Week 7: Richard Miller, Wendy Drexler, and Michael Wesh- Further Considerations

Richard Miller: This is How We Dream

Dr. Richard Miller's video "This is how we Dream" offers an interesting perspective on the role educators must consider playing in the 21st century and beyond with technology as part of their pedagogy. Miller is a professor of English at Rutgers University, which is especially interesting to me as an English major who one day plans to teach the subject. Dr. Miller does a good job of pointing out how so many printed texts end up on sites like Amazon.com being sold for paltry amounts of money. Dr. Miller presents a vision of the world which is totally new, a world where students and teachers learn and create boldly and share their experiences with the world.

Dr. Miller calls on anyone who cares about books, words, literature, and learning in general to consider the possibilities of technology and the Internet in classrooms of the future. He talks about his own personal collaborations on projects such as one about Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. Miller believes that in the future students will undoubtedly create work that goes far beyond the written word on paper. Miller's vision includes work that is an experience in and of itself; projects that have text, audio, and visual components that appeal to multiple senses. Miller feels like it is imperative for those of us in the humanities to begin making work like this that is profound, beautiful, and experimental. Until such work is made and gains notoriety, his vision will be only a conjecture about what may be to come.

Dr. Miller feels like libraries are obsolete now, and points out that most of his work is done without ever setting foot in one. He makes an interesting point that Universities, for the most part, are designed around being accessible by the automobile. In the future, Universities may find themselves in a world where academics no longer have to travel to go to school. I am excited about being an educator during times such as these. A certain type of upheaval seems to be looming off in the distance, and these winds of change seem to be propelled by technology. I feel like I am ready for this new world, I am fascinated by experimentation and a general rethinking of how things are done, especially in the field of English. I do not know when I will have the tools I will need to infuse my own classes with 21st century pedagogy, but I certainly feel that one day education will get the technology and funding it truly deserves. I do not really worry about my future students being ready for the cutting edge curriculum I want to throw at them, because their lives already include regular use of technology.

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

Education today may seem like it is the same as it has been for some amount of time, but people like Wendy Drexler are quick to point out that it is not. Her video "The Networked Student" describes the world of "21st century Student" and his technology based learning adventure in Psychology. Drexler's video outlines the various ways that this hypothetical student can use "connectivism" to learn about his subject. I was really interested by the fact that lectures by the best professors in the world are readily available via the Internet. I also liked the way this video points out that not all information found on the world wide web is reliable; students must learn to filter propagandized material from the "pearls of content" that are also available.

The video points out that technology allows students to share bookmarks, URLs, Wikis, blogs, and much more to research material they are studying. They can be part of a globe spanning community which exchanges their findings and information about virtually any topic. They can create virtual textbooks of their own and become individuals who are capable of learning and problem solving by themselves. Millions of people (especially school-aged individuals) have MP3 players or Ipods, and Drexler's video also points out that these are also tools that can be implemented in a 21st century learning program. I find any idea like this to be something that must be heavily considered because it presents a chance to actively engage students in academic materials. It allows us as educators to think about fusing what we want students to learn with tools that these students use everyday in their lives and that they enjoy using.

At the end of the video, the question "why does the networked student need a teacher?" is asked. In the end, even with all of these new possibilities students will still need teachers. They will need people like teachers to guide them along their journeys of learning. Teachers also can provide successful models for students in terms of creating their own learning networks. Teachers will most likely keep students on task with subject matter and help them anytime they get stuck. I feel like I am rapidly becoming ready for teaching a potential class that implements these tools in the future. I can't help feeling that it may take some time for me to actually get to use technology in my classroom (thanks to funding and "No Child Left Behind"), but I am definitely looking forward to that day and I hope to be more than ready for it.

Michael Wesch-Toward a New Future of Whatever

In his video lecture "Toward a New Future of Whatever" Michael Wesch describes many of the ways that society, people, and technology have become interrelated. I liked the way that Wesch opens the discussion, with 1984 and Brave New World as model for comparison with out own present day reality. He has a great interest in the generation of today and their collective narcissism and collective connection through technology. He examines the YouTube community, which I definitely feel like I can relate to. I have watched all of these new media be born and grow, and I think Wesch is on to a great point that technology today has become a means for people to deal with their isolation in the modern world. People have been coping with modernity really since the turn of the 20th century, but the 21st century has a chance to allow for an end to this isolation. Technology allows connection with anyone on the face of the earth, across any distance. Isolation and anonymity are troubling facets of modern life, but we are living in a world where we can create new types of conversations. Conversations that can create a new reality, and a new connectivity between people.

