Comments on: Student-centered learning using technology…circa 1970 http://languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/08/student-centered-learning-using-technologycirca-1970/ Language learning and technology for teachers and technologists, K-16 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:04:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Barbara http://languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/08/student-centered-learning-using-technologycirca-1970/#comment-9139 Barbara Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:16:20 +0000 http://www.languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/08/student-centered-learning-using-technologycirca-1970/#comment-9139 Well, the whole digital native/digital immigrant dichotomy, I believe, is a lot of bunk. Neither our students or our teachers fall into such neat little bunches. Students, just like adults, use technology in as much as it helps them get stuff done...sometimes efficiently, sometimes less than so. And I could also identify about 5 or 6 adults with whom I work who can't do file mgmt either... What I am talking about is teaching our students the basics with certain tools, but leaving it possible for further growth/experimentation to happen if need be, and then seeing where it takes them. The WPMu blogs that we set up for our students allows those who want the barebones to be happy, and those who want to be creative to do so as well. Heck, my students started using Youtube to upload and embed video into their blogs long before I did. Same with online slideshows and the rest. teach them to fish.... Well, the whole digital native/digital immigrant dichotomy, I believe, is a lot of bunk. Neither our students or our teachers fall into such neat little bunches. Students, just like adults, use technology in as much as it helps them get stuff done…sometimes efficiently, sometimes less than so. And I could also identify about 5 or 6 adults with whom I work who can’t do file mgmt either…

What I am talking about is teaching our students the basics with certain tools, but leaving it possible for further growth/experimentation to happen if need be, and then seeing where it takes them.

The WPMu blogs that we set up for our students allows those who want the barebones to be happy, and those who want to be creative to do so as well.

Heck, my students started using Youtube to upload and embed video into their blogs long before I did. Same with online slideshows and the rest.

teach them to fish….

]]> By: itsalljustaride http://languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/08/student-centered-learning-using-technologycirca-1970/#comment-9138 itsalljustaride Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:49:40 +0000 http://www.languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/08/student-centered-learning-using-technologycirca-1970/#comment-9138 "are we ready to value them as equal partners in this wide open enterprise called learning…or are we secretly hoping they will just make the damn machines work like our 70s predecessors?" I don't know about your institution, but my experiences are that it is mixed. I have some students who have showed me new ways to do things in the lab and with projects, others who are very comfortable with minimal coaching, and some who mysteriously can't seem to handle simple file management (and these are freshmen who, we are told, grew up as digital natives). Usually it's a tradeoff between giving students simple constraints to work in, training them in the basics, and letting them take it further if they have the ability. “are we ready to value them as equal partners in this wide open enterprise called learning…or are we secretly hoping they will just make the damn machines work like our 70s predecessors?”

I don’t know about your institution, but my experiences are that it is mixed. I have some students who have showed me new ways to do things in the lab and with projects, others who are very comfortable with minimal coaching, and some who mysteriously can’t seem to handle simple file management (and these are freshmen who, we are told, grew up as digital natives).

Usually it’s a tradeoff between giving students simple constraints to work in, training them in the basics, and letting them take it further if they have the ability.

]]> By: Leslie M-B http://languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/08/student-centered-learning-using-technologycirca-1970/#comment-9134 Leslie M-B Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:34:50 +0000 http://www.languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/08/student-centered-learning-using-technologycirca-1970/#comment-9134 Wow, those are some serious Xerox action shots. Certainly the high school photographer won an award for them. . . Wow, those are some serious Xerox action shots. Certainly the high school photographer won an award for them. . .

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