November 30, 2008

What concept or idea intrigued you most in this weeks' readings? What concept or idea did you disagree with? How/do these ideas impact your thinking about instructional technology?

In the reading, Vinton Cerf, one of the Internet's designers said, "It will become critical for everyone to be connected. Anyone who doesn't will essentially be isolated from the world community."

I found this to be very interesting that he says that if someone is not connected they will be isolated from the whole community. I kind of feel like what he is saying is true to a point. With the internet becoming such an important part of almost everyone's life, whether they use it for shopping, emailing, sharing memories with people that are far away, for business or whatever it be, in the world that we live in today, I do feel like those people who are not connected are isolated from everyone else. Nowadays, if we do not teach our children how to use the computer they are at a disadvantage.

"What complicates the issue is that we are free to hand over something of our humanity to our machines. We can refuse our own responsibility for the future, and machines will readily fill the void. They will make our decisions on the battlefield or in the boardroom; they will imagine a deeply falsified subatomic world for us; and they will supply us with the words we write."

I disagree with this statement. I feel like the author is saying that people are going to no longer “think” for themselves. They are going to just rely on technology to do the work for them and I do not agree with that. I think that people use the technology they have available as tools. Whether they are an accountant using excel spreadsheets, or a teacher creating a powerpoint with information to share with their class, they are using it as a tool. I do not see anything wrong with that. If it makes life easier...... why not?

With the way the world is going with technology and being a 5th grade teacher, I think one of the most valuable lessons I can teach my students is how to use the internet safely and the many programs available for them to use as tools for their future.