EDC 665 - Week 7 Blog

For your ARP, how did you select the technologies that you are utilizing? How have your learners responded thus far?

For my ARP, I selected the Internet in general as the main technology I am using. In teaching fourth grade, I realized that many of my students were intrigued with the Internet, but were not wise in using it. When asked if they knew even the most simple things about web browsers, and search engines, many had little to tell me about why they chose the technology they did other than to play a few video games and "google" topics of interest.

With a wide range of students in my classroom at all levels of understanding, I made the decision to teach them to be more conscious Internet consumers and show them the WHY of what they are using.

After having Gary Stager as a professor last semester, I was also taught that technology is essentially anything that is assisting you to fulfill a need. Given this definition, I am also using student pair groupings to encourage students to work together with a common mind and goal to "solve" the "problems" I give them.

So far, they have only visited the computer lab at our school once but they are enjoying it and learning a lot. I spoke to a few students after our last Wednesday's session and they were really enthused about what they were learning. This Wednesday will be another visit.

More updates to come! I have another fun day planned for them this week that includes using Google to solve math problems, using Google images to research and using advanced google searches to find factual information and weed out information that may be incorrect.

I am hoping to make my students great (and smart) consumers of the technology they already use (but don't fully understand).