Increasing Internet access and availability has fundamentally changed human culture we are currently at a point where we cannot forecast the problems we will face in the next decade. The last time that a change like this happened in history in my opinion was at the beginning of the industrial revolution. Having access to machines and fossil fuels to accomplish work that human and animal muscles were doing changed many things about human culture. Most notably for the purpose of this class there was a large shift in the way children were educated. This is way the current public school k-12 system was developed. There was a great deal of focus placed on memorization and recall, mostly because there was no way to quickly look information up. Reference texts did exist, but access to information about anything available anytime, did not. As a result of this shift in information access as educators we must continually train ourselves in new discoveries and remain engaged in our learning networks. Richardson states, “Our students’ realities in terms of the way they communicate and learn are very different from our own.” (Kindle Locations 249-250) It is no longer important to recall information, but to be able to apply, analyze and synthesize that information in to a product or solution of some kind. Knowing that Topeka is the capital of Kansas makes you no smarter than anyone else with a smart phone. Being able to design a landscape that will not require intensive watering during a drought is a possibly valuable skill.
Another reason I agree with Richardson on this opinion of teachers experiencing these networks before students is first hand experience is one of the best ways to learn. This allows the students access to the networks and their vast resources with a responsible guide to help build confidence and judge the quality of the information they are receiving. Training students in this type of literacy is something that all teachers should strive for. Richardson described in incident from his classroom where students had unfettered access to the entire Internet and saw something inappropriate. “My students knew that they could not be kept totally safe from the ne’er-do-wells of the world, but they also knew they had a choice as to how they responded when faced with such a situation,” (Richardson, Kindle Locations 394-395) By experiencing this type of scenario first a teacher is able to anticipate this situation and be proactive instead of reactive. If teachers do not engage in these systems they are more likely to be caught off guard and the moment may go from a teachable one to one that ruins the rest of the class period, if not more.
Finally, teachers need to engage in these types of networks to set a good example for their students. Teachers that are passionate about their subject areas can relay their love for their subject by talking about their learning networks. In my upper-level classes I used Coursera and EdX classes as extra credit. My students knew I was participating in the classes because I used the lectures from classes I was enrolled in to enhance our class discussions. Eric Lander, a biology professor at MIT and one of the lead researchers in the Human genome project has explained the three types of RNA and their roles in cellular function to my students on several occasions. They even brought information from classes I was not enrolled in to class discussions and slowly the culture of my classroom changed to one where students could support their arguments and question each other’s opinions with reason. I hope to implement this type of first hand experience in my classroom as well as allowing my students to interact with professional scientists and to eventually publish their experiments in peer reviewed journals. For my students, I hope to expose them to a wider range of topics and sources while providing them a portfolio to show to college professors and admissions counselors. I’m not tied to a specific tool, but I would like to encourage students to collaborate and share the knowledge they gather in a professional manner.
I have had a class website since I began teaching nine years ago, and its purpose has evolved as my students have. Initially it was a calendar for students and parents to organize their assignments. Eventually it became a center for forum discussions, group collaboration, new resources, and feedback for their next assignments. I hope to implement something like this again in my classroom today.
Works cited
Richardson, Willard (Will) H. (2010-03-01). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Kindle Locations 394-395). SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.
Richardson, Willard (Will) H. (2010-03-01). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Kindle Locations 249-250). SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.
Another reason I agree with Richardson on this opinion of teachers experiencing these networks before students is first hand experience is one of the best ways to learn. This allows the students access to the networks and their vast resources with a responsible guide to help build confidence and judge the quality of the information they are receiving. Training students in this type of literacy is something that all teachers should strive for. Richardson described in incident from his classroom where students had unfettered access to the entire Internet and saw something inappropriate. “My students knew that they could not be kept totally safe from the ne’er-do-wells of the world, but they also knew they had a choice as to how they responded when faced with such a situation,” (Richardson, Kindle Locations 394-395) By experiencing this type of scenario first a teacher is able to anticipate this situation and be proactive instead of reactive. If teachers do not engage in these systems they are more likely to be caught off guard and the moment may go from a teachable one to one that ruins the rest of the class period, if not more.
Finally, teachers need to engage in these types of networks to set a good example for their students. Teachers that are passionate about their subject areas can relay their love for their subject by talking about their learning networks. In my upper-level classes I used Coursera and EdX classes as extra credit. My students knew I was participating in the classes because I used the lectures from classes I was enrolled in to enhance our class discussions. Eric Lander, a biology professor at MIT and one of the lead researchers in the Human genome project has explained the three types of RNA and their roles in cellular function to my students on several occasions. They even brought information from classes I was not enrolled in to class discussions and slowly the culture of my classroom changed to one where students could support their arguments and question each other’s opinions with reason. I hope to implement this type of first hand experience in my classroom as well as allowing my students to interact with professional scientists and to eventually publish their experiments in peer reviewed journals. For my students, I hope to expose them to a wider range of topics and sources while providing them a portfolio to show to college professors and admissions counselors. I’m not tied to a specific tool, but I would like to encourage students to collaborate and share the knowledge they gather in a professional manner.
I have had a class website since I began teaching nine years ago, and its purpose has evolved as my students have. Initially it was a calendar for students and parents to organize their assignments. Eventually it became a center for forum discussions, group collaboration, new resources, and feedback for their next assignments. I hope to implement something like this again in my classroom today.
Works cited
Richardson, Willard (Will) H. (2010-03-01). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Kindle Locations 394-395). SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.
Richardson, Willard (Will) H. (2010-03-01). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Kindle Locations 249-250). SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.