schools for? What is education? Why are you here? What do you hope to accomplish with your students?
Write down a one or two sentence response
Share with one other person and modify/revise if you wish
Share with another pair of people
What do some 'experts' say?
2) Education has gone from a religious focus/control to an industrial focus/control to "information focus ", but who’s in control??
- How is the world changing? The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman.
- Heat: How to Stop the Planet From Burning by George Monbiot. – the book
- Tools I use to communicate – Webct, RSS (bloglines and Google Reader), blogs (NL, google and bloglines), Librarything, wikis (school and PD)
- Internet vs. the library – do kids choose any differently on the internet than they would in a library?
- What tech do we really need in schools?
- Hawthorne effect – what’s wrong with adding interest?
Educational Technology Definition
from Educational Technology (Nov-Dec 2009)
"Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources."
Lab
You can sign up for presentations on the wiki.
Blogs, wikis and RSS - what's the difference?
Google Docs two - try inviting a different person to edit one of your files.
Wikis - how to and examples - Learning new media “Cool Tools for Schools” and “Getting Tricky with Wikis” .
- show off your students' work
- do group/class projects
- keep class notes
- what are your examples??
Photostory = free simple slide/movie creation - get some sample images HERE. See the project (gr. 1 - 3 multi-age) here
Some non-text resources on Digital Natives:
Digital Natives project by Edutopia
Educause podcasts (mainly higher ed, and you need to pick and choose)
Scotland Project on
Games Based Learning
