Blog # 3

Hi Class!
The article, "Oh the Changes We’ve Seen," is very interesting to me considering I was in elementary school in the 80’s (like many of you I’m sure). I can relate to many of the programs. One of my favorite programs the article mentions is Oregon Trail (p. 5). I used to love that game! I had no idea all the concepts it was teaching. “Teachers put students in teams that had to reach a consensus, providing opportunities for purposeful interaction,” when they used programs such as Oregon Trail (p. 5). The article also mentions the numerous roles technology allows students to play. The roles include Learner of Facts, Programmer, Problem Solver, Editor, Designer, Collaborator, Adventurer and Sense Maker (p. 2). As a previous student of the 80’s, I can relate to many of these roles. I remember being taught how to perform basic functions as a Programmer, learning how to type in commands and then watching them work. I can also remember being an Editor and Designer. I loved using different types of fonts and working with paint shop to make my homework 'pretty.' Although, I did not learn how to use PowerPoint until much later….I find it fascinating that younger students are using this program in school!

Because we did not have class last week, I cannot say much about the tools I have learned and practiced. I completed the 4 Nets for Better Searching project early and previously discussed what I learned from it in Blog #2. I have not yet started the Newsletter project which is one project I feel I will learn a great deal from.