Last night we had our first synchronous discussion. Wow! I have to say that I wish I had the guts Gerald and Whitney have. They did a great job leading the discussions. I missed the wrap up at the end. The kids were fighting and screaming. I think my husband was hiding somewhere else! :) They're fine by the way- just looking at each other wrong. Ugh!
I just wanted to comment on Wimba. I felt a bit overwhelmed at the beginning. I wasn't sure how to use it. As more poeple came on, it became a little confusing and I was glad that Gerald switched to text only. The talk function was a little jarring and distracting. Voices were delayed and we didn't know who was talking. I don't think it's a tool I could see myself using in the future.
However, once again, great job to the presenters!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
March 15, 2010
Well I thought about the article from my last post quite a bit and I have come to realize that I don't like the idea at all. The cost can be staggering when you count the number of buses and the monthly access fees. I don't think it's a good idea to let kids roam free on the internet without adult supervision. I think that it is unfair to provide this extra study time to students who can afford to buy laptops and net books and leave those without the means to sit without it. I think that would build resentment and cause other troubles.
I also just finished my asynchronous discussion on using socail networking sites in the classroom. The general consensus was that it is not a great idea. People in my class tended to think that there were more issues that positives with using them in the classroom. Of course, we touched on the need to keep students from accessing other pages within Facebook. The biggest issue though, seemed to be the teacher/student relationship boundaries. I hadn't really given much thought to that angle before the discussion. That really made me see that social networking sites do not have a firm place in education, unless it is in higher education, where all parties involved are mature enough to use the site correctly. Working with kindergarteners has kept me from thinking about those types of issues, but they are very important to consider when working with teens. I think that there are other types of sites more appropriate for classroom use.
Have a great week everyone. Are you seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet? Still not very bright over here. :)
I also just finished my asynchronous discussion on using socail networking sites in the classroom. The general consensus was that it is not a great idea. People in my class tended to think that there were more issues that positives with using them in the classroom. Of course, we touched on the need to keep students from accessing other pages within Facebook. The biggest issue though, seemed to be the teacher/student relationship boundaries. I hadn't really given much thought to that angle before the discussion. That really made me see that social networking sites do not have a firm place in education, unless it is in higher education, where all parties involved are mature enough to use the site correctly. Working with kindergarteners has kept me from thinking about those types of issues, but they are very important to consider when working with teens. I think that there are other types of sites more appropriate for classroom use.
Have a great week everyone. Are you seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet? Still not very bright over here. :)
Monday, March 1, 2010
March 1, 2010
I just turned in my website design!!!!! Be still my butterflies!!! I hope it looks ok to Dr. Ingram. I can't wait to neve read another word about butterflies!!!!
So I saw an interesting news item today. A school district in Vail Arizona installed wi-fi on its school buses to create a rolling studyhall. It is commonplace there for students to take long bis rides and they often became rowdy and violent. The bus drivers are saying that they wifi has improved the students' behavior. They stated that the boxes cost 200 and monthy service ran 60.
I thought the idea of the "rolling studyhall" was a good one on the surface. I thought. "hmmm...interesting...." but as I fixed dinner and thought about it more, I found issues with it.
1. cost. 200 per bus and approximately 600 per year per bus in service fees. That's 800 per bus per school year. How many buses in this disctrict? It seems like a lot of money as an extra.
2. monitoring. How will the students be monitored? How do parents/teachers/admins know what is being viewed? Certainly the driver can't monitor. Even with parental controls and such, things get through. Are we letting busloads of students run free and unmonitored on the web?
3. have v. havenot. We have discussed again and again about students who don't have access at home to computers and technology. Are those studenst being left even further behind? Are they on this bus without a laptop or smart phone or other device? Are they even more excluded? But on the other hand, if there are computers available- is this giving them more time to have access if they don't have it at home?
I am still not totally sure how I feel about it. I keep thinking more as I process it further. Any thoughts from anyone else??
Take care and have a good day!!!
So I saw an interesting news item today. A school district in Vail Arizona installed wi-fi on its school buses to create a rolling studyhall. It is commonplace there for students to take long bis rides and they often became rowdy and violent. The bus drivers are saying that they wifi has improved the students' behavior. They stated that the boxes cost 200 and monthy service ran 60.
I thought the idea of the "rolling studyhall" was a good one on the surface. I thought. "hmmm...interesting...." but as I fixed dinner and thought about it more, I found issues with it.
1. cost. 200 per bus and approximately 600 per year per bus in service fees. That's 800 per bus per school year. How many buses in this disctrict? It seems like a lot of money as an extra.
2. monitoring. How will the students be monitored? How do parents/teachers/admins know what is being viewed? Certainly the driver can't monitor. Even with parental controls and such, things get through. Are we letting busloads of students run free and unmonitored on the web?
3. have v. havenot. We have discussed again and again about students who don't have access at home to computers and technology. Are those studenst being left even further behind? Are they on this bus without a laptop or smart phone or other device? Are they even more excluded? But on the other hand, if there are computers available- is this giving them more time to have access if they don't have it at home?
I am still not totally sure how I feel about it. I keep thinking more as I process it further. Any thoughts from anyone else??
Take care and have a good day!!!
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