Again Anne has given us a lot to think about, so I've embedded her post below. If you would like to leave a comment on her post, click here.
My Computer as a Communicator in the Past
Our kids played PacMan on my Apple IIC as teenagers and typed their high school senior theses. The first year our son was in the university in the US, I had no email. Communication was by letter and phone calls every two weeks. Email took over then and has carried our family, friends, and legal business ever since. Last summer digital photography was added to my repertoire. My desktops have been my tools of professional communication through such courses as Advanced English Grammar with the University of Tennessee, Expository Writing with the University of Washington, and Writing Children's Literature with the Institute in Connecticut.
Up until now my computer has been my telephone, my mail service and my typewriter.
My Computer as a Tool for the Future
Ahhh, now..... Now, in 1:1 I am learning all its other capabilities. In 2010-2011 I will have a "teaching assistant" in my classroom. For me in art classes, the computer's ability to bring examples of artists' lives and their work and students' work on screen for the whole class to discuss or write commentaries will be wonderful . A blog seems at this point the most user- friendly means to accomplish this.
By 2013 I see hard copies of books becoming obsolete. I see the necessity of courses on internet research techniques taught vertically throughout schools. However, in art I hope that I don't see a lessening of hands-on activities. In fact, hands-on will become even more important since the fine motor skills of writing will be taken over by keyboarding and page layout will become automatic.
I know that access to information will be multiplied again and again. I fear the students' ability to synthesize and evaluate this flood of information. Their backgrounds of reading and life experiences will be narrowing in many ways as the virtual supplants the real in their lives. Let us remember to teach respect for what has gone before us, being cautious about hurriedly pushing away the past 555 years since Gutenberg's moveable type, in our attempts to grasp at the future.
1 comment
Paul McKenzie said...- A computer as a "teaching assistant" - so for the students could they become learning assistants? Paints, brushes, and palette knives will never be replaced - if anything, the ability to show life-size images of the works of the masters in your classroom will inspire more creativity. And don't worry about computers atrophying the fine motor skills of our youth - you should see what some kids are able to design in Google Sketchup and online applications like Sumopaint!!! We'll cover these later in the course. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts :)
- Here are Janice's thoughts. You can reply to her post by visiting her blog here.
Computer Use Now and in the Future
When I think back when I was teaching fourth grade, 2 years ago, the extent of my computer skills was excel spreadsheets, word documents, and sending/receiving emails. I began to use the projector to show short films on my laptop, but with help from my teaching partner. The technology facilitator would help me on PowerPoint projects, Hyperstudio projects, Windows Movie Maker, and using ikeepbookmarks.com for keeping a collection of bookmarks for the units I was teaching at the time. Now, just two years of working at the Middle School and in the science classroom, I can't believe how visually literate I have become. Thanks to the push and guidance from Jennie and Paul. Through the course of 23 things, the virtual environment opened up to me as a whole new world. I became confident in tinkering with things on the computer, as our 21st century learners do. I am amazed at the amount of tools that are out there and the support available for teachers and people in general. The social networking tools that allow for collaboration are amazing. In the future, I would like to be using flipcams and podcasts more often in the science classroom for documenting laboratory investigations and discussions instead of always presentations. I see the computer and Panaboard as being very prominent in my classroom as well as the students ability to stretch their inquiry even further with the new high speed internet which will be available in the classroom. I would like to incorporate tech based research and programs during hands-on project-based learning. I'm so psyched about the freedom I feel when I have technology at my fingertips!Internet has changed and is constantly changing the way we work, communicate and think. I still remember an uneasy feeling I had when I was starting to use my first chat program. Even though it looked nothing like today's tools with sound, picture and video, I was somewhere new, not feeling too much in control. Being on internet these days does not feel that new and edgy anymore but I am still very much aware that it is very public. Paradoxically that openness and ability to connect so many people around the world in matter of second, to allow them to talk about and share so many ideas, to express themselves in a new and very direct way, are qualities and advantages that overshadow any downsides this kind of "mammoth" media might have. I think also that the question of safety on the Internet is constantly being addressed by producers of internet tools as well as by users . The fact that one can always chose privacy settings on Facebook or other social networks gives me a peace of mind. However, as with all revolutionary human inventions we should always keep in mind that it is in human nature to invent, improve and use their creations in many positive ways but also to misuse and abuse them and that we should be aware of it. Being informed and use common sense are two main concepts I would advise my students to use while on Internet...and that is a big chunk of their day!!!!Those two concepts are the same ones we need when living in a big city.
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