online learning with new technology : pro and con

FOR TECH

Kids are digital natives and need to know this stuff; internet capabilities are necessary 21st century skills.
The world is going to require students to build stuff;
World needs problem solvers, not people who can spit back contents
Digital technology inspires students, makes them learn better; helps students focus
Social media asks students to interact better with each other; kids minds are being opened in new ways
Multitasking is good for kids
The world has sped up, and education needs to catch up
The learning is the same; the expression of learning (essay, video, etc) is changing. The book isn’t the best way to communicate ideas in the 21st century.
Being distracted is not a new issue.
The learning is the same; the expression of learning (essay, video, etc) is changing. The book isn’t the best way to communicate ideas in the 21st century.
Being distracted is not a new issue.
Kids can move seamlessly between the digital and the real
Kids can learn through games: infuse games through the entire curriculum.
Technology challenges us to assert our human values
People can take any technology to express themselves, to find other people, to remake the world on their own terms
Eye strain has been an issue for decades: it’s a myth, and with etchasketch technology, eyestrain will be old news, besides, books have been faulted for eyestrain
Physical health is no more jeopardized than if people watch TV: moreover, we have the Wii, ipod, so we have technology where kids can learn in virtual environments and move around. Also, teachers can limit its use and encourage phys ed. classes.
School attendance has increased and violence is down w/ the introduction of new technology
Online resources can be incredibly rich.

Nigel Shadbolt: Kids stay connected online after school; b/c students access a huge amt of content, their more inclined to think critically

Collaboration is accelerated b/c of the web, learning is more exciting. AI: Augmented intelligence
It’s distracting but But that hasn’t stopped people

IS shorter attn. spans a bad thing?
IT’s here, it’s not going away
Citizenship is alive and well: You can sit at your house and make change. And we're talking about social change, and political change, and economic change (ex. Wind energy)
Kids are alright, the kids are alright. No, I absolutely believe that the possibilities and the opportunities for people to live a rich, passionate life that allows them to express themselves in all the ways that they want to, regardless of where they live geographically, I don't think it gets any better than that.

David Weinberger
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/dweinberger
Everything is Miscellaneous Blog
http://www.everythingismiscellaneous.com/

Hyperlink: new type of punctuation: it beckons you to continue…to the next page, world, person
Authorship is not as oppressive…users take charge of their “authorship:
Experts have narrowed it down for us; but there has been a price to pay—knowledge has been limited. Experts have biases that determines for us what they think we should find interesting The world is way more interesting than anyone ever told us.
Everyone connecting w each other is a different instrument for thinking

AGAINST TECH

Students won’t KNOW any content anymore
Students have shorter attention spans…instant gratification education—they get easily bored.
Kids can no longer pursue a linear thought. Students no longer read books. Teachers can’t assign novels.
Kids figure out how to goof off on the web during schools—games, FB, use Photobooth like a mirror…etc.
Multitasking is bad for kids
Kids have too many digital distractions
(you can remotely monitor kids)
Studies show that kids reading skills get worse as they get older
Students write in paragraphs…no connections
Distraction: you get pulled in every direction
Young people can’t distinguish between virtual and real world
We shouldn’t have to meet kids on their own terms. We have to slow down and stop. Schools are one of the only place in society where we can have sustained conversations…we have to protect that
Less memory, less flowery writing
Digital divide/funding for kids w/out access is not easy.
Search vs. research: students don’t focus in depth on finding information, it’s more cursory floating
We’re losing manners and human contact: kids don’t pay attention to people in the same room bc they’re engaged in online environments; they bump into people while they’re texting; parents don’t pay attention to their kids.
We’re losing face to face communication/speaking skills
We have a loss of subtext
Eyestrain, radiation, physical health
Handwriting (cursive is dead)
Kids are introduced to new technology at a pivotal age and we don’t know where this is going for them; we don’t know how it’ll impact their brains

Nigel Shadbolt:

Sanctuary of “home” is violated; not as much opportunity for downtime; Distracting; Difficulty in being entirely original b/c there are already people out there who have had your idea: should I bother (but that hasn’t stopped people from creating)

David Weinberger:
Loss of top-down expertise
Sherry Turkle: Technology is powerful: We need to understand it

TIM BERNER’s LEE, not Tim Bernesley