Teacher Designer

Blog 10: The  App  Generation,   information tools and their  affordances I thought The App Generation was interesting, in its perspective.  I see a lot of the issues the book discusses in my students at school.  In the introduction to the book, the author says, “we and our fellow researchers have been examining the role technology plays  in the lives of young people” ( termed digital natives) “because they have grown up immersed in the hardware and software of the day .”  Students have a difficult time putting their most easily available technology – their phone – aside even for a few minutes, they have grown so used to having that interaction at hand at all times. I appreciated the discussion we had in class, creating columns of possibilities and constraints for the 3 main issues discussed in the book:  Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination.  Perhaps, because I am not part of this generation, I tend to see a lot of the constraint...

Blog 10:  Net Smart, How to Thrive Online Attention, Participation Power, Social, Digital Know-How... Chapter 1 of “Net Smart” centered on the need to develop our ability to focus; to use mindfulness to be aware of our time and how we’re using it.  There were a couple of quotes that I think spoke to this issue.  “The habit of multitasking, amplified by technologies of distraction, is hurting our capacity for sustained attention,” and “teaching people more mindful, mediated communication seems the most feasible remedy.”   The hopefulness in this chapter was the idea that we can train our ability to pay attention.  All is not lost (though, with their cell phones almost constantly at the ready, our students might make us think otherwise!).  Practicing meditation (breathing) so we can lead more mindful lives, begins the path to better attention.  I will use one more quote here, “mindfulness exercises can have lasting effects on attention.”...

Blog 9:   Copyright Clarity For me, Copyright is far from clear.  I’ve always used the rules I’ve been told, but I don’t know that they are right.  I think, mostly, they’re safe, but I even question that, at this point.  I am one of the educators who is very worried about copyright issues. “Copyright Clarity” suggests the avenue of Fair Use as a protection from copyright lawsuits.  “The doctrine of fair use exists to support the kinds of copying, borrowing, and sharing that are so essential to fertilize and nurture the creative process.”  This all sounds great, but I’m not sure the bulk of the authors/composers/creators/”owners” out there would agree, and I don’t know that I would have the courage to challenge them.  The book goes on to discuss transformative use , which I interpret to mean that, if you make enough changes to the original work that it has been transformed to some other purpose or meaning, you’re good to go.  Changing th...