Digital Blog Post #I

Picture By : Pixabay

Chapter six, Fostering online learning with educational Websites and Apps, gives great information for an educator who needs to know what to do and how to use  website or technology with their students. There are some concepts that for me as a future educator would like to utilize or further explore. To begin with I want to talk about webquest because this week it is what class is being focused on, I want to appreciate information alert and lastly I want to discuss educational websites.

To begin with I want to discuss webquest. According to the textbook a webquest is an online inquiry by students that are designed and guided by teachers, Basically it is a very organized ways to gather information by using online sources so students can go on and explore and compete a task about a topic. I think it depends on the topic for a webquest to be interesting. Although I enjoy the organization of it I think that it has to be  topic perhaps interesting or something serious that as an educator one needs to provide this type of structure because one doesn't want a student to bump into something false on the web. I think that webquest are too much reading for a kid and that as someone who wants efficiency , they would prefer instructions that be accessible via internet or something that will keep their attention, a web quest barely keeps my attention but I have enough practice of self discipline to do it. A second grader might find it extremely difficult to concentrate and work in such  structured way. I feel like even though it is a great way to make sure that kids have everything they need to be successful, If it is not fun they will do it just to do it. I think this approach needs much self discipline to get through or it needs to be super fun and engaging to a student so they can enjoy and learn doing it.
 Second I want to talk about is information management, I think anyone who wants to be an educator needs to know about this and therefore appreciate the technology that we have. Information management means as defines in the textbook effectively utilizing different kinds of digital resources to create meaningful learning experiences for students. I think that using the internet as a way to keep up to date with information and further explore a topic is a need, It allows students to learn brand new information and keep them up to date. I think that as a teacher one would appreciate alerts or bookmarking. For example, In class using delicious has helped because one can pull up something whenever or wherever. Alerts I think are super helpful because lets say one wants the latest update on our solar system, or any topic, one can set up alerts to gain this information. Information management is something as future educators should keep in my mind because things keep changing.

Lastly, I want to discuss on a topic I found interesting here in chapter 6. I think that the debate over the progress of kids attending virtual school. I love technology especially because it makes things efficient. I am in the same page with critics on virtual school. Virtual schools will never replace the face to face interaction with teachers or the way a teacher can get across information. I think kids will find the easy way out such as using google or have someone else to their work. I do believe that in this case flying through school is not the best way to go about education. Sometimes taking longer to actually learn and not just find the answer is worth it. I am not disagreeing with the use of technology but when a teacher is not aware of who the student even is, or can not have a connection the student will barely want to be engaged. Love the idea of blended learning where there is interaction with the teacher and as well using technology.

Chapter 6 - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
Resources:

 Free Image on Pixabay - Girl, Book, School, Reading. (2013). Retrieved October 27, 2015.

 Gonzalez, I. (2015, October 27). Chapter 6. Retrieved October 29, 2015. 

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc