Class! Be sure to text me your homework, if you are sick, update your Facebook status; and I better not see you on Xbox online tonight!!
When I read an article like “High school students devote more hours to TV, Internet and video games” I get a little upset. Not so much at the students, but at grown ups. Many schools are doing all that they can to update the facility and staff on new technologies. A lot of teachers are taking continuing education classes on integrating these technologies in the classroom. But is academia doing everything that we can to keep up with the technology of our students? For example, how many of us Twitter, have a Facebook page, know how to make a blackboard classroom, have used Garage Band, In design, or any of the creative applications that come standard on a computer? Ask yourself; can you use all of the capabilities on your cell phone? If you said yes to these things, congratulations, you are in the minority.
These are the types of instruments that our students are using and most schools ban these things because we feel that the students will not use them appropriately. Because of this “don’t see it, don’t teach it” type of thinking, kids explore and become way more advanced than us. Some of us do not ever desire to use some of these programs and instruments in our everyday life, but does that mean we don’t explore it and teach proper usage?
I am an English teacher, I want to use blogger.com, imovie, garageband, everything I can get my hands on. But I am limited because everything is blocked by the state. If I were a gym teacher I would look at some of the Wii games as rewards and alternatives to standard curriculum. I think we need to open our minds about these types of technologies instead of looking for ways to divert students away from them. Think about it, prohibition drove liquor sells through the roof. If we want kids to limit the hours kids spend staring at a screen, give them screen time during the school day.
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David, I couldn't agree more. As teachers we need to be tech-savvy to engage our students. And just a reminder, it is not the state but the individual schools that set the filters beyond the basic CIPA requirements. Schools are always the last to change and that is what we are experiencing now. The problem is that things are changing rapidly and exponentially, so we can't afford to wait. If we wait too long, what we get will be obsolete.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your comments because they are so applicable to my situation as well. The technologies our students integrate into the thread of their neatly woven daily life are many. I have taken this time in my own career to reassess the current technologies in effort to create something which will be used by students. First step on this assessment was to figure of what students are into. As I am not that much older than my students, I use many of these technologies daily as well. I use all of the features on my blackberry and hardly use a computer at all. I get irritated when my bank doesn’t have a mobile app (they do now, thank goodness!) and Google movies on the way to the theater. But there was a lot of stuff I didn’t use before researching such as Twitter and LinkedIn. After I found these new technologies and started using them, um AWESOME! Then after this, I tried to figure out what wasn’t there, what social networking or Web 2.0 technologies do we not have? At this point I became much more direct with what I am doing separate from this masters program. This is a social networking site for high schools. More specifically to support and implement high school extracurricular in a social networking site. This site takes up much of my time and brain power but is awesome and fun. What web 2.0 offers is a much more niche supported society. My hopes are that schools will jump on the bandwagon with you that we need to use this screen time in school. Students need to be able to use the newest technologies in school and for school otherwise there is a huge risk that the education system will become obsolete and more students will move to complete online education.
I agree as well, David. We must face the fact that what we are going through right now is not a minor change - it goes to the core of how we need to teach these kids. We have to stop thinking of technology as something new or interesting but used sparingly. And we have to open our minds to the possibilities. There really are good reasons to bring a Wii into the school. There is a good reason to blog. there is a good reason to let them go on line. These things can no longer just be novelties or rewards. We must build them into the educational experiance because that is what the world has become and our kids know nothing but that world.
ReplyDeleteAll I can really add at this point is- Dito. I know a few teachers bring in these technologies and are mostly reserved for "parties" or as rewards. Use of technology should be part of our mandated curriculum. These activities are often viewed as “fun” or a waste of time by others (mostly by those not willing to experiment or unaware of the benefits). Yes, we have a set of standards for our school technology- these are like anything else we have standards for- many use them only as guides. Maybe a time will come when standardized tests measure how much classroom experience our students have had using these technologies? It would be hard to gauge what they have learned on their own vs. in the classroom- though I wonder if teachers would take this responsibility a bit more serious. I am thrilled students learn to use these many technologies on their own accord. I am just a little fearful students do not understand the big picture... as the prospect of applying this knowledge in the classroom or workplace are limited.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog David, I think that if we want to teach to our students and make sure they are at a higher level, then we need to stop banning a lot these aspects to teaching. Garage Band and Dance Dance Revolution could be huge in gym class and music/band. These are things that could make learning fun for students. Isn't that what we are going for as teachers? A way to make learning fun, and to try and get all of the kids involved. I hope they stop the ban, and integrate these possible tools into the classroom.
ReplyDeleteDavid, very fresh perspective. What makes a person want to do something more than saying no. It is impossible to legislate or make rules that limit popular behavior. You are right, education hasn't kept up with the modernity of the times. We have a narrow window of opportunity to start catching up with the digital literacy of the current generation. Teachers must customize their classes with current technologies. You listed some examples that I too, have come across. I plan on experimenting and reflecting on how I can integrate some of these standard programs into my social studies curriculum. Technology, when implemented properly, makes lessons come alive. Students can have fun and still learn. Teachers will greatly benefit from an engaged student that is an active participant in his or her learning.
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