Reflection

Even though I am finding that teachers are finding many uses for YouTube that are benefical, constructivist, and educational, I'm still not 100% sold on the idea. I am afraid about the content. I do realize that it is not like I will be surfing for ideas on the site while having it posted in front of my class, however, what about pop-ups, viruses, and just the unexpected things that can occur when using the site. I am a personal fan of Discover Education which used to be called United Streaming. I find great and relevant videos, however, I do wish the site was a little easier to use as far as finding the EXACT thing I am looking for. I guess YouTube could broden my search, but I am very aware and worried about internet safety. I liked the idea of Flickr, although I am aware the same content hazards could occur, it just seems a little more relvant to curriculum to use for photos. I guess the age of your audience also comes into relevance. I am an elementary teacher and need to be a little more aware of what my students have access to. I am curious what the future holds for these technologies. We'll see...

Reflection

I'm impressed with how useful YouTube and photosharing can be for educational purpose. It seems these days with all of the technology out there available that our possibities for making education more meaningful and more global are endless. I found a blog where a fifth grade math teacher uses Flickr to show students pictures of a math concept, then he phrases a question below for his students to answer in a "Writing Prompt". A high school teacher in New York used Flickr to have her students search for pictures of propaganda for a specific historical time period. There is even a web site generated from Britian where people can post and share lesson plans that require using YouTube.

I was also impressed with how people still acknowledge that we are still in a trial period when it comes to using things like YouTube in a classroom. With a the social video and little regulation going on, we still need to be careful. However, there are databasesbeing created where you can search and store "useful" videos to show to your students. Many researchers went to great lengths to acknowledge that the hazards of pulling up "unsuitable" material are great and I believe nothing can go in front of a class unpreviewed. It is uplifting to realize that these things can be used for "good" and give these kinds of technology a creditable use.

Resources 31 &32

Davies, J. (2007). Display, Identity and the Everyday: Self-Presentation through Online Image Sharing. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 28 (4), 549-564. Retrieved on April 5, 2009 from ERIC database.

Scharber, C. (2009). Online Book Clubs: Bridges between Old and New Literacies Practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52 (5), 433-437. Retrieved on April 5, 2009 from ERIC database.