Textbook

HI - I've read about 2/3 of the textbook and become very excited about the possible uses of many of these new (to me) computer applications. I know that our students would love using these and will catch on to their use much more quickly than I am. I also am very aware that these skills are the skills and techniques that are going to be needed for the 21st
century.

But....I do still have some concerns. A personal concern is that I need more time to go to a number of the sites that Richardson talks about in his text. I want to see, in depth, how these applications are being used. I'm feeling a bit frustrated and overwhelmed that I don't have the time to spend in one week. I also wish it was raining today - ahhh - I don't want to spend a beautiful day inside on the computer!!!!

Also, I worry about the amount of time our future community will spend on the computer. I, who I consider to be a rather focused person, know how distracted I can get when I go to Amazon.com. I read about one book and then it suggests "people who bought this book also bought ..." and off I go checking out other books. My 5 minutes turns into 30 or 40. In checking out some sites and just doing some surfing on my own particular interests for this class, I found a lot of useless information and unfocused blog/comments that wasted my time. In particular one blog on hurricanes, which looked fascinating, was filled with comments that had nothing to do with hurricanes, and I sifted through a lot of material that wasn't useful, to get to several that were quite interesting. Wish I'd just gone to World Book online. I rarely go to my facebook account, because I don't want to spend the time reading about the lives of some people who "befriended" me and are writing about their cats or potty-training. I cherish my free time and don't want to waste it.

As a librarian educator, I see a real need for an emphasis on critical thinking skills and the necessity for students to get through all the "junk" in order to get to the valuable sources to be found on the web. I also wonder what the real advantage is of using Wikipedia for information input by non-professionals when I can get accurate info from professionals in the field from World Book online and CNN.

My concerns can be allayed, I know, but I see my most important job as teaching kids the critical thinking and analytical skills they will need to sift through this overpowering amount of information.

Oh how I wish it was raining today!!!