In
September 2011, the U.S. Department
of Education sponsored a new project called Digital Promise. The
bipartisan, public-private initiative will fund research in educational
technology and will bring leading technologies into the classroom to help
students with problem areas such as STEM subjects. Review the main directions
of this project using the provided link and post your thoughts on which
initiatives could be particularly helpful for the development of next-generation
learning environments in Alabama schools and colleges. (Focus on your own
subject area and grade level.)
The
exponential expansion of the information on the web resulted in more powerful
and more sophisticated search engines. Modern search engines use intricate
algorithms to select information based on the user’s previous online behavior
to tailor search results to what the user is most likely to like or agree with.
As a result, the user is exposed to a personalized set of information, links,
sites, and pages while being under the impression that he or she is seeing an
untampered view of the World Wide Web.
Though most consumers benefit from
quick finds of desirable products, some intellectuals, like Eli Pariser
and Tim Berners-Lee, sounded an alarm claiming that it would lead to
information bubbles which will lock people within comfortable but isolated,
their own cultural, educational, and ideological mini-worlds. Eli Pariser
coined the term “Filter Bubble” and spoke eloquently against limiting people’s
exposure to conflicting viewpoints and information. Watch his 9 minute presentation at http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html
and post your thoughts on the issue. How can “filter bubbles” affect education
and what is the role and responsibility of educators in ensuring free access to
information?
