This chapter of the book Rethinking Technology in Schools discusses the importance of achieving technology literacy in schools.  For many teachers it can become very overwhelming to have to not only learn about the various new technologies but also teach their students to use them.  It is becoming more and more common for teachers to incorporate technologies such as the internet, power points and others into their lesson plans.  One of the concepts that they really emphasize in this chapter is the importance of technology leadership.  Technology leadership constitutes the development of various pedagogical strategies that allows teachers to enforce a common curriculum on the students.  This is a very useful because it gives teachers a sense of direction and organization and allows them to bettter understand their purpose when teaching about technology.  Another concept that is discussed in this chapter of the reading is professional development with relation to these growing technologies.  Teachers need to become very comfortable with the various technologies before they are able to incorporate them into the classroom setting.  They must have repeated interactions with the technologies in order to have a very thorough understanding of the capabilities and limitations of each one.  It is also very important that teachers be instruced not only on the technologies but also on how they can be incorporated into the curriculum.  They need to learn how to plan interesting activities for the students that make use of these different technological devices.  If teachers introduce and present these technologies in creative ways, it could have a great impact on the extent to which the students really grasp the concept, and are interested in learning more. 

They further discuss the process of professional development in three distinct stages.  First of all, teachers may learn to use technologies on a personal level through the everyday use of email, cell phones and the internet.  This is the effect that technology may have on each teacher’s life.  The second stage focuses on a more professional dimension, with teachers considering various technologies as a way of facilitated their work in the classroom. They may write up their lesson plans on a computer, or do research over the internet.  Finally, in the third stage of professional development focuses on both the personal and professional aspect and deals with how the technology used by the teachers can have an impact on the students.  Setting up a class website in order to faciliate communication in the classroom is a great example of this third stage of professional development. 

It is important for teachers to become aware of the various ways that they can use technology to their advantage in the classroom.  This chaper emphasizes the importance of technology planning in  which groups of educators gather to discuss the various technologies available to them, as well as new and creative ways to incorporate them into the students lives.  It is very useful to brainstorm and explore all the various possibilities becaues there are a great number of technologies that can be of great interest for teachers in the classroom.  The group also needs to come to some sort of consensus regarding the budget and also must assess the knowledge the teachers posess with regards to the technologies themselves.

In general, the ever growing technologies of today are offering teachers with great new opportunities for instruction and are allowing them to explore much more with their students.  However, it is important that teachers be properly trained about the various technologies and that they understand exciting ways to present them to the classroom.  Throughout various groups teachers can learn form one antoher, and plan ways to inocrporate technology into the curriculum.

Related Videos: Teaching teachers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVtvSTfI8WM

This article by Howard Rheinghold discusses the extent to which technology has had a great impact on the youth of today and whether this knowldege can be channeld into getting youth more interested in civic engagement.  Young people today are so familiar with various technologies such as text messaging, video games, mp3 players and social networking sites.  Rheinghold proposes the fact that perhpas many of these devices could be used as a way to get the youth more into civic engagment and use these tools to make a difference in the world. 

The problem nowadays is that the youth are so caught up in the fast paced world that we live in today, we often do not take the time to look around and realize those that are struggling around us.  We are too busy trying to keep up with our friends and the ever changing technologies that we are not preoccupied with the chaos of the world we live in.  However, I strongly believe that the media is a very powerful tool and can be used to help people become aware of the needs of our planet in peril.  First of all, the television is very useful as it can provide us with greats amount of information and can keep us up to date with what is going on across the globe.  Secondly, the interent is probably the fastest growing technology and it is the most interesting because we are able to witness its constant changes on a regular basis.  Entire websites can be created with the purpose of informing people about certain causes, and such greats amount of information are being processed on the Internet. 

Also as mentionned in the article, the Interent is a good way in which a private voice or opinion can become a public voice.  Throughout various social networking sites, as well as with blogging, people can voice their thoughts and  really put their opinions out there.  It is much easier to unite people with the same views and dedicate oneself towards a cause.  Bloggers can attract other people with similar interests as themselves  and can potentially facilitate the process of making a difference.  Also facebook and myspace make it very convenient for people to unite and gather.  For example, if a fundraiser was to be held, rather than sending out formal inviations, people can be informed over the internet much more efficiently. 

