Nothing earth-shattering here, but I thought this was an interesting article that posed questions about social networking and on-line instruction. I think that the newest trends and all of the "bells and whistles" that technology puts at our fingertips provide creative options for presentation, but I also think we have to acknowledge that it's not technology that drives education, it's simply finding the best way to help our students achieve the learning outcomes for the course.
When Social Media is Irrelevant
Good point. Technology can motivate students, and that can be enough--of course, many things can motivate students. But, it's not always that simple.
ReplyDeletetotally agreed, but at the same time, i think technology has opened up a floodgate of different ways to connect with students. granted, we do have a lot of bells and whistles, but i think that's mostly due to the most useful and appealing software coming out almost exclusively from private companies. by comparison, a lot of education software doesn't seem as fleshed out or practical.
ReplyDeletei used to teach for kaplan (for almost 8 years actually), and their integration of online resources and interaction with students is phenomenal compared to what most teachers have today. it's unfortunate that the "regular" teachers simply don't have the same kind of investment and support.
overall, i think the trick is to getting teachers to develop ideas and publish them. yet, it doesn't surprise me that the people who could actually write compelling education software aren't typically interested in public education. i that a lot of times, we approach technology and education from the wrong direction. we shouldn't be figuring out how to fit popular tech into our classrooms. As educators, we need to be making our own "Facebook" and "Twitter" to really take advantage of tech's potential.
ICON is a great example of using technology to advance student learning. it's an idea rooted with the best of intents and under constant academic scrutiny. but at the same time, if you look at where it's limitations are, it's almost exclusively in the technology. the interface, appearance, and deployment are continual targets for student complaints. but again, compared to private industries, ICON just can't create and deploy meaningful "bells and whistles" without access to financial and human resources.
-merk