Author Archives: alyciagoss

True or Not

  1. Can we define what it means to be information illiterate?
    I think we can define if someone is information illiterate or not. I feel the definition is someone who takes everything they read off the internet as true and doesn’t do research to make sure if it true or not.
  2. Can we teach our students to have to skills essential to information literacy?
         I believe we can teach our students to have skills to tell if something is true or not or how to use tools to determine if it is.
    3. Can we truly prepare students to be effective users on the most powerful medium?
         I think we can do our best as teachers and mentors to use the internet in the classroom to use it as well as possible with the resources that are give to us and them. I don’t think all students will become effective users but we can do our best to help them.

 

 

Are you an immigrant or a native?

In recent discussions of the digital immigrant or native , a controversial issue has been whether children of todays age are born with the knowledge or if we are just assuming that they know everything about technology.  On the one hand, some argue that todays kids grew up on cell phones and computers, so they should know the difference between the internet and a word processer.  From this perspective, we are assuming that all children had the same amount of access to all of these devices and technology’s.  On the other hand, however, others argue that there is no way possible that kids can learn from music or T.V.  According to this view, the immigrants are limiting themselves to the way we approach education and how it should be taught to this generation.  In sum then, the issues is whether  we are going to embrace technology and help our kinds learn in a way more suited to them or if we are just going to keep doing things the way it has always been done and never advance in new ideas.

          My own view is that not everyone born in this generation is a native and we still need to take the time to teach new and old how to use technology and how it can help education.  Though I concede that we still need paper work sheets to work on penmanship, I still maintain that integrating technology in the classroom is a great idea.  For example, in SPED classrooms where you have so many different learning types.    Although some might object that technology has no place in the classroom, I would reply that we cant have a teacher for every student to spend one on one time with, so technology takes the place when we cant be six places at once .  The issue is important because we need to turn our education system around in the United States and get on board with the rest of the world .

Week one

In recent discussions of technology in the class room, a controversial issue has been whether technology should be allowed in the classroom. on one hand some argue that it gives students options to explore learning styles in a different format. From this perspective, students with learning diablilitys or students who need a different way to see things would benefit from having Ipads and such in the classroom. In sum then, the issue is whether it is USED or ABUSED in the classroom.  My own view is that technology gives an edge to classroom learning. Though I concede that technology can be abused in the classroom, I still maintain that used correctly it will be a great resource for students. For example, kids who might not do well reading from a book, due to a reading impairment, might do better reading from an Ipad where I can use a software to help him/her. Although some might object that nothing can replace conventional teaching styles, I would reply that this is the 21st century and our students are a generation that are born with cellphones in their hands and we as teachers need to adapt to that. The issue is important because our world is becoming overrun by technology and we need to teach our students to USE it not ABUSE it.