Blog A

After I watched the videos and read the article my thoughts on web 2.0, technology, and how students use it have changed. I used to think that most of the Internet was not for students because of all the false work that can be presented on websites. I think the reason my mind was thinking that way was because all of my teachers have always told me the Internet was bad. There are still websites out there that could potentially be dangerous for those who enter them but a lot of the Internet is useful for many. These various videos gave me a different perspective into the world of Internet and Web 2.0.
The first video was one of my favorites. The way it started out I was unsure what the purpose of the video was supposed to be. My theory on the meaning is there is a right time and place for a laptop. There is no reason for students to bring computers to a big lecture because your hand works just as good to take notes. The part in the end about chalkboards and how they still work was very powerful. I am a visual learner myself and I do believe that teaching from a white/chalkboard can sometimes be more effective than on the Internet. More and more teachers are using the Internet as a textbook or ways for their students to learn. I think it is a good idea to use websites to get information but having a textbook is also important especially in subjects like history, sciences, psychology and English. Yes it is cheaper to use the free Internet, but you can also run in to problems with false information.
The next video entitled The Machine is Us was different that the first one. This video said that the Internet is starting to define all of us in a way that could or could not be healthy. In my opinion, the purpose of this video was to show how easy it is for someone to enter a website such as Wikipedia and change a bunch of true facts about a subject. By simply changing an adjective or noun it could change the whole meaning of a subject. This also takes away direct contact within people. Instead of doing a face-to-face interview someone may do an online interview. This takes away the human contact people need. The Machine is Us was saying that the Internet is a good place to do research, but it is changing so much that we need to be careful when we believe everything.
The third video was the most informative for me. The part about cell phones was intriguing. I would love to use that in my classroom if I ever taught older kids. Students do use their cell phones a lot. When teachers make their students transform into their way of teaching, the teachers should also let the students do an activity with up to date technology. I think it is great when students listen to music while doing some work; some students need that rhythm to be able to do work. Technology is so rich right now and teachers should be taking advantage of the fact that students know a lot about technology itself.
The other two video/articles were interesting but didn’t catch my eye as much as the other ones. I like the fact that we are learning through a web 2.0 perspective and learning all about the new ways of the Internet! I am very excited to learn all about the new ways and learn how to incorporate it into my own classroom someday!