Discussion Group 4
Please comment on Phuc and Emily’s statements during the Great Debate. Do you agree with either of them? Neither? Where do you fall on the continuum of technology integration? What benefits does technology offer students and faculty at school? What do we sacrifice in order to bring new technologies into our classrooms?
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This is Alice, by the way. It’s hard to disagree with anything either Phuc or Emily said. But I’ll just say that I have very mixed feelings about being able to “track” my students’ work in the way I now can, with technological tools like NoodleTools. It feels very big-brother-ish to me.
As Emily pointed out, most of our students do not know of a life before the internet and other types of technology. It is imperative that we incorporate technology into our institution. But, the question is about 1) how to use it in our teaching and 2) how to be mentors for our kids as they navigate this new world
I think that Mary’s presentation this morning is a perfect example of how technology can be a great tool in the classroom. She showed two videos, both of which illustrated her points, were well received by the audience, and sparked conversation. Her presentation was much more interesting with the multimedia approach that she took.
Like both Phuc and Emily, I also advocate for the “intelligent” use of technology at school. There are lots of new and innovative technological tools, but with limited time in the school year, we really need to WEIGH the VALUE of incorporating each new (and frequently very time-consuming) technological tool. Approaching our teaching with our goals clearly in mind ahead of time will inform our decisions about the use of technology in our classrooms.
I think that there are plenty of effective teachers who are effective regardless of their use of technology, and there always will be. I think the bigger issue for a school is help kids prepare for their life beyond the shelter of these walls. To help them learn how to use technology for their benefit and be prepared to defend themselves against the many pitfalls.
By the way, does anyone else feel as I do that this discussion would be more cohesive and productive if we were in a small group talking to each other in person? just a thought about the limits of technology….I am not being critical of this exercise; I do wonder, though, about the value of this form of communication as compared to face-to-face conversation.
I think Phuc’s summary gets at the issue of how we prepare our students for success in our society. No matter one defines it, “grit” is valued and is generally seen as a great skill for anyone from an artist to a doctor and everything in between.
Yes, I do think that this discussion would be more effective if we were in small groups rather than this computer forum. I have already checked my email. A great example of how our students may deviate from the plan with computers.
Cnubble is right, but if we were unable to be together in one place, this would be a way of quickly sharing ideas. But, it is rather haphazard and I don’t know if it serves any purpose other than spouting off
I do Alice. I am definately not as focused on the topics sitting here doing this than if we were speaking together in small groups.
Yes Katrina, great point. Technology doesnt change the nature of the learning envirnonment, it just puts another face on it
It seems that the old “Johnny is staring out the window” has been replaced by “Johnny is staring at a different window”
As Phuc & Emily stated, when discussing how we feel about technology many of us fall into a “middle ground”. With students, technology can be one way of meeting them at their level; embracing their “world-view”: & engaging them. For myself, I rely on modern technology yet feel the need to step away from it on a regular basis (maybe an effort for me to get back to how things used to be.) A goal may be to help students control technology, vs. having it control them.