Thoughts on "After the Bell, Beyond" by Eric Langhorst

While I do feel that this article gives some wonderful suggestions as to how technology can be used outside of the classroom, I feel that it did not focus enough on how technology can be used in the classroom. This article discussed how the author enhanced book discussions and study sessions by using technology like podcasting and blogging. I find it difficult to understand why this educator neglected to discuss how these technologies could be used within the 'limiting' 45 minute time slot.

Forty five minutes can certainly be limiting, however how do we use those 45 minutes to their greatest potential. This educator seems to be neglecting technology use in the classroom, for he states "the brick-and-mortar school, along with teachers should be the core for learning" (p 77). This gives an image of old fashioned classrooms that are not technology based. I feel that students first need to be taught to use technology productively for education in the classroom before exploring the technology on their own time. Yes, certainly many students are technology use experts, however it cannot be assumed that all students are such. We need to properly integrate technology into the classroom before we can properly integrate it into homework.

I feel that this article gave some wonderful suggestions on how to use technology to enhance learning, however some areas were clearly forgotten. We must remember that students need to be educated on how to use technology in their education. Time and effort needs to be spent in teaching students how to properly use, navigate, and explore the numerous technological based education tools.