Week 3: Video and RSS My World Just Opened Up

Essential Question: Are schools exploring all of the free resources available to them, encouraging teachers to use this technology in the classroom to engage and energize all learners?

I have known about the exsistance of RSS feeds since when they were RDF feeds.  In fact, one of my earlier MacBook’s screensavers was an RSS Feed of the headlines for the day.  Didn’t have a clue though of what it was, what it meant and what it’s potential was.........until today. 

RSS (Rich Site Summary) Allows users to avoid manually inspecting all the websites they are interested in, and instead subscribe to websites such that all new content is pushed onto their browsers when it becomes available. --Wikipedia: RSS

So now through Google Reader I have subscribed to Huffington Post and Scott McLeod’s Blog.  I have also put the application FeeddlerPro on my IPad.  Thank you “Kathy’s basket”

Scott McLeod’s article is great.  I agree 100% about his ten points.  Of this ten, nine take little to no money to implement.  They do require a shift in our perceptions of what is important in technology and how it is used.  I think however, we are at the point in where we can only support the seasoned educators and encourage the new educators in the strategies that can be used and become leaders.  I would propose that research would say that when a major shift in education occurs it takes the generation that was taught within that shift to be able to implement it fully....perhaps up to twenty years.  

I feel like we are at one of those shifts.  I see two major areas of affect.  First, is the idea that technology is now integral to most aspects of an individuals life and will always be interactive and no longer passive.  Second, we are permanently shifting into online virtual hybrids of educational paradigms. 

It also make me think about the term “technology” and how it almost seems redundant.  For me, it implies that it is something separate and apart from other functions.  I see the term evolving just as “community” is coming to mean much more.  In fact, could “community” also come to mean those interactive technological parts that integrate the organic members.”  A point where we could not communicate or succeed without these nonorganic members.  In some aspects of our lives we are already there. 

What happens when we figure out to create a system that is 100% organic.  Systems that are biological, neuron, synapsis based instead of resistor and chip based.  Will one blend into the other and become invisible..........sorry another “Borg” moment.

Michael Wesch - Video: A Portal to Media Literacy

This video gives me a lot to think about.  For me the big takeaway is the idea of “Creating Significance” for our students.  Michael suggest the following three steps.  

1. “Find a grand narrative to provide relevance and context for learning (addresses semantic meaning)
2. Create a learning environment that values and leverages the learners themselves (addresses personal meaning)
3. Do both in a way that realizes and leverages the existing media environment (and therefore allows students to realize and leverage the existing media environment)

“The challenge for higher learning: Creating platforms for participation that allow students to realize and leverage the emerging media environment.”

He follows this comment with the following model graphic and definitions. 

Network = Participation  Hierarchy = "Obey Authority"  Mass = Follow Along

The challenge is how to leverage the existing and new media to enable and engage all students.  In an environment that they all become the experts.

“Move from being knowledgeable to knowledge-able.”  --Michael Wesch