Week 7 - Istuff in Classrooms

Hey I know there has been a five-week gap since my last post – that is because something called Life and it’s friend Assignments got in the way!  

The articles in this week’s learning pack relate to Youth, Schooling and Libraries. The Cook, Pachler & Bachmair article related to the increasing use of mobile phones by young people in schools and should there be more in the curriculum to incorporate this new type of learning. The current smartphones are basically mini-computers in which students have the capacity to look up information at the touch of a button. I have heard of some learning institutions making some textbooks available to app format so “young people” (I use that term loosely) can access the text in a way they feel comfortable with. I can also see the downsides – I remember when I was in high school how many girls used to text each other during class, take photos of each other in the bathrooms not to mention that it probably increased the number of people who heard about their shenanigans (both at lunch and outside of school). On a more serious point cyber bullying is a major problem in Australian schools, giving students access to smartphones may be encouraging this type of behaviour.

The Derby article also addressed issues about the digital revolution and addressed some of the criticisms that some have towards letting mobile devices into classrooms. The case study in the text was very similar to what a friend of mine saw at Sheldon College while doing her teaching prac a few years ago. Students in one class were given a Nintendo device and 30 minutes of every morning was dedicated to brain training games while students in the other class spent the same time with traditional methods. While the teachers of neither class saw a dramatic rise or fall with the results of their students, students how played games during that time apparently raved about it. Just by looking at this example it proves Derby’s point – that other formats can be incorporated into lessons without teachers compromising their students learning, in fact the students may be more open to it then the traditional methods.    

I found Moore’s blog article interesting. The post discussed the topic of Social Reading and that how eBooks have combined with social media features, has opened up a space for people to virtually discuss books. Moore claims that it the first time where reading has gone from being a solitary act to something quite public. I don’t overtly agree with this. I am an avid reading have been a member of many book clubs over the years and always enjoyed discussing the books that I’ve read over pastry and milkshakes. How are these groups any different to the online spaces of Twitter and Facebook? People thought that eBooks would be a death to libraries and the hardcover book that we know of – I have to admit that I agree with Stephen Fry “Books are no more threatened by Kindle than stairs by elevators” – i.e. There is a time and a place for both. There is something about having a hard cover book in your hand that is comforting; however when backpacking around Europe with very little space or being old and needing to increase the size of the font – an eBook is preferable.