chapter 8

Chapter 8 was yet another one of those tricky/ iffy chapters, where, I knew pretty much the extent of everything covered, as most of internet integration into classrooms has already taken place, but I suppose I just wasn’t familiar with all the possibilities available. And the multifaceted uses of one tool was a pleasing surprise. For example, I didn’t really know or understand the ‘parallel problem solving’ technique, but it make sense as a teacher to see what works and how, and for a student because they can use an array of devices to arrive at the same learning goals. I also wasn’t really aware that there was much of a forum for electronic mentoring, meaning I didn’t know that there is a source of “experts” for any particular resource that students can acess via the web. Another positive tool that may not be as difficult as blogging perhaps was the electronic publishing, where students can post their new and old work on an interactive forum, I think the idea of “published” material would push students to excel and could really inspire some students to go out and become a published writer. That tool, the electronic publishing would defiantly be something I as an educator would look into, I think it or blogs, is a great way to widen the audience of a students work, because as we all may know, students are often capable of producing some amazing material. I’d also like to look into website authorship, as print media is quickly fading, and the web is taking over, it is important for students English to be well versed in their upcoming venues. The main question I would have probably relates to the “downloading” section of this chapter, it seems that this could get really hairy real quick, what ways could this be a learning experience for students? I just don’t really get it, how do students meet goals while going out and downloading material?