As we read through the article entitled “Multi-tasking” it is clear that many of us aren’t aware of the constant bombardment of information most of us have become engaged in and how that has incrased our need to be “connected.”Mastering_Multitasking. Communication channels are growing and the question is “how do we manage it all?” My question is do we need it??? I belong to over 10 social networking sites and oftentimes the task becomes daunting as I try and figure out who gets me tonight? It has opened up so many more opportunities for me personally and as a professional but I can’t find the time. When I sit in the car (as I did for 4 hours coming home from Boston) I am wondering how I can get online to at least “catch up.” There is no idle time. It is filled with “I wonder what facebook is up to, or are the 5 conversations I am having in Ning all straight in my head and am I a contributor or only the one that “nudges” it along. I am not sure we can really communicate deeply or with meaning when the audiences and venues have increased. We are becoming a society of speaking in sound bytes!
The article talks about how much our brain can actually handle. It is clinically telling us we can only handle so much. So are we really staying in touch or just scratching the surface where conversations occur more often but not as intensely? We have been critized for teaching a curriculum that is a mile wide and inch deep. It appears our communication strategies have followed suit.
Does this have an impact on indepth analysis and the ability to actually synthesize information (Blooms)? The article outlines strategies to teach our students so we can embrace what is currently the rage and help it become manageable. But how do we teach it if we don’t use it? I can honestly say I do but can most teachers say that. And again how it is impacting teaching our students to think, be patient, and have conversations that are meaningful.
We have spent a lot of time working with our students that are ADHD. Somehow society and its communication opportunities have pulled the rug from under us! Oh well I am ranting but actually I love the social networking atmosphere. It has been great but overwhelming at best. Am I physically gardening or blogging about it, am I actually using that treadmill or joining an exercise group in second life, am I improving my diet or spending time researching new immune system fighters on the web???? I guess my archair and carpel tunnel will be the judge of that!
Has the term gotten familiar to you yet? Web 2.0 describes the way this generation behaves. Web 2.0 is people creating content socially and intuitively. Creators and consumers meet in online communities where content creation and feedback occur. Consumers become active participants, and the roles of consumers and creators overlap. Traditional publishers are no longer the sole distributors of content, and readers are no longer exclusively consumers. Rather, authors and readers engage in an active relationship.
This change has been transformative of our society and the creative process. The classroom is no longer the sole learning environment. It is not another superficial revelation. For 30 years the research has supported project based constructivist classrooms. Web 2.0 technology embodies this philosophy. Leveraging this technology for learning gives us the tools to act.
The research is now “active” – done by our clients – our kids, students, children, pupils, etc. To create content collaboratively and to distribute their work sets the stage for authentic and relevant reflection and revision. In the article
lets_talk_2.0 the authors talk to us about the current tools students are using and that they are moving ahead as they write creatively and share that work with others. They continue to tell us that this activity is occurring whether it is integrated into our classrooms or not. Our students are writers and publishers and they are experiencing success and loving it. We should embrace what they know to enhance what we want them to practice.
Writing globally will also increase their confidence as collaborators and broaden their experiences so they can tackle the data that says our students will have 15 different careers before they retire. School will be long gone and collaborative and social networking environments will provide them with the growth they need to succeed. Access is not widespread which makes it increasingly more critical that schools provide the structure for students to work within. If we want all of our students to compete on a level playing field, no matter what the vocation, we can work alongside the business model discussed in this article and parallel the current environment our students live in by leveraging technology for learning.
This article was written collaboratively using Google Docs (allowed us to share and edit the document at the same time, live) with my 28 year old son, architect, working in Boston.
There have been many articles referring to the need to have students participate, collaborate, and distribute. We have spent hours talking and teaching but it really requires a full paradigm shift to really accomplish. Think in these terms – our students need to be equipped with the tools early on to create their own content, find resources for anything they need, and research what they want to know about. I say this with a note of caution as I make sure it is well understood. Our students lack experiential learning and the wherewithall to know how to connect outside of what they see and know allday. Their world revolves around the teacher in the classroom, peers and their homelife. They are only surrounded by those factors. As research tells us students will have at least 15 jobs in their lifetimes preparing them to seek out others worldwide is critical. They need the confidence and skill to network, change careers, find opportunities that might be out of their comfort area, and to prepare for those opportunities. We are quick to deny students cellphones, ipods, and other wireless devices. In our attempts to keep schools “secure” we are stripping our students of the tools they use on a daily basis and not giving our students the opportunites to grow with these new technologies. Read the Day in the Life of a Web 2.0 Student. I am suggesting we educate, educate, educate, embrace, and embellish. We don’t want to drive our decision making by fear and the unknown.
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