Jamie McKenzie http://www.fno.org/grazing1.html
Is the future here? If yes, how is that the case (site examples)? If not, why not?
Absolutely, the future according to McKenzie is here. There are so many amazing sites to gain information from but we haven’t kept up with the future. Unfortunately some of us have actually dug our heels in and refused to go into the future. Our students are running along ahead and it is like we have just sat back in a sense and hoped that if we don’t look and we tell them not to go there – they won’t. Well it is time to open our eyes – they are there and unfortunately, without any guidance from us. Those students who have not had the opportunity to explore the future are at an extreme disadvantage globally and those that have dived in can be exposed to considerable danger.
I have gained some important information and ideas around the use of the WWW through these classes. As well, websites such as Media Awareness http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/index.cfm have helped me visualize what the use of technology in the classroom should look like and now I have an idea how to get there – but now the frustration starts when I start to discuss this with others. Some educators still refuse to believe that technology neeeds consideration and feel that students can get along just fine without it. David Thornburg says it is more important now than ever that we become involved in what our students are doing on the internet. It will be difficult to convince some that they need to get on board.
What do you think about his ideas?
I believe that we do need to start raising “Free Range” students or we will clearly suffer from what McKenzie refers to as info-hell.
How far away or close to this idea are we, in 2008?
I am optomistic that many of us are moving in the right direction and hopefully because of this others will be drug along. We may be further away from this idea than we would like. My concern is that the future is coming faster than we might think. I think that we will have to use the resources of the WWW to come up with ideas collaboratively to deal with issues that concern the safety of our students. It is not a time for a whole lot of individual work. We need to interact with others (students included) to make sure that we meet the future head-on rather than running behind.
I am on a bit of a rant!! Guess this must bother me. :-)
About Me
- Angela Clement
- I am the newly appointed principal of Val Marie School. My husband and I live on a ranch with our two teenage children. The oldest is 17. The youngest is 14. They both play hockey. We travel hundreds of miles taking them to games during the winter. I am presently taking the last class towards a Masters in Education specializing in Infomation Technology from Memorial University. Along with my administrative duties this year, I will be introducing distance education to the students in our school. This is necessary to provide the programming students require to persue education or employment after secondary school. Our school plans to deliver some distance education courses to other schools next year. The topic of social software interests me because of its potential to provide a way for distance education students to become a part of a learning community. I believe interaction of all types are very important for successful learning in distance education courses.
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