A newspaper article I’ve just read (Are PC’s for stopping blackboredom?. Coulthard, May 19 2008 in the Melbounre Age) gives the other side of the story when it comes to technology in education. A very interesting and thought provokin read I thought as it asks the question: ‘Do computers make learning better and easier?’. I tend to ask this question myself and sometimes wonder whether we spend too much time and resources on these digital things and less effort on our actual teaching. Coulthard in this article points out that computers are often used to provide hope and relief to teachers for problems such as tedium and provide intersting and popular distractions. I guess some students see computers as making the learning easier and this was evident on mmy prac where students much preferred a computer lesson than researching in books. I worry though because I did notice that many of my students were merely cut and pasting their work into powerpoint presentations and when it came time to present they didn’t even know what some words meant let alone could pronounce thm. So I think on the flip side of technology computers do make some work easier but I’m not sure how much kids are always getting out of using them.
Posted in Uncategorized October 2, 2008
I’ve just had a look at Ben’s blog entitled “Increase in technolgy = increase in obesity”. It got me thinking jow true this may be. And as a PDHPE teacher it worries me. Years ago playing meant going to the park or running around the streets. Now it means sitting down and playing the playstation…surely this has contributed to the increase in childhood obesity. I had never really thought about computer increasing obesity until I read Bens’ post and I think it is something we should all think about. Technology is great but are we using it too much and relying on it at the expense of our children’s health. I guess that’s why companies have now brought out interactiv video games that require some movement (such as the Wii) in order to encourage some level of physical activity. What’s next though? A PE lesson using individual Wiis? It wouldn’t surprise me if that was the way of the future!!
Posted in Uncategorized October 1, 2008
I’ve just been reading a blog by Karl Fisch entitled “The Fischbowl: Is it ik to be a technoligically illiterate teacher?’ (posted September 11, 2007). This post actually won the 2007 edublog award for the most influential post and certainly I found it to be very thought provoking and a realitity hit. You see, I started out my teaching degree thinking that it doesn’t really matter whether I can use technology or not as that’s not what is important. However, since finishing my second prac I definitely feel it was a big part of my teaching and without using and understanding technology I would probably not engaged my students.
In his post, Fisch gives alist of what he calls basic standards which I will share as I think they’re so pertinent to teaching. They are:
1. All educators must achieve a basic level of technological capability.
2. People who do not meet the criterion of #1 should be embarrassed, not proud to say so in public.
3. We should finally drop the myth of digital natives and digital immigrants. (i guess this relates to some of my other posts where I talk about Prensky’s notion of natives and immigrants in the digital world). The phrase may have been useful to start with but it’s overused. In any case, after immigrants have been in a country for a while, they become natives. We’ve had personal computers now for 30yrs so how long will it take for people to wake-up to the fact that technology is a part of life, not just an add-on?
I think this is so true in that technology is here to stay and we need to move with the times. I think among some teachers there is a general feeling that it’s ok to be technologically illiterate, but are they forgetting the basic standards of teaching as outlined above? Fisch says in his post that the feeling about technology today is that it’s acceptable to say “I don’t really get computers”- and many people appear to be rather proud of their technological ignorance. I wonder whether this will change in time so that like not knowing how to read, it will also become socially unacceptable.
Certainly, I believe that technology isn’t the be all and end all of education, however it is an indispensible tool. Technology pretty much underpins everything we do nowadays, and even more so in relation to how we communicate with each other. I think in the future, there will be very little chance of success for those who are technologically illiterate. Finally, Fisch make an intriuging quote which I will end with:
“If a teacher today is not technologically literate- and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more- it’s equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn’t know how to read or write”.
This quote I think sums up the case for computer literate teachers!
4.
Posted in Uncategorized October 1, 2008
I’ve just read a follow up article to one I’ve previously blogged called ‘digital natives, digital immigrants’. This one I’ve just looked at is entitled “Listen to the Natives” (Prensky, M. (2006). Listen to the natives. Educational Leadership, 63 (4), 8-13.). This articel struck a chord with myself as what the author talks about is very relevant to how I thought as a new beginning teacher. The main idea of this article is that times have changed, and the students we teach are native speakers of technology, fluent in the digital language of computers and internet etc. Therefore we as educators need to rethink our teaching strategies.
An interesting suggestion is made by Prensky…the idea of teaching students through the use of games. He says that students could learn algebra far quicker if it were avaiolable in a game format and that students would need to beat the game to pass the test. I’m a bit reluctant about this idea as i believe there are other ways of engaging students rather than using games. The other point he raises which I thoroughly agree with is the fact teacher are often emplyed for their subject-matter knowledge rather than their empathy and guidance abilities. It seems true that nowadays teachers appear not as caring or able to individualise work to their students, and one qoute made in the article is that “the cookies on my daughter’s computer know more about her interests than her teachers do”. I can see how statements like these come about with the pressure to teach and get through syllabus work rather than understanding and relating to our students. This made me really think about my teaching practises and perhaps changing the way I teach to focus more on my students and less on the content all the time.
Prensky talks about putting engagement before content (as in engaging students) and i believe this is essential. I guess that without first engaging students and involving the in the content design and delivery they won’t want to learn. This notion of including students in curriculum design etc is student-centered and this appears to be the way of teaching in the 21st century. In regards to using digital examples I particularly like the idea of asking kids things such as “does anyone do anything on the web that is relevant to what we’re discussing?”….I had never thought of asking something like this!
Finally, I agree with Prenksy in that we can no longer decide for our students, we must decide with them. By including them in everything we do in the classroom, we may then be able to motivate and engage them in their work.
