what can happen.

Here is just one example of how technology can have an impact on our students. DeforestACTION looks at stopping the destruction of rainforests and preserving homes for orang-utans. The project is essentially run by youth around the world via video web-cam conferences between schools, administrators and conservationists. Driven by Sean Tierney and Michael Furdyk, the co-founder and director of Taking It Global ("a global community for young people to engage in social issues"), DeforestACTION is the perfect example of what is possible in a contemporary classroom.

time to reflect.

As the required blogging comes to an end it’s time to reflect. Throughout this experience I’ve witnessed colleagues that swore black and blue that they were computer illiterate achieve what they originally exclaimed to be the “impossible”. They’ve created blogs that have interactive elements, that are informative and that provide the less knowledgeable with an insight into the technological world that teaching is fast becoming. I think this in itself embodies the power of technology, nothing is ever impossible. 

"When we give students access to laptops as a natural part of their learning, the door is opened for us to do something significant" (Dixon, 2000) 

Coming from a heavily influenced technological upbringing this concept of blogging enabled the opportunity to voice my feelings on creating contemporary teaching and learning environments to my peers. Being brought up with the understanding that the future lies in technology, that there is a world outside the four walls we are too often confined to in a classroom was reinforced by this subject. Reflecting regularly on the content we learnt throughout the course, encouraged additional and deeper thinking which is what every teacher hopes to achieve in a classroom. Therefore it can be safe to say that technology DOES create a learning environment that promotes our children to work collaboratively and to examine concepts further and to higher degrees. Ultimately, a collaborative classroom is a powerful classroom.

I’ve spoken quite passionately about the endless advantages that technology can provide any education system, the wonderful opportunities it can give individuals and the engaging and motivating effect it has on students learning; because sometimes people are oblivious to what is right in front of them. Without a doubt there are educators out there that have access to the technology and that don’t use it at all or to its full potential. This is disheartening, not only for pre-service teachers to witness, but also for students to be a part of. If we’re all working towards the same goal of educating the next generation then surely we should collaborate together on the ideas and concepts that create contemporary learning environments, hence the tone taken throughout this blog. I’ve continually reinforced that technology should not be viewed as daunting but rather as an adventure to a land of possibilities because once we’ve abolished the misconceptions that are out there we’re on track to a better educational future. I cannot stress enough though that technology is currently not being used to its full potential throughout our education system and throughout the worlds.

 
Unfortunately due to a lack of government support and underfunded programs the concept of laptop education isn’t a reality for all schools. This is where the problem lies. The concept of 1-1 laptop programs needs to be promoted and encouraged. Creating an environment where children have access to his or her own laptop, anywhere, anytime, is creating a universal student. Through foundations such as the Anytime, Anywhere Learning Foundation, which focuses on promoting laptop education, interactive, worldly students are possible. They aim to “ensure that all children have access to unlimited opportunities to learn anytime and anywhere and that they have the tools that make this possible”. Those tools are laptops. Knowing that there is support out there that focus’ primarily on developing teachers that realize the potential with technology and that’s purpose is to create “visionary leadership and knowledgeable, innovative educators” means we have no excuse but to provide our students with just that. 

This blogging experience, although I was familiar with the concept previously has enabled me to divulge further into the world of technology and education. It’s furthered my passion in creating contemporary teaching and learning environments for my students. By having the opportunity to voice the knowledge that I have been brought up with, I have been able to examine concepts further myself and to, most importantly I believe, learn. I think that is essential in education and is quite possibly the most significant thing to remember when we become educators. We never stop learning and we never should. Being open to new possibilities, new conceptions and new technologies creates a current and relevant learning environment.

 
As I stated at the beginning of this course, the essential ingredient in implementing a new era of learning is developing an open mind-set amongst teachers. Technology is expanding, and as daunting as it can be for the technological illiterate amongst us, what needs to be reiterated and reinforced, especially with teachers, is that this technology is there to help us. Everyday programs are emerging that are creating more exciting and interesting ways of engaging students of all ages in the classroom and they will continue to be created.

Research is a key aspect to seeing the possibilities out there within technology. To create the classroom, where children are given every possibility to reach their highest potential, we as teachers need to be aware of all that is available to us. It is essential that teachers don’t see emerging technologies as a threat, but rather as a necessity for great education.

