The Tip of the Iceberg

Tip of the Iceberg

The statistics we learned in class today were mind blowing and enlightening,  for example we learned how quickly information becomes outdated. Information more than 36 months old is no longer valid.  As a member of Generation X , the technological advances that I have personally witnessed are incredible and life changing.   Imagine one single, solitary device can  play music - any music I want, take pictures and send them instantly to others.  I can communicate via FaceTime,  I can get directions to any location and  find any information I want on the web. I thought I  had tried to keep up with technology, somewhat, but after today I learned I have only been scrapping the tip of the iceberg as far as knowing how to search google and wikipedia and knowing how to validate the information I find there.  I can relate to what Jeff taught, " We are good at looking up information, but no good at researching it."  There were several ah-ha moments today.  First, using "site:" for google searches.  Wow!  So exciting to hone in on specific information. I never knew about typing in country codes to get information from another country's point of view or using a time line search.  These tools are powerful to assist in  teaching kids about our global world with the help of the technology at our fingertips. I can see classroom applications all around from social studies to animal reports. I never thought about all the ways we can help making writing for a purpose so engaging and connected to technology.  The tools I learned  will enhance classroom learning and help me find ways to capture student's attention and excitement for learning.  

MYTH BUSTED! 

 I feel like there is a big myth floating around that "Wikipedia can't be trusted or considered a reliable source of information."  Myth Busted!!  I learned today that not everything on wikipedia is of a high scholarly quality, but you can hit the "talk" button and find out the quality of the information you are looking at.  I never knew these ratings even existed.  Articles with a GA/FA/A ratings have been cited and read by humans and verified.  One can trust the information to be valid and reliable.  Technology in the classroom has so many possibilities.  There are ideas for every grade level - even kindergarten.  I need to use technology to think how can I find ways for my students to  collaborate, communicate and create.  People thrive when they can create.  It is a part of what makes humans so interesting.  It is also at the highest level of Blooms Taxonomy.  Technology has the tools to spark learning with creativity and I am excited to learn more ways to integrate it and embrace it in the classroom.

COLLABORATE         COMMUNICATE          CREATE