Open Source High School

                After watching this video, I am surprised to see that they are using open source applications in high school. I think there are some positive and negative aspects to using this, especially with high school students. It’s good that they have more flexibility with their assignments and that they become familiarized with the technology, but sometimes they need to have social interactions with the other students and teacher. How would they do activities like class presentations or speeches? The interactions online are good, but it’s just not the same as being able to talk to some face to face. One thing that I did like about it was that it gives students the opportunity to receive more individualized instruction. We all know that one classroom can have students who function on a variety of different academic levels. The open source high school gives students the chance to work at their own pace without feeling pressure to keep up with the other students. Another thing that comes to mind is that students don’t have to miss school for bad weather, or deal with any of the other distractions that come along with being in an actual school setting because everything is done online. This is definitely the new age of technology and education, and I can see other schools taking this route in the future.   

The Internet and Its Place in the Classroom

            It’s interesting to look at technology and how much it has evolved in this society just within past few years. It wasn’t that long ago when my dad got his first cell phone and I just thought it was the most amazing thing. Now, it is very uncommon to come across someone who doesn’t have a cell phone—including children. Computers and the internet have taken their place in society in a similar fashion. When I was in elementary school and had to do any kind of research, I had to use an old set of encyclopedias and write out the information. Today’s children are becoming more and more familiar with using the internet at younger and younger ages.

            In one of my field experiences I got to see the students spend an extensive amount of time using the internet for various kinds of activities. One of the first things I saw them doing was using the internet to do research. They knew about different search engines and how to type in key words to find information. (They were third graders by the way). They also had knowledge of some different websites where they could find particular information. The students used the internet to play games, send emails to each other, and do research. Along with that, they were also able to use Microsoft word to type documents. I was really surprised at their ability to do that because some adults aren’t as familiar with Microsoft word. I think that there was a time when having computers and internet access was reserved for corporate or wealthy individuals, but it is now a part of the culture and the everyday lives of most people. I also think that technology has a language that young people are being exposed to at much earlier ages. The other day I had a box of those little candy hearts with the messages on them that are so popular around Valentine’s Day. The messages used to say things like “be mine” or “love you,” but I was surprised to see that some of the messages on these hearts said “text me” and “tweet me.” I thought it was hilarious, but I also realized that those are the things that are relevant to young people in our society because of the overwhelming presence of the internet.