"Technology gives students the power to transform both how they learn and what they learn. And by transform we are not talking about changing the appearance or form of the how or the what of learning, but changing the very nature of what makes up learning...what has been the exception must now become the norm. Our students, all of them, deserve no less."

 "Let us dare to step into the future, and stop teaching from our past" (Dixon, 2000)

the future.

Where is the future of teaching and learning heading? Is it to a land of behaviorists, conformists dictators that shorten the minds of our students? Doesn't exactly sound ideal. Perhaps to a land of of technological illiterate students and teachers occasionally venturing online. Again, not ideal nor comprehendible really when you think of the growing technologies that we are privy to today. Really, the future of education lies in the hands of us, the next generation of teachers, who are becoming more and more technological savvy. Therefore it is essential that we make the future an environment of contemporary teaching and learning opportunities that motivate and engage our students. This is achievable with technology.

Each day new technologies are being developed that offer endless possibilities to our students. With this future also comes the concept of Web 3.0, a continuing revolution of emerging technologies that compliment teaching and learning. This augmented reality centers around the idea of communicating relevant information to the individual, the cyber universe directly corresponding to you in association with your needs. Amazingly though this technology isn’t limited to Web 3.0, without a doubt it will continue to develop even further, who knows how long it will be until we here whispers of Web 4.0 or even 5.0. As long as people are using these resources, technology will continue to grow, providing teachers with the opportunities to expand their student’s horizons and to encourage them to explore the world that is at their fingertips. By continually developing technologies and implementing them into our school environments, we are creating...

“learning that is relevant, useful and appropriate for the world [our students] will enter when they leave our classrooms” (Dixon, 2000).

Moving forward we’re witness to concepts such as m-learning or otherwise known as mobile learning which is the foundation of providing continual anywhere access to the online world. The ability to voice record, mblog, create immediate multimedia records on school excursions, encourage and facilitate interaction with an otherwise dull surrounding through the use of a mobile phone and provide potential platforms for person to person interaction, the possibilities with mobile learning are endless. Many view the concept of such technologies as an invasion of privacy, having anyone, anywhere able to access information based on facial recognition software, or interaction with surroundings; however like all of the technologies mentioned on this blog the potential of a “privacy breech” SHOULD NOT be a determinate factor in technology usage. As previously stated with these new technological demands come new privacy settings that are stronger, more efficient and effective than ever before. Instead of immediately associating negativities with new technologies such as m-learning or virtual worlds, how about people start thinking about the exciting and engaging ways they can broaden our students minds.

Virtual worlds are on a rapid climb. Operating your own Avatar (virtual replicas of yourself or as some people view it your ‘ideal self’) is fast becoming the norm amongst people in the 21^st century. However when we hear about these MUVE’s (Multi-User-Virtual-Environments), we are given distorted news reports that focus on once again the negatives, such as cyber bullying and illegal associations or interactions. We’re missing the point of the technology. It is a platform for a contemporary teaching and learning environment that not only encourages our student’s imaginations but also creates an engaging and most importantly different way of learning. Pedagogical advantages are endless, offering ‘immersive, interactive and situated’ learning where our students are active participants in a virtual world. 

“You have to want to use technology, see some educational potential n it, and be willing to take risks” (Johnstone, 2006)

share share share.

The Internet can sometimes be deemed an overwhelming source of knowledge. With the endless access to information, people often feel intimidated and uneasy with the quantity of content accessible. This information overload however serves to emphasize the endless possibilities that come with the Internet. Whilst yes it can be overwhelming, the possibilities and resources that are available at the click of your mouse provide you, the teachers and your students with copious amounts of information that no textbook could ever store. The world is quite literally at our fingertips. Logging online has the potential to answer any of our student’s questions, anywhere, anytime, therefore with this great source of knowledge comes a need for teachers to create learning environments that utilize such a tool.

"Young people say to me, “when I need to know something at the point when I need to know it, I will find it in five minutes. So why are you wasting my time in class?” We must have a good answer."

