November's Article

Alan November’s “Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning” raises several issues and questions regarding contemporary technology and education. I tend to agree with his emphasis on developing professional relationships between teachers and the importance of sharing information through the Internet. Most professionals share stories and experiences with their colleagues and, in doing so, share ideas about what works and what does not within their professions. Teachers must adopt a similar strategy.

I also agree with his distinction between automating and informating. Automating, using technology to perform activities that could be performed without technology, has limited uses and can lead buyers to purchase unnecessary items. Informating, however, emphasizes that goods be purchased that will enable information sharing and communication. This makes more economical sense to me and certainly fits the criteria of November’s goals for education.

November makes a compelling argument in favor of incorporating technology in the classroom. His example of the student who failed to validate an online source regarding the holocaust exemplifies the need to teach students how to assess an Internet website’s credibility. Not only will this exercise help a student to learn how to validate an online source, it will also help him to develop critical thinking skills.

In contrast to November, I am ambivalent about the utility and effectiveness of online cameras in classrooms. While I agree that it will force teachers to evaluate themselves regularly, I can picture instances in which a classroom camera would be a nuisance. Perhaps, as November suggests, the cameras can only be used for a few minutes a day.