The articles Social Justice: Choice or Necessity by Colleen Swain and David Edyburn and Who Are Today's Learners? by Christine Greenhow, stress the importance of students becoming technologically savvy in order to have successful futures in an increasingly more and more technological world. I agree, that it is critical for students to become comfortable using computers. Our society depends so much on computers and other technologies, that anyone that is unfamiliar with technology can be left behind. For example, if I was easily confused when navigating through websites and lost when using software such as PowerPoint or Excel, I would be at a great disadvantage for passing this online class, Educational Technology. Even though this class is designed to educate college students on uses of the internet and technology to help instruct their students as future teachers, it is assumed that you can navigate through websites comfortably on your own prior to further instruction. This class and other online classes are required at Concordia University in order to graduate. I am sure that other schools have similar situations. If a student was not prepared by his or her grade school with the knowledge of using the technologies involved in taking an online class, then that student's school did not prepare them to succeed at college.
That is kind of harsh, but it is the truth. Technology is a vital skill that all students should be taught. I won't say it is as important as learning how to read or write, but it is certainly more important than practicing cursive. Technological skills are almost 100% applicable to the world outside of school. So, the type of technological skills practiced in school should be comparable to what is used outside. Christine Greenhow writes this in her article. "The researchers argue: '[A]lthough students reported using... technologies in their classes, technology needs of the high frequency users are not being met at school.'" Swain and Edyburn say: "Students are expected to hand-write the first draft of a report so they can type it into the computer when the class goes to the computer lab." This is an example of how technology is being slipped into the lesson plan without being fully utilized to educate or engage students. The more interactive websites and wikis can be incorporated into lesson the more engaged the students will be and the more useful and applicable their knowledge of computers will be.
Now, I must admit that I have been holding back on an opposing side of this technology argument. You see, I think I am actually a bit of a Fundamentalist. I think it is also highly useful for students to practice their typing skills with typing programs on the computer. I think it is a good idea to have students practice organizing their thoughts for a paper in a rough draft, hand-written on paper, especially young learners. Most of all, although I agree that technology can be an engaging method to teach, it can also be a distraction from what the students should actually be learning. I believe there is a line that teachers just need to be careful that they don't cross. I'm not saying that learning shouldn't be entertaining (because I think it should), but I am saying that learning should always be educational. I refer to what Geenhow writes: "They wanted more technologies for learning in school and distinguished their out-of-school technology use for personal or social communication as "more entertaining" than the academically traditional technology use in school (e.g., word processing, testing, Internet research)." What students would love to do is surf the web, playing silly computer games and chatting on social networking sites, which is great for entertaining but not so hot for educating. If you can find ways of incorporating educational variations of these things, then you could really engage your students. I just don't see social networking helping students meet any of the national or state standards. If you can think of something, let me know.
It is true that not all students have the same access to computers, technology, or the internet, but these things are still a part of their lives or will be in the future. Having students that do not have access to any of these three things, computers, technology, or the internet, is all the more reason to use them in your class. These students need the practice and instruction more than the students who have access to everything at home. As the teacher, you just have to make sure that the assignments or projects that you give a capable of being finish at school where the resources are guaranteed to every student. It would also we good to encourage students who don't have computers or internet access to go to places that have public access to these things so that they can practice their computer skills and become more comfortable using technology. It also wouldn't be too hard, I imagine, to connect students with an after school program that offers these resources. I could possibly even organize an after school club that meets in the school computer lab once a week or so, or book the computer lab for a half hour after school everyday during a week when my students are working on a project that necessitates computers of technology that not every student has access to at home. I think it would be possible to accommodate to these students' needs without being overburdening to me, the teacher.
No comments:
Post a Comment