This article discussed a study conducted to research five students. These students were apart of a EYR program for adolescents who were not necessarily college bound. The researchers gave each of these students a laptop with internet access in order to be able to evaluate their activity on the web. Each student had a unique set of circumstances thus influencing their web activity. For instance, one student was very religious, another was an avid shopper, another was a rapper, another had a candy store and one was a big sports fan. Each of these students was involved in social networking (besides for the religious student). In regard to these students' improved literacy skills as a result of their internet activity was not very solid. It seemed that to complete homework assignments, these students used basic search engines that lacked sophistication. Although it can be noted that because these students were very active on the web, they felt the most comfortable to do schoolwork online as opposed to using traditional text books.
This article was very interesting because it looked into the lives of real adolescent students as opposed to discussing theories based on ideas. As seen in the study, students today are regular online users and therefore tend to want to want to complete assignments using the web. Therefore, it is a good idea for teachers to take advantage of this reality and maximize the learning benefits. There are of course things for teachers to be wary of. For instance, teachers need to ensure that the quality of research students are doing is at least equivalent to the information found in text. We can not limit our students to the simple articles of the web if we wish to produce the intelligent leaders of tomorrow.
"The iPad Effect: Leveraging Engagement, Collaboration and Perseverance" submitted by Niki Jo Rotolo
In this article the author discusses a study done to determine if ipads improve students' performances. The overall results were that the use of ipads increases students' engagement which is deeply connected to student performance. Therefore if ipads are utilized correctly, they can have an impact on improving students' literary skills.
I feel that student performance is deeply dependent on his engagement to class. I also feel that ipads are not the only way students can become engaged in a lesson. Especially when speaking about first graders, ipads are not the only way to attract and maintain their attention. Teachers can use other quality techniques that do not cost a lot of money to effectively teach their students.
"How Teens Do Research in the Digital World" submitted by Henry Chiu
In this article the author discusses how although students mainly do online research, there are many drawbacks. 94% of students use search engines such as google and only 17% use an online data bases which would offer more sophisticated material. Although it is very beneficial that students feel comfortable with conducting online research, not always are their research skills as sharp as they should be.
I have to say that I agree with this article whole heartedly. The reality is that students are technologically savvy and therefore are familiar with the perks of the internet. However just because students are regular online users does not mean that the information available is of the highest quality. It is no question that as educators we should adapt to our students and try our upmost to utilize teaching tools that best relate to them. However we also have to keep in mind that although this is the reality does not mean that it is the ideal. Teachers need to ensure that our students are gaining as much quality information with out the other distractions and setbacks as possible.
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