These days
technology is everywhere. Without it,
most of us would be lost. I, for one,
feel incredibly out of sync on those rare occasions that I forget to put my
smart phone in my purse.
Let’s start
at the beginning. I watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUs7iG1mNjI&feature=player_embedded. Basically, Katie Couric, Bryant Gumbel, and
another “Today Show” host are discussing the brand new idea of the
internet. It cracks me up to hear Katie
Couric say “Allison, can you explain what the internet is?” Of course, back then it was new and people
didn’t rely on it the way we do today.
Now, for most, it is the main source of communication. It is the reason we can get more things done
in an 8 hour shift today than in 2 work weeks in the early 90’s. The world is quite literally at our
fingertips. So what does this have to do
with education? Everything.
Rosen and
Nelson mention in their article, “Web 2.0:
A New Generation of Learners and Education,” the idea of digital natives
and digital immigrants. Those of us, myself
included, who did not grow up fully immersed in the internet and technology we
have today are the digital immigrants.
So, those who did are digital natives.
Elementary school for me was quite different from what it is today. Many times a picture in a textbook would be
as interactive as it got. If we were
lucky, a VHS documentary would be shown occasionally. What a difference from what is available
today! Classrooms can now Skype with
other classes from around the world or have in-depth discussions with
authors. The possibility of interactive textbooks
is real and right around the corner! What’s
more is that students, digital natives, are coming to school already “loaded”
with working knowledge of how to use the tech that is available. Check out this very short write-up about an
interactive desk: http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/18/classrooms-of-the-future-to-have-multitouch-desks-probably-a-fe/. What will be next?!
I recently acquired a new term-Web 2.0. Many of you will know what this is, but for
those who do not, let me explain. “Web 2.0 is the next phase of
Internet usage. The first phase, Web
1.0, focused on presenting information. The next phase, Web 2.0, enables
both presentation and participation.”(Rosen & Nelson) In their article titled “Web 2.0: A New Generation of Learners and Education,”
Dina Rosen and Charles Nelson state that “two key characteristics of
collaborative technologies prominent in the Web 2.0 revolution are ease of use
and social sharing.” This sums up much
of the general population’s internet use, right? Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Diigo, Instagram,Tumblr…it’s
all relative.
Educators have to be cautious about assuming that all of
their students have internet access, though.
Technology costs money and many times students don’t come from families
that can afford things like computers and a monthly internet bill. When incorporating the use of the internet
into your classroom, you will need to take an inventory of your students
first. Who has access to a
computer/internet outside of the classroom?
How much in-class time will you allow?
What will you do to accommodate everyone’s needs? Your answers to these questions are crucial
to the success of utilizing technology.
Not only that, but there are some rules you should have in place too for
internet usage. For example, citing your
work and choosing reliable sources. No,
not everything you read on the internet is true.
Web 2.0 fits nicely into the concept of UDL (universal
design for learning). For students with
disabilities, computers and the internet are just another option to create
access to learning. For those with
significant obstacles, touch screen devices can be beneficial. For students with processing disorders, it
can be helpful to wear headphones and have things read to them as well as see
them on a screen. The internet really
creates another dimension to learning.
With that said, we (special educators) do not want to create a full
dependency on technology. It’s great and
really useful, but the more a student can do on their own, the better. Like I said earlier, not everyone has access
to technology at home. So, when a
student leaves your classroom for the day they should be able to get along
without it, granted it isn’t a necessity for them to have at home. They should know that if all of the computers
are taken at the library, it is okay to find some old-school encyclopedias to
help with research.
References
Dina Rosen & Charles Nelson (2008) Web 2.0: A New Generation of Learners and Education, Computers
in the Schools, 25:3-4, 211-225, DOI:10.1080/07380560802370997
Flatley. J.L. (2008 Sept 18). Engadget. Classroom future to have multitouch desks. probably a few
terminators. http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/18/classrooms-of-the-future-to-have-
multitouch-desks-probably-a-fe/
VortexTech. (2008 Jan 8). 1994: "Today": "What is the internet anyway?" [Video File]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUs7iG1mNjI#t=56
