The machine

“With the proliferation of information and the convenience of access to this vast ocean of information, it is the primary responsibility of the teacher to chart a way through this chaos, to provide order and create the conditions to encourage a deep approach to learning.” (Garrison & Anderson, 2005, p. 17)


Part one:
I am inferring that the statement above is referring to all of the information on the internet. It is very convenient and vast, but Garrison and Anderson are saying and believe that it is the teacher’s job to help students navigate through what is true and honest and pertaining to the desired learning. The teacher is there to set guidelines and encourage deep critical thinking with appropriate sources to further their educational experiences.
I look at the statement from Garrison and Anderson in so many different ways. Being an elementary teacher I do feel that my job is to help students use the Internet and technology appropriately to encourage them to think critically and navigate through appropriate and honest sites. As a student and a learner I am constantly overwhelmed with technology in the 21st century. I sometimes hate having so much instant access and feeling like I am losing my home life and family life because of constant emails, texts, and phone calls. Technology has greatly impacted my learning experiences. As a student and constant learner I turn to the Internet for information on anything that comes to mind; from finding information about adult learning for a paper or ideas to effectively organize my laundry room. I love that I can use a computer to find millions of scholarly journal articles on a subject to help me understand a topic better. As a teacher, I use computers because my students are always engaged when using a technology. They have grown-up with IPODS, cell phones, laptops, and access to the World Wide Web. Part of my job is to help them navigate the technology safely and in a way that will help them further their education. As a teacher I can use information to bring the learning to life and appeal to all types of learners.



Now watch these:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOFu7hnj6aU

Part Two
I think Dr. Wesch’s videos first and foremost made me feel guilty. As an elementary teacher I see the importance of using technology including, IPODS for podcasting, music interaction, and downloading lectures. I see that kids kindergarten through undergraduate are different than even 10 years ago when I entered college. I need to reach them where they understand and that is through technology such as blogs, wikis, social networking etc. Quite honestly 4 years ago I didn’t even know what social networking was. I thought about taking the easy way out and just submitting this journal in rich text format, but I think what I need to do is step outside the comfort zone, take a risk, and take more time to create something that will benefit students I teach now and might someday teach. A beginning to an educational blog this will be. Who knows how it will be used in the future, but hopefully it will help me to create more critical learners who develop skills that will prepare them for those jobs not yet created.