Interactivity #2 (The History of Technology in Schools)

The first interactivity asked you to self-reflect on your own relationship to communications technologies—and how that relationship might be similar to and/or different from those of the young people that you will teach. At this point, you should be more aware of those technologies that have most influenced your own life and also aware of their negative as well as positive influences. You will receive feedback and an Engrade score for Interactivity #1 by this Friday.

Interactivity #2 asks you to look back into history to more deeply reflect on how communications technologies have influenced (for better and worse) the formalized education process through schooling. The purpose for doing this (twentieth-century) historical tour is to more deeply understand the political and economic imperatives that have traditionally surrounded the (non)use of technology in schools, so that we can move forward in rethinking and renewing our educational technology efforts to better meet the current (twentieth-century) needs of students.

In terms of workload for the next two weeks, I am requiring you to view a brief (9-minute) video, chapter two from Rethinking Technology in Schools and a short journal article, A Social History of Media, Technology and Schooling. You will find the links to all three of these texts as well as the assessment criteria on the Interactivity #2 assignment page.

The deadline for this assignment is 11:59pm EST on October 6th.

Have questions? I will be hosting a live chat through Google+ to address any of your questions and concerns on Monday, September 30th at noon. It's an optional session for those who might need clarification or additional assistance. If you can't make it, feel free to email your questions to Michelle or myself. If you prefer a phone appointment or F2F, feel free to schedule an appointment through Deanna at ext 5187.