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. :)