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In the educational field we are surrounded by technology. We can’t fight it. Students seem to know more about technology than the teachers, with no tech classes needed. Students can  form social groups, play games, and when needed they get help for homework. But how much is acceptable help for homework? Students can take their homework and find the essay done and completed for them in the Internet.

Imagine th following scenario we have two teachers;  one who is considered to be “old school” teacher and the other one is “tech man (or woman) ” teacher. The old school teachers still works in groups and has class discussions. This helps students minds to expand and come up with their own thoughts and conclusions without seeking technological help. Taking pride into their own work and not taking others and calling it their own. This teacher knows very little of how to work technology and  really doesn’t trust technology all that much. She/He knows the students  can get plenty of information in the Internet to answer questions and essay with minimal work if any. So she has them complete essay and written work during class.  This way she knows they retained the information and wrote their essay from their brain and not from website they found in  their lap top. Then we have the tech man who uses the Internet and technology as a tool.  His classroom is completely set up with high tech stuff; smart board, computers in each desk, podcast, and blogging. He gives assignments assuming they are going to use the various programs online that help with their homework. If can’t fight it work with it. However he feels this is a skill students need for the work force to take information twist it and turn it and re-shape it to make it yours.This doesn’t make it any less theirs it is still their work. However the teacher also uses a website to check if any of the students plagiarized.

So my question is the following what is considered cheating with all the available technology and programs? What should we allow the students to use for assignment and what do we need to restrict? why?

Then what teacher do you feel is best for our students now “old school ” teacher or ”tech man” may be neither?  Explain.

When I assign my class two paragraphs on … you fill in the blanks it is usually followed my disappointed sighs. Students do so much writing throughout the day they are board with it. Now blogging is being introduced to the students. They’re still using writing skills and getting their work done but using the internet. Using a new and exciting tool where students get to show off their work or get their point across.  In the article, a 11^th grade class of 25 student used blogging and 74% of the students “believed that blog posts helped them articulate their ideas better”  and “60%percent felt blogging helped them begin writing their essay”  previously to blogging 84% of these students  had said that begging to write the essay was the hardest part. A 3^rd grade teacher also imbedded blogging into the lessons and now 39% of the class liked writing.

Reading about these successes in different classrooms in different levels gets me excited to learn about blogging and being able to use it in my class.  Students will really connect with blogging since it’s just like dropping a comment in their friend’s MySpace comment box (this is exactly how I will introduce it to them too!) only with structure.  I like the idea of the 11^th grade teacher in the article. The instructor used blogging so students can organize their thoughts for their essay.  Having students answer blogs a few paragraphs in each question by the end of the semester they can write 5 page essay accumulating their blogs.

I teach religion and I often have them reflect on verses from the bible. This last year I felt like students did not really invest time or really reflected upon the verse. However having the discussion in class about students really investing time and thinking through the questions because other people can potentially see them gave me a bit of a push to try it out.  I would like to use the blog as a bible reflection where I post a verse in the blog and students reflect on it and write their reflection. Students will be able to see each other’s reflection and take pride on their work.

Reading this article of the prose of blogging got me thinking in cons. The article did mention some district wanted the student’s blogs private. However if you are whiling to pay for it that would not be that big of a problem. But a problem I do see is where doing get the technology? Most school don’t have enough laptops or classroom computers to have this type of activities going in class, I know my school doesn’t. We still have students that don’t have computers and are unable to do this at home. It takes money for the schools to meet the up to date educational technology.

I just I added one more goal to my list of summer 2009. I would like to figure out host a blog for my 8^th grade religion class and try it out next year. If it is a success I will do it for my 7^th and 6^th grade religion for the following year.

Hello My name is Christy and this is my first time blogging. I only did it because I am taking a technology class that introduced it to me but I am open to new things.