As part of our class we are to write about a few guiding principles for the use of technology we would have in our classrooms. We read the article Evaluating Technology Use in the Classroom by Jeff Utecht and he talked about the questions and evaluator should have when using technology in the classroom:
1. Is the technology being used just because it's there?
2. Is the technology allowing students/teachers to do Old Things in Old Ways?
3. Is the technology allowing students/teachers to do Old Things in New Ways?
4. Is the technology creating new and different learning experiences for the students?
My guiding principles for my classroom:
I don't want students to use technology JUST because it's there, but YES, use it because it's there! I know that doesn't really make sense, but let me explain. I don't want students to just automatically use the computer and not have to use their own imaginations or problem solving skills. If they just jump onto a computer and not use their brains then they will be totally dependent on technology just cause it's there. I believe they should use it as a tool and if it is there...yes...use it as a tool to help go above and beyond with their projects/assignments. Why would you do old things old ways if you were using technology...it's the present time my friends. If the old ways worked, then fine, but why not use technology to expand and take it further. You are in the drivers seat and I like to do old things new ways! There are many things that need to be taught for students to be able to use the web safely and I believe that those need to be explicitly taught. I don't ever want the technology to be overbearing and take over the classroom. The content is the most important thing being taught in the classroom and the technology is just a piece to the whole puzzle...a tool. But, why not use it to provide new levels and new experiences in the classroom? If it's used right...integrated as a tool...then there is a whole other world of challenges out there...and it's our job as educators to bring them to these challenges and help them succeed.
You address one of my biggest fears when it comes to students using technology. Often, when I do see students using technology, it is because they are trying to avoid using their problem solving skills (or imagination). Hopefully by incorporating technology appropriately it will help them think critically and get them excited about learning.
ReplyDeleteJYates
Great ideas! Technology is a tool... if we look to the scientific community (my husband is a wildlife biologist), they have embraced technology where it saves time or provides more reliable data but nothing replaces some of the "old" manual ways of doing things. They are just best practice and probably always will be. We still use plain old eyesight to spot forest fires... MT pays hundreds of humans to man fire watch towers for the summer. I'm going to post a link on my blog to some terrific brain research by Dr. Danial T. Willingham on technology and its effects on learning. Please check it out!
ReplyDeleteCarrie and glacierdad, you are echoing my concerns as well, especially for younger students. I worry when students use technology as a crutch, but find the issue of students focusing more on the technology than the task at hand to be an even bigger issue sometimes. I've used several concept mapping programs and find that I have to require the ultra simple map first - where content is the focus - before they can be allowed to "decorate". Otherwise, they get lost in all of the possibilities of the technology (not that's all bad) rather than the what ideas/concepts we are trying to learn via the use of the technology.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a lot of sense! We need to use the technology to help students dive deeper into the content. I am excited about using applications like blogs in my classroom, as it provides more opportunity for discussion, and that is when some of the best learning takes place!
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