I thought that chapter 5 was one of the most important chapters for the class. I helped to teach us how to teach our students about technology and digital citizenship. We live in a world today where when most students are in front of a computer or a tablet they will know how to turn it on, play a game or even search the web. However, we cannot be sure that they know how to use these tools in the best and most appropriate way. I found particular interest in the "Evaluating Online Information" section because this is something I personally as a student had difficulty with. There are so many new websites being added everyday along with blogs being added to every minute. I can type and publish anything here but what makes anything I say creditable? We must teach our students why we use different websites. Some sites are for entertainment only and we can only take the information as that, entertainment. Other, more creditable, websites can be used when we do research or just looking to expand our knowledge on a topic.
Another important thing to introduce in the classroom is the responsibility of digital citizens. One quote that really stood out to me was "rules do not teach students what is appropriate and why, and instead of simply define the uses that are restricted in the school setting" (Page 117) I know I for one was told in school what sites we were not allowed on (i.e. Facebook) and would try different ways on how to get to it. In my opinion rules are meant to be broken. If a school or teacher uses a optimistic approach and demonstrates and explains how the computers are supposed to be used it will produce a much more positive effect. We also must break the trend of using technology for plagiarizing and cheating.
In Chapter 6 one thing that I found extremely interesting was the different types of educational websites that teachers can use as resources. There are lesson plan websites, student-to-expert communication websites, real-time recorded data websites, archival and primary source websites, skills practice websites, and exploration and discovery websites. The textbook gave a URL and brief description of many websites in each category. One website I recognized is the PBS kids website, which is listed under skill and practice websites. I have used this website many times and it is a great website to use in a younger grade classroom. I would love to use it as a website that children can use in their free time. I played the game OhNoah where you had to find items in Spanish and find the quickest route back to your friend.
Questions:
1) What is one way you would teach your students the difference between a creditable and non-creditable website?
2) How do you think teachers can teach the dangers of plagiarism and cheating with the optimist approach that does not encourage the behavior? Or does teaching about it encourage students to test the limit.
3) Go threw the list of website resources and find one you like. Why do you like it and how will you use it?
