Sunday, September 16, 2012

Chapter 2 vs Chapter 3

The world is changing, there is no denying that. If I think back to when I was in elementary school my family didn't even own a home computer. Now, not only does everyone member of my family have a laptop, we also have a home computer, scanner, printer, copier, everyone has a smartphone, we all have an iPOD, my brother has a nook and my sister has an iPAD. To me, that is incredible. This is over the course of a mere 15 or so years, just imagine what the next fifteen years will hold.

I think it would be a great disservice to our students to not incorporate technology into the curriculum we teach everyday. The technology is out there and being used all of the time. We saw in class on Wednesday the "technology counter". I can't find the link for it now (if anyone has it feel free to put it in the comments section!) but the numbers were truly astonishing.

Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology argues many reasons against incorporating technology into the classroom. Some of the barriers include, schools and teachers pushing back against it. I think a lot of times older teachers fear the technology because their students know more about it than them when the teacher is supposed to be the expert in the classroom. Also, older teachers have been teaching in the same way for 30 plus years possibly, it is frightening to change your routine after that long. Yet, as scary as it may be and as much work as it may entail I don't think we would be properly equipping our students with the tools they need after high school if we don't teach them how to use the technology now.

Cost is another barrier. Although cost is an issue, especially for urban school districts, where currently the student to computer ratio is 9:1 we can't let this stop us. Schools could accumulate technology over time, possibly do fundraisers and even apply for grants. At Haverhill High School I am part of an IPAD Pilot Program where we will be given access to 60 iPADS (all bought with grant money) on a rotating schedule (based upon how many teachers sign up for it). I am not sure how it will turn out as far as classroom management and logistics go, but, I do know that the students are already very excited about it. They're excited about learning! This is something that I find can be challenging; motivating the students to learn.  Although there will be many obstacles in incorporating technology, cost, teacher resistance, etc.  it is something that will help our students be motivated to learn and something that will help them forever.

The iSchool at Haverhill High: the heart of the iPAD Pilot Program!

There is no denying that the world is changing almost faster than we can keep up. In the last fifteen years my own household has been completely transformed by technology. My fathers favorite phrase (a technology skeptic only a few years ago) is "google it!" now. We have instant assess to email, internet, calculators, online books and even more, all at our fingertips. If this is all around the outside world it wouldn't make sense to keep it out of our classrooms. In chapter 2, Collins and Halverson say, "No one will be able to solve complex problems or think effectively in the coming world without using digital technologies." That quote is truly terrifying but at the same time very realistic. If we know this is happening we should prepare our students for this.  We need to show our students how to get the information when they need it as opposed to teaching them all the knowledge we think they may possibly need throughout their lifetime. Lets teach the students how to ask the right questions using technology to get the answers they want as opposed to giving them every answer and hoping they remember it down the line someday.




Some more fun facts about technology! (keep in mind, this video is ~2 years old)

2 comments:

  1. "No one will be able to solve complex problems or think effectively in the coming world without using digital technologies."

    hard to argue with this.....I am excited for your opportunities with the new Ipad project at your HS. How can we use these powerful devices to enhance student learning, as opposed to just being "fun?"

    you have captured the author's points well.

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  2. That idea is something we are struggling with now. We are finding a lot of the iPad apps are not overly informative but rather just for fun. Hopefully in the near future with the market expanding for this we will see an improvement in iPad apps. Until then we'll use what we can find and are also going to use the iPads for their internet option for research.

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