Franklin - Response to Watkins, "May I Have Your Attention"
How did the work of Ms. Johnson illustrate the ways in which library professionals may use technology to further and encourage research among students?
In this chapter, Watkins presents to us two kinds of technologies in classrooms: "technologies that pull students away from the classroom, and technologies that pull students into the classroom" (180). In this conversation with Ms. Johnson, a library professional at a secondary school, she pointed to the ways that technology allows the learning experience for students to stretch beyond the confines of a classroom or school building. Through the use of blogs, a website, instant messaging, and email, Ms. Johnson stays in close contact with students at her school, providing lessons and assignments, as well as expansive databases of learning resources for students to access through their media devices (180).
Responding to Watkins's question of student reception to the implementation of learning tools through technology, she notes that, "'The kids are amazing ... Technology is a matter of course with them. It is the way they do business'" (181). She speaks about students' preference for the interactive assignments, as they have assisted with learning retention given the collaborative nature of the presentations and lessons.
Ms. Johnson's work acknowledged the role that technology played in the lives of students and harnessed that interest in and knowledge of technology within them, to craft learning experiences that supported them. She goes as far as saying, "the kids teach [the educators]" when it comes to the ways technology can be harnessed for education purposes (181). By filtering materials through a variety of resources, a majority of which can be accessed by students online on their own after classes have concluded, and offering experiences of active participation and collaboration among students and instructors, students may be more excited about and invested in the materials they are learning. This, in turn, may translate to an interest that expands beyond the classroom, encouraging individual research.
Watkins notes that the school Ms. Johnson works at is an "affluent seventh-through-twelfth grade school", which brings up the issue of access to the technology that allows for this kind of learning to take place. The SMART boards mentioned a page later, in conversations with Ms. Paul, are prime examples of technology access disparity in schools, particularly underfunded public schools. A certain level of means is required for this kind of, or level of, interactive learning, that relies heavily on funding resources available to the school in question. When the tools are available, students, like Ms. Johnson's and Ms. Paul's, may be more inclined to participate in their own research because they see the direct results of their interaction with materials, as opposed to students who may be in positions where the technology may be scarce or out of date, and they must use more traditional methods of learning and research.
In this chapter, Watkins presents to us two kinds of technologies in classrooms: "technologies that pull students away from the classroom, and technologies that pull students into the classroom" (180). In this conversation with Ms. Johnson, a library professional at a secondary school, she pointed to the ways that technology allows the learning experience for students to stretch beyond the confines of a classroom or school building. Through the use of blogs, a website, instant messaging, and email, Ms. Johnson stays in close contact with students at her school, providing lessons and assignments, as well as expansive databases of learning resources for students to access through their media devices (180).
Responding to Watkins's question of student reception to the implementation of learning tools through technology, she notes that, "'The kids are amazing ... Technology is a matter of course with them. It is the way they do business'" (181). She speaks about students' preference for the interactive assignments, as they have assisted with learning retention given the collaborative nature of the presentations and lessons.
Ms. Johnson's work acknowledged the role that technology played in the lives of students and harnessed that interest in and knowledge of technology within them, to craft learning experiences that supported them. She goes as far as saying, "the kids teach [the educators]" when it comes to the ways technology can be harnessed for education purposes (181). By filtering materials through a variety of resources, a majority of which can be accessed by students online on their own after classes have concluded, and offering experiences of active participation and collaboration among students and instructors, students may be more excited about and invested in the materials they are learning. This, in turn, may translate to an interest that expands beyond the classroom, encouraging individual research.
Watkins notes that the school Ms. Johnson works at is an "affluent seventh-through-twelfth grade school", which brings up the issue of access to the technology that allows for this kind of learning to take place. The SMART boards mentioned a page later, in conversations with Ms. Paul, are prime examples of technology access disparity in schools, particularly underfunded public schools. A certain level of means is required for this kind of, or level of, interactive learning, that relies heavily on funding resources available to the school in question. When the tools are available, students, like Ms. Johnson's and Ms. Paul's, may be more inclined to participate in their own research because they see the direct results of their interaction with materials, as opposed to students who may be in positions where the technology may be scarce or out of date, and they must use more traditional methods of learning and research.
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