My Thoughts on Some Articles

1. U.S. Schools Lag Behind in Use of Technology
   http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-01-07-schools-lag-in-tech_x.htm
   I agree with the report on the fact that teachers should be required to take a technology class. I think that if many teachers knew how to use the new technologies they would. I also believe that the teachers who do use technology in instruction are seeing the students learn the information easier and faster. I do not agree with every student having a laptop in class. From what I've seen here at the college, many students who bring laptops do not pay attention; they just goof off on the internet. I also feel that cheating would become a whole lot easier and may be difficult to stop when the students know more about technology than the teacher.
   
   
2. National Education Technology Plan
   http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/edlite-default.html
   I think that the future of education looks very promising. There were a few things I saw that I think might be problems with their plan for the future though. I am not sure that digital textbooks could work as well as printed textbooks. For one, I like to take notes in the book in the margins and on the diagrams. I like to highlight what I think is most important for me to study. Would we be able to do this with a digital textbook? Plus, I don't see how they could be any cheaper. The authors that write the books still need to be compensated; they are not just going to write them for free.
   The biggest change I am curious to see in the future is the transition from high school to college education. Right now many students have a year of college credit done by taking dual-credit classes in high school, which I think is great. But at my high school, the only college class offered was English Comp I. So in a way, I started off behind many other students. How is that fair to me, when I didn't have access to the same classes as others? I think that whatever becomes of this transition, everyone deserves an equal opportunity to it.
   
   
3. National Educational Technology Standards Project
   http://cnets.iste.org/
   I agree with the fact that technology now allows us to communicate in ways we never dreamed possible. It is essential that students are learning these new ways to communicate in their school so that they can apply these skills in the jobmarket later.
   I believe that technology is the gateway between a classrooom and anywhere in the world. I enjoyed reading about the Chicago class that did a field trip "virtually" and traveled over 200 miles away in their classroom to learn the same things they could by actually going. This is a really exciting concept because the boundaries for learning are now nearly endless.
   
   
4. Adopt and Adapt
   http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=art_1423&issue=dec_05
   I believe that when we do get to the point of every student having their own laptop, students should be able to personalize it. When you look at anyone's personal computer, they have their own background, shortcuts, mouse settings, etc. In a way, it's just how their brain has organized it; it represents their own learning style. If students aren't allowed to express this on their school laptop, I feel that it might hinder the desire to learn.
   I think that our society is stuck at the point of using old ways to teach. I believe that one of the reasons why is because of parental objection. Many parents don't want their students to be taught in a way they weren't, and many view it as letting the students off easier and that they don't have to try as hard. My belief is that technology helps students go down the same learning path but with an easier mode of transportation; you get to the same destination but getting there quicker allows you to travel farther and learn more.
   
   
5. Highschool.com
   http://edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=Art_1270&issue=apr_05
   To be honest, I'd never heard of students taking online classes for high school credit. I do see some of its advantages. In high school I ran out of classes that I was interested in taking. I wouldn't have minded taking an online class. I also remember several projects being due at the same time. Had I had the option of turning them in when I wanted to, I honestly could have and would have put in more thought and effort. I also see the problems of some classes just not being able to be taught online. There's no way you could do a chemistry lab on your own and if you did would it be safe. Some students' learning styles would not favor distance education either. I am sure online learning will find its place in high schools.