Technology has changed this election and the way we seek information.

I was unable to watch the live coverage of the Republican and Democratic nomination acceptance speeches on television. In the past, I would be out of luck and would only be able to watch small parts of the speeches on the news or read about it in the newspaper. But not today! Never before has there been so much access to information when I wanted the information. I was able to watch the speeches on youtube.
After watching the speeches I was able to look further into what the Obama and McCain had said.

After the Vice Presidents were announced, I thought, "Who the heck is Biden? Who the heck is Palin? What do they stand for?" Technology helped me to learn more about Biden and Palin when I wanted to know. I looked both of them up on Wikipedia and viewed their official websites.

Technology has also helped people who were often ignored get their message out to the public. I had heard mentioned that both nomination parties had protesters, but I never had a chance to see or hear them. I was able to view footage of the protesters on youtube! and a photo essay of protesters at the Republican convention.

Technology has helped us become in charge of our learning. We no longer have to rely on sources to tell us what we should know. Technology has also given a voice to those who did not have one, allowing people to create their own content on youtube, blogs, wikipedia, and all over the web.

Photo by Chis Darling.

Are We Teaching Them?

What an interesting video! We not only need to prepare our students for a future infused with technology, but we also need to prepare our teachers to effectively use technology in the classroom.

The Ideal Classroom Environment

Creating the ideal classroom was a chance for us to design a classroom environment with technology in mind. Based on our students’ needs and interests, we created two units, a classroom map, a budget, and explanations of our decisions. Our final product was presented using a website.

The process of creating the classroom was interesting. My partner and I never met outside of class; all of our communication took place with the use of technology. We used Facebook, email, googledocs, and googlepages. We even created the final product at separate times using a shared gmail account. Creating the different parts of the project was a rewarding process because I got to learn about different aspects of education that students usually do not learn in school.

While doing this project, I realized how many great products are available to make the classroom a better learning environment. Also, I learned to put technology at the top of the list when planning lessons. Getting practice during this project will help me to make it a habit. Eventually, using technology with education on a daily basis will become second nature. Also, creating this classroom has started to get me thinking about using technology in more creative ways that I previously had.

Learner 2.0 Myspace Generation

In my Computer Applications Class, we listened to a Webinar by Chris O' Neal called Learner 2.0 Myspace Generation, hosted by ISTE. In the webinar, he emphasized how great social networking is for students and their educational futures. When students engage in social networking, they are also engaging in 21st century skills such as, "writing, creating, producing, collaborating, communication, reading, decision making, and socializing".

The Learner 2.0 Myspace Generation will have huge implications on what I teach and the way. As educators, we need to find ways to incorporate new technology into the classroom to help students develop their 21st century skills. We need to find ways to keep up with technology and our students. Technology is not something that can be incorporated if there is time, it has to be incorporated. Lessons will be taught and completed by students in ways that we haven't even dreamed of yet. It means that I need to stay current on technological and educational advances. I will need to think of ways to incorporate them into my classroom.

Having students use googledocs or wikis to complete a group project is one way to incorporate the use of technology in the classroom. Students will still accomplish the same tasks, but be able to do it an a technological environment. Students will have a chance to observe the writing process from a different point a view. It would also be beneficial to have students post their writings on-line and make corrections based on comments they receive. How exciting would it be for students to get comments on their papers from other students in another country?

Another way to incorporate the Myspace Generation skills into education is to have students complete assignments that are entirely technology based. Students would only use pencil and paper in the beginning process, if at all. Students could create podcasts or videos for final assignments. These works could then be shared on-line with other students or their friends. Do you think students would put more effort into a project if they knew it would be posted on-line for the world to see?