Equity

What is equity, is it possible, or desireable?  As a teacher I try to teach and treat my students equally.  But after reading the chapter equity is not the same for girls and boys in the digital world. The chapther shows research about girls being more into the social networking of computers, for example they like MySpace or Facebook and boys being more interested in how it works.  Of course the reasoning behind this is boys and girls are being socially pushed in different ways. There are ways to stop this and get girls more interested in the programing or designing of  software.  Teachers and parents can try to get younger girls interested in advanced technology and give them more of a purpose for what can be done with technology. Is equity possible in education?  I do not know if it is possible to teach all students equally. Students are so different.  They come from different backgrounds, races, genders, and economic standings.  How can you meet all students needs at one time? The best way is Individual Learning Plans.  The blog on the Mob Rules is pretty much saying that the network will but everyone on the same level there will be no “big dogs”. Now in education “No Child Left Behind” is a big issue.  I have always worried about how a small rural community can compete with communities that have more resources and get more money per student.  It is sort of like the community college(us) verses the university.  We are expected to keep up, but are not given the necessary tools or training to do so.

Connecting Class Google Doc.

I was reading through new blogs and came upon Remote Access Blog’s new entry about Google Doc.  I didn’t know you could use Google to write documents and share your documents on-line with others.  Once again we see how students are starting to teach the teachers new things.  I think it is interesting how they are networking with their fellow classmates to help each other gain information about a given subject. Here is the address if you are interested in reading it . http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/

Distribution

Marc Pesce writes that because of the Internet and it’s accessibility, there is a new type of media.  This new media allows anyone to be a director, actor or audience free.  He mentions YouTube, which has millions of videos, as an example of this new type of media.  He predicts that this new media will put the hurt on the movie industry, because the audience can now select what they are interested in viewing and watch it right then.  What can a study of distribution tell us about learners? Learners want things delivered quick and when they want it.  They want to have questions answered and be able to find out more about it.  They want to share what they learn or are interested in with their network and not be censored or held back.

Cluetrain Manifesto

The Cluetrain Manifesto is a group of men, who got tired of how companies treated people.  They believed that due to the Internet, the old way of advertising is over.  When you talk to us you need to treat us as your equal. The Internet has now made a new marketplace for consumers, producers, and even service providers.  Companies need to be able to communicate with a smarter more informed people.  What does the Cluetrain Manifesto have to do with education?  I guess as educators, we need to make sure that we produce students who are able to survive in this new marketplace, whether they are involved in business or as consumers.

Chapter Five “What is Literacy?”

What is literacy?  When I think of literacy, I think about school, reading, writing, comprehending, and applying that skill.  Then I read the chapter and found that there is all kinds of literacy.  To have literacy in  the 20th century, a person will need to know how to use and understand technology, how to access what they want or need on-line, communicate or network on line, and use it as an important asset.  I think Marc Prensky explanation was wrong for programming or literacy.  In my opinion if someone can create, understand and sell a computer program, they are literate in that area.  I could not do that.  Maybe as a kid I could have learned how to when my brain was a sponge.  I also think that people are different.  A lot of people have a more dominant aptitude.  It could be verbal, numerical , spatial, and now computers.  I searched for  aptitude tests and found that computers are now added to aptitude tests. 

Social Networking Or Network Sites

Danah Boyd and Nicole Ellison defined it as ” web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site.”  Which to me means you can talk to strangers for information on educational, business, politics, etc. and be on a social network site.  If you are “networking” you are sort of on the prowl:), just kidding.  You are more interested in socializing with friends or meeting new people.

Chapter Six

Chapter six was basically about social or culture groups of students that didn’t have the same advantages as other social groups.  It stated that this put them at a great disadvantage in comparsion to groups with access to connectivity and technology.  These groups suffered because of poverty, location, or lack of opportunity to different forms of technology.  I agree that those things do put students in jeopardy of being up to date like their counter parts who have the means and access to technology.  I don’t think Solomon should have just talked about just those ethical groups.  He makes it sound like poverty and lack of opportunity only strikes those groups.  He needs to make a trip to the Appalachian Mountain area around Eastern Kentucky. We have poverty and bad location too.  The adoption of new technology in culture is hard.  In my area we obviously don’t like change.  My school has recently started buying MAC’s.  The teachers don’t like it because it is unfamiliar. 

