Kim's Journal # 2

JOURNAL # 2
Breathing Fire into Web 2.0
By Justin Hardman and David Carpenter

It is very obvious that the writers of this article are very passionate about their work. It is also very obvious that their focus is not on the average student, but upper middle-class and rich students. There is an assumption that all students have access to technology outside of the classroom, so they want to create a program that would integrate what they do outside of class, with what goes on inside the classroom. Newsflash! Many of America’s children are going home to empty refrigerators and are without electricity. They aren’t all going home to blogs, e-mail, and websites.
I like the idea of myDragonNet, however, I think we, as educators need to be more conscientious about the needs of all of our students, not who we perceive to be the mainstream. The tools that were developed to help teachers with classroom and group management, curriculum development, and electronic portfolios are invaluable. Teachers really need a way to simplify everything.

QUESTION # 1

Who would benefit the most from this technology?

Although I believe that parents, students and educators benefit from this technology, I believe teachers will benefit the most. Teachers are more likely to have access to this tool outside of the classroom. However, when teachers are empowered and equipped, they transfer that knowledge on to students, who at some point teach their parents.

QUESTION # 2

Are schools becoming too dependent on technology?

I think schools have always been dependent on technology. It may not be in the same form as it was years ago, but technology had a presence. The schools are a reflection of our society where we look for the next best thing. I don’t believe schools can become too dependent on technology if teachers and students are taught diverse ways of problem solving.