Unleashing Potential With Emerging Technologies

How would you respond to the following?

"The thing is, my reading and writing doesn't happen here. Anywhere I'd really like to write is blocked, or the stuff teachers ask us to do is so much the same thing again and again that it really isn't writing" (p214).

Talking about his blog - "...this is writing that has a very engaged audience. I write as much for getting my ideas out as I do to see the comments and responses of those who are listening and reacting. In school, writing is about handing something in. Here, it's about having something to say" (p215).

Kajder - "Emergent technology use requires time spent deeply considering the instructional value added by new tools and time spent crafting instruction that puts content and instructional goals ahead of teaching technology" (p216).

Let's take an in-depth look at the following technologies and evaluate how we could incorporate them into our own classrooms. Afterwards, we will add comments to this post, indicating our thoughts about these technologies and realistic goals for ourselves.

1. A Class Blog
2. Podcasting
3. Wikis
4. Book Trailers

Examples:
Elizabeth Boeser - blog and wikis http://www.bloomington.k12.mn.us/indschool/tj/teachers/boeser.html
Holdingford Elementary - podcasts http://web.mac.com/husker2/elmedia/Links.html
Greg Spanier - podcasts http://www.rocori.k12.mn.us/~spanierg/


Final thought from Kajder - "There's no denying it. We're past the point where we can keep doing old things with old tools, or old things with new tools. Students simply won't allow it. No matter how savvy they might be, they are all looking to us to push them, to stretch their thinking, and to teach them to use the tools of the truly literate in a rapidly changing world" (p229).