technology response questions week 5 - in progress

•Should all teachers be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms? Please explain.
Yes, teachers should be encouraged to create online activities for their classes. Students are very adept users of the Internet, so it is logical that the next trend in learning should move online. Teachers can use something as basic as a wiki to share assignments and information with their classes, or they can do interactive online learning like webquests or Internet Workshops, where students need to complete an activity or seek an answer, and then the share their results with others. Teachers can also utilize personal learning environments, where students create a page of websites like Facebook and a class wiki, resources, email, and more to help them organize their schoolwork and work effectively on a computer. In addition, online activities have many positive attributes for both student and teacher. Alan November writes that students who may not speak up in class may feel safer expressing themselves online (2010). "Students have time to respond, so they can be more thoughtful in their answers, and they cannot see other students rolling their eyes or laughing at something they said," writes November (2010). It allows students who do not normally thrive in a classroom environment to become a more responsible, involved student (November 2010). There can be a combination of online and classroom discussion, which will benefit students who respond best to technology or best to real-life interaction.

•Envision the role of social networking in 21st century learning environments. Write a brief description of this vision.

I think social networking can play a role in 21st century learning environments. Students can connect to other students around the world using something like Twitter. They could send ideas and messages to each other through that medium. In addition, they could use Twitter to talk to experts about what they are learning. For example, if students are learning about DNA in biology class, then maybe a scientist has a Twitter account and students can send him or her questions. Teachers can also use Twitter to discuss ideas with other colleagues. Even pages like Facebook can be utilized - a teacher or student can create a class group and students can share question or ideas about the classwork. Wikis or message boards work in the same fashion, but students use Facebook a lot, especially in the evening. Sometimes I send messages to classmates to ask them a question about the homework. If you create a Facebook page, there is one centralized area for students to share ideas and even bond together. Teachers can create a class blog where students can comment and ask questions. Students can cut down on the amount of paper they waste if they post their writing on a blog, like I am doing now. This also brings the student's writing to a wider audience; perhaps other students, teachers, or experts can read the blogs and ask or answer questions via the comments. Social networking is a way of forming social connections through technology; it can bring a class closer together and help them share ideas all of the time, as opposed to just in a classroom setting.

References
November, A. (2010). Empowering students with technology. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.