Posted in Uncategorized September 30, 2008
While I have a free period I thought I’d blog on my experience of using ICT in the classroom for the first time. My first prac school had minimal resources in terms of computers etc so I’m pleasantly surprised by the school I’m currentyl at. I have been able to produce a number of lessons incorporating computers and have found the students get a lot done on them. Particularly research tasks they enjoy doing and then i get them to present their findings to the class. Only thing is that you have to continually watch tem to make sure they are doing the work as there is a common theme that occurs…..they minimise their hotmail accounts etc then as soon as the teacher has walked past up it pops. I found myself continually saying close that window…don’t just minimise it! However with all the technology I have here I’ve learnt lots. I’ve found many students are visual learners and using powerpoint and projectors is a favourite of mine as the students don’t have to read my messy writing and they don’t always have to look at me. Plus I can use illustrations to emphasise my point. I’ve also taken a liking to utube videos…some of them explain a concept in 3 minutes which would take me half a lesson. I used a utube clip on thermoregulation for a sports medicine class and they all understood the concept well by the end. My teacher also wrote down the address to the link. Goes to show that utube ain’t all that bad.
Posted in Uncategorized September 23, 2008
After all these wonderful comments being made about ICT in education on people’s blogs, I’m writing a quick comment of the dangers. I’ve found an article called Computers in schools: How we can help children to look after themselves (Byron, T. (2008). The Independent). This author makes the point that while parents tutor their children in raod safety and stranger danger in the real world, their discomfort with the latest technology means they fail to provide similar schooling in the online world. Certainly, computers have the danger of leaving children vulnerable, because they lack the life skills to handle any potentially exploitative, disturbing or dangerous content or contact, including the hugely popular cyber bullying. This article notes how funny it is that we no longer let our children play outdoors because of safety concerns, however this means they spend more time indoors on computers which actually makes them more vulnerable. This artcile recognises that children takes risks with socialising, and if they can’t do it outdoors then they’ll just do it in the online world. The author states that even the most stringent firewalls and parental control software won’t keep our children completely safe unless they understand how to behave responsibly online. How true this is. Therefore I think the moral of this article is that ICT is here to stay and is a necessary tool, so consequently at the same time we should be educating our students about the dangers and safety when using this online world. Just as we teach kids to cross the road safely, we should be teaching them to understand the risks and benefits of technology. Just something to think about!!!!
Posted in Uncategorized August 18, 2008
I’ve just read another article entitiled Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Nativies, Digital Immigrants, 9 (5), 1-6). It amazes me how much our students have changed….and the fact that we need to keep up with them. I love hte quote “Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach” (p.1). How true this statement is. The referral of today’s students as digital natives (meaning they are used to and expect technology in their work) and people like myself as digital immigrants (meaning I wasn’t born into the digital world and have had to adpot most technologies) is not an understatement. The fact is, that students nowadays have different minds, not simply different fashion or music taste. Students that we will all be teaching have spent their entire lives around technology, and as the article states, today’s college grads have spent over 10,000 hours playing video games. Like it ir not, these computer games, nobile phones, ipods etc are an integral part of their lives.
I like how this article refers to the digital natives as being the “native speakers” of the digital language of computers, video games etc….us imiigrants could definitely learn a lot from these guys. I guess the main point that this author makes is that the attitude of digital immigrants is the single biggest problem facing education today. He says that people lioke myself speak an outdated language, leaving today’s students thinking we’re total foreigners. Interesting to note for when planning lessons etc, is the fact that the natives like to recieve information fast, prefer graphics before text and rather games to serious work. Most of our students in this day and age are used to being networked, and as the author says, have minimal patience for lectures, step by step instruction etc. I guess that just because what worked for our era, doesn’t mean that that way of teaching is valid for today. As stated before, today’s learners are different. If we are to engage these students and help then learn, then the immigrants have to change. We need to take advantage of these children’s knowledge to help us learn and integrate. By incorporating ICT into our lesson, and utilising the vast amount of facilities and resources available, hopefully we will learn to work together and who knows where the opportunities may end….
Posted in Uncategorized August 18, 2008
Another article on blogs in education….there is beginning to be a large number around about the usefulness of blog and teaching (Clyde, L.A. (2005). School libraries and Blogs. Synergy, 3 (1), 39-49.). It is noted that weblogs have a number of applications in education for students, for teachers, and for school administrators. The author states that blogs can be used as sources of information and professional development materials for teachers. Certainly this is because of the vast communication and networks blogging opens up.
This article also acknowledges that some schools use blogs to provide information to parents and other members of the local school community in order to involve them in discussion about their child’s education. I guess this is similar to email but a littke more interactive. I do believe blogging is a great way to stay in touch and keep up to date with parents and students.
Another point made in this article is that blogging has the potential to motivate students, to enhance learning opportunities and to build online collaboration. I think this is interesting as motivating students is half the battle and if they see work as fun they’re more likely to engage in learning.
The author also compares blogging to a virtual extension of the classroom…and so it seems to be. I think it’s great you can continue the learning outside the classroom and for those more contientious students it let’s themopen up to a wider audience and gain more ideas and knowledge.
Posted in Uncategorized August 4, 2008
I’ve just read an article http://www.edutopia.org/all-worlds-stage which talks about the benefits of blogging. Being new to this it is foreign to me but I can see that it would be useful in particualr for helping kids who miss school through sickness or whatever by allowing them to log on to their teachers site and download the materials, handouts, homework that was given out. Blogging also provides a great way to communicate with students and encourages them to care about what they write. Only a short article but a good introduction for me on blogging. The world really is a stage when it comes to blogging so I can’t wait to step in the spotlight….ughhh
Posted in Uncategorized August 4, 2008
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