Web 2.0 Tools-Poll Knowledge

Something new that is an instructional tool in the class is web 2.0 tools. IT is something that we can create, work with others, edit, and share it online with others (www.web2014.discoveryeducation.com). One example of this that I came across and captured my attention was Poll Everywhere. The premise of this is using mobile devices in the classroom to take polls to assess and share knowledge in the classroom. I myself, love this idea, both as an instructor and as a learner. As a learner, I like the idea of being engaged with, throughout the class. It can help me learn where my peers are at and if I am learning or not. As an instructor, its a great way to get personal perspectives in a quick way to stimulate conversations in the class, as well as constant assessment to see if learning is happening. On the other hand, it has its fall back in that we as instructors already compete with social media in the classroom as a distraction, and my worry would be we are encouraging that once we ask them to pick up their phones. Also, for people who may not be able to afford a mobile device, it is not a fair tool then. With that said, it all depends on the age of the learners, maturity and level of trust between instructor and the learners, but this something I will try for sure in the future. Below and to the external links page I will attach a link to the tool!
http://www.polleverywhere.com/

Copyright or copyfight?

During my PIDP 3240 discussion in the Copyright discussion forum, my fellow colleagues have raised some great points about copyright and the things that we in this 21st century of digital run world take advantage of. Such as finding resources on line, which includes scholarly articles but also information and links and blogs about any and every topic we can think of. The big questions is how do we cite these appropriately, and do we do it? As instructors, it is important in my perspective to model this behavior for our learners. The only reason I know what | know is because it has been expected of me in my classes from my instructors, but also my colleagues. It is hard to decipher on the internet, what is "cite worthy" due to the vast amount and variety of sources online and what can be simply copied and pasted without having to cite. It ranges from journal articles to Wikipedia, and as my colleagues have pointed out, the younger generations are not able to differentiate what is scholarly and what is not. Although we, in the PIDP program, are learning how to cite these different variations of sources, it is not general knowledge. For me, I will continue to learn and pass on what I learn to my learners. Recently, I ran across a link whereby in Spain and "legislation under which publishers will soon be able to force Internet sites to pay for re-publishing headlines or snippets of news" and Google's response to it. I always think that this will never happen, but it appears it is starting around the world, how long before it happens here. Not to mention the huge impact this will have on may sites that copy and paste news stories on their own sites. In my perspective, this is a hard battle to fight when your audience has a hard time understanding the term copyright and internet itself. The link is attached below and to the external links page. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/adios-google-news-to-shutter-in-spain-over-copyright-row/article22037686/

Technology in the Classroom....good or bad?

With all of this technology these days, it is not a surprise for it to be visible in the classroom. Instructors are receiving training on educational tools and online tools to use in the classroom to keep students engaged, both face to face and/or online classes. There are many benefits to having technology in the classroom, as my colleagues in PIDP 3240 have pointed out; ongoing dialogue, different options of communication, engaging students by using social media...etc. While all of these are great reasons to have technology in the classroom, there are some things to be aware of. The webpage of Teach Thought has provided us with 5 problems with technology in the classroom, and one in particular caught my eye, this was the problem of pace of change. It refers to that as different schools having the ability to afford the technology, and some not. This is visible in the communities that are less priviledged in our school system and something that is very real. By the time these learners combine whether in high school or post secondary, some may have more advantage with experience with certain technology than others. What does that mean for success? I'm not sure about that, but if they didn't start out on equal footing, how does it impact their success. This is something I will carry forward with me, especially as a post secondary instructor and provide that support as needed. I have put the link below for the website, have a peek! http://www.teachthought.com/learning/5-problems-with-technology-in-classrooms/