The world of education according to Pat appears to be simple. With greater internet access comes a greater opportunity for individual empowerment. The learning of individuals can become easier, more expansive, and lasting. However, as the opportunity to empower the individuals ability to think, there also exists the individuals exposure to a tremendous amount of inappropriate content. Over the course of this past week, I have struggled as an educator and father of four with several perceptions and vulnerabilitites of technology. Most recently, it has been about our recent economics assignment.The assignment asks students to choose a product or service within a specificIn order for the student to properly sift through the information on the internet, they must utilize a skill and technology called social bookmarking. Our class has begun to utilize the social bookmarking site called del.icio.us. At it’s core, del.icio.us is a place where you can
market for the upcoming holiday season. The students construct a hypothesis and
research the market to determine their hypothesis is accurate.
I want to know what others are thinking. I want to know if students are recognizing the potential. I want to know the fears of parents. I want to know the general mood toward introducing these technologies into the high school classroom.
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5 comments:
Mr.Aroune,
I think your right on in terms of being exactly right when it comes to fears of inappropriate content for us as students. I also fear in the same way about accidently opening up a page and being exposed to nude pictures and shocking images. I feel that someone good can become someone bad if this occurred. I believe however, that if the parents and the faculty as well as us students work together we can accomplish anything as well as protect younger children from being exposed to a world of negativity and bad images. I believe parents should become more involved in each and every childs life to protect and aid us from whatever else occurs in the future.
Mr. Aroune,
My son Jeff has asked me to lend my opinion, as your last query seems to suggest.
I have always been one that feels that we are throwing too much money at school systems, that they are investing too quickly in technology that will soon be obsolete, that higher grades don't necessarily have a positive relationship with increased spending. I, like you, wonder a bit about education in America, and agree to some extent, that the standardized learning is not always the best. I think it stifles creativity. I always did well in school because I could easily regurgitate the information fed into me by my own efforts and by the teachers. However, I was severely lacking in creativity, new ideas, and the independent thinking side of learning.
That being said, I think that the more we can do as parents, as educators, as institutions, to prepare our youth for the future, the better they will be able to complete in our global economy. I recently finished reading The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman and had my eyes opened as to the flattening of the world, and of the way technology is leveling the playing field for many industries and how it will continue to do so as these technologies become more prevalent throughout the world and as even newer technologies will inevitably be introduced.
Knowledge breeds freedoms and knowledge is power. It can be used by people to progress and get ahead. The tools and technologies you are introducing to your students will help them to empower themselves to become more successful in the future and hopefully, more responsible citizens. An enlightened citizenry has to be better for civilizations than one which is uninformed.
With enlightenment and power also comes responsibilty, both on a personal basis and on a nation-state basis. If our leaders (also students) choose to use their power unwisely, to harm themselves and others, there will be a price to pay, both personally and societally.
We have always tried to teach our children to make proper choices, to choose what will allow them even greater choices in the future. Unwise choices bring unhappiness, retarded progression, and limited opportunities. While there is, in my opinion, much evil in the world and now in cyberspace, the computer and the internet did not invent these negative images, it simply brings them to our eyes in a much quicker, more easily acquirable format.
There are dangers in any media and any activity taken to extremes. We try to teach our children to abstain from that which degrades and is filthy, and that which intentionally hurts them and other people. There will be consequences to both negative and positive choices. We have tried to teach in our home, that when you make a choice for something, you are also choosing the consequences of such a choice. That being said we try to monitor what the children are doing and viewing. Knowing that wolves are outside, we wouldn't simply allow them outdoors, would we?
There will be great advantages to your teaching your students of these new tools at their disposal and of your building their desires to better themselves by becoming accustomed to change. In this new, flat world, change will occur very rapidly and it will be consistent. This is not our grandparents' world anymore, but even more it is not our parents' or even the one you and I grew up in in the 80's.
Therefore, I think you should introduce the new techologies and teaching tools, social bookmarking, etc, and perhaps there ought to be some grade component that is tied to a requirement that a parent view the material also, or if not a requirement, perhaps a note sent home to parents explaining what you did in your question I am responding to, so that they at least are aware of the possible negative effects.
My son is thoroughly enjoying your class. Thank you for all you do to prepare our children for their future.
Mr. Jeff Williams
Mr. Aroune,
I am Cory's dad and he asked me to comment on your concerns. I believe they are valid. I recently gave a speech in my Moog Toastmasters club titled "Your Childern may not be Safe!" The speech warned parents about sexual predators and how they use the internet to find their victims. Childern must realize that people are not always who they say they are when hiding behind a computer screen. NBC Dateline has done a wonderful job exposing some of these criminals but we all need to be cautious. Education is a necessary tool. Please continue to use the internet in the classroom but beware of the doors you open. Thank you for the opportunity to express my view.
Mark Ekstrum
Mr.Aroune,
I am Cory's mom I feel that more parents should take more responsibilities in their children education. They should have extra guidance in using their studies of education. When it comes to students they don?t care about nothing. They think they know everything.
Susan Ekstrum
The internet provides infinite
information and I do like the idea of broadening their learning horizons, but I do realize that risk is involved. I for one am not
overly concerned because Andrea is on the computer daily researching information for school. The risk
is there everyday, but i do trust her judgement. - Mrs. Sauers
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