Karen Jensen - Article Reflection

Karen Jensen
EDTEC 596
Fall 2009

Journal Article Reflection

I read the article The Evolution of Education: Empowering Learners to Think, Create, Share and Do, by Chris Riedel (1/30/09). Riedel’s report summarizes a presentation by Chris Dede, professor of Learning Technologies at Harvard University, at FETC (Florida Educational Technology Corporation) 2009. The article explores how and why emerging information and communication technologies ought to be incorporated into 21st century academic settings.

According to Dede, as new media and technologies become available these technologies are
• Causing a shift in the knowledge and skills the world values
• Driving the development of new methods of teaching and learning
• Changing the basic characteristics of learners.
A problem occurs when the use of technology within the classroom does not mirror learners’ technology use outside of the classroom. The solution, Dede asserts, is using Web 2.0 in the academic setting.

Professor Dede claims that, used correctly, Web 2.0 technologies can be used to enable students to
• Think
• Create
• Share and Do
Students can learn to “think together” using blogs, podcasts, online discussion forums, and wikis. They can “create” – or synthesize and repurpose existing information – through bookmarking platforms, video/image sharing sites, and writer’s workshops. Finally, Dede encourages students to “share and do” – using social networking technologies to promote social change.

This article challenged me to think about how I use technology in my own classroom. Often, resources, time, and money limit technology use in the K-12 classroom. Although sometimes a difficult challenge, using technology within the classroom that mirrors learners’ use of technology outside of the classroom is definitely a valuable endeavor. In order to engage learners and prepare them for success in the future, technology-based instruction must increase in the academic setting.