Picking & Choosing which Technology to Implement

Throughout our readings for this week, my mind was still closed towards the complete usage of these digital tools in our classrooms because to me, as much as I love communication through sites such as Facebook or playing digital games, it does indeed seem more like a social and entertaining tool rather than educational tool. I know that both can be integrated for our students but I wonder, will the students REALLY use these digital tools in the educational way that teachers might be expecting? How long would it take before it is truly successful, and how much management would be needed to ensure that students are getting the most out of it? Even with the World of Warcraft, I think it's great that the article showed how the game would cover skills such as managing disputes, creating apprenticeship programs, and orchestrating group strategy, but what about those who love playing the game and aren't good at it? Are they just being entertained and wasting their time or would they really be improving their skills as they continue to play? I wonder how it would affect them when they do go in the workplace...

Yet the funny thing is as I ask all these questions about the application of certain tools in the classroom, while I was reading Klopfer , Osterweil, Groff, and Haas' article, they opened my eyes in a split second. They stated that without these recent technologies such as Web 2.0 and digital games, we can still achieve success in giving strong lessons BUT there would be a "sharp disconnect between the way students are taught in school and the way the outside world approaches socialization, meaning-making, and accomplishment." WOW! It's sad to say that I had not realize this until now. I love how people realize facebook may not be a reality for classroom usage but sites such as Think.com and Diigo might. If I were to teach high school, I would love to implement Diigo for students to communicate through and for them to share their final projects and ideas. I am beginning to apply the idea of using technology in the room. It's a matter of what you choose to show your students, and how you are going to use it to meet standards while still working towards their interests. However, I do believe that this strong usage of technology would still only be good for middle and high school. Technology in this aspect should not be introduced to elementary schoolers, who still need the basics without technology.