Week 7: Personal Learning Network (PLN)

When I first began my journey in EDM 310, I was somewhat intimidated by creating my own personal learning network, or PLN. Now seven weeks in, it really is not looking so bad. I have started to use ITunes University, Twitter, Google Lit Trips, Skype, Blogger, Delicious, and others to begin making my PLN. ITunes University offers an unbelievable amount of content such as Pod Casts to explore and learn about any topic. Twitter allows connections with people, and thus the exchange of information. I have started becoming friends with authors and publishing companies because English is my major and my field of interest. I get regular tweets from Penguin Publishing company, Los Angeles Times crime fiction columnist Sarah Weinman, and writer Chuck Palahniuk. Google Lit Trips is also a very interesting part of my PLN because it offers Google Earth pictures of settings from literature. Skype is still in its infantile stages of my PLN, but I am learning as fast as I can and looking forward to it being a mainstay in my PLN soon. Blogger is also an important aspect of my PLN because it is so easy to use, and commenting allows anybody to be able to weigh in on topics. I have started exploring blogs about education, especially language arts education. Sharing bookmarks on Delicious also figures to be a big part of my PLN, and I am actively exploring different ways to share bookmarks with people who are interested in the same academic topics as me. My PLN is not very big right now, but the seeds of my PLN are rapidly taking shape and form. I feel certain that it will continue to grow for as long as I can possibly make it. It could become infinitely big, and also be a very vital part of my career and life.

Week 6: Dr, Alice Christie, ITunes University, and IPod Instruction

Dr. Alice Christie's Website

Dr. Alice Christie is a professor at Arizona State University with a Ph.D in Educational Technology and Language and Literacy. Her website http://www.alicechristie.org offers a vast array of resources for teachers and students to access in terms of educational media. I searched through Dr. Christie's site and began by watching a video entitled "We are all co-learners." The video does a good job of presenting what I feel is probably the most important aspect of being a successful teacher: creating a community of life-long learners. Dr. Christie explains that it is key for teachers to be open to learning about technology from a myriad of sources, including students. She also stresses the importance and value of sharing knowledge throughout the world via the information super highway.

I was very interested also by a link on Dr. Christie's site called Library Thing (http://www.librarything.com/). This site allows people to catalog books that they have read and enjoyed, and allows connections to others who have similar literary interests. As a future English teacher I find it amazing that it is possible to connect with others and learn about new books and literature. I know I can definitely use this in the future in my own classroom. I think students would really like a website like this because they can find more and more literature that they will enjoy, thus making them better students. One of the hardest battles that English teachers face is keeping their students interested, and many of the ideas Dr. Christie explores with technology is a great way to keep students engaged and interested because technology is an everyday part of the lives of 21st century students.

ITunes University

ITunes University is an Apple application that is designed for Professors to distribute lessons and information via ITunes. This is an exciting proposition because it is a fact that students everywhere in today's society are using IPods, IPhones, and personal laptops everyday of their lives. Why shouldn't educators capitalize on this as well? ITunes U makes learning a mobile task; students can watch and listen to lectures while they are doing just about anything from riding a bus to sitting at their favorite local coffee shop. They can also learn at their own pace, whenever and wherever they desire.

I definitely feel like this could be an application I could one day use in my own classroom. Students today can become very easily bored, and they do not like waiting long amounts of time to find information. ITunes U caters to the way students these days are accustomed to living, therefore they are much more likely to be learning. ITunes U seems like a great way to disassociate the world of academia from the tedious nature that so many students correlate it to. I think that once students understand that learning really is a fun and exciting task, they are going to be much more receptive to instruction.

IPods in the Classroom

IPods are everywhere. It seems like everybody and their grandmother own one today. Not surprisingly, teachers have begun to examine the IPod's potential use in the classroom. Duke University is on the cutting edge of IPod use as part of their student's learning. In 2004 Duke issued IPods to over 1600 first year college students. The University found that IPods were a convenient tool for both professors and students, the location of actual learning became very flexible, and that students were much more engaged in class discussion and curriculum. All of this is very positive.

http://cit.duke.edu/pdf/reports/ipod_initiative_04_05.pdf details the specifics of the results of the IPod initiative at Duke. Being that this University was one of the first to explore this technology as part of its academic programs, there were some problems. Some faculty had difficulty locating materials they needed for their lectures and lessons, students also found finding and buying materials from ITunes to be cumbersome. All in all however, the program seems to have been a success, and a model for educators everywhere. I feel as though the IPod could one day be a powerful ally for me as an educator. I want my students to enjoy learning, not dread it. IPods and education may definitely be a winning combination.