Sugata Mitra, Professor of Educational Technology, Newcastle University

We all know the content of information available via the web is dramatically more than any physical library could ever hold; however with that comes the daunting prospect of filtering content, deciphering relevance and credibility. Hope is not lost, thanks to the introduction of folksonomies or otherwise known as social bookmarking, we have a way of creating our own individual libraries online. When we think about web 2.0 we associate terms such as sharing, collaborative learning, anywhere, anytime, therefore it's no wonder that with web 2.0 comes this concept. Social bookmarking is fast achieving a dominant presence online and its potential benefits within the classroom are clearly evident.

Delicious is the most notable source for social bookmarking, giving you the opportunity to “save all your bookmarks online, share them with other people, and see what other people are bookmarking,” (Delicious, 2011) the ultimate way to keep track of your online findings. So sure this is a great resource for any individual out there but how can it benefit our growing technological classrooms? Well that’s just it, technology like these are made for teaching. They offer a great way of filtering content for students, deciphering credibility and allowing students to create their own online libraries that are of relevance to them.

Similarly RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feeds seem to be essentially made for the classroom. By customizing the content in your feed, you’re able to receive a collective intelligence on the topic of your choice. How convenient would it be to follow a particular news feed as a class, on the topic that you’re studying? Or perhaps follow a group of particular people who have experience and expertise in the field you’re studying? Not only would this engage the students (let’s be honest, anything online has a degree of engagement) but it would also give them the opportunity to hear from experts, other students and people from around the world, broadening what could’ve otherwise been a one dimensional topic study in the classroom. By adding these dimensions students can eagerly arrive into the classroom and instantly be privy to detailed information on the class topic. As previously stated web 2.0 is about sharing, collaboratively working together across the globe to achieve more in-depth and further thinking from our students, therefore these technologies are a stepping stone in creating worldly and universal children that ultimately are the future.

The most profound influence on life in the 21st century may turn out to be the Internet. The Internet links us to the greatest repository of information in the history of civilization. It also provides multiple modes of communication. Finally, it is the most efficient system in our history for delivering new technologies to read, write, and communicate. Together, these elements permit individuals to construct new information, new knowledge, and even newer technologies. As a result, the Internet is in a continuous state of becoming, regularly transforming each one of us as we, in turn, transform it.
Donald Leu et al, New Literacies Research Lab, University of Connecticut

digital dangers.

One of the biggest deterents for teachers using and implementing technology in the classroom, is the concept of cybersafety. Too often teachers are apprehensive towards technology because of the potential dangers that are associated with it. The hype of these so called dangers create conceptions amongst teachers that technology has the potential to be deteremental to children's learning experiences. In reality these dangers are few and far between with an extensive amount of resources available to offer protection and eliminate any misconceptions associated with cybersafety. The benefits that technology can bring to the classroom and students undoubtably outweigh these negatives. The essential ingredient for anyone venturing online, whether student or teacher, is the ability to recognise these dangers and to act accordingly, therefore simply knowing they exist can provide a shield against them.


Like everything in life, venturing online dosen't come without dangers. From potential online predators to inappropriate content, these dangers are out there and your students can come in contact with one or more of them at some stage in their online experiences. However this shouldn't have any impact on whether students are provided with the opportunity to use technology within the classroom. Football brings with it the possibility for on field bullying and injuries. Although dangers are associated with the sport, it is taught and watched by children throughout the country, therefore why should something like technology be treated any differently. One of the most problematic issue associated with technology is how students portray themselves and are perceived by others online. This is often highlighted in the media through inappropriate use of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace and is further exaggerated through the ignorance of users on these sites. Incorporating lessons into the curriculum which detail the need for students to accurately represent themselves and to be wary of the information that they put in the digital arena is the first in creating safe and conscious digital users. 


Many teachers believe they are limited in how much they can control their students online operations. First of all that's an incorrect statement in itself, controlling students online operations makes for a very behaviorist and limited learning environment. Teachers controlling their students online then gives them someone or something (the system) to rebel against. It is instead about exploring this technology together that will build a true foundation for using this digital environment. By giving the students responsibilities, rather than restricting them, trust can therefore be established. As much as many will argue students aren't all trustworthy, if you don't give them the benefit of the doubt in the first place, how will you ever know and how will they ever grow.


