New Directions and Current Issues

The last two sections of our textbook discuss the direction technologies for IDT are taking and some emerging technologies. Below are some technologies I might use as a librarian, how I could use them for instruction, and some ethical issues they might present.

1.     Rich Media

a.     Elementary students would benefit from rich media such as videos or visuals that help them to visual a concept. Similar to that of the novices and law students example on page 314 of our textbook (Reiser, 2012), sometimes visuals can help learners who lack prior knowledge comprehend a concept. I also think that e-books that can read aloud to students or help them define a word can be beneficial, especially to students who have trouble reading, or who need motivation to read.

b.    Copyright and plagiarism issues can come with the use of rich media. Last year my students were to create a Power Point presentation of a landform. In order to keep students from using pictures that don’t belong to them or copying phrases from websites or books to answer their research questions, we had to first learn about citing sources. The students were also expected to cite their sources in their projects. However, I briefly saw these students, so I still noticed that plagiarism was a problem. If I teach this project again, I will need to make sure that my students fully understand how to properly cite sources before beginning the research.

2.     Web 2.0

a.     I have not used Edmodo yet, but it is a social media website for education that I am interested in joining because I have heard and read many great things about it. Besides giving students and teachers information and updates about the library, I think I would like to start a book club. One of the affordances of Web 2.0 technologies listed in the textbook is that “they are very effective for group collaborative and collective use” (Reiser,2012, p. 300). An objective that students in 4^th and 5^th grade must learn is to respond constructively to other peoples’ writing. In utilizing an online application such as Edmodo as well as physical meetings, the students will be able to respond not only to the authors’ writing, but also have opportunities to collaborate with their peers’ from the school, at home, or wherever they have internet access.  

b.    Some ethical issues that can come with Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs or social media (like Edmodo) are that of maintaining respect and privacy in interacting with other people, as well as copyright and plagiarism. As a librarian, I would need to make it clear the expectations that come with using Web 2.0 technology. The students would need to know what is acceptable behavior while interacting with others online, and what can be seen as dangerous, cyber bullying, etc. They would also need to have lessons on how to properly cite sources before they begin projects that involve research or discussion of literature.

3.     Simulations and Learning Games

a.     Elementary school children learn about different habitats and the needs of living things. Last semester I discovered Science Fair Central on school.discoveryeducation.com. On this website, students can engage in simulative learning by experimenting with different conditions for a virtual garden or critters in a virtual zoo. This simulated lab gives them the opportunity to see how the lack of or too much of a thing’s needs can affect it. This is something they would not normally get to do in real life. While students can control a real garden or plant’s conditions, it would take much longer for them to examine the results.

b.    An ethical issue that I feel simulations like the one above can avoid is the fair treatment of people or animals. While the students can experiment with the conditions of the animals in their virtual zoo, they are not actually hurting any. A simulation game that I used to play when I was younger  is Oregon Trail. In this game, people suffered from snake bites, grew hungry, and even died on the trail. Students can see what life was actually like for the pioneers in the 1800s who were traveling in sometimes perilous conditions, without putting themselves in danger.

References

Reiser, R. A. & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology, 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson.

 

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