This video is reminder of what student's do and how technology has impacted their lives...for better or worse? You decide. I can relate to a lot of what these students are saying. I wonder how the creator of this movie was able to come up with this. Where did these statistics come from? We hear about how much students/teens/children play video games, text, send email or check facebook daily and weekly. I'm not sure if this video is showing the negative or positive aspects of technology? Bringing your laptop to class and not using it for classwork seems like a negative. Having to use the chalkboard, which can't show pictures and video, seems to be a positive toward technology. So, as students, how do we balance the use of technology? How do we use it for learning and school more than for social networking? We can't. The children and students of this day and age are raised on technology. Phones, computers and television are the source of entertainment for children these days. Where did the line between watching an hour of television or playing on the computer get crossed and turn into 500 pages of emails by a student in a semester? Why does someone spend money on books and never use them? Possibly because they can get every answer off of the computer. If you think about it, The University of South Alabama has made a huge jump into technology. I know in the Education Department, most of the material I use in my classes are available online. What will the future schools hold? Will everything become strictly online? Only time will tell.
It's Not About the Technology
Ms. Hines wrote something that may help future educators. There is a certain luxury to have access to the technology we as educators or future educators have. It takes a certain type of educator to be able to use this technology correctly. Ms. Hines states that teachers must be learners. I don't know how many times I have been in a class where the teacher didn't know how to pull something up on the computer, how to use the smartboard or anything else that involved technology. Since these teachers didn't know how to do it, and obviously weren't going to put the time in that is needed to learn these things, we as student's suffered. Technology, I feel can give a child a sort of freedom from the classroom. As Ms. Hines puts it though, technology is useless without good teachers. Being able to provide innovation and learning through all different ways, not just the use of technology, is what makes a good teacher. Problem solving and critical thinking are ways to teach a child for the future. If you are going to use technology in the classroom, please do your students a favor and learn how to do it correctly. If not you are doing those students an injustice.
Is Is Okay To Be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Karl Fisch wrote a post on his blog that was very intriguing. He first off states that a teacher who is illiterate in technology is like a teacher 30 years ago that couldn't read or write. I'm not sure if it is to that extreme...yet. I know my dad is a teacher and is not the most technological savvy person. BUT, he is willing to learn. That's where the difference comes in. If a teacher is willing to learn technology, then we respect that and give him/her the tools necessary to succeed in learning/teaching themselves technology. I am only 24, and I still don't know as much as I want to know about technology, and probably never will. This EDM310 class is giving me insight on what kind of tools there really are out in the technology world. What about these teachers that have been out of college for 20-30 years and never had this experience that we are lucky enough to have? Let's face it. When we become educators, our students will expect us (my generation and the one's to come) to know exactly what a blog is, twitter, facebook, del.is.cous and anything else that comes from this technological world! Teacher's do need to make an effort to incorporate technology in classroom and into their lesson plans. I'm afraid though, right now, students expect their teachers not to know anything about technology. Which is the point that, I think, Mr. Fisch was trying to make? I could be totally wrong..but that's what I got! Let's hope that educators are willing to learn and be taught through this technological process...if not...maybe they are like teacher's 30 years ago who couldn't read or write. Or as someone posted..maybe they are just too lazy.
Hey Carly!
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed your thoughts on technology and the classroom. I think that technology definitely has some amazing things to offer but the problem is that some teachers are not "up to speed" with it. However, I think that it could be our generation of teachers who could change that by simply being aware of what is being offered.
I felt the same way about the first video. It showed a lot of negative things about technology, as well as a few good things. I know those statistics were not necessarily true for me, but I am sure they are pretty close for a lot of students.
ReplyDeleteI have also been in classrooms where the teacher spends more time trying to figure out how to turn something on than actually teaching. It was very frustrating to me as a student. I would have been embarrassed had I been the teacher doing that. It is basically a lack of preparedness. Sad, isn’t it?
I agree that as long as the teacher is willing to learn, it is okay if they do not know certain things about technology. There is way too much for anyone to know everything. Not only that, it is constantly changing. Being willing to learn is the key to being a successful teacher/person.
Excellent post Carly! I especially liked your discussion of the first video. However, I would like to challenge you on one of your ideas. You asked, "How do we use it for learning and school more than for social networking?" And then you said, " We can't." To that I say we can and we must. In fact, I think this is a great question and points to exactly the mind set we need to have as educators. If we can help students to make checking their educational network as much, as often, and as vigorously as they do their social network we have done our jobs. SS
ReplyDelete@Kellie-I fully believe our generation of teachers could be the one's that bring technology to the next level.
ReplyDelete@Teri-Being willing to change and learn is the most important part of teaching. You are right, it is a lack of preparedness.
@Mr. Sullivan- You said what I couldn't put into words. If we as teachers can make educational technology as important as social technology then we have achieved our jobs.
Thank you for your comments!