In turn schools have provided filtering systems that disable sites in attempts to prevent wondering eyes or potential online predators. These barriers that are put in place can be easily broken thanks to the introduction of tunnel websites that bypass these filters. So if the student is technological knowledgeable, and lets face it these days there is a growing amount of digital experts entering schools, the filters are merely a momentary challenge that they will no doubt overcome. Essentially it's about relationships with students and learning together about these online dangers. Creating technology guidelines together is a great way of involving the students in the process and alerting them to the dangers out there, as simply being aware will create a much more digitally conscious user.

"You have to deal with the behavior, not the technology" (Johnstone, 2006:34)

As previously mentioned limiting technology use in an attempt to avoid digital dangers, is a short term answer to a bigger issue. Social networking sites are almost immediately these days associated with terms such as cyberbullying, scamming and cyberpredation. We need to stop focusing on these negatives and start seeing the technology for what it really is; which is a great source of online interaction amongst students. Social networking sites, professional learning environments/networks and e-portfolios are all interactive ways of introducing technology into the classroom. Creating discussion platforms on sites such as Facebook can encourage students to interact with their peers in a more comfortable setting and can promote further and deeper thinking overall. Although it is at an educators level, the Harvard Advanced Leadership Education Think Tank on Facebook is a great example of the benefits social networking sites can have. Based on the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative, this 'Think Tank' offers a digital platform for educators "to engage in the issues, thoughts, and scholarship focusing on the utilization of technology to support positive change in the quality and relevance of education systems" (Harvard University). Creating similar platforms on a classroom level can offer a new and exciting way of interacting and engaging with students, as no doubt this technology is familiar on some level to them.

“We haven’t fundamentally restructured the way our schools function.  We need to stop, take a step back, and ask ourselves some hard questions about the tenets that define our work today. We need to rethink some basic assumptions about the use of time, the structure of the school day, and how we organize our students in their learning environment. We need to move from measuring seat time to measuring competency 

Together, we have an unprecedented chance to reform our schools and drive innovation; a fantastic nexus of crisis, urgency, and opportunity. We must dramatically improve teaching and learning, personalize instruction, and ensure that the educational 

environments we offer to all students keep pace with the 21st century.   

We can get there with technology.” 

United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan 

information literacy.

The amount of information available online can seem endless and overwhelming to even the most computer literate amongst us, therefore how do you decipher what is useful and knowledgeable to us and our students and what needs to stay in the realm of cyberspace? As Warschauer (2006) defines it, information literacy refers to the "ability to determine the extent of information needed, access needed information effectively and efficiently, evaluate information and its sources critically, incorporate selected information into ones knowledge base, use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose and access and use information ethically and legally". Information literacy seems to be a necessity in todays society especially due to the internets continual expansion, online content is growing everyday, therefore its pivotal that teachers take the time to introduce their students to the concept of critical literacy so that they can get the most out of their online interactions. 


As much of a tech-enthusiast that I am and as much as i would love to believe there was an "automatic correspondence between technology deployment and the development of information literacy," (Warschauer, 2006:86) making assumptions about a child's ability to interpret information online is a guaranteed way to lesson their likelihood of learning these skills effectively and efficiently in the classroom. Students concept of information literacy can be dependent on a large number of factors: how long have they had access to technology? how long have they had access to search engines? do they have computers or laptops at home? how well do they interpret information in the classroom already? what are their literacy skills like? the list goes on. Therefore instead of presuming students jump online as critically literate individuals, it's essential that teachers take the time to explain the diverse range of information available online. 


As soon as a reading literate child has access to technology there is a need to introduce them to the concept of information literacy. Sadly there are too many people in this society that have such an immense fear associated with the internet; they view it as a dangerous lair in which children can be victimized, a place where alternative conceptions flourish, when in reality these associations are partly due to a lack of teaching and learning about critical literacy. Whatever they choose to look at and view online, there is the chance that it may be inaccurate therefore it is important that students are taught the ability to evaluate the content they view. Ways of introducing information literacy into the classroom can be as simple as showing comparisons to the students on a topic they are interested in, (choosing something of interest to them will mean they'll have a greater likelihood of understanding and being able to compare inaccurate and accurate information) and brainstorming inaccuracies together, then allowing the students to do the same but individually. Like all things with technology, the best way to learn is to play and explore for yourself, it's amazing how much you absorb through play. 


