Reading William Kist’s Book The Socially Networked Classroom helps me to buy into the use of social networking tools when I think about his argument about how many the kids are already on Facebook or watching YouTube. This has me curious and worried because mu students are under the authorized age of using Facebook. Their parents must know they are on Facebook but how much are the parent’s understanding the legal age and risks of how much information their kids are providing here? Is it our responsibility now then to teach the kids these rules, even if we are not using Facebook in school? I know I definitely want to send home a letter to make parents aware that we will use certain Web 2.0 tools but I don’t want to see the school or myself get in trouble for something the kids might get into that is beyond school. I agree with Kist that “the attempt to achieve a protected childhood” is at an extreme right now but so are our legal system and parent’s awareness and sensitivity to protection of their child when things do feel wrong to them. The need for teaching web tools to kids though is important enough that I will do it. I just need to play with the different options out there and educate myself before I go ahead.
The book I really want to comment on and have a discussion about is Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom by Will Richardson. In my mind I got to the point of convincing myself that using the webtools replaces project. The idea bothered me though. Words like reflection, running diary, archive meeting notes, far-flung collaborators and the like inspired me at first but then I thought of the no end to this kind of project. In the real world we need to complete things. So I started to wonder if we are going to create kids who connect well with other people, have a better acceptance of diversity, and reflect on thoughts well, then when are they going to realize it is important to finish a project too. I am thinking about the worth of the old poster projects or book reports. There is a need for our students to meet deadlines and build a value in meeting a project to its end. Is it wrong for me to feel that these no end discussions will maybe create a future society where people do not know how to finish things? I know that his happening anyway but will it become more prevalent? As I write this the thing that comes to mind that it won’t is the sharing or ideas on things like pinterest and the “followers” I encountered when I experimented with Tumblr. Okay, maybe I feel better now but what are you thinking about this? Is it a concern?
Now it is time to see what you wrote in your discussion pieces! Thank you for reading my thinking.
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