Week 4 WBQ

How is the course going so far? What has been most valuable? What are your
concerns or fears? What would you like to see more (or less) of?

I like the fact that this class relates directly to my major. Some of my other classes seem kind of like a waste of time. I never realized that there were these types of tools on the internet for us to use. I had no idea how useful web 2.0 sites could be. My concerns are that I'm not great with technology so I might not be able to find more useful sites and tools to use in the classroom. The tagging for research projects will be extremely useful in the classroom and the podcasts seem really neat. There is also the concern that some schools might not be able to provide the resources and materials for this type of learning. So far I like how the class is going and I'm learning so much.

Week 3 Reading Reflection

How might you use the letters in a humanities class? What has your
experience with primary sources been? Can students be historians?

The letters could be used as primary sources in a humanities class. They're more effective because they show firsthand what occurred. My experience with primary sources has been pretty minimal. Most research that I've done has come from textbooks or Internet sites, that have been written by someone else about an event.

I don't think that students can be historians. At least not at a young age. A historian is someone that is an expert on history, meaning that is what they have learned to specialize in. Most students in high school or younger haven't had the opportunity to specialize in a certain area because they are required to become well-rounded with various subjects.

Week 3 WBQ

How did you spend your time on the WWW last week? Was it productive? What
does it mean to be productive?

Last week on the WWW most of my time was spent on web 2.0 sites. I mostly used facebook and myspace to communicate with all of my friends. I also used the internet to check my email. I feel that my use of the WWW was productive. It allowed me to talk to my friends that I don't get to see now and also with my family. To be productive means to accomplish something worthwhile. I believe that my time was well spent on the WWW last week.

I also used the internet to do a lot of my homework last week. It was an extremely helpful tool when trying to document sources for an essay I wrote. It allowed me to post my blog for this class as well.

Week 2: The New WWW (WBQ)

The author expresses concern over the the unlimited media gratification
that our youth have. He is essentially talking about you! Respond to his
concerns

I don't think that there is any need to worry about the unlimited media gratification that today's youth has. We are known as the technology generation. We use media to make every possible aspect of our lives easier. New technology is making school and learning so much easier. For example, wikis and this blog. The author talks about impulse buying. Most of today's youths don't use the internet for impulse buying, but instead for communication. Most people have an email address, facebook, myspace, blog, etc. This is all so that they can communicate with their friends and other people.

The author also says that this new technology will make school more boring. I disagree with this. I think that the technology of web 2.0 makes class much more interesting. At my high school, technology was rarely used and usually only consisted of a short powerpoint presentation. Most of the kids today cannot imagine living without technology and I think that the school systems should incorporate more technology to keep up with today's evolving world.

Week 2

Imagine how your life would change without access to a computer or cell
phone for a month. Descibe the process of writing a research paper without
the internet.

I don't think that I would be able to live without my computer and cell phone for a month. I use my cell phone to constantly be communicating with my friends and family. I'm always texting, even when I probably shouldn't be. I also need my computer to communicate. I'm always on AIM talking to my friends. I use myspace and facebook to stay in contact as well. I check my email everyday. I also use my computer to download songs all the time. I don't really listen to the radio. If I hear a good song, I usually go back to my computer and immediately download it. I listen to music all the time. It relaxes me. My computer is pretty much my lifeline. I use it for hours everyday. I hate going a single day without going online and talking to my friends. I have a hard time having to go a day without listening to my music too.

I don't think I could write a research paper without using the internet. It is possible to do using books and other resources that you can find in a library. This would take much longer and probably wouldn't produce such good results. When you use the internet, you can search for exactly what you need. If you were to use a book, you could end up getting all these books that relate to your topic but don't actually provide useful information. The internet also provides more recent and up-to-date information. So yes, it is possible to write a research paper without the internet, but for many people, it is not preferred.

Listen to the Natives

• In your opinion, what technology tools should we be teaching students
  today?

  What expectations should we have of students and what should be done
  to help students meet those expectations?

  Were your schools stuck in the 20th century?

  What was most compelling about the article?

I think that we should be teaching as much technology as possible to students today. Technology is the future. It's true that younger generations are much better with technology and most likely they will be doing some of the teaching in classrooms. I believe that this is a good strategy though because this ensures that everyone will be learning, including the teacher sometimes. Students today are raised with their lives revolving around technology and in many cases, helps make learning easier.

We should expect students to participate in class discussions and activities. More use of technology also means that there is more opportunity for students to cheat. This could be done using cell phones during tests for example. I think we have to trust the students to be honest and to be responsible for their own education. Students should also be able to ask each other for help because some people are better with technology than others.

My school was stuck in the 20th century. We had computers and few other technology resources available but access was limited. For example, we weren't allowed to check email during school hours and websites like myspace, facebook and youtube were completely blocked. When doing research, it was often difficult to find information because the school had set up so many filters to block unwanted websites. I was doing a research project on anorexia and had a lot of difficulty finding pictures. All the sites were blocked for profanity, nudity, violence, etc. It was really hard to work on projects at school and the teachers didn't seem to understand the problem with it.

What I thought was most compelling was that teachers are starting to incorporate more technology into their lesson plans. Most teachers where I'm from tried to avoid technology and weren't open to new methods. This is a nice change to see. I also liked that some teachers aren't afraid to let students teach them new things about technology.

Week 1- Meaningful Learning

"Is it possible to learn without engaging in some activity: that is, is it
possible to simply learn by thinking about something? Can you think of an
example?"

I don't think that it's possible to learn by just thinking about something. People need hands on interaction to fully experience something. For example, if someone were to just explain to you the rules of a game, you might be really confused. You need to be able to experience the game with the hands on approach to really understand it. Think about someone trying to explain how to play basketball. They can tell you how to shoot and dribble, but most likely, you won't be an expert without actually playing the game.



When students are tested by their teachers, many of them can do well without actually learning the material. That is, most students can do well by simply memorizing. Therefore, this may not be such an accurate measure of learning. Students can repeat what they have been told but they may not actually understand what it means. To me, this isn't really learning. It's more like a way of beating the system.