Happy to report that some of my technical difficulties were cleared up for this week's class (darn that webcam!) This week we focused on three major topics - browsers, social bookmarking and FERPA.
I must admit that I am a creature of habit, and after growing up with and using Internet Explorer, I still prefer to use it over a few other types of browsers. For me, it's fairly easy to work in and I am used to the setup and some tricks (and how to deal with its shortcomings). In one of the rooms that I teach in (of which I am only in that room one hour of the day, and the teacher who is in there the most doesn't typically log off, and I primarily just take attendance on the computer during that hour) - the teacher in there the majority of the day prefers to use Firefox (and it shows up as the only option for the web). If I am doing something besides just taking attendance on the computer, it does get a little frustrating because I am not used to Firefox. I know that the majority of internet users are now using Firefox (as of November 2011, 38.1% of users were using it) and are loving it, primarily because it's easy to use and many operating systems support it. After reading some reviews, it does have some set-backs in regards to JAVA and sometimes the options can be overwhelming. I imagine that with Firefox, Safari, Opera and Chrome, it depends both on the system that you have (Windows vs. Mac, etc) and the willingness and time you put in to learning different browsers. For the time being, I am still going to be an Internet Explorer girl.
Social bookmarking seems like a wonderful tool in the classroom, but I haven't had too much success since our last class in really diving into one and exploring it. I love the idea that the bookmarks are not just saved to a single computer, but rather out there "on the cloud" for a person to access anywhere, anytime. I imagine that we have all tried to find materials on the web that could help us create assignments and assessments or provide some alternative resources, but we waste so much time finding sites that are age and material-appropriate. Many times there are some good things, but then it rises to another level (collegiate) or doesn't fully explain how to do something. By using social bookmarking, you can have access to (and tag) particular websites and SHARE them with others (so that they don't have to go through the same struggles.) I am a little concerned with some types of social bookmarking sites (in particular StumbleUpon), as some seem as though it would take forever to find something of relevance. In the classroom, I would prefer that students not use a site like that (where everything is quite random), as it seems as though most students would get completely off task or frustrated that they wouldn't find things that are related (using it today, I kind of felt like the Bing commercials...topic to topic to topic). I am excited to check out some more social bookmarking sites and to see it work on more than one computer!
The last topic that we just brushed on and studied more between classes was FERPA. It seems obvious to have that protection in schools, as the students are still minors (and I couldn't imagine blurting out everyone's grade to the class or anyone else...that's the individual students own business). We take privacy very seriously, even when it comes down to parents/guardians listed and who can receive information on a child and who cannot. I imagine that it will be a struggle for some of us that will be teaching online, as there are still a few things that we might feel we have no control over (a Big Brother-type of situation - who is really out there checking out what we are typing and broadcasting?)
I'm like you. I never really had a reason to consider or use a browser other than Internet Explorer. I actually never thought about it until we had a problem using Explorer with the Compass Learning program at WAC, and had to use Firefox to fix the problem. I don't think I'll switch browsers at home for the time being because I haven't had any conflicts.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea about using social bookmarking to guide student searches and research. Just googling a topic turns up way too much information for the students to process, and they just go with what they know -- wikipedia. The bookmarking is a great way to guide them in their research. They're more likely to find the the information and research we want them to go to. Its good to be able to point them in the right direction.
What I find is that students and techies tend to float between browsers going where things work. I too use Firefox, but usually just go to Explorer when a video or ap does not load correctly. It is just instinctive. This can seem frustrating and I think that whoever gets the bugs worked out will be the winner in that spread of time.
ReplyDeleteFERPA is important. I just think we also need to be reasonable. We are all exposed to more than we want.
I agree with you that social booking's biggest draw is the ability to share. As teachers we need to teach students how to sort through the mountains of information. Sharing bookmarks can help focus students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the privacy. I am so nervous to back up my entire system on the web for that reason. Not that I have anything to hide, but I find myself fearing just the idea of the possibility of others having access to my information. In such a digital age and the hackers that exist, how do we know that anything private is still private?
ReplyDeleteI also understand your frustration. It took me a little bit of time to navigate (no pun intended) away from IE. But it was well worth it. Just like our students, I think we have to be open to new ideas and be willing to train ourselves to think differently.