Digital Ethnography

As someone who has been teaching nearly 10 years I've had the opportunity to watch technology take a larger and larger role in the classroom.  When I first started teaching I still had to confiscate hand written notes.  I would deter kids from passing these notes by blacking out all identifying names, grading it for grammar, and then posting it on my wall.  I usually only had 2 or 3 notes to grade before people started wising up.  Today cell phones are so cheap that all of my students have one and use them to pass their notes, and they're so fast I usually can't catch them doing it.  I even have students who can send a text without ever looking at the screen.

I am constantly reminded that I have to teach students to use technology that hasn't been invented yet.   iPads are becoming commonplace in many high schools and universities, yet they didn't exist when I went through college.  What did my teachers teach me that made me able to use one?

Even though they didn't teach me specifically how to uses these devices, they did give me a skill set which will allow me to figure them out and use them effectively.  I learned how to use a mouse to manipulate things on a screen, which then turned into using a stylus, which then became using my finger.  I learned how to type with both hands so typing with just my thumbs was never difficult.  I learned how wired networks worked, so figuring out how wireless ones are set up was not a major obstacle.

What I got from these videos by Dr. Wesch is that schools today need to teach skills as much as they need to teach facts.  Standing up at the chalkboard and writing things down for the students to then write down only teaches facts and does not teach skills.  However, having students research their facts and then post them on a class webpage, as was discussed in the seminar, not only taught those students the facts, but allowed them to learn some skills as well. 

Having those students think about formatting and decoration in addition to the content gives them the skills to produce web content, which may be the primary method of communication in 10 years, especially if the large tech companies have everything moved over to the "cloud" by then.

One blog that I read a lot is the Blue Skunk Blog by Doug Johnson.  He works with librarians through many public schools and helps them introduce technology into the classrooms.  In addition to discussing technology he also waxes philosophical on copyright, school bureaucracy, and teaching in general.  I always make sure to catch on his blog when I have a free moment.

http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/