Have others been feeling like this?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/shunning-facebook-living-tell-000204976.html

Video Games

" Open-Ended Video Games: A Model for Developing Learning for the Interactive Age" was an article that sparked my interest. Mainly because I grew up without playing many video games at home and in school so reading about how video games have been used as a way of learning was very interesting. One of the games that I do remember playing was Grand theft auto. My mother didn't allow me to play this game due to the crime scenes and violence. After reading this article I realized that learning was taking place and Honovi and friends were discussing important issues that arise all the time in society.
   As a future teacher, I wonder if video games will be an important component for learning to take place in my math classroom. Most kids don't need instructions to figure out how to play video games and I think it's something about these games that turn kids into phenomenal learners.
 I found this interesting video in which resembles something the article discusses on how learning resembles a process of coming to understanding a system, experimenting with multiple ways of being within that system, and then using that system for creative expression, usually enacted within communities of other players( Squire, 5). How would your schooling be different if you went to a school like this? 

Technology and Education!

This weeks readings made me think a lot about my future and the career path I am leading towards in the fields of Education and Technology. These two areas are constantly changing and who knows where the direction for education and technology will be in 25 years. For the past ten years my Educational experience with technology has changed significantly.

            I started using social software until my junior year in college. I was blogging the same way as I am doing in this class and I truly enjoyed it. I do agree with article “The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of using social software in higher and further education teaching and learning” that using social software such as blogging helped me reflect on learning and it allowed me to communicated with other students in the class as we were sharing our experiences and providing feedback.

            Social software doesn’t only have to support teaching and learning in higher Education and I think that it can be a great tool for Elementary and Secondary schools. Technology can be a great tool for Education but if it is not implemented correctly then what use does it have in the classrooms? I recently just saw my cousin who is in the 5^th grade and I saw her on blogger.com. I asked her since when did she have a blog and she told me that her class had to write about topics and ideas they discuss in whether it’d be on math, science, language arts, and social studies. I asked her what she thought about it and she said that she was learning from her other peers in class and connecting with her teacher outside of school. Does anyone see anything wrong from it? As a future math teacher who sees the good in blogs, I also believe that students still need that face-to-face communication and interaction. These Emerging technologies provide unlimited possibilities for exciting new discoveries and developments, will you be ready in 25 years from now to help meet the needs of these students?

I found this video and I was beyond amazed at this little boy. 

New Media and Society

The article that I can relate to the most in this weeks reading was “The computer is not for you to be looking around, it is for schoolwork’: challenges for digital inclusion as Latino immigrants negotiate children’s access to the Internet.  Just a little background about myself, I come from a first generation Latino immigrant family. Although both my parents did not speak English nor did they know how to use a computer, they still believed that having a computer and internet access would help benefit my Education. Just like any other parent, my parents shared the same feelings of being afraid that my sister and I would encounter on-line predators and inappropriate websites.  As a result, I clearly remember my father monitoring every click I made by overlooking over my shoulder. When the time was right, I found ways to go on websites that interested me such as games, and back then I didn’t have a MySpace but I did use aim. I agree with the article in that these sites gave me an opportunity to interact with friends from school ( Tripp, 10).  In the article “Benefits of Facebook friends”, it discusses how people are able to create opportunities while keeping in touch with friends through these social networking sites.  I personally believe that my parent’s mentality that the computer was used only for school work and not for exploring also contributes to the idea that “limiting young people’s time online and reducing their access to potentially rewarding opportunities for personal development, social practice, and informal learning” 12).  After having read this article, can I really blame my parents for some of the opportunities I may have missed while growing up? My parents had no experience in computer knowledge and skills to be able to educate me. I truly believe that there should be more school programs that would reach out to the immigrant population to help educate them on the skills needed to be able to help their children at home.   

Hooked on Gadgets…………a serious ADDICTION!

I enjoyed reading this weeks readings but the one that made me at one point uneasy  was "Hooked on Gadgets, and paying a mental price" by Matt Richtel. The reason why I felt uneasy was because it brought back some feelings I felt this summer during my vacation to Puerto Rico. You see my best friend from high school and I decided to take this vacation as a graduation gift to each other. But was it really a vacation? No! The reason why I say that is because my friend was constantly checking her emails from work whether through her phone or on her computer. I felt that she didn't get to enjoy the vacation as much as I did because she was constantly worried that her boss was going to be upset if she didn't reply in a timely manner.

I certainly agree with the article that " juggling e-mail, phone calls and other incoming information can change how people think and behave".  I recently just got a smart phone and I've connected all my emails to my phone and oh my, what an addiction. It was such a distraction while I was in school, driving, and at the gym. My life was at risk and so were my academics. Many people feel that we can all multitask but in reality we are losing our focus with our surroundings. I always say that there is a time and place for everything. There is a time and place to do business and there is a time and place for family and friends. At the end of the day what is more valuable to you, a simple device or the memories you leave behind with your loved ones?

Virtual Worlds as a Context Suited for Information System

Virtual Worlds are becoming very popular especially in Second Life. The article I chose talks about the advantages of using Second life in information system courses at the University of Hamburg. Second offers a motivating environment for students to learn information skills such as programming, system development, and business process modeling. The students at the university created a business from scratch. The skills they developed during the project are needed for real life experiences. Some of the things that I asked myself was how would the professor's monitors the students progress? Would it be difficult? Could Second life also be an effective piece of technology to use in my math classes, and would my students gain valuable skills for the real world? 

Being connected through the Internet

The article that I enjoyed reading the most and relate to was “Being Trini and Representing Trinidad”.  I am amazed at how much power the Internet has in order to connect with culture oversees.  As Trinis emerged themselves online, they were chatting with other Trinis, keeping themselves informed about the country, and keeping their traditional music and customs at heart.  Patricia’s goal in running Trinidad-Online.org was connect up Diaspora Trinis and make sure that they felt that they had in place in this world. This article reminded me a lot of the ways in which my mom stayed connected to her Guatemalan culture after not having returned for many years. My mother who was an immigrant, had no family and no one to relate to when she arrived to the U.S.A. Growing up I noticed that she would use the internet to connect with her family members, with local people from the county, stay updated with the news, and so on. Through this no only did she connect to her Guatemalan side but I learned about my culture such as the music, clothing, and food, and holiday traditions. In order for my mother to be able to remain Guatemalan while living in the New York, the emailing and chatting online to other people helped her feel closer to the Guatemalan community as if she lived there and was part of their world, similar to how the trini’s felt.  The interned has a whole new world to offer to many people and it allows opportunities to help them feel like they are back at home.