Using New Technologies

For this particular assignment, I chose to interview a High School Science teacher.  Although she did not speak of specific Web 2.0 websites, she did answer the questions regarding the sites she uses in her classroom.  After being posed the question about how she decides which tools to use with her students, she responded that she first considers if she is going to show the tool or have them explore it on their own.  She stated that it depended on her expected learning outcomes.  If she wanted to share a movie, she would show it herself.  If she wanted them to create something, she would let them explore the available tools.  If she has certain websites in mind for the students to use, she will navigate them herself and look for ads and links of questionable material.  She stated that, “As common as something like The Weather Channel is, they have some iffy ads and some distracting video.”  She also rules out anything that requires a login.  “If I can’t control the situation, or make the username/password myself, it’s not safe.  Even if the site is free, I don’t want students’ names, information, etc. being logged into a site.” 

When posed the question regarding the obstacles needed to be overcome to obtain permission to do a project, she responded that “sometimes teaching the student how to use the site is half the battle.  I liken it to PowerPoint; a student might have wonderful ideas, but if they can’t figure out how to insert a picture, his or her presentation won’t come out the same.   Same for a website; if they cannot effectively navigate to find links, citations, searches, etc., it will be a frustrating experience.”  She also mentioned technical glitches.  There is always going to be some error, the site down, incompatible patches, etc.  “I think you can plan for a website-project not working at all, but you can’t plan for every error.  So I just jump into things hoping that they work, and troubleshoot any tech glitches as they come.”

Lastly, when asked to give advice to a teacher seeking to replicate her efforts, she claims, “Just go for it.  If it goes horribly wrong, learn from it.”  She notes that if students hated it, as them why; ask them if they know of a better site.  For example, “I use a lot of websites to compare sizes of things on a logarithmic scale.  One day the site was being glitchy for all, so we as a class did a Google search for a new site and found lots of new ways to see the same material be compared for size.”  This was a great learning experience for all and a great way to model how to react when things do not go as planned.

I believe this teacher showcased many of the proper actions that I have been observing in the discussion board regarding evaluating new websites.  She also mentioned a great point that I overlooked concerning login information.  It is very important that students not divulge personal information when logging into an unknown website.  I also agree on first determining the purpose of the assignment.  If you want your students to create something, it is a great idea to provide them with tools to use (after previewing), so they can explore and choose for themselves.  She also did a great job with modeling what to do if there is a glitch in technology.  It is important for teachers as well as students to know how to proceed if there are technological difficulties so crucial instructional time is not lost.