Journal #7

Reynard, R (2009, July, 15). Beyond Social Networking: Building Toward Learning Communities. The Journal, Retrieved August, 2 2009, from
http://thejournal.com/Articles/2009/07/15/Beyond-Social-Networking-Building-Toward-Learning-Communities.aspx?Page=3&p=1

Synopsis:
When utilizing online tools such as blogging it is the teacher’s responsibility to make sure it is being used for educational purposes. It is not just a space for students to go to talk to their friends online. It is a place where ideas can be exchanged and information learned. It is up to the teacher to make sure this is accomplished. Kids need to know a lot can be learned from posting information and asking for feedback from their peers. By doing so a student will be able to learn so much more by having different points of view than just that of the teacher.

Question:
Will students feel comfortable posting their information to get feedback from peers?
Posting on a blog or other social site is still so new that some students may feel more comfortable getting just feedback from the teacher. Students have to be mature enough to post information that is helpful to other students. If this is achieved then a lot can be gained from online collaboration. If this isn’t achieved then some students may develop a fear of sharing their work to the online community.

Question:
Will school in my life time become paperless?
It seems with all of this technology that paper in the classroom might become a thing of the past. In the article Assessment Made Easy it talked about a school in Denver where all of the students had laptops. It would seem that if every child had access to a laptop then paper would be almost obsolete. As more school get more computers then maybe in the next fifty years or so online submission will out weigh paper submission of work.