Web Quest

Today we watched a video of students using a Web quest based activity to learn about the solar system. The students learned not only about the solar system but also about how to find information on the Internet and draw conclusions from that information. It was a good example of how to get students activity thinking about what they were reading rather than just putting the time in that was necessary. I think one of the most effective parts of this teacher’s class time was the small group discussion. It forced the students to find quality information online, formulate an opinion, and then defend that opinion.

Students' View of Technology

We just watched the video “A Vision of Students Today.” The college students in this video declared that what they are learning in school is not applicable to their lives or to the world today. They pointed out that there are so many needs and challenges in the world and our college education system largely ignores them. They also talked about how much of their time they spend with technology of different types, especially as compared with how much time they spend doing course work. I was left with questions after watching the video. The students declared that technology could solve all of the problems that the world faces. I was left thinking, “maybe, but you have to prove to me how?”

The video “A Vision of K-12 Students Today” shows K-12 students talking about how they would like to see technology used in the classroom. They were very clear that they use a lot of technology in their everyday lives—that it makes up a big part of who they are. They said that they wanted to be able to use technology in the classroom to learn. I felt that the biggest statement throughout the video was “We learn digitally.” The student declared that in order to really learn and to learn things that they would be able to use in the future they needed to be able to learn by doing through technology.

These two videos, while filmed in the same style were quite different. The first video focused on college students, and to me it seemed as though they were simply complaining. They did offer solutions to the problems in education or the world that they saw. I think that this is a problem, especially at that age. During college it is time for students to see problems and discover solutions rather than just complain. Furthermore, they did not offer suggestions or facts of how technology helped them learn or how it helped. On the other hand, the K-12 students at least offered suggestions of how they could learn through technology.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is the social networking aspect of the Internet. The Internet has become a means of communication and connection, across the whole world. The communication stems more from the ability to communicate across continents and oceans instantly than from what people often think of as social networking websites. Web 2.0 is a description for the ability to share information and collaborate over the Internet. It has changed our lives and how we function. In the realm of education, it has opened up amazing opportunities for educators to collaborate, share ideas, and learn from each other. Students benefit when their teachers take these opportunities. Students can also benefit by interacting with people from other experiences and cultures. Educators should continue to look for ways to incorporate Web 2.0 in their careers and classrooms.