Chapter+3

=Chapter 3: New Tools

= This chapter discusses the many new tools that are becoming available to the general public for use and that will be used on a daily basis in the near future.

"Companies can run their businesses online, which means that workers can be anywhere and communicate, collaborate, and be as productive as if they were located in one physical location" (page 49). Meetings are now held online or over video conferences, employees often use wikis to work on documents together, and employees, employers and colleagues communicate through e-mail. Students need to be prepared to do all of these things, because this is the job world they are going to enter. Since students use many of these tools leisurely, schools need to start integrating them into the curriculum so that students understand how to use them in the workforce as well.

The book talks about the idea of open-sourcing, which means that anybody can program, study and change programs. This will cause the availability of a lot more free programs.

They then discuss how websites let their users know when new content is available. One way is through tagging. Users attach words to their content so that the exact content will come up in a search engine. Another way is through syndication, which involves users subscribing to a website which then allows the website to alert them when new content is available, which is called RSS (Really Simple Syndication). "The distinction between searching for information and using RSS is similar to the difference between going out to find something and having it come to you" (page 53). With this process, users do not have to waste time checking whether or not new content is added to a website and instead can use this time doing something more productive.

The difference between traditional Web pages and Web 2.0 is content is displayed with the newest information first instead of how the web designer decides to display it. Web 2.0 organization also depends on tags and depends on how the users want the information to be organized.

"A Web log, usually shortened to blog, is a set of personal commentaries on issues the author deems important" (page 55). As we do in Computers in the Classroom, students of all ages can blog on their thoughts about what they are learning in class, or a specific topic the teacher assigns. This allows for students to see what their classmates are thinking outside of the classroom. It also is a great opportunity for students who are shy and afraid to participate in class to get their thoughts across. Blogging also is a good idea because it allows students to learn more about the subject they are blogging about as well as improve their writing skills. However, teachers need to keep track of student blogs because students can put in biased or incorrect information.

Podcasts are also discussed in this chapter. "The implications for education include students' being able to replay the audio of traditionally delivered information (even a teacher's lecture) to review or catch up" (page 57). These can be put onto an i-pod, so students can take them wherever they go. Podcasts can be used by students to listen to, or students can make their own podcasts.

"A wiki is a Web page and as such is accessible to anyone with a Web browser and an Internet connection...a wiki allows readers to collaborate with others in writing it and adding, editing and changing the Web page's contents at any time" (page 57-58). Wikis are extremely up-to-date and can be used for students to read about a certain topic or to have students discuss a certain topic. It is also a nice way for students to collaborate on a document on their own time from their own homes.

Social bookmarking- "Instead of keeping long lists of 'favorites' in their own browsers, people use these Web sites to organize, rank, and display their resources for others to see and use" (page 59). This can be helpful when students have group projects because they can share their sources in one place. The book goes on to say that the term "personal computer" has lost its meaning in K-12 education because most students use multiple computers each day, whether it be at home, in the computer lab at school, or in the library. This is an easier way to keep track of bookmarks without having to use the same computer each time.

The book then goes on to talk about websites such as Flickr and youtube, where students and teachers can share pictures and videos, as well as photo editing sites like Picasa. These websites can be useful for both showing students different things or having students create videos to help them learn.

Many desktop tools that have been used in the past are now available for use online. There are now word processors and spreadsheets available online, such as Google Docs and Spreadsheet. People can be invited to edit these documents, so similar to a wiki, multiple people can work on one task on their own time. There are also websites that allow users to make presentations, similar to PowerPoint, online, which could be particularly helpful for teachers. All of these tools are helpful for teachers and students because work does not have to be kept on one computer anymore.

"Teachers often ask students to keep portfolios to showcase ongoing work and assemble a body of evidence of intellectual growth and competence" (page 65). There are a number of websites that allow this to be done online.

Teachers are also using tools such as Google Earth and social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace in the classroom. Although social networking can be considered controversial and many schools have blocked these websites from school computers, they can be useful. These websites can teach students how to responsibly network for future job connections.

The chapter then goes on to list some new communication tools. It talks about Instant Messaging (although this isn't that new) and how students can be connected 24/7 as well as Voice over Internet Protocol, which is basically a phone service over the internet. Students can get in touch with each other using these methods outside of school, as well as their teacher, if he or she is available.

The chapter is concluded with the fact that with all these new tools available, learning should become more and more individualized. Some school districts even use these tools to research student misbehavior.

Here is a video discussing many of the tools the book mentions as well as other ones not mentioned. The speaker discusses the implications of these tools and how they have been used in classrooms today. media type="youtube" key="nFBXvivpl2A?fs=1" height="385" width="640"


 * Discussion Question: Out of all of the tools listed in the chapter, which do you think is the most useful in the classroom? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this tool and how can you integrate it into the curriculum?**