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?
