I am commenting on the article entitled "Students Learn Cyber Skills At a No-Tech School.

This article describes the Cyber Civic Program of Journey School in Aliso Viejo, California.  This school decided to implement the Waldorf approach in the school implementing more hands-on and art based activities instead of using technology with the students.  Children do not get to use technology until they reach 6th grade when they also have cyber civic program.  Students learn acceptable and ethical behavior while using technology.  Eventually, they also learn to use technology for research purposes as well as how to properly cite for sources.  These are all part of their Digital Citizenship and research literacy program.  One benefit of the program is the lack of cyber bullying and sexting problems at Journey School.

Questions to think about:


1.  What do students need to learn before letting them use technology and internet in the classroom?

2.  What skills do we need to teach our students on how to use technology for research purposes?

3.  Do you agree children as young as kinder should be permitted to use technology in the school?

4.  Do you think that every school district should have a cyber civic program that clearly defines the skills students need to learn while using technology?


I think that a lot of educators put too much emphasis on the use of technology in the classroom.  We need to strike a balance.  Like I said in my previous blog, educational apps and technology are additional tools in teaching and learning, but this should not replace the explicit and thorough teaching of skills by our teachers.  Also, aside from using technology, we should also teach our students on other life skills such as home economics, carpentry, auto mechanics to our students.  And before letting students navigate into the internet and using technology, they should undergo a cyber civic program similar to what Journey School has so students know how to properly use technology and the ethical behavior while in the web.

PART I.

What are your feelings on using Web 2.0 applications in your classroom or in your own teaching?

I love using Web 2.0 applications in my classroom because I see the benefits of using them.  Some of which are as follows:

o   Web 2.0 tools/apps provide excellent ways to introduce a new concept such as you tube videos, or power point presentation from slide share

o   It provides some creative/exciting extension or culminating activities for concepts learned in the classroom.

o   It facilitates in creating Project-based learning which is gaining popularity among educators.

o   Web 2.0 tools are effective for flipping classrooms

o   Allows students to collaborate with peers on many interactive/creative tasks.

o   Allows students to be creators/makers that just passive listeners or memorizers.

o   Most of these tools are even free and no installation necessary.

 Are there pitfalls to relying on Web 2.0 applications?

There are a few challenges in implementing Web 2.0 tools. Some factors that could affect its performance are bandwidth and dependable wifi access. And sometimes, technology just doesn’t function as expected.  Teachers should be knowledgeable about the tools so they can give assistance to students when they encounter challenges using web 2.0 tools.


DO YOU TRUST WEB 2.0 APPLICATIONS?

I believe that they can be powerful tools that teachers can use in the classroom.  But I also believe that web 2.0 tools/apps do not replace the explicit and thorough teaching of concepts in the classroom.  They are just additional tools to supplement teacher’s instruction and to allow students to apply their learning.

Teachers should also anticipate challenges in using web 2.0 application as mentioned above.  So we should always have a back-up plan in case something unexpected such as internet connectivity problems or technology issue arise.

These apps tend to be free so should we look into this kind of solution before looking to purchase a product?

Yes, we should try to consider if any of these tools can meet our requirements before purchasing products.  This would save the school a lot of money which can be allocated for other purposes.

PART II 

WHICH LEAP TOWARDS A SEMANTIC WEB DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST SIMPLE? MOST DIFFICULT?

I think it is the intelligent tagging.  This will be very useful for students who are doing research because it can lessen the time you spend searching for websites that gives you the information you really needed.  It weeds out for you information that are not necessary for your research. 

On the personal side, this can also be helpful when you do shopping on line.  Web 3.0 has the ability to record your preferences and makes it easy for you to look for items later.  It is like a having a personal assistant.

WHICH LEAP TOWARDS A SEMANTIC WEB DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST DIFFICULT?

From my reading, I also understand that this would only work on information that are in the web.  For example, any primary sources such as diaries or personal account that are not in the web yet will not be included in this intelligent tagging.

Also, there are a lot of information that need to be organized and people/agencies/institutions with mutual interest on any topic will have to decide on the tag to be used for that particular topic.

WHAT CAUSES OF CONCERNS DOES THIS BRING UP FOR YOU?

One concern I may have with Web 3.0 is it might record too much personal information I am willing to share online. As mentioned above, Web 3.0 records more personal information such as your preferences and other activities online. This could make me more vulnerable to hackers, telemarketers, etc. 

Another concern is that will our present computer works with Web 3.0 or do we need to invest in new computers to accommodate this?

SOMETHING INTERESTING I FELT WHEN READING THE SECTION OF EDUCATION 3.0 AND KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION IS WHAT I’VE HEARD CALLED THE “LIBRARY FALLACY” THAT TO EARN YOUR GRADE YOU MUST GO TO A LIBRARY AND DO THE RESEARCH – DO YOU THINK ANYTHING IS LOST HERE IF ALL THE INFORMATION IS AGGREGATED FOR A STUDENT INSTEAD OF COMPILING ALL THE RESOURCES THEMSELVES?

Most students use online resources to do research now and most encyclopedia has online version now, so personally I don’t have any issue on students using the internet to gather information for their research.  Web 3.0 will definitely save students a lot of time as searching for information will be more streamlined and more direct.  Less time will be used to sift through the information available on the internet.  More time can be directed in putting together their report and making it their own.

 PART III

TitanPad

Is a tool similar to google docs which allows many users to collaborate, in writing, reviewing and revising one document.  One main difference though is that TitanPad does it in real time.  Two or more people can be in different computers and places and prepare a document at the same time.  Users are assigned a color so any input or changes they make in the document will be highlighted in the color assigned to them so confusion are avoided.  TitanPad also has a chat box which allows users to chat in real time as well.  It is free and no e-mail necessary.  Other strengths are as follows:

1  You don't have to create an account

2  Very easy to use; you simply open the site, create a pad, and a link is generated that can be sent to invite others to a pad

3  Text can be imported in

4  Text can also be exported as HTML, plain text, and even as a Word document

5  Many features available in document software such as Word are available on TitanPad (bold, italic, spacing, etc)

6  There is infinite undo

7  You can zoom into the document without affecting others' views

8  You can increase the page size

9  You can go back in the history to see what was typed if something was deleted

One word of caution though, if no work or revision is made, TitanPad will only keep your file for two weeks after your last revision.