12/8/11
I believe in today’s educational world, it is the teacher’s responsibility to educate the students so they are able to explore the necessary primary sources that are age appropriate. Depending on the grade level, children need to learn the correct skills to analyze and interpret online information. I strongly believe that teachers need to begin this digital journey at the elementary level so the children will be prepared for their future. Introducing simple online activities at the early age and building upon them will help students grow and strengthen their skills for more complex activities in the future.
I believe in today’s educational world, it is the teacher’s responsibility to educate the students so they are able to explore the necessary primary sources that are age appropriate. Depending on the grade level, children need to learn the correct skills to analyze and interpret online information. I strongly believe that teachers need to begin this digital journey at the elementary level so the children will be prepared for their future. Introducing simple online activities at the early age and building upon them will help students grow and strengthen their skills for more complex activities in the future.
Social networking….hmmm….I have a hard time answering this question. My opinion may be different from many others. When I think of social networking and I think of my current class of first graders, I am like “Whoa”…way to early. Even upper elementary I feel is way too early to educate how to use social networks. I completely understand that our world is a “Digital World” and our students need to learn these skills and be able to communicate and navigate on the internet. In addition, I am very apprehensive of young children entering the world of social networking because of all the negative “issues” or “actions” that have surfaced. I personally, do not have a ton of trust in the “digital” world, but this is just my personal issue. On the flip side, I am able to look past these issues at times and I understand that children need to learn to use a variety of path ways to navigate and utilize the web. Our children of the future also need to develop critical, creative, and systematic thinking and reasoning skills. Students have access to immediate online information 24/7, and must be able to determine what is accurate, useful and essential in their learning (Richardson, 2010). To go along with this, I do feel it is the educator’s responsibility to teach students how to use social networks effectively and safely. I am just unsure of when the “right” time may be.
I agree with the need for increased online literacy in our schools. Students in the 21st century will be required to be web literate in almost any occupation they choose so the earlier we begin this process, the better. I personally take with the blocking of sites that schools deem inappropriate. Schools seem to be terrified that they will be sued or receive negative press if students are using technology inappropriately in the classroom. Although this may be true, the answer is not to simply block inappropriate material. First of all the students know how to get around blocked sites better than we think they do. Second, by blocking we eliminate the ability to take advantage of numerous sources of information. In the school where this class is held, I am not able to check my blog on a mobile device, making my job as a student more difficult and my options more limited. Schools should be careful to consider what they are limiting before blocking sites deemed inappropriate.
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