Well I think with anything in life yeah, there's some pros and cons to it, and
I guess one of the examples that Michael had actually put into the question was for
example if you're asking your students to go to a particular educational app,
does that provide them with an additional opportunity to perhaps disengage with
the learning and teaching and maybe do something else on their mobile phones,
something like that.
And I think that's when you really have to think about why you're choosing for
them to use the technology in the first place.
What are the benefits of that particular educational app?
And essentially you're weighing the cons against the pro's.
But also providing that environment for them to know that okay, they're not just
going to the educational app but they need to do something about it,
keeping them busy so they don't take the opportunity to text their friend, or
look up their Facebook profile, or something like that.
I mean, you can't control all of it, but- >> No, and that's just the point.
I think this has always existed.
It doesn't matter- >> Yeah.
>> About the technology, theres' always been a more interesting book or
a more interesting person sitting next to you.
>> Of course, yes.
>> Anything like that.
So on the flip side of that,
I might say what's wrong with sometimes being taken on an unexpected journey.
So if at lecture a gives me a resource and I go and
look at that with a piece of technology, YouTube was one example.
I might find ten other really amazing things, and like you're saying,
it's about how you weave that initial starting point for the idea into
the larger framework of the course so that they know there's a point for looking etc.
>> And, I suppose, well, yeah, there was a point for looking, and
also making sure that they're engaged with the activity.
>> Yeah.
>> They see a reason, or a purpose for the activity, because, yeah,
even if they go onto YouTube to look at a particular video,
you want them to look at, they could be, very well,
distracted with advertisements, or other types of stuff, other videos on YouTube.
But it's really I guess making sure they understand why they're doing the activity
in the first place making it as more authentic as possible or
as meaningful to them as possible.
>> Yeah, and another interesting aspect of this I think is overuse of technology.
>> Yeah. >> And there are act of cultural dangers
which I think someone else in the discussion referred to and
there was another MOOC I think that discussed that but-
>> Yeah.
>> I know that some classes or some teachers are working in the faculty here,
I know that if we try to introduce too many new pieces of tech too fast,
that can cause a lot of angst and worry.
>> Absolutely, yeah.
It's better to start slow and steady, yeah.
>> Start slowly and build confidence and capability, because obviously, too many
things, things that the experience is too fragments and everybody gets a little
bit discourage and a little bit sick of it and they go back to the old familiar way.
>> Well they may think that's just about the technology.
>> Yeah. >> And the students can think
that too they might just think that it's the technologies are gimmick or
it's just a novel tool and you just really want to get them to use a particular
educational app unless they can actually see the purpose of how it relates to
everything else in the course >> So basically make sure it relates.
>> Goes back to the whole curriculum alignment kind of stuff.
>> It does. >> [LAUGH]
>> Sometimes there's nothing
wrong in a little serendipitous discovery, so
sometimes being distracted is a really good learning experience.
And that's the power of the Internet.
It connects so many different ideas.
It's just finding that balance, I think.
>> And you can actually build on that, too, and get your students to go and
find related resources.
>> Yeah. >> Yeah.
So obviously we can keep talking on this one for a while, but we might stop there,
and it might be a good one to continue in the forums, for some people.
>> Absolutely.
