Resonse to the response to the article we originally responded to (Reading Response 3)

1.  a) There is no evidence to support the arguments being made
     b) Author should have told both sides to the stories, not just blatantly favour one side
     c) There are huge cultural factors that affect each area differently

2. I do.  In some cases, there are teachers who are more "in tune" with today's kids and understand they learn differently.  On the other hand, there are teachers who expect students to be exactly like they were when they were students.  Some teachers have to realize that things are changing, including the ways some kids feel comfortable learning.

3. I think that Mr Tapscott's article better understands technology and our generation.  He does more research into the topic, and comes up with better anecdotes.

For example, in the first article, the author writes how "Vishad starts his homework at 11 pm".  This is seen as a negative.  However, Mr Tapscott sees that the whole day was spent by Vishad editing something for two hours, a skill that he wants to pursue as a career.  Mr Tapscott understands that even though the technology might have prevented him from doing his homework, this technology might also be what he works with as a career, and therefore the time was well spent.

Reading Response 2

1. Nicholas Carr
I agree with his response.  Multitasking is not a bad thing, and it is very helpful in a variety of situations.  However, our society is contantly multitasking, and this is taking a huge toll on us.  We are not giving our bodies enough time to rest; instead, we are expecting our bodies to handle more and more tasks.  This is overwhelming us in a harmful way.

I agree with his solution.  It is melancholy to see the number of youths who have not read a novel outside of school in their lifetime, because of the technological distractions that are available to them.  If we disconnect ourselves from the powergrid of distraction, then our minds will start to relax and a lesser toll will be taken on our bodies.

2. Gary W. Small
I think that Mr. Small is being a little unrealistic.  He wants people to stop multitasking, to say it bluntly.  As we advance,  our society is going to be demanding multitasking more and more.  I think that a better solution would be to learn to deal multitasking, and to make the act of doing multiple things at once more efficient.
It is inevitable that we will be continuing multitasking in the future, so we must learn how to multitask better, not to stop multitasking. 

I do, however, agree with him that we should disconnect ourselves from technology once in a while.  It will be a nice break, and will "recharge our batteries".

Overall, I think it is important to manage the technology we have and make sure it does not overwhelm us.  Taking breaks from technology will have benifits that everyone will be thankful for.

Web Design Project Placement.

I would like to be in the video group.  I was in the group when we made the Futureshop video, and I feel like I made a good contribution.  I gave ideas and helped direct Vlad when he was acting.  Also, I was in the lion costume in the video.

The only one I would not like to be in would be the website group.  I have no experience with it and I feel a much better contribution could be made by me in the video group

Article Response - Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction

I can definitely see the point that the researchers in the article are making.  The Internet, along with other technology, are definitely distractions that lower the academic interest of students.  What student could resist the lure of video games?  Distractions such as Youtube, Facebook and video games are much more appealing options than time-consuming homework.   In my opinion, kids today are more obsessed with things that will affect them in the now:  facebook (social interactions), video games and youtube (leisurely please) and others.  They do not care so much for things that will affect them in the future, i.e. grades, homework, scholarships etc...

When I play video games, I have one cardinal rule: I don't play the night before a test or exam.  The reason for this is that video games are hyper-stimulants, and my brain fully focuses on the exciting distractions.  When I go to sleep, instead of reviewing the main points in my head, my brain would be still focused on the video game.  Also, studies show that it takes longer to fall asleep after exposure to hyper-stimulants than if I were to be studying, reading a book or exercising.  Not only would I lose sleep, but I would be distracted and not using my brain to its full potential.

I do think that schools should be embracing new technologies, after all, everything we use in school, from pens to calculators, were new technologies at one point.  Just because something is new does not mean it is harmful to youth.  I think that the schools must, however, take precautions when integrating these technologies in school.  If they want to use more advanced computers, special care should be taken to ensure that students are not visiting unwanted sites on the internet.  The schools must ensure that the technology is being used as it was intended.

Overall, I believe that technology is not the problem.  The problem is that kids do not know how to balance this technology with their education.  They must be taught that their future is just as important as what is occurring now, and a healthy balance between the two must be met.

Placement Update

1.  Last week David and I met with Dr. Burt.  She told us that she wanted to incorporate technology into her classroom, but that she did not know exactly what she wanted.  She tasked us in brainstorming ideas that could be useful in her science courses.  Last week was spent looking for websites and tools that could help Dr. Burt.

2.  This week we will meet with Dr. Burt and present our ideas to her.

Placement Blog Post

1.  My top skill from that list would be teaching students and teachers to use the software.  I am a youth leader for a youth group and I really enjoy teaching and helping people learn.  The second strongest skill would be the Movie maker instruction, because i have used that program before and am comfortable with it.

2.  a) 8.  I very much enjoy writing my own music, and i can come up with new ways to solve problems.
b)6.  I don't have the greatest memory in the world, but when situations arise, I act responsibly.
c)0.  I don't have any experience designing websites.  If I learned how though, I could apply my creativity towards that.
d)6.  I enjoy taking charge in groups and coming up with plans.
e)9.  This is a strong skill of mine, and I enjoy teaching people new things.
f)8.  As long as I write down what is due, I will meet the deadline.  The problem is when I have to remember something without writing it down.
3.  I am comfortable leading a group of students.
4. I would prefer to work with a partner.
5. I would be most comfortable working in English and Biology, but there are none there that I would not be comfortable working in.

Enriching Technology evaluation.

Based on the comments on my previous blogpost, I will not be pursuing my idea.  First of all, it does not enrich learning.  Also, the amount of time and resources would far surpass our cabablilities.

