Evidence-based post #1

Evaluation of Technologies in Education
Technology is a big buzz word in the world of education that is often thrown around with little understanding of its purpose or function. Yes teachers may use e-mail for communication, PowerPoint for presentations, or Microsoft Word for developing daily worksheets, but how often are “technologies” successfully implemented as they were designed to do? How often are new programs and hardware brought in to enhance a teacher’s curriculum or improve students’ understanding of a topic, only to be tossed aside as they do not fit the needs they were designed to meet? These kind of issues arise in the wake of the evaluation of available technologies. Evaluation is a crucial component in deciding what is needed and wanted for any given educational setting that requires a technology. Unfortunately, these evaluations are not fullfilling the job they were designed to do. With technology being a quick-moving, forever-changing field, the evaluation processes have not evolved as quickly. Therefore schools run into the issues of unprepared teachers avoiding new technologies, improper funding for advancements, and inconsistent student improvement.
In the article Evaluation of Communication and Information Technologies in Education these issues with evaluation are addresed. Within the discussion of evaluations, there are several reasons stated as to why current evaluations “don’t fit” the technologies need and new evaluations need to be implemented. These reasons range from the roles of teachers and students to the inequities school districts face when it comes to funding. These are hurdles that must be recognized and conquered, not ignored and pushed aside. By facing issues such as these with innovation and a desire to gain a deeper understanding , educators can improve the evaluation process and implementation of technologies in their schools.

Evidence:Bruce, B. (1999, March). Challenges for the Evaluation of Communication and Information Technologies in Education. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from Reading Online: http:/http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/jaal/March_Column.html

Hmm...

Well now that I have had to create a new blog for the most ridiculous of reasons, I suppose I should start using it...

Our first chat in Second Life was very strange. I have never used such a program, and could see the validity of concerns raised by other members of the class over it's use. Having said that, I do believe that there is value in exploring things such as Second Life as educators. How children use technology evolves much faster than the ways teachers implement technology in their classrooms. By exploring things that seem so out of the norm, I think teachers might be able to close the gap, if only by a little, between themselves and students.
During our chat there were a few of us who approached the subject of simulation activities using programs such as Second Life. One person brought up Oregon Trail (which, let's face it, everyone loves for some reason) and I was thinking of a colony simulation I used to do with my fourth graders. How cool would it be to do things such as this in a virtual world where the kids could really develop and explore things as characters?
The bottom line is I think using Second Life as a means of having class is totally weird but potentially valuable to us as educators looking to what could be a future tool in the classroom.