Journal One

Shifflet, Rena, & Toledo, Cheri (2008). Extreme Makeover: Updating Class Activities for the 21st Century . Learning & Leading with Technology, 34, Retrieved July 17, 2008, from http://www.pdfdownload.org/pdf2html/pdf2html.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fjheil65.googlepages.com%2FJournal1.pdf&images=yes.

Both of these articles are about the use of current web-based technologies that can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. The first article “Extreme Makeover: Updating Class Activities for the 21st Century” explores the uses of web-based writing tools, blogs, social bookmarking, photo sharing, and buildable research resources (such as a wiki). The second article, “Blogging Right Along” looks closely at the use of blogs in a science classroom. The article highlights how useful a blog, or daily log, in the classroom can be in a science class because it can be maintained by the students. The daily blog, if updated with daily with the key concepts of the lessons can serve as a study guide for exams as well as a way for absent students to catch up with what they missed.
Questions:
1. At what grade level would the introduction of the above discussed technologies be appropriate?
I feel as though all of the technologies discussed are very useful in the higher grades, such as 5th and up. For those wanting to teach K-4th, these technologies might be really helpful, but impractical in a setting where the primary focus is learning the fundamentals of math, reading, grammar, etc.
2. By using web-based technologies as homework assignments, are certain socio-economic groups left out?
I feel that using these web-based technologies in class, rather than as homework assignments could circumvent the possible problems that could arise for students that don’t have home computers. Making sure not to assign homework that requires the use of the web-based technologies would alleviate that problem.