Comments on KSC Instructional Technology: Social Computing: February 9 Brown Bag discussion

Interesting comment Lorianne. I think that some of...

2006-02-10T08:44:00.000-05:00

Interesting comment Lorianne. I think that some of the criticisms about blogs or podcasts are generated by misinformation. Do a Google search on “blog definition” - notice that they often refer to personal journals or diaries. No wonder educators are turned off! But look at how blogs are used now: student reflections, political commentary, .com businesses are even using them for marketing purposes! As Larry said in his brown bag lecture, blogs and podcasts are blurring the way we get information.

Here’s an interesting article that touches on the evolution of blogs.
Educational Blogging by Stephen Downes:
http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/
erm04/erm0450.asp

Lorianne:Thanks for your reinforcing comments. Ra...

2006-01-31T13:40:00.000-05:00

Lorianne:
Thanks for your reinforcing comments. Rather than fear the downsides of blogging and using MP3 players in school settings, we (educators) should teach students how to do this productively. You are right that IPODs are not going to go away...so let's use them to our advantage!
Larry

I'm sorry that I'll have to miss this lunch as I'l...

2006-01-30T15:39:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry that I'll have to miss this lunch as I'll be out of town visiting a friend I met through social computing. ;-)

Yesterday's Sentinel had a frontpage article about iPods & the social isolation some educators fear they cause. Some school officials fear that instead of interacting with peers, young folks are perpetually "plugged into" their own individualized soundtracks.

It's interesting to juxtapose what Larry Welkowitz is doing with podcasting with the fear these educators have about the technology. I doubt that students are going to give up their iPods any time soon. (I'm certainly not giving up mine!) So then the question becomes whether & how to use the technology rather than trying to hope it goes away.