Exploration can come easy thanks to the concept of search engines. Although they seem to have a lack of "expert quality control" (Pegrum, 2011) they offer you the world at your fingertips. This is when an individuals understanding on information literacy is essential, as they need to decipher what's accurate and what's not. Unfortunately there is no one signal that will tell or show students whether a website is legitimate, but by teaching them common signs of unreliable sources they are able to develop an insight into what to look for when evaluating a website. There are numerous different search engines that you can use, from the most popular Google to Yahoo, TagGalaxy and Rollyo, the list is endless and so are the potential results. By teaching children to question all content they view online, you're making the first step to an information literate child.


If the concept of information literacy seems too complicated for the students or they are struggling to grasp the idea, there are alternative options that teachers can set up to eliminate students viewing illegitimate information. As previously discussed a classroom Wikki is a great way of creating an online resource for students to obtain information relevant to them, hyperlinking websites that are accurate and informative on subjects can enable the less literate students a chance to explore online. Another great way of leading students in the information literate direction is using bookmarking services such as Delicious. Here teachers are able to create their own page, divide it into folders on topics that students are discussing in class and link it back to the classroom webpage. They are then able to bookmark webpages into specific folders so that students have a fast and accurate resource of information. Although you as a teacher are doing the evaluating of the websites, it's a great way to prevent students from irrelevant and incorrect results in search engines and is also much more time efficient. 


Although bookmarking services are a great way of eliminating damaging and illegitimate content, it is still essential to teach children the concept of information literacy so that they can develop a more evaluative and efficient attitude online. For younger years bookmarking services offer the ability for students to travel the web effectively but when they are ability appropriate the concept of information literacy is a necessity to be taught in every classroom. It's beneficial in all areas of literacy, not just on the web, teaching students to critically evaluate and inquire beyond what they normally would.

literacy literacy literacy.

With technology evolving every day, it’s time that we challenged traditional approaches to learning and our assumptions about the classroom. Sadly, many people fear that the progress of technology and its growing presence in the classroom are ridding children of traditional literacy skills that are essential in life. When in reality technology is offering alternative ways of approaching literacy and adding additional 21st century skills that are rapidly developing to be a necessity in society. Technology rich learning environments not only benefit the students but also the teachers, by creating an innovative way of learning, in which the students are engaged and most importantly motivated to learn. However contrary to popular belief, an innovative classroom doesn’t purely mean having the technology; it’s about how we choose to use it. We could sit a child in front of a laptop screen for hours, does that mean they are learning, no, therefore it’s our jobs as teachers to think of ground-breaking, original ways of using these great sources of engagement. Previously I’ve mentioned concepts such as wikis, tweets and blogs as all great ways of creating a technology rich learning environment. For some they can be seen as quite daunting and advanced, therefore let’s take a step back and look at some simpler forms of using technology in the classroom.

Podcasting and Vodcasting are pretty self explanatory, traditionally they’re known as a series of audio files podcasting & vodcasting a series of videos, both which you can subscribe to. However as technology has evolved they’ve become more loosely known as an audio & video file. So how can these be used in the classroom? Well we could sit our children down in front of a computer and have them watch a vodcast or listen to a podcast daily; but is that really an innovative way of teaching? Yes it is using the technology but the student is a passive recipient of knowledge so why wouldn’t we instead have the child become actively involved in creating their own casts. A great way to introduce these concepts is through collaborative class work, such as creating a weekly vodcast on the students learning that is uploaded to the classroom wiki, that parents and other classes within the school have access too, with the aim being each child would eventually create their own vodcasts about their own individual learning journey once they have grasped a better understanding of how to use the programs. Although simple, it’s a great way of using the technology and connecting with parents and peers. Podcasts have evolved even further be allowing people to use an online animated character for service delivery. To the child, too afraid to voice their opinion, or who has trouble articulating their thoughts, this type of podcast enables students to adopt an online persona that can present, report or even just communicate with the class which is an engaging and motivating way of gaining student participation. 