Instead, here is an idea from an educational website:  http://teachpaperless.blogspot.com/

Basically, it talks about letting students hand in papers in their own language, and then using Google Translate so the teacher can mark their work.  If the course is intended to improve the writing skills of students, I think they will learn better if they improve their native language skills first.

This would not be effective in English class.  However, in all other classes where writing is required, the student would best be able to convey the knowledge they learned through their own language.  History, SAP, and other courses similar to these are all places where this tool can be used by students to show their teachers how well they really grasped the concepts in the course.

Enriching Technology in our School.

Idea:  Students should be able to put money into an online account that goes specifically into buying things at the school, ex. cafeteria food, books, supplies, fundraisers etc.

Subject Area:  Not really subject related, more about convenience.

Details:  Basically, students would go to a website run by the TDSB where they would sign in to a personal, confidential account.  They could deposit money into that account, and top it up any time.  Whenever the student makes a purchase in the school, they would give a card supplied to them by their school upon activation of the account.  They would have a pin number that they would enter to verify the purchase.  The money would be taken out of the student's account.

Technology Needed: For this idea, we would need a website creation tool to make the website and a machine that reads cards, takes PINs and takes the money out of their accounts.

Pros:  - more convenient for students
           - money could not be lost
           - students would not have to carry around loose change
           - students would not have money stolen
           - the card could be stopped at any time if it is lost or stolen
           - it is secure with a PIN and a picture of the student on it

Cons: -if the network is down then students can't buy lunch and other things at the school
           -if the website is down then students could not top up the card

What needs to happen:  First, the website would have to be created, perhaps by IDC students.  It would be important to make sure that the website is bug-free, because any bugs would hurt the system a lot.  Then, we would have to train the lunch personnel and other people in the school how to take the students' cards and input them correctly into the machine so the transaction will complete.  The students would probably have to have an assembly on responsibility with these cards.  Also, the cards will have to be created.

Overall I think that it would be a cool idea that could eliminate some problems that are around right now that involve purchasing things at school.

7x1

The Staples contest is probably the most "boring" because its an essay.  500 words, blah blah blah.  But, there are lots of things we could write about.  Our school has an active recycling program, and i dont know one student who refuses to recycle.  Also, we plant trees regularly in our field.  We have an environmental club that is commited to environmental awareness.  Most importantly, we have solar panels on the roof of our school which greatly helps the environment.  I think our school has done enough to win this contest.

5+1.

For the Futureshop contest, I propose that we could also do a music video similar to the first contest.  But we need five pictures included, so i think we should do something funny, like a before picture without the grant and everyone in the picture sad, and then an after picture where everyone is happy and getting A+s.  This could put a comedic spin on the entry, and be more creative than a picture of the technology (which in my opinion is a little stale).

5.

I would like to enter the eInstruction contest worth $75,000.  Ideas for the music video could be us altering a popular song to describe what we could do with the new technology in our classrooms.  It could be of our class learning, and some people are lip synching the song while others are just paying attention in class.  I dont know, its just an idea, itll probably change over time.  Thats just what i was thinking of at this moment.  Also, since ms cuttle has to be in the video, she could be "asking" the class questions through the song about technology, and the class could be "answering" through the song as well.  I think that would be a pretty cool idea.

Numba Fo'

1. Netbook Cart Team - I enjoyed setting up the netbooks and would like to further work with them
2. Web 2.0 Tools - I think that I couild use my creativity to suggest useful programs for the netbooks
3. In Depth Software Developement - I do not really like developing lessons

I think that my skills would be best put towards the netbook cart team because I am a great problem solver, and if a problem were to occur, I could help the group solve and and move on with the assignment.

On the other hand, I dont really enjoy teaching kids, or rather making lessons.  So hopefully im not put into this group, because i dont think my talents would be best used here.

Ze Third One

Ok, so today we read an article on new technology in schools.  It was cool because we got to brainstorm ways the netbooks could be used, based on four styles of using techonologies.  For dabbling, i think that using the netbooks as teaching aids (like for videos and powerpoints) would be a good idea.  The problem is that only a few classes would get them.  For doing old things in old ways, writing and electronically submitting work would be the best.  For doing old things new ways, buying school supplies that the school needs on the netbooks, such as ordering more textbooks by class, would be the best.  Finally for doing new things new ways a good idea would be to incorporate a lot of technology into the classroom, such as programs that write down what students say on the netbooks.

The Course So Far...

As of now, I find the course very interesting.  I say interesting because I have never been in a course with no tests, quizzes or exams.  Also, I enjoy all the technology that surrounds the course.  It is a nice break from chalkboards and essays.

To improve the course, I would say that we should not be stuck on one task for a long period of time.  The netbooks got a little boring when we were setting them up for two weeks.

Overall, I am enjoying the course and am excited to see what we will do next.

First Project Evaluation

For the first assignment was the netbook setup group.  We ran the updates on the netbooks and installed various programs that we thought were necessary.  Here are my ratings of the criteria:

-Completion of tasks: 4.  I fully updated and put all the programs on 2 netbooks.  I was away for one of the classes, which is why other people completed as many as 3.
-Cooperative participation in the group: 4.  I helped other students when they ran into trouble wit hthe netbooks.  Also, I voluntarily switched to the wifi so someone with three netbooks could have better internet access.
-Creative and Critical Thinking:  2.5.  I am not very good with computers, so there were not many programs I could suggest.
-Initiative:  4.  I tried to get the netbooks done as soon as possible.