Thin Walls

I have been doing a lot of reading from different blogs.  The blog about “thin walls” in Remote Access gave me my definition of “thin walls”, using technology to communicate with other students outside your classroom, country, or continent. I was inspired by what he is doing with the Thin Wall Project.  The way he has used blogs to connect kids from Canada to kids in California.  The belief that he can open up the walls of his classroom to include the world.  He seems willing to do what it takes to help his students become immersed in this new (to most educators) form of networking.  

 I can remember my 5th grade teacher having us write letters to pen-pals and now you can just email someone or chat on-line.  It still amazes me how much things have changed.

Chapter One

In the first chapter the history of technology access was discussed.  The chapter suggests that lower economic areas are at a disadvantage compared to other areas.  It also suggests that teachers have not be adequately trained to use technology.  I believe that lower economic schools do not have as much as the higher economic areas.  We don’t have access to the same technical advanced equipment as they do or we get it after it is outdated.  If we get something new are servers are to old.  When you go to a lab to use computers and it takes most of your scheduled time just to get all your students computers to log in.  That’s a big problem. So, yes,  I believe it to be a barrier.  Then the other barrier mentioned teachers not being able to use it.    Yes, that is a barrier.  When teachers don’t feel comfortable with something they will not use it.  If something doesn’t work like it should because of servers, then no they won’t use it.  There isn’t enough professional development training on how to use new technology.  I think that it hurts our students that they aren’t able to have access to new technology and it’s uses.  There is a wealth of knowledge out there for them to access if only they had the chance.Since 2002 when this book was probably finished, we now haveIPhones, IMacs, XBox 360, Playstation 3, IPod with video, Podcast, Face Book, My Space, Instant Messenger has upgraded to video feed, voice over, web conferencing, Blogs became more mainstreamed and Wikipedia had just got started.  I guess the biggest change is the social networking now available to anyone who has access to a the Internet. 

I know a lot of students get access to more technology at school, than at home.  Students who have teachers who are comfortable using technology, not just typing portfolios, do gain more than those who have teachers not able to use or understand the technology.

I read an article from Wesley Fryer on Skype in the Classroom. It was published in TechEdge, of the Texas Computer Education. He thinks “Internet connectivity in educational settings provides opportunities for interactive exchange and collaboration between students living on other sides of town or the other side of the planet.” “Skype”, a free software, can tangibly extend the walls of the regular classroom and get students to “write, share, and communicate with an authentic audience.” Teachers must try to creatively use technology tools to “access, evaluate, synthesize and communicate information from the Internet and translate it into knowledge in the minds of learners.” “Classroom teachers can leverage the potential of disruptive technologies like Skype, weblogs, podcasts, or one to one technology immersion initiatives to increase student motivation to communicate with authentic audiences, spend more time on assigned tasks, and develop essential literacy skills needed for vocational and lifetime success in the twenty-first century.”

Yes, a teacher can still be a good teacher without using technology, but to get our youth prepared for the future we need to make sure they have access and someone to guide them along.

Intro

My book finally came in, so I just got started on the intro.  The intro is very worried about students from lower economic groups not having a chance unless they were able to have the same resources as privileged students.  I think having technology helps but it doesn’t necessarily make the person become a great success. I believe all students should have the opportunity to use technology as a creative tool.  I try to intergrate technology in with my teaching daily. 

The article about “The Myth About Students’ is true.  Kids today don’t want to sit there and listen to the teacher deliver lectures.  They want to interact.  The computers can provide virtual manipulatives, games, and other interactive activies that students like.  They like things that remind them of video type games.  As teachers we have to change our teaching strategies to pull these kids in.