Web 2.0

Right now I don't think I would use something like Web 2.0 with my students. I'll be teaching 1st grade next year and don't see it as a very valuable tool for children of that age. I do however think it would be a great tool for older students, say starting in 3rd grade or so. Children these days are immersed in technology and therefore motivated to use it as a tool. I would use it in many ways. I think it could even be a great tool for community building. During breaks in the school year students could keep in touch with each other and their teacher (me) via an open forum like Web 2.0.

Fear

Most of us are afraid of making mistakes. We live in a culture that tends to despise mistakes. Children (and adults as well) need to know that it’s okay to make a few mistakes. If a child is sitting in a classroom spending most of his or her time worrying about looking foolish, they’re not going to reach their full learning potential. This idea ties into my strong belief in creating a community of learners that tells us “knowledge develops through a gradual accommodation of our own personal understandings that eventually achieves a ‘relative fit’ with the meaning intended by the other person.” (Meek p. 326) The reason I chose this excerpt was because of the ‘relative fit’ part. Students will be less fearful and therefore better learners if they know that there are few questions that have just one answer.

Online Schools and Motivation

When reading chapter 7 in Motivation for Achievement by M. Kay Anderson I was particularly interested in a section titled "Sense of Memebership of Belonging." Last year I had some experience assisting children who were enrolled in an online charter school program. I never planned on getting involved in any sort of homeschooling or online schooling, I just kind of fell into it. The charter school I worked for mainly did this sort of online curriculum. I was one of a number of people brought in to start a brick and mortar aspect of the charter. Towards the end of the school year, I was asked to also help out with some of their online students. It seems these online school are becoming more and more popular in all parts or the U.S. While I do feel these programs may actually help some older students (11th and 12th grade) I think that for the most part they are cheating children out of a school experience.

Anderson says, "a sense of school membership is the foundation on which educational engagement is built (p. 202.)" Younger children especially thrive on this feeling of school membership. More importantly, children learn best from other children. It baffles me that people think what is best for their kindergartner is to sit in front of a computer screen and "learn."

Many of the parents of these students told me they chose to enroll their child because they didn't trust the public school system. I must admit I can see where they're coming from. There are schools that to a parent seem like a dangerous place for their child. What I found out however is that most parent were uneducated on the options they have. The area I was visiting students in had a number of progressive public charter schools that the parents didn't even know about.

My point is, I believe a small amount of online learning may benefit older students (take myself for example) but it is the definition of developmentally inappropriate for most students. Kids need to be around other kids to learn.

Most of the parents of these online students told me they chose to enroll their children because they didn't trust the public school system.