Week One Responses

Is the access to information a good thing even if some or most of the information is unreliable? @Mary:  Or, does the plethora of unreliable information on the web make us more or better informed in that we have to possess specific abilities to filter through vast amounts of material?  Also, why are we so upset by losing cursive writing instruction in schools?  What does that tell us about writing?

I think that this access to information is still a good thing, despite the fact that the information can be unreliable. This goes back to what all of us have been learning about since middle school or earlier: how to select sources based on their credibility or, as one teacher put it, how to not just “Wikipedia” everything. . . . I agree there is a fear, though, that having so many answers just clicks away can begin to decrease our dependence on our own abilities.  @Casey:  Perhaps this is a different type of literacy?  Or is it an extension of traditional literacy?  Perhaps “our abilities” are changing more so than our dependence?  For instance, I don’t remember my husband’s work number, but I do know how to access the number instantly.  In other words, my memory is the same (maybe?)—I am just remembering different things (i.e. accessing the phone number vs. actually knowing the number by heart).

The process of finding the answers to the world requires less effort. . . . One way is to challenge your students to not use technology. Force them to rely on their brain.

@Shannon:  So maybe, as teachers we should focus more on the process of finding and filtering than the answers?  Also, can we not use technology in ways that do indeed force them to rely on their brains? 

I know we, as teachers, would want to be able to deliver the materials ourselves at least some of the time but I think exploring movies and songs would become a very large part of our curriculum, as they are (in part) now.  @Erika B.:  Interesting…so in a sense technology has brought us to a more oral-based culture (perhaps as it would if pencils were never invented)? 

For starters, each student needs to have access to the same materials/equipment.

@Coral:  I completely agree—access is such a huge part of the puzzle, and I don’t see it becoming any less of an issue given that technology becomes outdated so quickly.  So, how do find ways to incorporate technology into our classrooms in meaningful ways by “working with what we got”?

The strategy asks students to even question the question and test their understanding. The same needs to be done when we consider ever evolving technology.

@Johnathan:  I couldn’t agree more.  Technology, when used in responsible ways in the classroom, should make us cognizant of the how as much as the what and why.  For instance, in this class, you are not only doing assignments (the what), but you also have to think about how to do them, which can be really scary.  In other words, we can’t take anything for granted (metaphorically questioning the question).

The computer is a tool, an assistant for writing and communicating. It is not the actual writer.  @Ms. G:  Very interesting pointJ  However, what is a writer without its tools?  Wouldn’t the writer simply be a speaker?

Once you tell the machine what genre your writing is, it will ask you some important questions to figure what your trying to say, then it will insert all the "ifs", "ands", or "buts" around your ideas and your writing is complete.  @ Maximo:  So, what would the role of the English teacher be then?  Or, would the cyborgs replace us;)?

As the article indicates, one of the problems with technology is the ease in which students could plagiarize information.  @Ang:  I’m glad you brought this up in your post.  I think intellectual property lines are becoming fuzzy with the influx of digital technologies.  We’ll talk about this more when we read about remix, but I think you brought up a great point.

Even though I have all this technology and fun little gadgets to write with I still prefer to write all of my papers out by hand, even if it may take a little longer. I do this for many reasons and one of the biggest is for editing while I read while typing. This is probably one of the biggest reasons I would not let my students not type their first drafts, ever.

@Vinnie:  I certainly agree that the medium by which we produce texts affects content; however, do we always have to go from print to digital to get students to revise?  What if we had students write a piece for two different websites or blogs where they would have to target the piece to each?  Also, what about those students who struggle with handwriting a draft?

When doing research, students who grew up in this technological age go straight for the internet. They do this for many reasons. First it is more familiar to them.

@Vicki:  It certainly is more familiar to students, and really unfamiliar to a lot of teachers.  So it seems like there is a gap here—what should we do about it?

I believe that communication is the key component in creating a classroom dynamic in which students do not plagiarize. Teachers must discuss the meaning and importance of academic integrity, as well as the potential ramifications for those who choose the “quick and easy” route.

@Danielle:  So true.  I don’t know about you, but I really hate feeling like a police officer while teaching.  In fact, after a few years of being a teacher-enforcer I quit that altogether.   There are ways you can get your students away from the plagiarism temptation (it won’t always work, trust me) and communication is certainly one of them.

Authors, editors, publishers, and almost everyone in the book industry fears what will happen when all books will be viewed using technology and book stores and manufacturing will no longer be necessary.

@Emily:  That fear is certainly a real thing.  If publishing houses want to keep up with a booming technology market, what efforts do you think they need to invest in to stay afloat?

With the internet readily available and the rise of eBooks and online media, soon libraries will fall out of our favor.

@Liz:  I can definitely see this in Strozier here at FSU.  It seems like the first floor has become more of a social gathering spot than a library (ahem…Club Stroz).  Do you think this is the right move for libraries to remain relevant?

These are the cases where the pencil or pen are the most convenient and accessible forms of technology!

@Erica A.:  I think access is certainly what keeps technology tools prevalent and mainstream.  When things become difficult to access, or too complicated, that is when technologies begin to fade out.  So, how could digital technologies be more convenient and accessible?  What do you think the next step in accessible technology development is?

Every time a new technology is born, the previous one doesn't die. It's a building block. They are all built upon each other so if a block is removed everything on top of it will fall.

@Kristin:  Nice analogy—I want you to keep this in mind and explore it further when we begin talking about remediationJ

There are pros and cons to every situation and every item that we introduce to our lives. The importance of these tools is defined by what we, as a society, give them.

@Alyssa:  Thanks for picking up Danielle’s question.  I think that we tend to forget that technology is a human-driven and created product.  In other words, it has political and social ideals and motives—it is not necessarily a neutral tool.  Thanks for bringing up the connection to society—it tends to get overlooked when we talk about web 2.0.

In most classes they simply replaced the projector. I think this lack of experience on the teachers’ part also contributed to the limited technology in the curriculum. If teachers were not comfortable with or did not know how to use a technology they were also not comfortable with asking students to use them.

@Jessie D.:  Bingo.  I think that we forget that teachers are professional learners—we are not there to impart all knowledge to students (because we don’t have all the answers—and that’s okay).  We are there to model learning—to show how we as adult learners grow and learn and help students grow and learn.  If teachers don’t value the expertise and knowledge students bring to the classroom, how can a sense of community in the classroom be established?

It is crazy to think that we have are adapting ourselves and relying so much on technology in general.

@Daniela D.:  I agree that we have adapted ourselves to technology, but hasn’t technology been adapted to fit our needs as well?  What do you think?  Also, thanks for posting twiceJ  I agree that there does indeed need to be a balance.

In the classroom I believe technology, if in the hands of a teacher who knows how to use the technology, can result in a generation of technologically literate students who know how to use and not abuse this resource.

@Erin:  What about teachers who aren’t tech-savvy but still want to incorporate technology into their classrooms?  What do you think they should do?  How should they learn?

Overall technology is a wonderful thing, it can and has helped us in countless ways but in the end we should not move to a be completely technology based society, or at least I don't think so.
@Brynne:  Well, we may already be there.  It depends on how you define technology....

I played my first educational games on an Apple computer that could only boot up on 5inch floppy disks, then we got a word processor that had Tetris. After that we had a Commodore 64 and then began creating and putting together our own computers and running a BBS.

@Jessica C.: How do you think your experiences in watching these changes regarding technology has affected you as a tech user and will affect you as a teacher?

Another great thing about YouTube is that it’s extremely accessible. It can be accessed from any computer with Internet access by anyone, without an account or subscription.

@Jenn B.:  Yes, YouTube has a ton of benefits, but it is not always accessible in schools.  Instead, they use a more filtered version of it.  If you were to create a lesson using YouTube to realize it is restricted at your school, what would be your plan B?

I completely agree with Mary on this, in relation to your post, because so many teachers can fall back on showing a YouTube video of a concept that they want teach, a book that needs to be summarized, etc. but without the proper tools in learning from that video students will simply view it as entertainment.

@Michelle S.:  Very true.  So how do we move past the “cool factor” of technology and ensure that it is being used in critically engaging/interesting ways?