This week as I read the course text (Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts), there were several ideas in the first chapter that really stood out. The first was the idea that "we are creating a society of authorship." Anyone with access can publish their ideas on the internet. I did not like the idea of blogs when I first explored them years ago for that very reason, but I have since changed my view on blogging and now think of them as an expanded version of our discussion boards for class. I still do not feel comfortable searching for specific information or participating with an anonymous, unknown group.
Another area that is a concern to me is that "these technologies make more of our lives transparent to others in ways that many find unsettling." As Richardson points out, today's students are "always connected and that is their expectation." I have a cousin who blogs and posts so much of her personal life to Facebook. Why do people want their lives broadcast in this way?
In the section on "Social Learning," the author stated that "in 2005 students were far ahead of their teachers in computer literacy." I agree with this statement and it is one of the reasons I chose this program of study. I see the powerful computing devices young people carry in their pockets everyday and I wonder how we can harness the technology to use it for education and how we can teach students to use that technology responsibly.
Another reason I chose this program of study is because I do believe today's learners are different because of all the technology they use. They are more visual learners who demand instant information and feedback. In the text, the author states that "this immersion in technology has neurological effects...children think differently..they develop hypertext minds, they leap around, its as though their cognitive structures were parallel, not sequential." My principal just told me about a video clip he watched of kids using all different forms of technology in a fast paced environment, and then they would flash to a school environment with kids sitting in chairs looking bored.
I look forward to this course because I think it is important to look at all the needs of our learners. During the last course, we examined our cultural responsiveness and now we have to examine our technological responsiveness.
I agree that students are far ahead of teachers in computer literacy. They, for what reason, learn about and buy the new tech gadgets before we even know they exist. Recently, I was shock seeing one of my student holding a iPod up in the air like she was video taping something. Later, I found out she was. I thought they were for listening to music only.
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