I have seen and used RSS feeds previously, but not with the bloglines website. If you frequent a site for news or current info, then RSS feeds are very time saving. I would recommend subscribing to the local weather as well. Everyone talks about the weather, this is an easy way to get that information.
I found the directions this week a little confusing. Our instructions said to write a blog post about this experience and make it public if you wish to. I was unclear whether the blog entry was to be done here, as part of our weekly progress report, or actually on the bloglines website. The instructions did show how to make the blog public with screenshots from the bloglines website. Writing a blog to both locations seems a little redundant.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Week 3 - Anything about Technology
Author Peter Senge, Director of the MIT Sloan School of Managment, once wrote “organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to learn together will maintain a sustainable competitive advantage."
Learning is important. Business places an emphasis on continually learning (Library Learning 2.0). Our school systems are designed to maximize the ability to teach children the concepts necessary to become a contributing member of society. Technology is their "new" tool.
The subject of technolgy and computers in the classroom is an interesting topic. At what age should a child be introduced to technology? When are you too young to use the Internet? Should children be required to have their own computer, and at what grade level should they be proficient at accessing information using technology?
I was in fourth grade when I was introduced to the computer, an Apple IIe installed in my classroom. It was like a new toy and during free time, we were allowed to play games which were mostly history and math based. I don't remember using a computer or technology ever feeling foreign or difficult. My parents purchased our first home computer in the next year and I spent a great deal of time "playing" with it.
I now have two kids and the oldest is 4 years old. She loves the computer. We have a laptop on which she has her own login and links to approved websites that help her with the alphabet, counting, and beginning reading. She seems very comfortable using technology and the self-paced lessons keep her attention with the sounds and graphics explaining the concepts being presented. So this leads me to wonder, is there an age at which children should be introduced to technology that will promote a future comfort level and begin to develop a understanding of how technolgy can help?
I am fortunate in that I am comfortable with technology and have the means and desire to accept technology and continue to "play" with it when new technologies are introduced. Technology, however, is expensive and not all families can afford to provide access to technology at home. Schools are requesting more computer work be done at home. By middle school some students are expected to have computers of their own so they can finish assignments.
Technolgoy as a learning tool is still a fairly new concept. School systems are still learning how technology can be applied and in some cases it replaces the teacher in the classroom. If this trend increases, what happens to children and adults who have not been exposed to technology and do not have a working understanding of how to use it? With the emphasis placed on lifelong learning and the coupling of this with technology to deliver this product, will this create an increasingly large gap between those who are proficient in the use of technology and those who never created that relationship?
Learning is important. Business places an emphasis on continually learning (Library Learning 2.0). Our school systems are designed to maximize the ability to teach children the concepts necessary to become a contributing member of society. Technology is their "new" tool.
The subject of technolgy and computers in the classroom is an interesting topic. At what age should a child be introduced to technology? When are you too young to use the Internet? Should children be required to have their own computer, and at what grade level should they be proficient at accessing information using technology?
I was in fourth grade when I was introduced to the computer, an Apple IIe installed in my classroom. It was like a new toy and during free time, we were allowed to play games which were mostly history and math based. I don't remember using a computer or technology ever feeling foreign or difficult. My parents purchased our first home computer in the next year and I spent a great deal of time "playing" with it.
I now have two kids and the oldest is 4 years old. She loves the computer. We have a laptop on which she has her own login and links to approved websites that help her with the alphabet, counting, and beginning reading. She seems very comfortable using technology and the self-paced lessons keep her attention with the sounds and graphics explaining the concepts being presented. So this leads me to wonder, is there an age at which children should be introduced to technology that will promote a future comfort level and begin to develop a understanding of how technolgy can help?
I am fortunate in that I am comfortable with technology and have the means and desire to accept technology and continue to "play" with it when new technologies are introduced. Technology, however, is expensive and not all families can afford to provide access to technology at home. Schools are requesting more computer work be done at home. By middle school some students are expected to have computers of their own so they can finish assignments.
Technolgoy as a learning tool is still a fairly new concept. School systems are still learning how technology can be applied and in some cases it replaces the teacher in the classroom. If this trend increases, what happens to children and adults who have not been exposed to technology and do not have a working understanding of how to use it? With the emphasis placed on lifelong learning and the coupling of this with technology to deliver this product, will this create an increasingly large gap between those who are proficient in the use of technology and those who never created that relationship?
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Week 2
My blog has been created and registered. Creating these entries is easy and anyone familiar with Word or a similar word processing program should not have any problem writing and editing the text for each entry. I added a photo and attempted to add a music clip, but the music isn't working at the moment. The music is a mp3 file which might blogger may not have the capability of playing. When clicking on the link it attempted to open the file in Quicktime and seemed to play, but I didn't get any audio. When I have a few minutes, I will play with this some more and see if I can get it to work.
Thank you Nini for the comment. I found that my version of Quicktime was too old to play the clip. After I downloaded the latest release, all is working.
Thank you Nini for the comment. I found that my version of Quicktime was too old to play the clip. After I downloaded the latest release, all is working.
Week 1
The 23 Things Program, based upon the introduction and first weeks lesson, seems to be a very good tool to educate the library staff on the new technologies being used by the public. It is my experience that many new technologies are adapted quickly by those who are either school age or those who are retirement age that have the time and desire to learn (play) with the new technology. Most of the working community does not want to devote the personal time to experiment with something that does not provide an immediate benefit to their lives or provide a source of relaxing entertainment. The responsibilities of work and home do not leave the amount of free time necessary to explore new technologies. Although I am a comfortable with technology and enjoy using it to my advantage, I fall into this category as well as this is my first blogging experience.
Lifelong learning habits
Which is the easiest and a hardest of the 7½ lifelong learning habits for me?
The easiest habit is Habit 6 – Using Technology to your advantage. Having grown up with a computer at home and in the classroom, I am accustomed to using technology as a resource to provide assistance when making a decision or completing a project. I don’t know how you people made it through college without the Internet. While the information must be scrutinized to validate its authenticity, this is the largest and most accessible knowledge base in history. Since I used and accepted technology as a powerful tool at an early age, using it seems natural.
The most difficult habit is the teaching and mentoring of others. I don’t consider myself to be a great communicator or motivator to inspire others to learn or explain knowledge that I have acquired. Since my wife is a teacher, I joke about teaching a class at the Community College sometime in the future to gain some insight on her profession and challenge myself. She reminds me that the college level might be acceptable, but teacher like all other professions must be taught to teach effectively. I believe she is correct, but I still wouldn’t mind trying it out to see what its like, but after the kids are older and other goals have been accomplished first.
The easiest habit is Habit 6 – Using Technology to your advantage. Having grown up with a computer at home and in the classroom, I am accustomed to using technology as a resource to provide assistance when making a decision or completing a project. I don’t know how you people made it through college without the Internet. While the information must be scrutinized to validate its authenticity, this is the largest and most accessible knowledge base in history. Since I used and accepted technology as a powerful tool at an early age, using it seems natural.
The most difficult habit is the teaching and mentoring of others. I don’t consider myself to be a great communicator or motivator to inspire others to learn or explain knowledge that I have acquired. Since my wife is a teacher, I joke about teaching a class at the Community College sometime in the future to gain some insight on her profession and challenge myself. She reminds me that the college level might be acceptable, but teacher like all other professions must be taught to teach effectively. I believe she is correct, but I still wouldn’t mind trying it out to see what its like, but after the kids are older and other goals have been accomplished first.
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