Building the Education Bond
The Colorado Gazette today highlights an interesting facet of the digital classroom divide that many in the education sphere tend to overlook. Yes, today’s digital natives (students) have a leg up on teachers (typically digital immigrants) in terms of the technology they use and the breadth of their understanding of gadgets, but does that necessarily translate into understanding how to parlay technology into better learning skills? The Gazette paints an heretofore overlooked reality that allows teachers and students to collaborate and even mutually assist each other with technology. They argue that, although the above is true, students know more about technology, teachers still are the experts when it comes to finding reputable sources and using information in ethically responsible ways. Wikipedia, for example, is a fantastic resource for some students, but few teachers would defend it as an authoritative resource. That’s how teachers can help, showing students how to effectively use the internet, holding it to rigid academic standards.
“They’re great with the social networking, the iPods, phones, MySpace, stuff like that,” she said. “But they don’t necessarily know how to find and use good sites.”That’s where e-mail, texting and blogging come in. Teachers are increasingly in contact with students after hours and on weekends, answering e-mailed questions, monitoring homework discussions and directing them to find and share useful sites to enhance a lesson. It also levels the field for some students, she said. “Those who are apprehensive or too shy in the classroom to express themselves often will join in an online discussion. And the interaction with students over the summer brings amazing results.
OdysseyWare’s curriculum completely agrees. That is why our curriculum provides access to outside internet links that can help students further learn about particular issues. But with we do it with content protection and white listed websites, which have been pre-identified, so students can learn beyond their curriculum in a manner that maintains the academic standards of scholarly excellence. Please e-mail us at info@odysseyware.com to learn more!