Reflection for week 8

At the current moment I am extremely upset with the Internet and Web 2.0 technologies because of a horrific tragedy that occurred last week to a student I worked with over the summer and early fall. She had answered a nanny ad posted on Craigslist.org for a family whom indicated on Facbook.com that they recently moved to the area. She and the “family” arranged a meeting location and time, which sadly lead to her death. What is currently known is that a 19-year-old man placed the ad and is now being held in police custody for her murder. Details of how she died have not yet been released.

I am disgusted and appalled that someone would use this technology to prey upon the trust and good-nature of people to commit such a senseless act of violence. It is interesting that while people look to technologies such as Craigslist.org and Facebook.com to add convenience, flexibility, and social connectedness to their lives, the truth of the matter is that people can be or not be who ever they want on these sites. I am not saying that people shouldn’t trust everyone and everything on the Internet; however, in another way I am. In general, people can never be overly cautious because their safety is what is at stake.

Reflection for week 7

Big Question: What impact does Web 2.0 have on teaching and learning? Over the last couple weeks with in-class discussions and readings and my own “googling” of Web 2.0, I think I have a better grasp on it. Overall, I see Web 2.0 offering more dynamic website experiences, allowing end-users to have an impact on how they view and interact with websites, blogs, wikis, etc., and promoting collaboration between people. Additionally, people do not have to have extensive expertise in technology to “do” or “use” Web 2.0 technologies. I can also see why people are drawn to popular media such as Youtube, My Space, and Facebook because they are learning how to communicate and network with others, which in turn helps them to create and join social communities. People are now becoming more interactive versus passive users of web technologies, which in the end allows them to form what and how they teach and learn.

Reflection for week 6

For the last week, my attention has been completely focused on the technology purchase project and the web design project. At first both projects seemed daunting because I am not a licensed teacher with my own classroom. However, after I took sometime to reflect on both, I came to the conclusion that I need to “think outside the box.” For the technology purchase project, I decided to take the standpoint as if I were working fulltime at a museum. My idea is to assemble a “technology” art cart through which children would use a computer to create artwork with interactive arts software. For the web design project, I decided to create a website that would serve as an “electronic” artist portfolio for me. Areas I chose to highlight include about the artist, artist’s interests, and artwork galleries. So far, so good.

Admittedly, I am unknowledgeable of Web 2.0. I felt the Frencken, Jacobi, and Jager article helped me to understand Web 2.0 a little better in the sense that it has to do with encouraging educators and students to use technologies such as blogs, podcasts, interactive television, and wikis to facilitate interactive and collaborative learning environments. However, I did google Web 2.0 and learned from Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) that it does not necessarily mean there is going to be a new version of the WWW, but that it “refers to a perceived second generation of web-based communities…which aim to facilitate collaboration and sharing between users.”

My brief experience with e-learning technologies has included blogs, WebCT, and interactive television, although not on an international level. I can definitely see today’s students being drawn to using Web 2.0 technologies more often because they most likely have been exposed to them in one form or another since they can remember and thus may not feel apprehension towards them. However, I have concern for school districts and families who are unable to afford such technologies. What does lack of exposure to Web 2.0 mean to their learning? Is their education at a major disadvantage?

I can definitely see Web 2.0 fitting in a constructivist classroom because its purpose is to get students to interact and collaborate through the use of the technologies. However, I think educators need to put forth effort to create structured learning experiences for students because I see potential for them to stray with particular tasks they may find uninteresting. I believe set structures, boundaries, and outcomes are necessary when using Web 2.0 in a constructivist classroom.

Reflection for week 5

To teach in a constructivist way make sense to me. However, I can also see where some teachers would find it difficult to incorporate into their classrooms. (This weeks reading really forced me to acknowledge positive and negative sides of implementing a constructivist approach in the classroom.) When I reflect on my undergraduate career, none of my professors/TAs taught in a constructivist way. I feel to try and learn I had to “hunt and peck” for information/facts that they wanted and feel I really didn’t digest and reflect on information because I had four to five other courses for which I was doing the same. At that time I just tried to remember what I thought would be on midterm and final exams. Then as soon as a semester was over, that information was purged from my head. Professors/TAs didn’t ask me to reflect on the information in their courses because they seemed to be preoccupied with focusing on information they felt was important.

Now in my M.Ed. program, I feel that almost all of the courses I have thus far incorporated and embraced constructivist theory, on some level, and have asked me to reflect on current and past experiences—professional and educational. I feel that I am really understanding and learning information for the first time in my college career. However, I also wonder if because I am taking courses geared specifically to my personal interests, art education, if that is the reason why I am retaining and learning better. Could it be because I am focusing on specific information I find intriguing that makes me feel that I am learning better?

Reflection for week 4

Do people surround themselves with technologies so they don’t have to “think” and “question” as much, or do technologies encourage people to “think” and “question” more? I’m on the fence with these questions because while I see current and potential benefits of technologies, I also see how they have made people lazy. Additionally, is it really laziness or do people expect technologies to be developed ongoing because they like the novelty of them? In my opinion it is both. I do feel computer-based technologies have the potential to serve as mindtools. However, I also see minivans with DVD players and children being taught to “zone-out” so Mom and Dad can drive. My point is that I think technologies, no matter their form, are motivating and debilitating at the same time. What has become main-stream to people today, was implausible over one hundred years ago. To think that my great-grandparents would not have had an automobile is inconceivable to me now. For the children I may have in the future, I can see them not able to image a world without laptops, cell phones, podcasts, and internet. People have come to rely heavily on technologies. While I applaud the innovative thinking, I also think that people are ultimately to blame for their own demise/laziness because of it. I believe my interactions with technologies are well balanced. I know enough about the technology areas in which I have interest and utilize them accordingly. However, if I do not have a real reason to use a type of technology, I do not go out of my way to buy it, use it, or pay attention to it. Is that wrong?