Journal #9

Waters, John K (March 2009). The Kids Are All Right. T-H-E Journal, Retrieved 0325,09, from http://www.thejournal.com/the/printarticle/?id=24104

In a study conducted over a three year period, more than 800 students were interviewed and observed to see if new technology was having an affect on how students think and learn today. The study is partially intended to help fill the gap between teachers and their students when it comes to technology. They discovered that students have three different levels of participation online.

First of all, there's Hanging Out. The researchers consider this lightweight social contact and is mostly friendship driven. As kids' ability to hang out publicly gets restricted, they find alternative ways, such as Facebook or My Space to hang out.

Secondly, there's Messing Around. This is a combination of the previous hanging out and the next level of participation Geeking Out. Kids start to explore their interests online. They spend time searching and learning about how to find information. It may have the potential to turn into something great, but there's no pressure of being graded.

Lastly, there's Geeking Out as mentioned above. This is when kids show an intense level of interest and commitment to technology. They take may take and area of interest and develop and become experts on it. It is at this level that kids will share their resources and information.

Teachers would love to get students to Geek Out over whatever topic they are teaching. What educators need to figure out is how to tap into kids' passions. Be open and encouraging to students who display these types of interests. Two conclusions that were drawn from the study are the that there is a need for openness and a need to transfer control.

Educators "need to find a way to be open and receptive to the things students are doing online on their own", says Heather Horst, one of the researchers and to "recognize the value of these levels of participation, to stop seeing them as distracting from school, and to find ways to exploit them in the classroom".

Educators need to realize that the lessons and values a student learns offline are most likely going to follow them into their online experiences. Therefore, they need not view the Internet as a corrupting students and lighten up a bit on the rules of how students engage in web-based activities. This concern about students online activities will continue to broaden the gap between educators and students. Educators need to learn and understand how social media is changing everyday life and help students to find their way in these changes. It is also important to this new dynamic between educator and student that the student be able to teach the teacher how to navigate through the technology.

Question #1 - How do you feel about the changes technology has made on the dynamics of the teacher/student relationship? I think it's a very positive change. Anytime you create an environment that encourages collaboration and mutual respect, I think you enhance the abilities of all parties to reach and exceed their potential. I think over time students will have more passion about learning, because it won't be so tedious as reading a chapter in a book and taking a test. It is much more creative and collaborative. And I believe teachers have the ability to also find more passion in teaching if they can break down the technological barriers.

Question #2 - What can you do, as a teacher, to be ready to help students navigate this ever changing technological environment? First of all, this class had put me leaps and bounds ahead of where I was when I started. I think this is an amazing course for educators to take. I will also open myself up more to get comfortable with the digital media that my kids and future students are using. For instance, Facebook or MySpace. I've always shied away from these, becaue I thought they were invasive or potentially dangerous. But I realize now, that these are part of the language our students are speaking and we better learn it quick if we expect to understand them.