Molly Mahannah

Teach 259 Sec 007

Instructional Technology Trends on the Web

Instructional Technology Trends

                There are many trends in instructional technology these days. According to an NSBA study done in August 2007, 96% of students who have online access use that access on some sort of social networking website making communication easier. Most of those students who use social networking sites are being creative on those websites and more and more teachers are utilizing this knowledge to engage their students in news ways. The exciting thing about being a future teacher is thinking of all the new technology we could use later on and all the technology being used right now.

                Technology as a collaborative effort is something I find particularly interesting. With GoogleDocs, StoryBird and other media outlets, working in groups at school has become a much simpler task. Not only can I give input on a group paper, like we had to earlier this semester for class, from the comfort of my own home without the stress of finding a time to meet up with the group. The other, most amazing thing, about collaborative media is that as an educator I can put my input on someone’s paper or project quickly and efficiently which makes the learning process a smoother one for all parties involved.

                Another great aspect of teaching and technology is the use of moving media like PowerPoint and iMovie to create an engaging learning environment for students. By being able to put music and moving pictures into presentations it’s a lot easier to capture student’s attention and present information in a new and exciting way.

                An article I read was talking about the social-constructivist theory, which in teaching is the idea that students are actively constructing their learning and taking an active part in their education. A collaborative Internet, like Web 2.0, allows students to be more active in their learning by helping other students along with receiving feedback from their peers as well.

                The only problem with the Internet phenomenon is that it is becoming increasingly hard to be anonymous. The newest trend on the Internet is “ungoogling” which is an attempt to make you harder to find via Google. The main way is to first Google “you” to see what pops up, try and sign blogs and other social networking sites by using only part of your last name, and finally the most efficient way of removing yourself from Internet notoriety is by emailing websites and asking them to remove your information from the web.