Storytelling plays a very important role in education; so does it have a place in the digital era? Like all forms of literacy, its role is even more significant than before. The most basic form of digital storytelling comes in the form of PowerPoint with audio attached; although simple it is presenting a more engaging and motivating way in which students can deliver their stories. Web 2.0 however offers a platform for students to publish their own storybooks, create virtual interactive timelines, design and deliver multimedia posters and most importantly it encourages students to “write more, more often and better” (Silvernail, 2004, Warschauer, 2005).

One idea that Web 2.0 introduced was the concept of social sharing. We are all too happy to orally discuss content or recommend sites and books to one another but how often do you forget what was said or loose the page number. This notion of social sharing enables the virtual world to connect people on a deeper level and encourage collaborative learning to the highest degree. With a significant change to constructivist ways of teaching and learning, sharing is at the forefront of education, therefore having the ability to share quotations, images, websites, slides and annotations is essential in this digital era. The ability to share information with different classes within the school or on an even more innovative scale, with people with different cultural backgrounds from around the globe, offers endless educational possibilities and the chance to learn on a much more intellectual level. 

“My goal in life is to find ways in which children can use technology as a constructive medium to do things that they could not do before..

..to do things at a level of complexity that was not previously accessible to children”

Prof. Seymour Papert 1998

let's get even more interactive.

Twitter is fast becoming a popular medium in which to engage and interact with students in the classroom. It's being used throughout universities as a way of enabling students to voice their opinions in collaborative discussion with peers. 

The Twitter Experiment

So how could twitter potentially be used in a primary school classroom? It's about thinking outside the square. Creating a class twitter is the perfect platform for further development in the future but it initially enables the students to grasp the concept of twitter together. As a class interacting with other classes, not just within the school but throughout the world becomes an option through the simple implementation of twitter in the classroom. Asking questions to theorists or professionals, following news tweets and communicating with parents is a great way to use a collaborative twitter in primary schools. If there is a school play or a special assembly, tweet parents, instead of sending letters that are oh too often lost in the bottom of the school bag. Individual twitter accounts for students can also be beneficial, by using the collaborative class twitter, students are taught the process of tweeting which then enables them to tweet individually to the teacher, their parents or peers for either assistance or purely just to voice their opinion on the topic. Students queries or daily classroom "news" can be tweeted before school and projected in the classroom so that students view each others tweets on arrival to school each morning. Now that's a pretty cool, motivating, engaging and efficient classroom.


Similar to twitter, chat or instant messaging is a great way of enabling quieter students the opportunity to gain a voice in the classroom. Often the concept of talking in front of the class can be quite daunting, therefore chat and instant messaging enables interaction with peers on a level where students feel comfortable and confident. Even the most simplest form of chat, a question and then letting the children discuss on instant messaging, can generate powerful thinking that quite possibly wouldn't of eventuated in a traditional classroom. The class can then collaboratively generate several responses to the question through reflection of the discussion on a projection and then take a poll to find the best answer. This not only incorporates collaborative chat discussion but it also introduces the concept of polling in education - together the class is generating an answer, not the teacher or the loudest, most confident students, but everyone, together. We had a question, we broke it down, examined it, discussed it collaboratively, enabling further and deeper thinking, discussed the findings, reflected and then polled an outcome. That's pretty cool if you ask me.


If teachers have the confidence to use these new technologies, we're going to create motivating, engaging spaces that are the perfect platform for collaborative thinking.

technology for teachers.

Wow. So when we talk about integrating technology into a classroom it normally relates to the students as the recipients but what we forget to realize is the benefits that it can pose to us, the teachers. I just witnessed this first hand via a Microsoft Professional Development 2011 Innovative Schools Program. This is a virtual university, hosted by Bruce Dixon on behalf of Microsoft, in which people from around the world can sit in on a seminar, discuss and ask questions in real time. In this instance the virtual university, which runs on a monthly basis, was presented by Randy Fielding who discussed, Designing Schools for the Creative Age, to over 30 school leaders from around the world. Although they are on the other side of the world, I'm sitting at the University of Western Australia, watching these slides, listening to the presentation, being able to ask questions and interact with school leaders from around the globe. This interactive format enables school leaders to share innovative ways of teaching and learning with one another and form discussions that promote further and deeper thinking into the place of ICT in the classroom; that in turn not only benefits themselves but most importantly, their students. As the seminar progresses, attendees are able to ask questions amongst themselves, ask questions directly to the host or presenter and get involved rather than purely being dictated too. Randy can then address these questions throughout the presentation, is able to draw on his slides to highlight important aspects and can also read the discussions that the audience is having throughout the presentation - an interactive lecture to the highest degree.

