Could there ever be a better song for students that don’t want to be in class than Pink Floyd’s classic “Another Brick In The Wall?”
In terms of metaphor, the line “all in all we’re just another brick in the wall” identifies each of us as another piece of some greater thing, though not necessarily some greater good. Not only that, but that we are faceless, mindless, and nothing more than part of a cold, hard brick wall of nothingness. I don’t particularly agree with the sentiment, but I can see how such a perception could come to be; particularly in the stuffy confines of a British classroom. The irony of the misuse of language and double negatives is not lost on me, but neither is the fact that this was one of Pink Floyd’s more financially lucrative songs.
It can, and has been, argued that those that spend all of their time online are anti-social creatures. Hiding out in mom’s basement, surfing the web and playing multi-player online games is not seen as the best way to become a social butterfly. But for what it’s worth, the people that spend so much time online developing tools which allow us to interact with folks on a global scale have actually brought socializing to a whole new level. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy getting outside and meeting face to face, but the opportunity to meet and befriend someone on the other side of the planet does not present itself all that often without the benefit of a 12 hour flight. The social web with it’s RSS feeds, social bookmarking and the like offers people, students, teachers, grandparents the unique chance to share with people that might not have been available even 10 years ago. Remember pen-pals? Usually found in the back of magazines, various letter writing groups connected based on similar likes or hobbies. At the onset of the internet, message boards were some of the first electronic versions of the same ideal only now you didn’t have to wait for the mail to be delivered. Today we have RSS feeds which allow us to keep up with everything that is going on without even having to chase the links all over the web. Just log into one site and any updates from friends on social networking sites or online news magazines will be conveniently located on one page. Maybe we should get out more often and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air, but we certainly can’t connect on the global scale that the internet offers us by sitting at the pool.
Social networking for the classroom is not the worst idea in the world. Though it has to be closely monitored, I believe social networking can be a positive aspect of learning if for no other reason than the fact the students are likely already doing so outside of the classroom anyway. Sites such as Facebook and Myspace are used daily by most students, so why not use them? Bringing something into the class that students are already familiar and comfortable with allows them to feel that they are on more equal footing with the teacher. Having a social networking site dedicated to one particular class also gives the students the chance to communicate in real time with other students or with the teacher about a current assignment. The drawback, however, is the abuse that can and will take place. Any student given the opportunity to deviate from the current task will take full advantage of that chance. With that in mind, if a social networking site is used in the classroom it will have to be closely watched to be sure the students are focused and limited in how distracted they can get. For myself, I’m not sure yet if, or how, I would incorporate this media in my class. While this could be a valuable tool, considerations must be made for those students that may not have access to computers or internet at home, as well as being sure the adminstration would support this technology in the classroom during school hours. This blog here offers some links and an insight into the concept of social networking in the classroom. The verdict is still out in my book, but that doesn’t mean I see it as a bad thing.
The Web. A single piece of technology that has changed the world. I remember my first experience with the Internet and discovering how to create a web page using HTML, the primary language for web design. There was a lot of trial and error, but eventually I had several pages; none of which served any purpose whatsoever. Now that I think about it, there’s still a lot of those kind of pages out there…Much has changed about the web in the 15 years since I first entered a chat room. Back then that was the epitome of communication outside of email. I wonder if chat rooms are even still used today and if they are, would I recognize one?
Websites now are far more interactive than they once were because of Web 2.0. A simple link was the norm when I first started on my journey through cyberspace. Now such a thing is nearly antiquated. Anymore a video is practically required on each page:
Another thanks to Web 2.0 is the annoying ads that fill public pages such as Yahoo!. You know the ones, they have an image or small video that rolls across the screen, obscuring the information you are trying to see. There’s no missing these ads, you have to click on the small “x” to close them and they usually won’t go away until you do.
I’m sure by the time Web 3.0 comes around the ads will recognize you by name and will talk to web surfers while they navigate the sites. Perhaps these ads will chat with you and describe the great features of products you search for. Lucky us. I think it’s time we all get away from the web and the computers for awhile; everyone could use a little more sunshine and fresh air anyway.
As with any other potential source, the information found on the web should be given a close scrutiny before being used. While Wikipedia can be useful source of information, it’s open source content leaves it very open to misinformation. Sites can also be set up that would seem to be fact based, but turn out to be designed by someone out to intentionally misinform the unwary. Determining what is based on fact and what is based on rumor or urban legend can be a daunting task. Students need to be aware that simply finding a site that contains a few words about a subject they searched for does not make what is found true or accurate. Doing things such as investigating multiple sites and comparing common information can help narrow what information is valid. Also, doing research on the authors of the information found or of the website itself can aid in discovering whether the site is useful. If a search for the author reveals a particular slant or bias for or against the content of the site then it might be better to look elsewhere. Another option that may, or may not, be available to students is access to scholarly search engines such as is available to Kennesaw State University students. Peer reviewed articles must stand up to scrutiny from experts in the field of study the article is written about. This does not necessarily mean that the information is 100% infallible, but it does lend credibility to an article that is not as likely to be found in something found on the web simply by doing a Google search.
Any way you look at it, ensuring sources are viable is vital to any project that requires research. If the sources are no good, the project won’t be any good either.
The web is a useful tool that students today are quite fortunate to have at their disposal. I wonder what my education may have been like had I access to the same amount of information when I was in middle or high school. The uses in the classroom are only limited by the creativity of the teacher and the availability of technology to the students. Blogs are a useful place to start for the Language Arts classroom since it gives the students an opportunity to voice their opinion on the latest assignments. Since students are likely to be familiar with this type of medium already, their comfort level with it will allow them to share what they feel with their teachers and peers in an environment that they recognize. The amount of literature on the web that is available for free is another aspect to consider. Budgets are getting tighter all over and books get torn and need replacing on a regular basis. If the teacher assigns a work that is available for free on the internet, students would then be able to download the material at little or no cost to the school. A third concept for the web in a L.A. classroom would be a class project for designing an interactive website that focuses on plot or characters from currently assigned reading. The site could display themes from the novel or visual representations of scenes that give a better sense of depth or scale than the reading alone could do. Perhaps the students could offer their ideas on what happens to the environment or the characters after the novel ends as a way to work on creative thinking skills. Once the website has whatever elements the class decides on, the students could then complete a writing assignment based on their interpretation of the website content.
There are numerous possibilities for the web to be involved in each of our future classrooms. The only limit is that which we set for ourselves.
As are many websites created by college students, this is a work in progress. Come by regularly to see how the site progresses and how my work improves as I learn about technology in the Language Arts classroom. This will be an exciting time for me as I progress through the semester, and, hopefully, on to graduation.
