UK teachers split over tech in the classroom
TEACHERS IN THE UK are completely divided over the merits of using tools like social networks, Youtube and Wackypedia in the classroom.
Half of the teachers interviewed on behalf of ntl:Telewest Business were pro the use of web 2.0 tools as teaching aids, while the other half slated them as a distraction with no real academic benefit.
The researchers reckon that the biggest problem is that many teachers are clueless about these next generation applications, with a fifth of teachers admitting they lacked the knowledge or training to integrate them into their lessons.
"Web 2.0 has really crept up on the school system as social networking sites, blogs and YouTube have become a global phenomenon in a relatively short space of time," explained Dave Alderson, a public sector specialist for ntl:Telewest Business.
"Many of today's pupils live and breathe this technology ... The interactive and collaborative nature of Web 2.0 tools is ideal for engaging children in the classroom and nurtures the skills and enthusiasm they have developed at home."
Although nearly half (44 per cent) of the kids interviewed said Wackypedia would be useful at school, less than a fifth of teachers use it – surely this is because anyone can edit it, so it's not a factually dependent source?
Alderson reckons, there is a "Web 2.0 chasm between the tools that children would like to see in the classroom and what teachers are actually using."
"It is only a matter of time before Web 2.0 takes on a more extensive role in the classroom," he said.
The use of things like Youtube or Google maps makes sense to us, but turning to sites like Facebook or Wackypedia which can spread as much falsehood as it does truth could be a recipe for disaster. Then again perhaps we're just old farts who out of touch with the youth of today. µ
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Speaking as a Maths teacher in an English Secondary School, I have used Youtube in lessons (check out 'Powers of Ten' - awesome for getting a feel for indices).

What I tell my students (mainly the older ones) NOT to do is use Wikipedia as a source when investigating things like Logs, Exponentials and the Golden Ratio. Many of them will be off to University next year and if they cite Wikipedia as a reference in an essay or project, their lecturer will rip them a new one. Wikipedia (as the article states) is ABSOLUTELY inappropriate to use as an academic reference. 

Certain pages may be fine, but only if they are vetted by a teacher before hand. And there are always better, more reliable sources elsewhere...
Educational software is really useful but it can be a real pain in the school environment because of the way its delivered. My wife teaches and part of her coursework can be enhanced with mechanics simluations, something that should be really straightforward. Except it isn't -- school computers may lack the companion software and the teacher be unable to install it (Java's off the menu...) or it works on some systems but inexplicably not on others (goodbye Shockwave). Stuff that's web based would at least be consistent and run across platforms. Educational software doesn't need to do much, the most important thing is that it should just work...
My daughter spent 3 hours for 3 nights of her first 4 days of school on the net doing homework that had to be done on the net.

I run a rural ISP, so she didn't have to wait on dial up, and she still spent three of four nights on the net doing homework.

I call shenanigans. Teachers are putting off real teaching just to get it off of their backs.

For reference, this comes from a self taught technician.

Complete BS and a waste of time. Anyone that spends any amount of time on the net knows it takes about 5 clicks on a search engine to come to beastiality porn.

I have a problem with this.


in 2000 i started a degree (psychology) at the university of northumbria at newcastle (UK) as a very *cough, mature student, in the first semmester a big chunk was focused on how and where to research information using all the various formats/media available, internet, libraries, card index, micro fische, ROMs etc etc.

what became immediately apparent was that the yoooofs, who were clutching 8 or 9 A grade 'A' levels apiece were wizzo with pooters, but didnt have a clue when it came to the 'ancient' sources of knowledge (its the only time i was treated as an 'equal' rather than some old grandad that should be humoured and given a pat on the head now and again :O) )

anyhooooooos, these teachers have a good right to be concerned IMHO, cos as soon as the electrickery goes out they are completely furked, they cease to be able to function at any level, whether it be acedemic or socially, ffs they cant even find their way to the nearest pub without their iSHINYTOY sat-nav, whatever happened to 'following your nose' !!!!! O_o

bahhhhhhh, call themselves students, what sort of students are they that waste all their beer tokens on iSHINYTOYS when theres some serious drinkin to be done, i dont know whats going to become of us all, i really dont !!!!! O_O
I don't know what you are clicking on, oldman, but my cat was most surprised, and excited, to hear she only has to press her paw 5 times for satisfaction!

I can't say though that I have ever accidentally stumbled across such animal shenanigans. Perhaps I should try Wakeypedia?
I'm a PhD student in the US, studying physics. I also taught high school for two years. I found YouTube, Google Maps, and Wikipedia to be very useful in the classroom. All of the physics and mathematics articles I've seen in Wikipedia are pretty high-level, but my high school students could still get some useful information from the articles. I really don't understand this phobia that some people have regarding Wikipedia. It's generally an excellent starting point when researching a topic because it provides an overview of the material and there are references citing the sources of the information that can be followed if the reader wants to research in more depth. Looking at the Wikipedia articles shows the students that they have only really scratched the surface of the subject. This is a good thing because teens tend to think that things are more simple than they actually are.

I never used a social networking site in my classroom, but I did set up a bulletin board with phpBB where each student had their own account and they could message one another and collaborate on projects and ask for help with homework problems. The students enjoyed it because it was better than the system that was set up by the county government using Blackboard.com software.

As a graduate student and researcher I have used Mediawiki software to collaborate on projects and I can only imagine that this type of collaboration will become more mainstream in the future, so students may as well use it in school.
I should hope not !
As a social experiment, Whackyland may or may not be a success, I am hardly qualified to comment, but any "reference" that can be changed by any loser at any time without any requirement of authority IS NOT a reference in any way whatsoever !
And it would seem that the courts are catching on to the fact.
So there is no doubt to be had : Web 2.0 has nothing to do in the classroom, and certainly not in the hands of kids.
A teacher, on the other hand, may bring any source material he/she finds fit - given that a teacher is, by definition, supposed to be qualified to determine what is proper material to be shown in class.
So I'd go so far as to say that if a teacher found a proper article on WhackyLand, printed it, copied it and distributed it in class, fine by me. But if the teacher just hands out the URL, then not good - especially given the unstable nature inherent to WhackyLand. All it takes is a student with an agenda and less than a day later that article can be about flying penii.
Repeat after me : Whackypedia is not a reference.
Write it 100 times for tomorrow.