*Note: The following posts are part of my coursework in National Louis' TIE 542 class.
What is the value of Internet resources for education? The answer depends on who is collecting the resources and what they will be used for. Internet resources allow students to not only learn at their own pace, but to learn on a level that may produce success. These resources are not limited to school walls or school hours. They may be accessed at a time when the learner is more apt to retain the information. Not all students perform their best work in front of peers or during the school day. Internet resources allow them the time to learn when and where they feel most comfortable and to revisit information in a non-threatening setting. In the case of students similar to my own it allows them a chance to explore settings and cultures that they may never experience in their lifetime.
Not all Internet resources are created equally, however. All too often I see educators find websites (not necessarily resources) and plop their kids down in front of the computer. I see these experiences as very limiting. In a sense the Internet is being used as a virtual babysitter. What I would like to see more of is teachers teaching students how to evaluate and locate quality resources, above and beyond a simple “Google” search. I would like teachers to take time to look for resources that will truly benefit their students and their curriculum; not a game or music site to keep them busy. As a Lead Technology Teacher this is something that I should be more educated in. I should be able to teach my teachers how to locate valuable resources (and pass this knowledge on to students) as well as provide them with resources of value.
I have begun to do this through the creation of my “Wednesday Web” resource list for my faculty. Each week I provide a list of web resources for educators centered on a specific theme (posted in the Staff Area of First Class). After telling some friends about this resource I decided to move it to my personal website for people to access outside of First Class. I’m proud to say that I never repeated a topic last year. The list can be found here: http://nicolezumpano.com/wednesdayweb.php
Now….just because I’ve posted these resources doesn’t mean they are being used. I had a few loyal teachers who would read them on a regular basis, but I think overall the exposure was somewhat limited due to the fact that not everyone was comfortable accessing First Class. This year I plan to post the links in blog format. With any luck I may have teachers share additional resources that they have found useful, with hopes of enhancing education for students outside of my school walls as well as in.
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Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, your site totally derailed me when I clicked on the new release from Sony- it was hilarious!
I too think that a lot of what kids do on the computer is used for virtual babysitting. I’m not pointing fingers though, I myself find it really hard to determine exactly what internet tools are useful and which are a waste of time. I also find that, just like anything else, some students will work hard to achieve the goal of using a technological tool (such as an internet site) while other kids will barely think about the tool before they start meandering off task and searching for games.
I'm surprised that there haven’t been more advancements in creating educationally rich content for students online. It truly is an untapped market that all of us receiving this degree should pay close attention to. We could make a lot of money if we could design better technologically enhanced learning environments for school districts! Because of the scarcity (or high cost) of technologically enhanced learning resources, I would like to also see an organization such as ISTE create and recommend useful technologically enhanced lessons for K-12 students. It would be helpful if they could lend a “stamp of approval” for sites that they deem worthwhile in education. There needs to be an industry leader (which probably would not be the government) that can help shape and innovate this area of learning and teaching.
Thanks for the post,
Mandy