"The goal of the Innovative Schools Program is to discover, share and scale best practices, develop models and assets that any school or any school system can use to help students achieve their full potential, and create a collaborative community of like- minded school leaders" (Microsoft Partners in Learning)

I think what we forget is that technology can create for a better classroom for all. It means more effective ways of engaging and motivating students but also a much more efficient way of teaching. There are conferences, meetings and organizations thats whole purpose is just that, promoting technology in the classroom to enable a more innovative learning area. These organizations are providing us with alternative ways of teaching and thinking that can really impact the way we run our classrooms. For example the below clip on Gaming and Edutainment is from the Harvard's Advanced Leadership Education Think Tank Conference which looked at "the utilization of technology to support positive change in the quality and relevance of education systems" (Harvard, 2011). Towards the end of the clip, Bruce refers to a program currently being created at Ideas Lab (see useful links) called "Pulse" that enables "semantic analysis of community conversations" (Dixon, 2011). This program is the perfect example of how technology is being produced to assist the learning progress as it offers a much more efficient way of correlating information that students place online.

Gaming & Edutainment

I know I keep mentioning the engaging and motivating qualities that technology can have in a classroom, but in all honesty it's the truth. I think with the products and ideas that are being invented every day in relation to technology, it really makes for a much more positive innovative learning area where we can give students the best possibilities to reach their highest potential.

literacy in the web.

In 2004 70% of Americans used the Internet on a typical day, up from just 45% four years previously (Warschauer, 2006:7). Seven years on and the world has been transformed into a digital era in which to not use the Internet on any given day is verging on a crime. We are heavily dependent on technology on a day to day basis, as it provides us with sources of communication, information and entertainment. Print literacy is fast becoming a thing of the past as online mediums are offering a more efficient and effective way of communicating with people from around the world. What many people find daunting about this prospect is the apparent lack of reference to traditional literacy skills; when in reality digital literacy offers a more attractive and engaging tool to address literacy in the classroom. The appealing nature of laptops and computers provides the perfect platform in which students are able to become, engaged readers who "spend more time reading, demonstrate greater enthusiasim and enjoyment of literacy, cognitively process reading material more deeply and more actively pursue literacy activities inside and outside of school" (Warschauer, 2006:57). 

The concept of netspeak/textspeak in the classroom, again like all technologies to the unfamilar, can appear daunting and quite confusing. Many people, teachers in particular, struggle with student slang around the school ground as it is; therefore when this new era of literacy came about, it too came with a looming feeling of doom for teachers. But like all technology in todays society it offers an opportunity for students to communicate on a level where they are engaged and enthusiased by the learning environment and also where they feel comfortable, which is a key aspect of learning. As a teacher i feel that it is important to know your students, which i believe invovles knowing their slang or textspeak, not so that you can be their 'favorite' teacher but so that you can understand your students and what makes them tick. Textspeak's place in the classroom for me is in the form of relationships; it's not nescessaily wrong in literacy means,  as it's an evolving language, what it is though is another way of understanding and connecting with students. The key to introducing textspeak is teaching children that not all language is appropriate in all settings.

Hypertext literacy on the other hand i feel needs a presence in the classroom as it's another interactive way of motivating students and engaging them with topics. By inviting the reader to continue on through a hyperlink you're offering an appealing way of displaying and presenting further information in regards to that particular topic. You're also providing the student with the possibility to research sources, find out further information and develop deeper and further thinking. Although this is a great alternative means to a textbook, i feel it's place is in the hands of the student. Providing students with the opportunity to create information wikis or blogs that have hyperlinks to specifics from a broader topic enables learning at a much deeper and more in depth level; like all technology, it also engages students as they research and connect with their learning enivronment.

"Laptop programs are seldom established with the principal goal of improving reading. At the same time, as one-to-one laptop programs are implemented in schools for broader range of literacy and learning purposes - inlcuding to promote better writing, research and design skills - such programs also have great potential for reading instruction" (Warschauer, 2006:60)