Below is a post I did about technology that came out as rather negative due to Murphy's darn law (if something can go wrong it [likely] will). It was a situation where the technology, while appearing to be integrated, was open to too many variables that lent themselves to failure. Our school was a charter school and, for the 8th grade, classes were held in the community art room, gym, and two general purpose rooms of a community center and had no materials of any sort. That was not idea in and of itself. The internet was almost always over-run when students needed to open their computers. In that situation each student's family had financially put half of the cost of a computer up while the charter school had covered the rest. Common associated problems were that the students had not charged their computers, had broken their computers, had left computers at home, could not log on, had traversed into areas where viruses had taken hold and crippled their computers, and/or the internet was either off or snail-slow-sluggish because of 28 plus students logging on. The frustrating issues of having either a student computer to work with or a piece of butcher paper, if it could be gotten, to use for instruction was...difficult. There was a projector however there was not a dongle (until I purchased one for them), and after about 15 minutes the projector would overheat and shut down. Internet was better in the gymnasium however there were no seats and the atmosphere was less than academic. In any case, I mention this only because my earlier assessment reflected a new push towards technology that was struggling in different ways.
So I ask now again. Will technology play a positive or negative role in learning as we move forward? The answer is, of course, yes.
"But 'yes' doesn't address the question correctly!" you may be pointlessly telling your computer screen. Well, I believe it does. The fact is that technology, I am talking about computer and wired technology (not Planes, Trains and Automobiles), is as obtuse as it is acute. It is diverse in application DESPITE the nature of the computer and tech industry towards a specific use and outcome for a technology. It can be viewed as a non-sequiter and/or force that can and does do both. 'Yes', is because one needs to shift paradigms and understand that technology is what we make of it. It is neither positive nor negative- it just is. I know I risk sounding like I am quoting the Tao of Steve here (good movie- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tao_of_Steve) but there are aspects of tech that are just terrible for school. Now, and this is my opinion but...smart phone access, smart phone games (angry birds etc), text messages, computer games, the open internet itself- availability of-, and calculators for arithmetic. Yes I said it. Calculators for adding, subtracting, multiplication and division (yes, long division isn't fun) are not good. However! These same things, as it has been argued, may ALSO be great for school! There is a smart phone application that has been demonstrated at USD that allows each student to participate in a discussion while not actually talking. They simply text and the information is put sent to the teacher's computer so she can answer and/or add the train of thought. Likewise there are not smart phone and computer games aimed at imparting history while the student plays. Example- Age of Empires (not the best example mind you) allows students to BECOME one of the groups (Cortez for example) and fight the Aztec while learning about the history, methods used, religions involved, etc... I don't think I need to go into how the internet can cause glory and then mayhem in minutes. And calculators? I still disagree with some of my fellow math student teachers and think they are best used in high school. So...good, bad, and both.
'The future is out there' or as the author who coined the term "cyberspace" said..."the future is already here-its just not evenly distributed", William Gibson.
Anyway, what do you think about technology?
I was recently able to take a graduate course here at USD that took us to Kenya, Nairobi and Nanyuki, called 21st century learning in an international context- We visited a lot of schools and worked in depth with one, the Daraja girls academy (link if you are interested in this amazing school)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YOxeAP_dIo
Where we brought and instructed students and teachers how use technology, did classroom observations, and did research. This got me to thinking about technology in classrooms in general and since I started here at USD we have seen is a key focus for many of the faculty and in our classes. How we can use it positively and productively in a way that helps both teachers and students affect more meaningful learning. So, too has the notion come up, particularly in one my teaching for literacy grad course, that as the world changes we need to prepare students for stepping out into it with an understanding of technology. So, after teaching in a class that uses computers and internet for everything, and as written in an earlier blog, implemented some technology (not hardware but internet- the digital portfolios for example-), and based lessons using this technology I asked myself. Does it help or does it hinder?
The answer I came up with isn't satisfying at all.
It does both. While my cooperating teacher and I have worked with the students I have seen the our technology go down, completely wrecking a lesson, a lot. Each time, when we say get your computers open and get onto Edmodo, at least half the students can't go anywhere on the net because the system is slogged down. This eats away at class time. The second time I taught a full lesson that I had designed from scratch, using the internet for the hook and some pivotal parts of the lesson, the Dongle, or Apple VGA adapter (Dongle, what a funny name for this thing. Dongle. Just say it. "Doooooongle", it doesn't sound right, does it?) this poor grad student had purchased for $30 stopped working and there went the lesson since my supporting material (we don't have a white, black, or chalk board and rewriting, instructions, examples, ect... would have taken the whole lesson) was basically gone in a flash. Fun huh? And the prof. says we need to be actors- she wasn't kidding and I should have gotten an emmy or whatever those things are called for my performance of seeming like everything was just fine (did I mention it was my second time teaching the class?).
Anyway, there are a lot, and I mean A LOT of great things about technology but we can't ever get away from the fact that it always, and I do mean always, finds a way to let us down in a big way. It is distracting and often times, fear inducing. I have to present and film a very important five day lesson for PACT, our key to the door of teacherdom and while I want to use technology, I am scared to death that it will fail me in my ultimate time of need. What does that say?
