Are there any of you out there that have Wireless Internet in your school that students and staff have access too?

There are several of us at my school that are pushing to have Wireless Internet brought into the school. We are told that there are too many issues surrounding the use if wireless so we will not be receiving it.

I think there are many benefits to having wireless!

So, does your school have it? Are there issues? How is it used? How is it set up? Who has access? Is it password protected? Are there security issues? Please let me know.

1) Are we advocating technology for technology's sake?  I feel as if the value and use of a lot of tools is glossed over by the fact that they are shiny and new, and that, more dangerously, the negative repercussions of other tools and methods are dismissed using the ad hominem technique of dismissing valid concerns by accusing the critiquer of being a Luddite and anti-progress. 

I love how some tools make my life easier.  But I also find that the number of resources required to advocate for, purchase, install, learn, update, prepare resources to accompany, administer, evaluate, and utilize effectively a tool is often grossly underestimated, and that while "money" is usually considered a resource, "time" and "joy" are not considered. 

2) Can we examine the issues of privilege in terms of access to technology?  I noticed, speaking with colleagues, that my "normal" and their "normal" are very different.  Access for teachers runs from 1:1 ratio of laptops to students to  classes where half the students own no computer (or have a computer, but dialup, or no internet).  Also, a large number of the resources and tools mentioned are either banned in schools (e.g. ipods) or blocked from schools (youtube, facebook). 

Are we inadventently creating an underclass?  Do we have the right to dismiss these students when they're clearly already at a disadvantage?  I was and am surprised at how easily this issue is skipped over with a blithe "They'll catch up" or "well, really, that's hardly a majority of students", especially in an atmosphere that is supposed to be supportive of differentiating for needs and understandings and cultural/socioeconomic factors.

3) I'm finding a repetition of two underlying assumptions needs questioning as well.  First, that "in our day this technology wasn't available, and so the kids know more than we do and of course we're resistant."  In my day, the Internet was available, and I used it, often.  I'm a teacher, but I'm also a digital native.  Furthermore, my students know markedly less than I do about it.  Explaining icanhascheezburger to a room full of animal loving but completely unknowing faces is interesting.

The second attaches to the first - that kids know more than we do.  In my case, my students not only know less, but fall into two distinct groups - the academic level kids who are online, wired, modible, IM'ing, and Facebooking, and the applied/college level students who say things like "I don't understand that whole facebook thing." and "MSN sucks.  I just use the phone."  (further questioning of the second reveals that "texting is stupid, but at least I don't have to spell on it - but usually I talk).  Again, literacy is a focus - media and text literacy.  The same kids who don't like reading WILL read emails - but it's still not the preferred mode.  Can we help these kids catch the e-bug?  Ought we?

 Thank you for not simply saying tl;dr. (too long;didn't read)

Diana

The free version has Google Ads, but for a monthly fee you can place your own or drop all ads.

Of course, I've been very impressed with the networking aspects of Commun-IT. I'm off to check what's under the hood. 

Background info can be found in the cover story of this month's Fast Company magazine...

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/125/nings-infinite-ambition.html

I actively blog and podcast on the use of a range of read/write tools, and will be highlighting many of these as outstanding alternatives to chalk.  Prior to the workshop slated for the Monday, I'd be interested to discover how you harness the power of evolving technologies to engage learners in rich, meaningful work. 

Does anyone use wikis, blogs, ustream, skype, twitter, jing, social bookmarking, voicethread, podcasting, Google tools, or others (http://www.go2web20.net/)  In what contexts do you use the tools you use?  

My name is Rob De Lorenzo and I will be presenting at the Leading Learning 2008 conference on the topic of mobile learning.  I guess the best place to start is to try and figure out what mobile learning actually means.  In the presention, I will be focusing mainly on cell phone, iPod and PDA technologies but mobile learning doesn't necessarily mean learning on these devices.

So I ask: What does mobile learning actually mean? 

1. If I join a group in Facebook not everyone in Faceback has access to my profile, this only occurs if I am the creator of a group.  I can also limit this access within the Privacy settings of Facebook.

2. I can set a limited access profile that contains only the information that I want to share with anyone. 

3. Many Elementary and Secondary schools keep track of their Alumni through Facebook.  They use it to inform their alumni of upcoming events in order to spread the word.

4. You have a choice whether or not someone adds you as a firend and what kind of access that person has to your profile.  You can also block certain users from having access to your profile or what items they do have access to.

5.  It is a low commitment way to reconnect with those people that you want to reconnect with, as well as people that you currently do connect with. 

Opinions?

The Birds of a Feather on Best Practices in Video Conferencing now has its Wiki  set up at:

http://www.commun-it.org/wiki/index.php/Best_practice_in_Video_Conferenceing 

and available for edits.  If you are planning on going to this session on  Monday May 7th @ 1:45-2:30 in the Tom Thompson Room, please take a minute and go to the Wiki, and add your discussion topics, ideas or questions.

 See you next week!

/shawn

Ron