Shareski is in favor of Wikis and uses Wikipedia to make his point. He says that it allows for multiple viewpoints. It allows people to contribute their knowledge, ask questions of the authors, or even make corrections yourself. He explains that encyclopedias do not offer this. You take it on face value that the information is correct and updated. Wikipedia offers an excellent teaching tool to help students discern factual information.
On the other hand, Winkler believes that Wikipedia does a disservice to education. She states that the author is anonymous and has no responsibility for the writings produced. Other authors are required to make corrections for false information. She also believes it to be too difficult for young children to understand that this source may or may not be credible. She also reminds people that the Internet offers encyclopedias online. They are kept up-to-date, and require a simple password.
I tend to agree with Shareski. I allowed my
third graders when doing their research to use Wikipedia, but we have a
discussion prior to this on the validity of Wikipedia and how people can put
whatever on it. I want my students to look at all information they read and
think about its content.
2. The Digital Disconnect by Glen Bull and Gina Bull
The authors, Glen and Gina Bull, looked at a study done by the Pew Internet and American Life series. The study showed that most students are internet- savvy, however, their instructors were not. It stated that the school administrators were responsible for this problem. They are the ones who set up the computer policies, allowing students to use certain programs, and not others. Also teachers need in-services or other means by which to educate them on how to use the Internet more effectively. The study showed that, even though more than 98% of the schools have Internet, teachers are not challenging students with assignments that require usage of it. The assignments are that which can easily be done with books, paper, and pencils. Also, not every child has access to computers and the Internet at home. Then teachers try to accommodate those students with assignments that can be done with books, paper, and pencils. Finally, students were asked about Internet usage. They remarked that those students who had access to technology did better than those without- thus, the gap in education widened. The students also commented in the study that keyboarding and computer skills need to be taught in schools. The basics are not taught and some students have developed poor habits or don’t understand what to do.
As a third grade teacher, I agree with this study. I am concerned for my own students. If they do not get the exposure that they need before the OAA’s go online, our students will not understand how to respond to the questions correctly. With the information I am learning, I hope to implement more computer and internet assignments that are quality and creative.
3. QR Codes 101 by Helen Compton, Jason LaFrance, and Mark van’t Hooft
The authors begin by comparing a tour guide of the World War II memorial with a group of students to that of a group of young adults. The ninth grade students were bored. However, the young adults were using their phones to capture the QR codes to get more information about the monument. They were not huddled together in one large group, but were able to work in smaller groups. Thus they were engaged in learning, whereas, the ninth graders were not.
Crompton, La France, and van’t Hooft continue in their article telling what a QR code is and how it can be used. The quick response codes can link students to internet sites that can speed up the learning process, make it more interesting, and even conduct tours. Students can easily make their own QR codes by going to several free or open source resources. Then they can use it to create tours of their community, tutor in homework, find out about books, etc.
I think QR codes are interesting, but not everybody or every school has the technology needed to use or create them, especially in the younger grades. However, I feel this could be beneficial in the high school. I can see it bring boring reading assignments to life. I can see scavenger hunts or virtual tours made by high school students to promote a topic in history, science, math, or even creating book reviews for literature classes.
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