Technology & Learning - April 2008 - (Page 53)

listening to a recording of Stalin. Old things in New ways could also be reading and evaluation of an original piece of writing or visiting a battle site via Google Earth. These are not new things…just New ways of doing Old things. We used to read Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech to the class, now we can watch him give his speech in Washington, DC. Is the technology creating new and different learning experiences for students? Does the technology allow students to interact with information in a way that is meaningful and could not have happened otherwise? Does the technology allow students to create and share their knowledge with an audience they never would have had access to without technology? Jeff Utecht is an international educator currently working in Shanghai, China. USING TECH Reality Check Terry Freedman Is it always better to use a computer than pen and paper, in terms of productivity, creative output, or better learning? The important issue for me is what might be called “appropriate use.” To take an extreme example: if you were quickly exchanging phone numbers with someone you just met, it probably would not be appropriate to ask them to wait while you fired up your laptop so you could enter their details in a database. It may be appropriate to enter their details into a phone or a handheld computer. It may be better, in the immediate “Twitter might not even be a tool in existence in five years” PASSING FAD? I don’t think we need to take sides Bob Sprankle over Twitter any more than we do over our favorite television shows or our favorite movies. I don’t think any of the Web 2.0 tools are absolute staples but rather add to the banquet of choices to connect with other professionals, including those that are traditional and non-technological (conferences, staff rooms, at the copier, etc.). Even though we don’t need to take sides—I’m sure that we probably often do—and that some might even agree with “missprofe,” who writes in the discussion that “there seems to be what I call a ‘Twitter Clique’; the same people talking with Twitter Cliques each other, and not seemingly interested to allow others to join in. Unless of course, one is down with the conversation.” I’m sure Twitter can feel this way as inside jokes and messages are often in the Twitter feed. But I guess any school’s staff room could feel this way as well. The thing is, Twitter might not even be a tool in existence in five years, so it is perhaps pointless singing its praises or arguing that it’s pointless. Bob Sprankle is a technology integrator, teaching grades K–4, at Wells Elementary in Wells, Maine. term, though not necessarily in the long term, to use a pen and notebook. It seems to me that whether the use of a computer is “appropriate” from an efficiency point of view depends on a range of factors: Does the data need to be stored electronically? If so, is it quicker to enter the data electronically now or to write the details now and enter them later? Should you even keep the data electronically? Clearly, the answers to these questions will differ according to circumstances. For the past six weeks, I’ve been working with 5th grade students, 120 of them, and their teachers on an Internet Safety Project, which included discussions about cyberbullying and has since morphed into conversations and instruction about proper use of images harvested from the Internet, Creative Commons, and how to determine the validity of a Web site during a research project. Terry Freedman is an IT specialist with nearly 30 years experience in education. techlearning.com Technology & Learning April 2008 | 53 http://www.techlearning.com http://techlearning.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Technology & Learning - April 2008

Technology & Learning - April 2008 Contents New @ techlearning.com Editor's Desk News and Trends Digital Age Assessment: Part 2 Anytime, Anywhere Learning Caught on Video Cover Story: Plan and Deliver Cutting Edge in Carolina Product Guide Reviews Best of the Blogs What's New LOY Profile Series

Technology & Learning - April 2008

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