Week 2 - Reading Response

I’ve got to be honest here, I’m not really digging on the blog and RSS thing.  I can see the value in it, but personally, it’s just not for me.  Perhaps I just haven’t found anything that interests me yet.  I did browse through the Google Reader directory, and subscribed to a number of feeds that looked like they might be promising.  I guess I’m just not very interested in gathering information this way.  I usually prefer reading a book.  I suppose one might say there is a certain amount of irony to the fact that I’m embarking on a masters degree in educational technology, and sometimes I don’t always like using technology.  I like to have a balance of experiences in my life and when I do open my laptop, I usually spend more of my screen time creating.  I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking lately about the amount of time I spend on the computer.  I’ve realized that I’m falling into a pattern and that I’d like to make more productive use of my time.  I have a son who is almost 3 and I already feel like I’m setting a bad example by spending too much time on the computer.  So, with all of that said, for the purpose of this class, I’m going to give it a shot.  Perhaps some of you can change my mind. 

     Regarding Dale’s Cone of Experience, I can definitely see uses for this type of technology in the classroom.  Having students use blogs to present and share information has great potential as a very effective teaching tool.  Depending on the circumstances, blogging could fall in a number of places along Dale’s “Cone”.  When considering a specific application for this technology, it would seem that the  “Contrived Experience” might be a logical choice.  In my art classes, very few students have been to an art museum.  I’ve done some searching and found a number of online galleries that have RSS feeds available.   A “Contrived Experience” could be created by asking students to subscribe to a specific art gallery site RSS to view online artwork.  They could then respond to questions and blog about their experiences.   This practice could be brought into the classroom setting by gathering responses and creating further discussion.  

     I believe this type of activity is what Seigel might call “computer imaginative”.  In the visual arts, it can be difficult to provide students with the experience of viewing artwork for the study of art history and aesthetics.  Although it is a far cry from the experience of actually visiting an art gallery or museum, it is an easily replicated “Contrived Experience” that could be applied to any number of art lessons.