One of the important things to consider, if we want to see that the youth get involved in civic engagement, is we have to make it appealing to them.  They have to feel that they are going to actually make a difference.  They have to want to help and really put their hearts into it.  Also if you make events appealing to them, they may feel more willing to reach out and lend a hand.  For example, one could hold a charity hockey game in a town like Montreal which would gladly welcome a lot of people and also be fun for the organizers and participants.

Related Video: civic engagement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kCIpjiTz10

 However, the sad truth is that many of the conflicts such as the war in Iraq were without purpose and simpy used as a way for George W. Bush to look like the “good guy” and feel like he was protecting his country. Americans claimed to have felt safe under Bush because he put national security as a priority, bombarding any country that did not see eye to eye with the United States.  However, if he was growing popularity with the Americans, his international reputation was certainly being tarnished.  Anti-Bush riots were being held worldwide and he was contributing greatly to America’s negative image in the eyes of the other nations. 

George W. Bush created a realm of fear, in which he made his citizens believe they needed him.  He made Americans believe that they were in danger, and the he was the answer to this problem.  He promised to protect them from terroism and other predators that may be out to get the United States.

In my opinion, the best way to protect yourself from other nations is to not become their enemy in the first place.  The United States has a long and rich history of always having to make someone out to be the “bad guy” and then go to war against them.  First it was the Russians, the Vietnamese, the Cubans, the Koreans, and now there are the Muslims.  They are always in a constant conflict with others, which is why they feel they need protection.  However, if they have a more pacific and reasonable leader, like Barack Obama has the potential to become, they may not have to live in fear of being bombarded by a group of terroists or attacked by hostile enemies.  In general, the United States has somewhat destroyed its worldwide reputation by wrongfully going to war, destroying nations and electing a useless president for two terms.  Chomsky explores this in more detail in the two chapters as he discusses the varoius moves that the United States have done over the past century that have contributed to this New World Order.

Related Video: The New World Order

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a9Syi12RJo

The article, Why youth heart myspace? by Danah Boyd discusses an ever growing trend among the youth of today.  Social networking sites such as facebook and myspace are becoming more and more popular everyday.  Students are able to chat with friends, send eachother messages and photos and reconnect with old classmates and people from their past.  Nowadays even parents and the older population is beginning to take an interest in facebook.  Many parents I know have facebook and use it to find old highschool friends and long lost friends from their hometowns.  In many cases, people worry that these social sites may be a threat to the youth of today, with the constant scare of pedofiles and sex offenders on the loose. However, it is important to remember that myspace users can control who becomes their friend and who views their profile.  You cannot simply view everyone’s profile on myspace. For the most part, you must be friends with someone on myspace in order to view their profile, which can significantly decrease the threat of having anyone dangerous viewing your profile and seeing your private information.

The interesing aspect about social networking sites is that it allows the youth of today to be in constant contact with one another.  With pictures being posted, and the ability to send each other messages at any given moment, teenagers can stay connected with one another from any part of the world.  It is even becoming useful for school, as students can easily get into contact with one another if they have a group project or meeting to attend.  It is an easy way to unite everyone and get information across quickly and effectivetly.

Now with even faster growing technologies, almost every young teen has a cell phone to their disposal and there are now myspace and facebook applications for mobile phones.  This means that anytime there is activity on one of these sites, the user is notified on their cell phone and they are able to reply immediately.  This is taking these social networking sites to another level, as without these applications students did not always have access to a computer.  However, people always have their cell phones to their disposal so they are able to verify these websites at all times. I personally think that these social networking sites are very fun and at the same time useful.  It makes it much easier to stay in contact with your friends that may not live nearby and keep up to date with what is going on in their daily lives.  People can post pictures of their vacations and adventures which is also fun and interesting. 

My only concern with websites such as facebook and myspace is that I feel they are causing us to become somewhat alienated from one another.  We spend so much time sending eachother messages and posting that we almost do not feel the need to have real contact with eachother.  We are able to replace this human contact with these social networking sites and are not spending enough quality time with one another.

Regardless of this criticism, I strongly believe that myspace and facebook are very useful tools to have in today’s technologically centered world.  Many parents believe they are a threat to their children, however, if they are used wisely and responsibly I do not believe that they can be harmful but simply a fun and efficient way of staying in contact with one another.

