Article discusses the controversy pertaining to whether schools should ban social networking sites or teach students how to use the sites appropriately.
I really liked this article, because it seems to honestly address the questions without purporting to know all the answers. A professor friend of mine has calculated the amount of paper he has saved by going to digital testing, and it's significant, but there are the obvious downsides of realizing that some students are able to test well due to quick searching ability rather than because they actually know the subject matter. Careful time limits on the testing may be one partial answer to the problem - if there isn't time to look everything up and still complete the test, at least there's some assurance that some of the answers came straight from the student's knowledge base, but it's not the only or even an ideal answer. Thanks for posting this thought-provoking piece.
Bernadette, this was a riveting article! As a HS teacher in a school where students are "not allowed to have electronics during the school day" (I put this in quotes because the kids can perform tiny miracles on their phones without ever taking them out of their pockets--or looking at them!), we are constantly plagued with this question.
Merri, I like your idea of presenting a timed test, where students have free access to the Internet. In making the transition from paper to digital, there are many sacrifices to be made--perhaps time is one of them?
Thanks, ladies!
Social networking tool that provides "feedback." RateMyTeachers.com enables parents and students to rate high school teachers on easiness, helpfulness and clarity.
I was very fortunate to be able to take a workshop on Habits of Mind from Art Costas and Bena Kallick, exemplary educators. Habits of Mind has great potential for supporting authentic learning and reflective, metacognitive activities for students.
Teachers and students are largely driving the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in schools, but human and technological barriers are holding back the use of these as learning tools in many classrooms, according to a new study.