Chatting It Up Online Journal Article

Chatting It Up Online by Pamela Livingston.
In the article Pamela Livingston writes about how she and other school employees arranged for some of their third grade and second grade students to participate in an online chat with one of their favorite authors. They were trying to encourage their students to read frequently and enjoy reading, so they thought being able to ask questions to an author they liked would be a good experience for them. The students got to choose what questions they wanted answered and ended up having most of their questions answered by the author. It was probably a very good experience for the students. Personally getting to chat with the author of their favorite books, getting to know her, and learning more about how she goes about writing the books may have made the book series and other books seem more real and interesting. Livingston made a good point about being prepared when using technology. They made sure to get all of the equipment ready ahead of time, made sure that the connection would work, and had their questions prepared before the chat. You want to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible when you’re using technology in the classroom. If you aren’t prepared you can waste a lot of valuable time and you may not be able to do what you had planned on doing, which could be a big disappointment to you and your students.

Using technology like Internet chats to encourage a student’s academic interests is an idea I could use with students when I’m teaching. If you can provide your students with the opportunity to chat with someone they admire or who could be a good role model, it could have a very positive impact on them. Being able learn through interacting with computer technology can teach them how to use it effectively and learn different ways they can use it to enhance their lives. Computer technology will most likely be important in their lives while they’re in school and after they’ve completed school. It would also provide something different in the classroom, and something they can fully participate in.

For this article, relevant ISTE NETS for teachers would be Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. ISTE NETS for students would include Communication and Collaboration and Technology Operations and Concepts.