Frontline: Growing Up Online & Digital Nation

I chose to watch the blogs in the order they were filmed. It was interesting to watch Growing Up Online (2007) and how it was completely focused on parents watching their children interact on the Internet. The major question from this video is how do we protect children from the Internet? Students don't have to read novels anymore - they can just read SparkNotes. Some students tend to spend a majority of their time online and wouldn't know what to do without it. Anorexic girls have a place to go for "cheering" each other on. And cyber-bullying is running rampant. One parent was trying to figure out how to "control" her children's use of the web. But I don't believe it is an issue of "control." It's an issue of needing to be able to TEACH them to use the Internet to their benefit. We need to teach them to use the web responsibly and as one person from the video put it: "Teach good cyber citizenship."

As I watched the more current Digital Nation video, it's interesting to see that in just a couple of years, the Internet is now a part of EVERYONE'S life. Even the Jewish grandmother that has an online cooking show! A major concern is whether we are good at everything we do while we multitask. Or are we just good at multitasking? It appears that the latter is the case, and that we aren't excelling at everything we do while we multitask. We're just proud of being able to get so many things done at once.

Asia is suffering from an online game addiction and has set up "Internet Rescue Schools." Will America actually get to this point? We somehow need to avoid causing online “addictions” and figure out the best way to teach with technology. It is clear that children respond well to its use in the classroom. (i.e. the Bronx high school whose test scores rose with the implementation of technology.) But we also need to find a balance. Virtual worlds are becoming more popular everyday. Agoraphobics can use Second Life to create a world in which they can actually function. And IBM utilizes Second Life to save money and allow for people to work from home yet connect with teammates from all over the world. While I have concerns that people need to experience life outside of these virtual worlds, I feel that they certainly have a benefit. And over time we will more clearly see that benefit. As said in the video, hopefully we will successfully "find our balance" with mixing our real world with the world of technology.

Education Technology Tool

I recently found some students using www.studyisland.com as an education tool in a Manchester 4th grade classroom. My plan that day was to assist the teacher for an hour during her math lesson so that I could help answer any questions the students may have. When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find that as a "Friday Reward" the teacher was allowing the students to play math games on the school laptops during their math lesson! I've never seen a class so engaged while solving math problems. The students had to answer each set of questions in order to move on to the next level just as you would in a video game. The students were very serious about making sure they chose the correct answer and were diligently using scrap paper to do the math. There was an air of excitement in the room and students were definitely happy with their "reward."

If you visit www.studyisland.com and click on New Hampshire, you will see that the games are built directly from the NECAP Grade Level Expectations. Students must create a log in based on the school that they attend in order to play the games. And they continue to use that log in which allows the website to provide real time progress reports. Students, parents, and teachers can sample the games by going to the following site: http://www.studyisland.com/demoAsk.cfm?action=TUOT&myState=NH

I highly recommend this website based on the reactions I saw from the 4th grade students. Who knew math could be so much fun?!

Can educators provide equal access to technology?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if educators could provide equal access to technology for their students? But unfortunately, this is not something that I believe is possible. The technology available to students is lacking. Most schools have very few computers in the classrooms. And a student's access to a school computer lab is limited. Educators must create a "timeshare" system for the students. When projects that require internet access are assigned, students should be allowed to take turns at any classroom computers or given permission to use computer labs to complete the project.

I also believe it is the educator's duty to ensure that technology is used in lessons. This will at least allow for the students to learn the necessary skills for utilizing technology tools. With websites such as DonorsChoose.org, teachers can request donations for projects that require technology in the classroom. But we also need to ensure that technology becomes a focus in school budgets.

While we can try to make technology equally accessible in the schools, the real issue is that teachers cannot control the access that a student has to technology at home. Students living in poverty are lucky to have three meals a day, let alone internet access! Over time, I hope internet access becomes free or inexpensive enough to allow all students to have access to technology at home.

What can we gain through collaboration?

In the past, many organizations have been divided into silos and in turn, those silos can be quite competitive therefore sharing little to no information. A less social person may prefer to work alone in these silos. However, working alone can mean that fewer ideas are thought of and creativity is hindered. By collaborating and working in groups, you allow for more ideas, better problem solving, more communication, and hopefully more learning as a result.

The Web 2.0 has allowed us to use technology in an effort to bring together talents and ideas from across the world. One example of effective online collaboration is InnoCentive created by Eli Lilly. InnoCentive is an online collaboration network of scientists from 70 countries working in research and development. Scientific problems are posted to the online site and via collaboration; the problems are resolved resulting in a cash prize. This allows for these extremely bright scientists to extend their knowledge beyond their country promoting profound innovation in the scientific world.

With collaboration, the creativity and positive impacts are endless. Those benefitted range from the individuals, to corporations, to students. Classes can connect from across the world, new languages can be learned, donations can be made to those in need, and group projects can be completed with millions of miles separating group members – AND SO MUCH MORE!

Just Discovered K12online

I just watched a video from the 2009 K12online Conference. Very cool that we are able to watch a presentation from Ollie Bray all the way in Scotland! Bray’s presentation is entitled “Using computer games as a context for learning and social interaction.” In Scotland, Bray was part of a project in which schools used the game Guitar Hero in order to prepare students for the transition from primary school to secondary school. His motto is “Good teachers use good tools…play!” He suggests that effective learning needs good pedagogy combined with student interest. What better way to keep a student’s interest than modern video games??

The project, called “Thinking Outside of the Xbox,” used the games to build relationships between students and between students & teachers. The game was introduced in the spring before the transition to high school and included a transition day where the kids performed at the high school they would be attending. During the project, students applied Guitar Hero to many different subjects. Students were able to write stories about artists in the game, create artwork for CD cases, develop a band “world tour” with a budget, and compose their own music. On the transition day at their new high schools, suddenly the children all had something to talk about. They could discuss their bands, play in a new band, and come up with their new band logo. All of which sparked conversation and “getting to know you” questions between the students and teachers.

In the result findings, the majority of children enjoyed themselves, learned new skills, and were allowed to learn in different ways. Over 90% said the project improved their transition to their new school. What a great way to utilize technology!

Technology in the Classroom

Technology is the future. Each day, new technology developments are changing every aspect of our lives; including the way the world communicates, how and where we work, and especially how we learn.

Including technology in class lessons is essential for the future of learning. Children are using technology earlier than ever. They are playing video games, surfing the web, and operating televisions before they have fully developed speech skills. Because children are so familiar with technology, they may make more of a connection to a lesson when it is used. And let’s face it – technology is cool. Math lessons can be taught via online math games, classrooms can communicate with each other across the globe, and the view from a satellite can be accessed within seconds. Children will be enthralled with the latest technology offerings while learning at the same time!

And while technology is the future, so are our students. Using technology to teach children can easily create the next software engineer or even the next great inventor in the technology world!