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About Me
- David Q
- I wanted to create this blog for my friends and I because in all honesty, if all of us were to get together and talk sports, it would be the greatest debate ever... Not to mention the funniest... So I hope this does well and people comment and make posts cuz it has potential to be funny.
4 comments:
The article is interesting, as is the concept of Web 2.0 Storytelling. However, honestly, I would be irritated if something like this were employed in any of my classes (other than a computer or technology class) as part of an assignment. For instance, if I were taking a creative writing class that required me to do one of my assignments using Web 2.0 Storytelling tools/social media, like the authors suggested, I would be furious.
First of all, the class I'm taking is a creative writing class, NOT a computer class. I didn't sign up for the class to learn how to use blogs and wikis, I signed up to do creative writing, and creative writing can be done in ways that wouldn't require entire class periods or more of showing student how to use their medium (if the professor was even gracious enough to use class time to show the students how to use a blog or a wiki in the first place, which they should do if they're requiring it of their classes, but that's not always the case).
Expecting that student spend hours of their own time figuring out how to use a medium that isn't even necessary to do an assignment, especially when those students have other classes and work to do for those classes, as well as jobs and possibly other extracurriculars, is beyond what should be expected of a student. You have to draw the line somewhere.
Class time has all ready been extended way beyond what it use to be with the implementation of software like D2L. At the rate that technology is growing, will college students in 30 years even have the option of seperating themselves, even briefly, from thier classrooms throughout their college experience? It all ready happens that professors require students to take quizzes outside of class time, when, before the invention of such software, quizzes and tests were taken IN class. I think that, with all of these software programs, and hidden class requirements (such as the fact that quizzes will only be taken outside of class, which would probably never be mentioned in a class description before someone signed up for that class) way more work is required to earn those 3 class credits than was necessary to earn those same credits even 5 years ago.
That's why I'm not a fan of social media/Web 2.0 storytelling in higher education. It's a great concept, but it isn't necessary. Why ruin something fun by requireing it of people in a context that isn't necessary?
I couldn't agree more with you Mark. I like your example with the Creative Writing class. Creative writing is more about the delivery rather than its' content. I would also be upset at the fact that we would have to use this concept in other classes.
D2L already takes place of that for the most part, as far as students interacting with each other within the class. It makes it more managable to keep your assignments straight as well as track your grades.
This concept could possibly take out class disscussion amongst peers in class. Debating different points of view on different subjects etc. Intstead everyone would be sitting on their computer IMing their thoughts and ideas. I think it's good to know how to use such communication tools, but implementing them in higher education would be pointless. If that were the case I wouldn't ever need to show up to class, I could just sit on my couch with my laptop and voice my thoughts.
I think you bring up another good point David. How valuable is social networking in the higher education classroom if it could indirectly lead to the loss of basic communication skills? Face-to-face communication that is.
One of the things I remember discussing in one of my classes was the difference between degrees obtained in the classroom and degrees obtained online. As a class, we pretty much all came to the conclusion that a classroom education was more valuable and made you more marketable because, along with the subject content, you also learn how to communicate with and work with people, which online students often miss out on.
The professor of my class mentioned that he was part of a hiring committee and one of the candidates had received her entire education, including her Ph.d, online. He said she had really horrible communication skills, never looked anyone in the eye, had a really hard time explaining her views/issues, and just wasn't very personable. That all could have been because that's just the sort of person she is, but he thought that the fact she had only done online classes had something to do with it. She had missed out on all the interaction that comes with a classroom education.
If professors want to use social networking and web 2.0 storytelling, then they need to be really careful that they use it correctly as a supplement to classroom learning, rather than letting it become the entire class.
You both make great points! I think that D2L is a great way to extend learning. D2L is very organized and convenient for displaying grades. I like how professors can extend discussions from class to the internet. However, I also don't think that discussions should be solely done online. Face-to-face communication is much more beneficial. In class you can read people's facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact. Face-to-face says so much more than words on a screen.
Technology is a useful tool for our generation. If used correctly it can only enhance learning and growth. It is possible that technology can be abused. What I mean is that at times technology can be taken advantage of. There are so many tools such as spelling and grammer check, google search, image searches, etc that only encourage laziness. Libraries are not used for books, journals, and other resources anymore but for computers. Don't get me wrong, technology is helpful and can be a great way to research and connect with others. We just need to be using caution. Technology can't replace people.
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