This is an assignment I did for eng 333.....the video is really long i think so maybe skip around....?

Mitra places computers in walls all over the world to see how children with react and how they can learn from them. The results are amazing. Children are able to use the internet to learning answers to questions not even in a language they can understand. They work together with peers to browse the internet and research based on their background knowledge even if it is slim to none. This proposes a huge question....do we need teachers to teacher certain things or can students figure out the answers and test the same if not better by working with peers using the internet?

This young girl is so brilliant. We as teachers need to have more faith in our students and give over some of the classroom control. A student centered environment needs to be less restrictive and we need to stop underestimating our students abilities.

This article describes how to set up blogs in an educational format. It gives a step by step instructions and even gives a few blogging websites to try. It discusses different ways in which to integrate the blogs into existing curriculum and also states set backs and alterations that were made after students had worked with the blogs for some time. The blogs themselves are not whats necessarily engaging, its the way in which they are used and how they promote community student centered learning.

New types of technology are not neccesarily engaging just because they are present. The teachers needs to be able to use them as tools to enhance curriculum already in use. Technology can be overwhelming and/or boring. You have to use it within your classes ZPD even though thats not necessarily mentioned in the article. The article states that multitasking should be discouraged, but when I think back to our writing style discussion in class, I noticed many people needed breaks or music or white nose to help them focus....so I'm not so sure I agree with this. Also it talks a lot about needing to understand the working memory. I feel like I would need a full class to be able to understand this concept and I feel like there are types of internet technologies I could use with my class without this knowledge. Not a required piece of knowledge but maybe useful?

Thinking of invention in chapter two of our text lead me to think about the ways in which we write to express self. This article discusses how the world of texting, instant messaging, blogging and other such types of writing help to open our minds to our inner thoughts. We are free from the rules and regulations of a stereotypical classroom and are also allowed to share and respond to others writing. The internet and cell phones have opened up a huge new space for writing. Some think it's hindering and destroying language, while others believe its radically changing it for the better. I want to start my journey here and reach my own personal conclusion through further research and discussions.