Quotes:
1) "Youth don’t love the technology itself—they just love how it enables them to communicate all the time, express themselves, and be entertained."
2) “Better theories of learning are embedded in the video games many children in elementary and high school play than in the schools they attend."
Explanation of Quotes:
I chose two quotes this week. The first quote is one that I strongly agree with, but never thought before. I have even told my own students, "You love the internet/facebook/twitter/etc. way too much!" This quote made me realize its not the "internet" or social network itself that students love. They love being able to be heard; they love constant communication; they like the entertainment that their peers provide, whether it be a funny YouTube video or a rant about a "bad day." Too often we refer to students like their technologies, but they like what technology offers.
I chose the second quote because it at first was offensive. I almost wanted to disagree. However, in some cases, I can see that it can be true. If we are not preparing our students for the 21st century, they may not be prepared at all.
Additional Resource:
Great video outlining the educational benefits to social networking:
Sarah -
ReplyDeleteGreat quotes. I would concur on the second quote, and yes we do need to prepare our students for the 21st Century, but being a very traditional person I always believe that we need to be sure that they are grounded in the basics. Change is inevitable, progress is necessary, yet whether one brings the other is debatable.
I completely agree that kids are obsessed with the internet/facebook/twitter. Most of the time I find it disturbing how dependent they are on social media; my niece cannot put her cell phone down for a second, even when she is talking face to face with someone. I like the first quote you chose because I guess I have never thought about it like that; this is just the way that kids are now able to communicate and express themselves.
ReplyDeleteI think Sarah's point is that it is important to understand what attracts students to these technologies so we can better understand how to attract them to the kinds of activities we think are more productive!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm friends with Christine Greenhow, the women in the video :)
Awesome!
DeleteI almost chose your first quote because it resonated with me so much. I think this quote just underscores the fact that technology is just a tool that we can use to connect with each other and express ourselves in the same way that a pencil is a tool. I like the idea of thinking of technology as a pencil rather than a book!
ReplyDeleteI understand your initial feelings about the second quote. My main contention with that sentence is that it is such a broad statement and it feels a bit polarizing to me.
The first quote resonated with me, also. I have had friends that I would consider addicted to the Internet. However, when I consider their activities, I think it is more the interaction they get rather than the Internet itself. That being said, I have been using the Internet since 1993 as a form of communication and entertainment. Actually, I met my husband online (although we were both attending Marshall at the time).
ReplyDelete