Journal 4:"It's time to trust teachers with the Internet"(NETS 1,2,4,5)

Schaffhauser, Dian. (2010, December 01). It's time to trust teachers with the internet. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/12/01/its-time-to-trust-teachers-with-the-internet-a-conversation-with-meg-ormiston.aspx

The interview that was done with Meg Ormiston was remarkable. It provided me with valuable information about our schools laws and regulations. Ormiston viewed our schools’ restrictive policies regarding technology as some what legitimate as they want to provide our students with a safe environment. But she was also confident that our students will be even more protected if they are provided with instruction and guidance on how to use technology appropriately. She pointed out that students have access to a variety of technological applications at home, where there is no supervision sometimes. She spoke on behalf of the teachers who feel that their hands are tied when it comes to incorporating these tools in their teaching, and said that barriers like blocking Internet access at school harm our students and limit their learning. It was very impressive to see how she included social networking websites as a learning tool in her argument. I agree that students can benefit from this software, and that it is essential for better teaching and learning strategies. She also added that professional development is needed for our teachers and administrators to guide them through this process. Leaders have to develop a deeper understanding of this technology and explore how to use it in their schools. Education is certainly the key to show teachers and students how to use this technology in a safe way.

Question 1: Why aren’t schools cooperative when it comes to unblocking some internet filters?

For some schools it’s understandable, it can because they don’t have enough network power coming into those buildings for kids to be using internet continuously. Or it’s because of the piece of software that was purchased by the district. But mostly, in my opinion, it’s due to the lack of knowledge of our school leaders about the importance of these applications.

Question 2: Why do you think students are loosing opportunities when they don’t use applications like YouTube or even Blogs?

There are a lot of information, tutorials, and lectures that are posted on these websites. We should filter and check them before sharing them with students, but they are essential for their learning. Also social networking tools are necessary for communication, and we should trust our teachers to show students how to benefit from them.