9/9/2017 3 Comments Enthusiast or skeptic??Am I a "technology enthusiast" or a "technology skeptic?" I think the answer to this question is more complex than a simple either-or response.
I decided to take this question to a friend of mine who is an application developer. I hoped he could provide me better insight into this topic than I could give myself. His initial response was that I am "technology illiterate." He semi-jokingly explained that he knows I want to use technology, but just can't. He also described me as a "technology outsourcer" adding that I am successful in finding others to set up, maintain, and fix my technology needs. He was impressed, however, with my DonorsChoose initiative of trying to secure 10 laptops for my classroom. After reading literature on the topic of technology in 21st century education, I have come to the conclusion that I definitely lean toward the realm of "technology enthusiast," but don't fully have the means or desire to embrace it completely. This by no means fully refutes my friend's assertion that I am technology illiterate though because as J. Voogt and O. Erstad explain, "digital literacy is a broad concept that has different aspects." My relationship with different technology varies. The ten or so articles I read leading up to this blog post could have very well been read online, however I still printed every one and read the paper versions. And even though I have a MacBook Air in the other room, I find myself typing this entry on my iPhone. (I should add that it required a laptop to setup the blog platform itself.) I think the reason to these two actions is because it's what I am used to doing. I didn't have a laptop throughout my Master's program, so I became accustomed to printing readings at the library to take them home to read. I also grew to be a fast iPhone typist for the same reason. My habits haven't changed now that I have a Mac, but does that make me a technology skeptic? No. It makes me a person used to doing the same thing. Technology skeptics argue that technology in the classroom isolates small groups of students and causes classroom management issues because many classrooms aren't 1:1 yet. This, however, should not be seen as a challenge. If a teacher has strong classroom management skills, he or she should be able to run a computer center while working with another group just as easily as if he or she was running a dictionary center. Students, when left to their own devices, will misbehave. A well prepared teacher, however, will have a solid lesson in place where the students on the computers are just as engaged as the students working with the teacher. If a teacher just recreates a worksheet to be filled out on the computer, he/she is bound to have bored students. Worksheets glorified by a computer screen are still worksheets. This is why it is important to realize that even 1:1 classrooms may not be the most beneficial. When discussing the billions of dollars spent on technology in schools, Will Richardson wrote: "it's not about the tools," and I couldn’t agree more. It is one thing to have the tools in the classroom, it’s another to know how to properly instruct a classroom filled with them. Possessions such as these are nothing without proper professional development. My district is not a 1:1 to district. In fact we only have roughly 60 Chromebooks for a district of nearly 1,500 students (which is less than the American average of one per every five students.) As a budding technology enthusiast myself, I was sure to reserve a class set several times a week last year for my senior English class. I felt it necessary for today’s seniors to learn how to work on an online platform both independently and collaboratively. I also wanted to teach them research skills necessary for college coursework. After slowly integrating Edmodo, Google Docs/Forms, and Remind 101 into my senior English class last year, I saw a tremendous rise in student work engagement and completion. (I only wish I were in a PhD program back then so I would have tracked the exact data!) I do believe a lot of the engagement comes down to the fact that "change motivates and challenges" (Embracing Change). Teachers need to be the first to embrace this change because as Peggy A. Ertmer asserted, "We are not going to be able to ignore technology in our teaching." My question to you is: Assuming your school provides you the "tools," what type of training do they provide you to effectively incorporate the tools into your daily plans?
3 Comments
Margaret Berges
9/9/2017 11:10:47 am
First of all, your blog looks great! I need to figure out how to do the pictures with blog titles and "coming soon"! I'd hardly call you technologically "illiterate"-- that's a bit harsh! It's like when people say a student is a "non-reader" but often just mean the student is reading at a low level. If you were truly illiterate, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have a blog! :)
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Amy Mitchell
9/10/2017 02:19:25 pm
Hi Amanda,
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Lauren
9/11/2017 07:00:34 pm
Oh my gosh, this is cracking me up! I have been forcing myself to print as little as possible, because I'm trying to train my brain to learn differently. But every instinct in me wants so badly to have those papers to highlight! I only printed two of the articles from last week, but them I highlighted them, scanned them, and put them back into my google drive, lol!
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Amanda GOddardESL Department Head ArchivesCategories |