My Google Documents Presentation

Week 5: A Look at Wikipedia and a Response to "What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

Thoughts on Wikipedia

We live in a world where information is accessible with the push of a button. People can find answers to questions of just about any topic with the use of the Internet. "Wikipedia" may be the most popular online encyclopedia online. The Wikipedia website proclaims itself an online encyclopedia, but there is more than meets the eye in terms of content on the site because absolutely anyone can "update" information about any topic. A student named Virgil Griffith has developed software that tracks the IP addresses of those who edit content on the Wikipedia site. Politicians, Wal-Mart executives, Fox News, and even Al Jazeera members have been traced as editors of Wikipedia. This raises some very pressing questions about the reliability of the website.

If anyone can change anything they want to on Wikipedia, can it be trusted? I say no. The most important aspect when doing research about anything is that all sources of information are from a verified objective expert source. If I were doing research to determine if Wal-Mart was ripping off their employees, I would not expect their C.E.O. to give me the most honest objective answer. Therefore, if said C.E.O. can go on Wikipedia and manipulate any information he or she wants, then Wikipedia is not reliable or objective. While there is some evidence that Virgil Griffith is not actually a Graduate student at Cal-tech, and that his program is "re-inventing the wheel," the fact that information on Wikipedia can be changed by anyone remains a fact. A fact that is VERY troubling for those of us who really care about reliable sources and information.

Response to "What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung is part of the "At the Teacher's Desk" blog that describes some useful things he learned during his first year teaching. Overall, McClung offers some very thoughtful observations that I think are definitely helpful. I think he made some very good points about how important it is for first year teachers to think more about their students than themselves. No teacher can really be effective if they don't know their students or don't actively communicate with them. McClung also points out that teachers must not only be flexible with lessons, but also be committed to being life long learners. Finally, McClung definitely seems to be a technologically literate educator, and advises that teachers should not treat new technology as some horrifying monster. His article is a fine example of one teacher spreading their knowledge over the information super highway.

Week 4: Further Examination of Podcasting and Commenting for Kids

More on Podcasts

This week, I continued to read and watch videos about podcasting. One video that was really interesting to me was called "The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom." The video highlighted many of the reasons why podcasts can be a very useful tool in the schools. I thought the video made a great point about how podcasts can be used to record lessons so that students can access the class materials from anywhere via the internet. The video used an example of a sick student who was able to keep up with her school work by using her teacher's podcasts.

I was also very interested in the fact that tech activities such as podcasting often call for students to engage in cognitive activities that are near the top of "Bloom's Taxonomy." I feel like the biggest problem in education right now is that students are not forced to exercise their brains through the use of their higher reasoning ablilities. Students get too many assignments that are near the bottom of bloom's taxonomy. By using these higher end cognitive processes students are essentially arming themselves for successful life in the professional world. This is because they become able to use critical thinking to find answers to problems they may have never encountered before. Basically, they can think their way through any situation, which could perhaps be the most important skill for any person to learn.

I am starting to look forward to actually getting to create a podcast of my own. I read several resources this week which have given me some groundwork from which to work on my podcast project. I think that podcasts are interesting because you can use tools like music and sound effects to liven up the podcast. Podcasting can break up some of the tedium that is often associated with many school activities. They seem to make learning more fun for people who may have not liked traditional scholastic activities. Podcasting also shares that wonderful quality with so many other tech based academic activities: the ability to share knowledge and information with people throughout the world. Being able to collaborate the world over makes education into a limitless field where knowledge is readily and easily available.

Comment 4 Kids

This week I also got to make my first comment in the "Comment 4 Kids" project. I commented on a post from a 5th grade student from the Avoca school system named Danielle Vargo. The particular post I commented on was a book review the student had done on a biography about Clara Barton. I was quite impressed by the students ability to synthesize all of the matierial in the book into a concise but informative post. I have been reading that blogs can be a great way for students to improve their writing skills, and this definitely seems to be true for Danielle Vargo. She also seems to be engaged actively in the process of writing this blog, most likely because it is a 21st century technology that she understands.