"The printing press heralded an information revolution that drew from and enabled other social, cultural and political change."
Just as the printing press became the catalyst for an information revolution, so too has the internet and availability of digital technologies. Technology, whether it is a rock and a chisel, or a laptop computer continues to redefine the very concept of literacy as we know it.
When literacy practices are made available to larger groups of people, we see marked changes in society, culture, and even the political process. Everybody has become an active participant in what was commonly reserved for the elite.
But in terms of education, it has become necessary to educate learners to distinguish opinion from fact and critically evaluate for credibility. If we fail to properly educate with various digital texts, then we risk losing the same disenfranchised group of people as before.
"It is not enough to know how to set up a blog and how to read and write; there is a need to understand what blogging is, what it can do and how blogs work as a part of meaning-making."
As I have experimented with classrooms, I have had an overwhelmingly positive response to blogging for educational purposes. The very act of blogging is a way for students to connect with one another, and also gives parents the opportunity to view their child's work without even stepping foot in the school.
Our text mentions that blogging gives teachers a way to view a student's learning over a period of time, given its chronological nature. This is highly valuable to teachers, as we continually strive to implement various methods of formative and portfolio assessment. Blogging can serve as the platform for student created work that is most commonly seen in a portfolio.
"So great is this threat of destabilization that a number of new technologies are currently excluded from educational settings and we continually attempt to police the online activity of our pupils."
When I read this quote, I think of the many sites that are blocked in WV public schools, most notably YouTube. I'm consistently taken aback when a student retorts, "We can't do that. We don't have YouTube."
Why, may I ask? In the course of my graduate studies, I continue to revisit the idea that multi modal learning has the potential to make the biggest impact in the learning context. In fact, of all the videos that are on YouTube, I seek tutorials and how-tos the most often.
I am the eternal optimist when it comes to education, and I believe that if people are simply educated in the proper way to utilize a digital technology like YouTube, there will be no need for abuse of it.
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