Monday, June 14, 2010
Coe 13 Things Week 1 Post 2
As part of the Millennial Generation, I have grown up hearing a lot about all the new technology as it comes about. Yet, I did not have a computer in my house, or even (gasp) a television until later in my childhood. Because of this, I would not necessarily say that I am as up to date on technology as many of my peers are. Working with students, I notice on a daily basis how "plugged in" they are. They are either texting, surfing the web, tweeting, or facebooking for much of their day. Recognizing this fact, it is my responsibility to meet my students where they are at. If this means learning new ways to use technology to get to this point, I can only imagine that Web 2.0 and other new forms of technology and social media can help with this effort. However, as we jump onto this new bandwagon, I am reminded of how wonderful Facebook and MySpace were to students when they first came out. While there is still some debate as to whether these social sites are blessings or curses to the Student Affairs profession, they are part of the society in which we must navigate. I have decided to learn the lingo and try to comprehend as much as I can. Sure, I will falter and often need to ask my students to explain yet another aspect of technology to me. However, this is what I love about my job...my students often end up teaching me just as much as I teach them!
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Great thoughts Laura! It's interesting how many of these new Web 2.0 innovations start out as a curse to higher ed professionals and once enough of us learn how to use them they become a blessing.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I remember when everyone was up in arms about Facebook and how "dangerous" it was...and now, many of those professionals are now readily using the same technology for both personal use and in many occasions, their office or position as well. There are pages, blogs, and twitter pages for most offices at a bigger college or university. One of the things I wrote about on my blog was the idea that Web 2.0 is all about giving up the usual "control" of the classroom and moving the learning to a more collaborative process. In a lot of ways, I can see Student Affairs professionals being concerned by the initial lack of control we can give with social networking sites in particular, but as we recognize the positive uses, we jump on board (along with creating all sorts of programs to tell students how they SHOULD be using them as well). Are we really engaging in Web 2.0 and giving up the control, or just making a fuss until we find a way to get it back?
ReplyDeleteYes, this type of networking is what students are using so we need to keep up. Thanks to all who are participating so I can learn "how to" and maybe get to know others on campus.
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