What we see...

...is what we get?

Much of the media we have been talking about, looking at, thinking about, is visual.  As Jess S. said in her blog, the students in her class seemed to quieten down only when a "video" was playing in front of them.  The power point errors last week were certainly humorous, and what we saw highlighted the point that it's easy to make "crap" and put it in front of people.  The thought provoking part of this course is that I will learn to assess the different sources of information, the presentation of the information, and a way to make it into more than an attention-grabbing device.

The kids in the series Growing_Up_Online were enabled in their use of technology and its wonders by adults (teachers, parents, school principals) who provided the expensive equipment, who didn't put limits on its use, and who seemed to think it was "normal" to be that focused on a world that isn't real.  Of course we need to use online media -- our lives have been transformed by the appearance and development of the great variety of online resources.  We have access to so much more information than ever before.  But what use is it to know about something if it isn't put into context?  And that's where the adult engagement can come into play -- teachers can certainly use the medium of technology to deliver new AND exciting teaching, and consequently learning, to their students.  The attitude of the teacher will transmit to the students.  Most of the instructors in the navy training film dismissed the medium immediately, and thought it could do its work (magic) without their involvement.

It's the engagement of the teacher in the process that is important.  Delivering the message without engaging in its meaning is a waste of time.  And guiding our students to move it past a simple bit of "fun" is what will be the work.  Once we are engaged in the idea, the content is so much more meaningful and deliberate.  Motivating our children, our students, any learners in a learning experience, is what is going to provide the engagement.  Using technology has its rewards, and certainly grabs the attention of almost any learner, but allowing it to get ahead of us, by not monitoring it or understanding its power, means it could be useless in terms of delivering learning.    And we have to do more than manage it -- according to the definition developed by the AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology) in 1994, evaluation is important.  In 2008, the use of the word "ethical" was added to assist educators with developing a framework for the use of technology in educational experiences.

What you see ... is it what you get?  Or do we have to take it a step further?  Is it more?