I want my students to be "knowledge - able"

In the video “Learning in New MediaEnvironments” by Dr. Michael Wesch his point about how media can “use” us was interesting to me. Overall, new media excites me; consequently my mind is conditioned in such a way that considers the negative effects of this new media, as merely an afterthought. For example, on Facebook I noticed a post from an LMU alum to the fact that we could see what was going on at Loyola MarymountUniversity (LMU) in live time. The live video is centered at the heart of campus where many activities occur. Initially my interest was peaked, I clicked the link and saw the live video. But then I just felt like it LMU was losing something special about it, by being constantly on display for all to see. LMU is a small close-knit private Catholic (Jesuit) campus. It contains for me fond memories of my undergraduate career. Although I approve of the video as surveillance for LMU’s Public Safety to use for the well-being and security of the campus, something special is lost.

            As for what this video means to me as an educator, I find myself as wanting to have my students be “knowledge –able” as opposed to “knowledgeable” as Dr. Wesch mentions in his video. This comment struck a cord with me, because it made me remember about a history classroom I was observing in. The class was AP World History and it consisted of a group of sophomore high school students at a public school. One of the students asked the teacher: “Why do we have to learn this stuff?” I imagine this question to be one that regularly surfaces in classrooms, and particularly in history classrooms. I was interested to see how the teacher would respond to this question. I was surprised when the teacher actually asked me if I had an answer to the student’s question. I replied that I did. I explained to the student how I thought it was important to learn about different cultures and histories, not for the mere facts, but rather to foster a sense of understanding and respect for the diversity that is found in our country. I want students to look at history and critically analyze it, to learn from it, so perhaps some historical “mistakes” won’t be repeated. I want my students to think like historians and be ready to deconstruct the biases in primary documents. I Above all, I want students to be critical thinkers.

Where I Stand on the "Visitors and Residents" Continuum

The “Visitors and Residents” videoby Dr. White discussed a new binary to address the types of individuals who are online. What I deemed to be the most interesting about this binary, is that he was careful to state how he meant these terms to represent the two ends of a continuum, and did not mean for them to necessarily be a dichotomy. It is my belief that dichotomies are often two restricting and not fluid enough to really describe where people are. The continuum approach for the types of people who are online seems much more appropriate. Throughout the presentation I quickly found myself placing some of my immediate family members, as well as myself, into the continuum. The description of the “visitor” as being “goal-orientated,” seemed to ring true for my mother. I would characterize my mother as using the internet much like the toolbox metaphor described by Dr. White. She stumbles onto the internet and rummages through the “toolbox” until she is able to complete the task she needs e.g. paying bills online. She checks her e-mail about once a week, but now that the e-mail comes directly on her new cell, she announced to me that she has decided to use e-mail more frequently as a means to communicate with her family in Mexico. I slowly see my mother as moving from the very early “visitor” stage of the continuum to more of a “resident” as her eyes are opened to the possibilities of better communicating with family through social media such as Facebook.

            As for where I see myself on the internet, I had initially at the beginning of the talk decided that I was definitely a resident of the internet. I have a Facebook and use it on more or less a daily basis, and I like to post pictures, and comment on friend’s pictures, etc. I indeed see the internet as a huge resource of tools, and am constantly excited to learn new things. In my family, I am the one who is usually turned to for the purpose of ordering specialty items online, or creating e-vites, or researching questions they have not been able to find answers to. But when Dr. White further complicated the “visitors and residents” continuum by placing it on an axis that considered the “institutional and non-institutional” I found myself reassessing my conclusion. Now I see myself as being more of a resident on the non-institutional quadrant. While, on the other hand I would say that I am currently a visitor on the institutional quadrant. I do now have twitter, this educational technology blog, and Edmodo, but I am still an aspiring resident on the institutional quadrant. I envision that by the end of this semester, I will be more of a resident in the institutional quadrant. I see myself as continuing to blog professionally as an aspiring educator.