EDTECH 501

While it is interesting for me to see what is expected to be coming down the pipe in 2012, it's also moderately depressing to compare where my current school is to where things should be going. We're already miles behind and with the current financial woes in the district (and the state), I don't see how things are going to get any better. We have a tech charter high school that has expanded to include 7th and 8th grade. I know they are getting resources and professional development, but among the rest of us, the only innovations are coming at the hands of educators who are seeing it on their own. There is no money. No district support. No recognition of the fact that our kids are being left behind.

I've been learning about using digital storytelling in the classroom, and University of Houston's website is one of the most engaging and interesting that I've seen. I've bookmarked it on my Diigo page and will continue to add bookmarks to this list as I find them.

"Dr. Andrew Feenberg: Ten Paradoxes of Technology"

I am not sure I agree with his truth in these paradoxes. Starting with his notion that a non-speaking human is less than human to his notion that workers/guilds did not influence change in manufacturing technologies speak to his belief that his thoughts are the most accurate, in my opinon. Many changes in manufacturing are the direct result of a worker creating either something that did a task in less time and better/safer to creating a product to do a job that did not exist previously. Those things should and will occur in technology moving forward. I had to watch this a couple of times as his presentation tone and expressions or lack thereof made following him challenging to me. The Democratic Paradox resonated the most with me as he discussed the relationship of technology to society to Escher's Drawing Hand. Paraphrasing what I think he was saying - "What was originally created in a military computer lab does not really resemble the technological environment we have today and it is hard to distinguish who is creating what at this point as society and technology merge. Unless we study technology from a historical prospective, we will not know the reasons for why things are a certain way in years to come." I do not see a separation in that thought from any other in a need for an intellectual society to study its own history in order to prevent making similar mistakes in the future.

This website has a lot of useful articles on technology in the classroom and it is quite easy to browse and read whatever is of interest to educators. I use Diigo with my classes for bookmarking news articles which students can later use to write their economic commentaries for International Baccalaureate Internal Assessment.

Although this article is meant for college students, it applies to younger students as well. The reason many college students don't know how to research effectively is because they weren't previously taught. I highlighted the five that I think would be most beneficial, and truly imperative really, to teach students before assigning research based papers, projects, etc.

"Many parents think that social media made their children open minded" according to a very recent survey. This article also discusses a very important issue: online bullying among children)and are the schools doing enough to prevent this issue.

This seems like an excellent site. I can see myself using this. The citing function is so appealing.

" a call to defend our freedom to create, discuss, link and share, rather than passively consume"