Related Video: Facebook vs Myspace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jk-NlgWdAE

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36062682@N06/

Chapter 36 of Media and Literacy deals with a common stereotype that people tend to have in today’s society.  This stereotype however does not have to do with race or religion but rather with age.  Ageism is the tendancy for people in society to see the elderly as more negative and almost absent of human qualities.  Most young people today have negative views towards old people simply because they are old.  They do not see them in the same light as they do younger people and often treat them poorly and with disrespect.  For example, many people get repulsed at the idea of older people having sexual desire, however, they are human beings with the same needs as younger people so why should they have to refrain from such activity.  They were young once too, and in their minds may feel the same as they did when they were in their early twenties, however, society has put a label on the elderly and deems them unworthy of enjoying such pleasures of human life. 

We always assume that older people are grumpy,unhappy, cheap and uneducated. However, these are simply stereotypes that have for the most part been demonstrated in the media, more speficially in television shows.

In most of the television shows, older people, more specifically, older women are portrayed very negatively.  They usually play the role of the mother or grandmother that is to be avoided.  Always nagging and demanding, they are usually avoided by the other characters of the show and used as the scapegoats in many situations.  As mentionned in the book, different characters such as Estelle Costanza from Seinfeld, Marie from Everybody Loves Raymond both fill the same role of the unappealing older women.  They are not considered beautiful and attractive, they do not have sexual needs to be fulfilled like the other characters on the show and they often serve one purpose only: playing a motherly role.  Another good example is Kitty from That Seventies Show.  She is constantly baking and taking care of the kids in the house, and is always being verbally abused by her husband Red.  She is portrayed rather negatively as always nagging, and annoying the young teenagers around the house. 

The article also mentions that older women are often portrayed as a ”metaphor for disease, isolation, worthlessness, vulnerability, dissastisfaction and decreptitude”.  In other words, older women are often made out to be very needy and emotional with no sense of self worth.  They are also often represented with having no sense of style, wearing unfashionable clothes and looking weak and vulnerable.  It is rare to see an older woman elegantly dressed on television, exuding confidence and beauty as the younger characters often due.

It is obvoius that these stereotypes that are demonstrated on television have greatly contributed to the way that we view the elderly in today’s society.  We are so quick to judge them and brush them off, deeming them not worthy of our time.  However, it would be important for us to remember, that one day we will become old, and we may not appreciated being disregarded certain rights as a human being simply because of our age.

Related Video: Kitty from That 70′s show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r1tTTxE4_8

This chapter of the book Rethinking Technology entitled Peagogical Stages discusses how technology has evolved so quickly over the years and how these contributions can help teachers in the classroom.  However, these various technologies are being created at such a quick pace, it can become very difficult for teachers to keep up with the new programs, websites, and softwares being created.  The chapter discusses the Internet as one of the most influential contributions to the technological world.  Internet access in schools offers teachers and students opportunities that were not possible years ago.  The amount of information that can be accessed via the internet today is truly amazing.  Various programs nowadays, often referred to as courseware allow the teacher and student relationship to extend pass the classroom.  Websites such as WEBCT, Blackboard and Whiteboard help teachers organize the course work, post class notes and even manage the grading system.  Teachers can send students emails to update them on changes in scheduling and to remind them about upcoming due dates. 

Technology has really help facilitate the general learning process in schools.  It is much easier for students and teachers to do research and find important information when needed.  One of the great challenges though is keeping up with the ongoing changes that are occurring in the school environment in relation to technology.  Even I find tvery difficult at times to stay on top of all the various programs and websites available.  For example, when we had our first lab for this Media and Technology class, I was having a very hard time understanding how to do the Blogs and the Wikis.  However, I feel as though learning about media technology is just like learning about any other topic or subject.  Simply practicing and taking the time to learn the various components of the technology can help you understand how to use it. 

In this chapter of the text, the authour compares the pedagogical uses of technology in schools to Abraham Manslow’s theory of Hiearchical needs.  In Maslow’s theory, there are different levels of needs that need to be met, however they are placed in a hierarchy and the more basic needs must be met before the higher level needs can be addresed.  For example hunger and safety must be met before one can address the need for love and friendship, althought these needs are also vital to a healthy life.  The three various stages that need to be met for the pedagogy in technology are content management, authoring, collaboration and cultural transformation.

Content management asseses the varoius different programs that exist on the internet such as discussion boards and how different information can be accessed.  The authoring stage deals more with students and teachers contributing to the cyber world.  Social networking sites such as facebook and myspace are great examples because people are being active on the internet and interacting with one another.  The collaboration stage emphasizes group work and students coming together to create content that will be put on the internet and finally in the final stage, cultural transformation, students, teachers and technology would come together as one all interacting with one another.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMDpyaIl1KA