Click here for the story of "The Wise Man and the Sea of Web". It is a story of the search for knowledge on the vast Sea and the troubles that can be encountered.
http://storybird.com/books/the-wise-old-man-and-the-sea-of-web-2/
E-books and e-readers are some of the most modern technology for reading books. My curiosity about these books is whether or not a person can become captivated into the stories they read and leave reality behind as they become engrossed in the written word. Many avid readers would understand what I mean. You never notice the turning of the page. the words have taken hold of you and you feel yourself standing in the middle of a field in Ireland with the sun wrapping itself around your shoulders as the wind kisses your cheeks. On the other hand I find an e-reader to be a stranger to my world. It breaks me in and out of my voyage with each swiping to a new page. maybe I've become accustomed to the feel and comfort of a book. My hand naturally cradles its weight and shape. So I am left to wonder if students who begin reading only on a computer style of reader will be able to use their imagination and become lost in the tale.
Search Engines seem to be second nature to most students today. One section of our book is about teaching children to use search engines. I believe it is more important in modern technology to teach them which search engines to use and also emphasize how the search engines select the results they display. I know from my own searches that Google's search engine thinks it knows me. It even picks ads to show me based on what I have searched. You cannot believe the headache that caused when my son watched me check my mail over Christmas. "Mommy, do you see that there are two ads and they're both things I asked Santa for!", he said. Of course I saw! I was also relieved I had not researched any coupons for something like bladder control or worse! What are they thinking? That being said, I want my students to be smart educators and consumers of technological products. They may not buy Google but they become consumers by using it.I want them to understand what a search engine is and which search engines will help them navigate educational information.
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Royer, Lisa (2015, February 8).The Wise Man and the Sea of Web. Created with Storybird,http://storybird.com/books/t33wf7ehae/edit/
Love your Storybird - that is a terrific story you created and applied to this digital tool. :) Like the search engines, these internet-based concepts are not normally taught - instead we learn about them from experience. And, since there's not an 'instruction manual' for the internet, it is natural to do so. However, as your story shows, there are often some bumps in the road and so it is prudent to incorporate digital literacy skills in our learner's curriculum.
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, I understand your preference for 'real' books (the feel, the tradition, the paper), but I've been reading in both formats for a number of years now and have found the electronic version to be just as an engaging. There are pros and cons to both formats and perhaps one version is better for certain types of reading, etc.