I am not sure but....Overall, with all of the different resources we have learned about, I can see some very valuable tools for student learning (and our keeping track of grades, and what not), that make it too valuable a resource to simply say no. Technologies aren't going away and as we move forward as teachers we need to learn and embrace the directions that they take. It seems like every other week there is a new article talking about how lucrative the world of tech is with everyone and their mother hiring (mothers can in fact hire people) for some position in tech, and, very often at high pay scales. So, between the Facebook, twitter, google goggle, old maps on line, blabberize it, edmodo, weebly, spiderpitcherwopperdoggy (ok, I made that last one up. Sounds like all the rest, who would know?), and many others there are a TON of things we can use as tools.
I guess, in the end it is like my dad always used to tell me about another subject that ends up like this "son, you can't live with em but you can't live without em gotta just trust it will work out" --- Yup, propane grills. Wait, what did you think I was talking about?
So I ask now again. Will technology play a positive or negative role in learning as we move forward? The answer is, of course, yes.
"But 'yes' doesn't address the question correctly!" you may be pointlessly telling your computer screen. Well, I believe it does. The fact is that technology, I am talking about computer and wired technology (not Planes, Trains and Automobiles), is as obtuse as it is acute. It is diverse in application DESPITE the nature of the computer and tech industry towards a specific use and outcome for a technology. It can be viewed as a non-sequiter and/or force that can and does do both. 'Yes', is because one needs to shift paradigms and understand that technology is what we make of it. It is neither positive nor negative- it just is. I know I risk sounding like I am quoting the Tao of Steve here (good movie- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tao_of_Steve) but there are aspects of tech that are just terrible for school. Now, and this is my opinion but...smart phone access, smart phone games (angry birds etc), text messages, computer games, the open internet itself- availability of-, and calculators for arithmetic. Yes I said it. Calculators for adding, subtracting, multiplication and division (yes, long division isn't fun) are not good. However! These same things, as it has been argued, may ALSO be great for school! There is a smart phone application that has been demonstrated at USD that allows each student to participate in a discussion while not actually talking. They simply text and the information is put sent to the teacher's computer so she can answer and/or add the train of thought. Likewise there are not smart phone and computer games aimed at imparting history while the student plays. Example- Age of Empires (not the best example mind you) allows students to BECOME one of the groups (Cortez for example) and fight the Aztec while learning about the history, methods used, religions involved, etc... I don't think I need to go into how the internet can cause glory and then mayhem in minutes. And calculators? I still disagree with some of my fellow math student teachers and think they are best used in high school. So...good, bad, and both.
'The future is out there' or as the author who coined the term "cyberspace" said..."the future is already here-its just not evenly distributed", William Gibson.
Anyway, what do you think about technology?
I was recently able to take a graduate course here at USD that took us to Kenya, Nairobi and Nanyuki, called 21st century learning in an international context- We visited a lot of schools and worked in depth with one, the Daraja girls academy (link if you are interested in this amazing school)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YOxeAP_dIo
Where we brought and instructed students and teachers how use technology, did classroom observations, and did research. This got me to thinking about technology in classrooms in general and since I started here at USD we have seen is a key focus for many of the faculty and in our classes. How we can use it positively and productively in a way that helps both teachers and students affect more meaningful learning. So, too has the notion come up, particularly in one my teaching for literacy grad course, that as the world changes we need to prepare students for stepping out into it with an understanding of technology. So, after teaching in a class that uses computers and internet for everything, and as written in an earlier blog, implemented some technology (not hardware but internet- the digital portfolios for example-), and based lessons using this technology I asked myself. Does it help or does it hinder?
The answer I came up with isn't satisfying at all.
It does both. While my cooperating teacher and I have worked with the students I have seen the our technology go down, completely wrecking a lesson, a lot. Each time, when we say get your computers open and get onto Edmodo, at least half the students can't go anywhere on the net because the system is slogged down. This eats away at class time. The second time I taught a full lesson that I had designed from scratch, using the internet for the hook and some pivotal parts of the lesson, the Dongle, or Apple VGA adapter (Dongle, what a funny name for this thing. Dongle. Just say it. "Doooooongle", it doesn't sound right, does it?) this poor grad student had purchased for $30 stopped working and there went the lesson since my supporting material (we don't have a white, black, or chalk board and rewriting, instructions, examples, ect... would have taken the whole lesson) was basically gone in a flash. Fun huh? And the prof. says we need to be actors- she wasn't kidding and I should have gotten an emmy or whatever those things are called for my performance of seeming like everything was just fine (did I mention it was my second time teaching the class?).
Anyway, there are a lot, and I mean A LOT of great things about technology but we can't ever get away from the fact that it always, and I do mean always, finds a way to let us down in a big way. It is distracting and often times, fear inducing. I have to present and film a very important five day lesson for PACT, our key to the door of teacherdom and while I want to use technology, I am scared to death that it will fail me in my ultimate time of need. What does that say?
I am not sure but....Overall, with all of the different resources we have learned about, I can see some very valuable tools for student learning (and our keeping track of grades, and what not), that make it too valuable a resource to simply say no. Technologies aren't going away and as we move forward as teachers we need to learn and embrace the directions that they take. It seems like every other week there is a new article talking about how lucrative the world of tech is with everyone and their mother hiring (mothers can in fact hire people) for some position in tech, and, very often at high pay scales. So, between the Facebook, twitter, google goggle, old maps on line, blabberize it, edmodo, weebly, spiderpitcherwopperdoggy (ok, I made that last one up. Sounds like all the rest, who would know?), and many others there are a TON of things we can use as tools.
I guess, in the end it is like my dad always used to tell me about another subject that ends up like this "son, you can't live with em but you can't live without em gotta just trust it will work out" --- Yup, propane grills. Wait, what did you think I was talking about?