Class 9 Readings (3/20/08)

Teaching Today

This was basically a web search engine. I have very little to say about this article. I think that Google is still better then the search results provided by this search engine.

Class 8 Readings (3/6/08)

When the BOOK? When the Net?

The primary aspect of this article was to explore the ways of searching online information and the terms used to find more specific information on a given topic. The article was written by a person that obviously dose little computer work and even less online resource hunting.

Using Technology to Enhance Literacy Instruction

This article is about finding way to use technology in the class room to help enhance education. They also go over different ideas and uses of programs and conventional teaching strategies and help to find ways that it can be implemented into the classroom. The article also touches on the idea that technology in the classroom can be a hindrance if not used productively.

Class 7 Readings (2/25/08)

Technology: A Catalyst for Teaching and Learning in the Classroom

The fact is that we use technology everyday in our lives. With out it, we are lost. Everything from banking, right down to buying groceries at the supermarket uses a computer to calculate the transaction. The world we know revolves around some form of modern technology, except one, education. The big question is why not education. Well, the first thing we must consider is that education is a very large idea, covering many different areas. As advanced as technology is, we still have not been able to replace teacher intuition with computer fuzzy logic. We are starting to use it as a resource but even that is slow.

Integrating Technology into the Classroom using Classroom Instruction
that Works

This article provided a great amount of online resources and links. This was more of simply a resource guide than anything else. It also provided different ideas for the implementing of web and tech based ideas and resources into the lesions and classroom.

Class 6 Readings (2/21/08)

Copy and Paste Literacy: Literacy practices in the production of a MySpace profile

From what I understand of this article, the idea of cutting a pasting means that we have become very repetitive in our social interaction and that we are cutting and pasting the same information about ourselves to each other. The literacy of technology is making it that our identifications are not changing and nether are we; it has come to us being totally unique. It has also given us the ability to cut and past things that we think serve to represent our personality.

Perils and Pitfalls of Wikipedia

This article is very much related to the “what’s new” blog I recently posted. This article talks about the fact that things like My space give us the opportunity to express our selves, but it can cost a lot on our reputation. Web sites like this must be monitored and parents must be held accountable for there children. Sites like this have the ability to make or break a person without them even knowing what has happened.

Class 5 Readings (2/11/08)

Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the
21st Century

It is funny, this article has the intent to show us that the world is different and that we must accommodate the youth of today for some reason. It is the fact that with a change in technology, comes a change in society. However, I think that change will come naturally as they need too. We face a problem with the way that children are being raised and that is, we are teaching kids that if something is broken, someone else will fix it. We are making it the standard that kids will be accommodated, and that they have no work to do in there own development. I think that this PP shows exactly that, we must accommodate and they must do nothing.

Class 4 Readings (2/7/08)

Rise of the Participation Culture

Well, the one thing I can say about this PowerPoint is that it was really long and terribly redundant. I also finally figured out that it was talking about an advertising business and that the whole thing was an ad for the company. The one thing that I will give it is that if you have been living in a cave (even a virtual one), then is great information and give great detail on some of the ideas of web 2.0.

Review: Meet me at the Xbox Arcade

This article is the one I chose for gaming technology. This is funny because I remember arcades, the idea that one could go and put money in a game and play it. Then we have today, were the whole arcade is at home in a little box connected to the TV. But, Sony has the idea to introduce a new and yet old concept of the arcade. This time you are still at home, but with things like Xbox Live, you are joined with other gamer allover the world.

Class 3 Readings (1/30/08)

What Is Web 2.0

This article gives a great overview of the differences in web 1.0 and web 2.0. This article was very simply laid out and provides the most basic ability for any one to understand differences.

The New Wisdom of the Web

This was an article mostly on my space, but I gather the primary purpose of these types of web sites is so that people may keep in touch with each other. I on the other hand see these types of web sites and nothing more then internet graffiti. It has become a place for kids to say anything the want with out fear of reprisal. I feel that these web sites do nothing more then give them another median for them to create there own propaganda. On the flip side, in the right hands it can also be the greatest tool for friends and relatives to keep in touch worlds apart.

Social Bookmarking
This article is about the uses of “social bookmaking” or make a web page of web page links. This would be something that is useful in a mass media environment, not something that I would recommend for the average individual that is sharing a few links with there friends. This would be a great idea for teacher and alike.