Week 4: McEneaney

Well, the first thing I have to be up front about with this article is that I was totally overwhelmed as I began reading it! It took me up until about the 5th page before I really understood what was going on!
McEaney states that "The objective of this article is to describe (and, in one version, to illustrate by example) how new web technologies can be applied to assist readers both in integrating content and in maintaining a process focus as they navigate complex expository text. The central concept behind the approach described is that of the learner's “path.” I enjoyed the way he literally put you on a "path" to illustrate the use of them. I found each page to be very clear and focused, which is important when you are talking about assisting students with new web technologies.
I also found it interesting to then go back and use the "traditional hypertext" to look at the same reading in a more typical form. After first feeling frustrated with the path, I realized that I preferred it to the traditional text. As McEneaney stated, when you don't have to focus on choosing where to go on the internet, comprehension becomes much easier! I enjoyed that "path" clearly guided me to what was next.
I also found that the "notes" for each page were helpful. This feature would be fantastic to use if you were discussing a novel in a class. "Sidenotes" are great ways to help clarify information for students and to add ideas to generate new discussions. Again, I must admit that at first I was a little hesitant and confused about the path and the notes, but once you get into the swing of it, it really is quite simple!
What I liked the most about this article, however, was that McEneaney seemed to look deeply into the pros and cons of web related learning. I appreciated his honesty about the internet having some downfalls. The ones that I particularly related to were problems with 1. access to the web, 2. locating relevant and quality material, and 3. lack of structure on the web.
Access to the Web: I always worry about integrating technology into my class because of the rather high number of students who do not have it. However, I was surprised to see that this was not what McEneaney was referring to at all. He feels that there is too much "overaccessibility", where it is too easy for students to move around the internet and lose focus. I can absolutely see that as a major problem......let's be honest, I am guilty of it myself!
Locating Relevant and Quality Material: We all know, as discussed in class on Tuesday, that students will read anything and believe anything, as along as it gives them some type of answer they think they are looking for!
Lack of Structure: Again, lets be honest, this lack of structure, with the overaccessibiltiy factor, can make using the web a MAJOR TIME CONSUMER.....and it is not always time well spent! I can only imagine how much work it must take to keep students on task and focused when they know they have access to so much that they want to explore (that has nothing to do with your class!)

In the end, I do feel that McEneaney believes that the use of the web to help students outweighs the "cons" of the internet. Allowing students to be interactive as they learn can only help them in the long run.