Well, I haven't quite had a chance to finish everything this far, but I've gotten the reading done from the text.
I am taking away from this book, at this point, arguments for using some of these tools in school. One of the biggest hurdles to using web 2.0 software is meeting the liability requirements imposed on the school district while giving our students the tools they need to be efficient at using. It's not a simple task for those who are confident; to say nothing about those who are suspicious and wary of using 2.0 tools. I'm not sure what the answer is other than to have a few brave souls take that first step forward, have it be an 'uneventful' experience, and allow others to see the low risk of the experience. Once enough people have realized the treat isn't as great as they think, there may be more support for the implementation of these tools in the classroom.
I have used a blog to post daily challenge questions, hidden responses until the question was closed, then posted the correct responses. Also, I have set up a blog with several questions related to a course of study. Students have accessed this blog and then used the link to respond to the questions on Polleverywhere during class.
Danelle,
ReplyDeleteI think we have arrived at an interesting point in education, where schools are invested in students using available technology, but are not yet willing to tackle some of the tougher issues with this technology. I have certainly warmed up to the idea of using blogs in my classroom. At the same time, even with parental consent and the ability to control posts, I am still leery about going all out with blogs. By keeping posts private, I could eliminate safety concerns with predators. But by doing so, I limit the opportunity for students to learn from a global audience. I wish that I had the answers about the best way to tackle this issue, and I am hoping that our class and textbook will help me find some answers. I would be curious to know more about how you use your blog in the classroom. Do kids have their own blogs? Are they able to access your blog without having an account? Any information you can give would be great. :)