Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Read/Write Web and Me

I've been enjoying the Internet since the early 90s. Truthfully, it hasn't always been a joy. Phone modems that lost connection when a call came in on the line; slow loading pages that ended up containing the wrong information; spam, spam, spam in the email box; and annoying pop-ups (Net Flix is bugging me right now as I type this) are just a few of the pitfalls on the good old "information super highway." But on the flip side, there really are too many benefits to the Web to begin to list, and I don't mean YouTube, so I've been connected continuously for about the past 12 years.

The entertainment and information the Internet makes available are worth the price of admission, which isn't bad if you figure it by the minute. And connecting with communities of all sorts has always been a draw. For the past several years, advances in online application development have brought a new dimension to the Web. The ability for anyone to contribute information and/or opinions to share with the world has changed how we all use the Net.

I'm still a bit of a dabbler. I've posted pictures and videos, made accounts with lots of interactive sites including Facebook and MySpace, and tried to keep up with Twitter. I read blogs and occasionally have something to contribute to the conversation, but I'm not a power blogger, for sure. I think I'm still mainly a consumer more than a producer. I see the value of the Read/Write Web in schools, though, so I'm going to continue to dabble, knowing that it's part of the way of life of our students and promises to be ever more important to new generations.

What about you?

12 comments:

  1. I agree Steve! Everyday I continue to learn something new as I weave my through the world of internet and/or just follow along what my 13yr old son is doing.

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  2. The information superhighway has been a mainstream part of my life since college, and now has become an important part of my classroom. It's a way for me to connect with my students that is familiar for them.

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  3. Netflix is great, though. You can keep the movie as long as you want and the turn around is so fast!

    Seriously, Steve, this is truly an overwhelming and fascinating subject. Thanks for helping us navigate!

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  4. Sometimes it seems hard for me to get my mind around all of this technology. However, I am interested and I did do a blog with my READ 180 students this year. It is something I am looking forward to doing once again. I do follow a few blogs mostly my daughter's blog and a few educational blogs. I too am a consumer rather than a producer. Maybe that will change this year.

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  5. I am definitely a dabbler, too. I just wish I had more time to sit at the computer and get comfortable with all that the Internet has to offer. It can get pretty time consuming. I do believe there there is tremendously value and importance in using all these tools in the classroom. This is the way kids want to learn and it is a good way to motivate kids.

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  6. I consider myself quite a dinosaur. Every day brings new terms and tricks while I continue to languish in the past. I feel like I am so far behind that I may never catch up. It is heartening to see that even someone as knowledgeable as you finds new things every day. I hope by the end of this course I feel comfortable dabbling and may even feel proficient in a few areas.

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  7. I hope by taking this course i will have the interest in blogging that you have and be able to contribute

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  8. If you are dabbler uhm then I am not sure what I am. I am still in the process of even deciding if I want a facebook account.

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  9. I, too, believe that the web offers a wealth of opportunities. When I think back to college, trying to do research papers using microfiche and outdated books, it was a time consuming and frustrating task (doesn't that date me.....). Today we have endless amounts of information at our fingertips to sort through, read, and utilize. In fact, sometimes too much information.

    My experiences using the web are still somewhat limited. Personally I use Facebook, personal email, and the web for information. Professionally I have a web page and use email. I still don't find it overly enjoyable to sit in front of a computer for long periods of time.....that is one of the reasons why I am taking this course.

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  10. The internet has been a great resource for the classroom. The wealth of material for the study of mathematics is amazing. It seems that over the last 10 to 15 years perhaps every masters/phd mathematics candidate has published something! Much of it is excellent. I use these resources in the classroom but as yet have not been able to activate student interest outside the classroom.

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  11. I, too, see the value in using these tools in the classroom. As you know, I'm a frequent user of Facebook and love how that connects me to family, friends, colleagues, and former classmates. I enjoy reading a few blogs, but am unsure if I have enough to say for my own personal blog -- shocker, I know! I look forward to learning how to apply what I learn in this class to my classroom and am hoping to go paperless if possible!

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  12. Question . . . any thoughts on the use of moodle in the classroom? I've used it previously as part of a math learning community, but once my work was done, I forgot all about it, until I read the link in Paul's Blog to the NYTimes article . . .

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