Empowering Students with Technology - Preface, Intro, & Chapter 1

Preface

I was hooked on Alan November's Empowering Students with Technology the moment I began reading the Preface, where he described a memory from 1981 when a student broke into a computer lab not to steal the computers but to actually work on one. The young man had somehow managed to acquire the necessary skills to develop and run programming sequences. The irony of the situation was that the student was failing his classes and wasn't going to graduate with his peers. By taking a computer home over the weekend and completing the necessary work to gain missed credits he was able to graduate with his class. The student, incidentally, was considered "at-risk."

Image credit: Google images: free-extras.com

This memoir resounded with me because I work with an at-risk population, albeit at a much younger age. November says that, "technology can be a powerful motivator for some students who do not succeed in traditional classrooms." My colleagues and I have found this to be true, particularly of kindergartners and first graders on BIPs (Behavior Intervention Plans). Some children work best when extra computer time is offered as an incentive. I loved November's observations that, "instant feedback can help students remain focused and work through problems" and that there is a "total lack of judgment"  when students work on the computer. These are such true statements! For some kids it's like reading to a dog--those who struggle with fluency and decoding don't have to worry about any  judgment, so it's a much more relaxing experience, one that they'll likely repeat.

Introduction

I have never had much of an introduction to technology--in fact, I think I posted in a previous blog that I was still using a word processor my senior year in high school and took an electronic typewriter to UCONN my freshman year. In order to use a fancy computer back then we had to go to MSB--the Math/Science Building. I appreciated November defining the differences between automating ("bolting" technology on top of current processes and procedures) and informating (whereby more people have timely access to information). November mentions having an "authentic audience," which makes perfect sense to me, given that students often work harder if they know they someone outside of their realm will see it/read it/hear it.



Image credit: Google images: moodle.clover.k12.sc.us

Chapter 1: Teaching and Learning the Structure of Information

This chapter blew me away! I was amazed at the idea that such a thing as the "Wayback Machine" actually exists. What an incredible concept. But let me back up. The fact that articles such as Butz's are out there is despicable and sickening to me, but I guess that happens when we live in a democratic society where freedom of the press exists. Never mind that I believe Professor Butz should find a new profession (perhaps one where he is required to dress all in white and wear a tall, thin hat and mask?); the fact that November is clearly providing a template for teachers to use before letting their students loose in the library or computer lab is invaluable. His MAPping strategy (Meta-web information; Author; Purpose) is brilliant--it clearly outlines the steps for teachers to take in teaching their students precisely how to navigate the Web. I was never taught any of this information--essential as it is--in any undergraduate class or other graduate course besides this one, and I certainly have never seen this offered as a professional development opportunity.

I also want to point out how helpful November's "E-Venture" activities could be to secondary teachers.  I work in an elementary school, but some of these activities could be incorporated into the upper elementary curriculum, especially teaching students about domain names (com, org, net, gov, k12). Years ago I worked for a non-profit organization (org), then later for profit company (com). The non-profit was just starting to realize the impact of the Internet and we tried to capitalize on the new phenomenon by researching domain names. We ended up spending an inordinate amount of money to secure the rights to our chosen domains. I found myself in the same situation years later at the for profit company when, as the director of administration, I was again asked to research and secure relevant domain names. It's amazing the lengths business leaders will go to secure what they consider to be "their" names!

Finally, I want to point out my fascination with the part about search engines. I had no idea, for example, that Google reports their results by popularity. Really? I'm disappointed. I had a lot of faith in their results. Rest assured I'll now be trying out Ask.com more often, because their results are ranked by experts in the field being searched. I put a lot more stock in experts' opinions than in the opinion of some guy on the other side of the world!

 
Image credit: Google Images, internetoffice.biz