1. Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? by Scott McLeod.
In Dr. McLeod's post he tells everyone not to teach thier kids about the technological aspects but says nothing about teaching the subject material that, I feel, a kid should know before learning tech tools. Is Dr. McLeod saying that subject material is not important? Is he saying that technology is the most important thing a kid needs to know to be successful? If he feels technology is more important, than how would he have a so called "leg up" on anyone that may teach primarily subject material in thier classroom?
Dr. McLeod, an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University who also is the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), is the co-creotor of the 'Did you know?' video. Dr. McLeod has received numerous national awards for his technology leadership work, including recognitions from the cable industry, Phi Delta Kappa, and the National School Boards Association. Dr. McLeod has had me thinking a lot the last couple of days with comments on my blog #2. I don't truly believe that Dr. McLeod is completely a technological teacher[believes technology is the solution to everything] but he believes our students should have the tech tools available for learning, I agree but with restrictions. Technology in school systems for children's uses should be monitered and restricted by the educators to prevent inappropriate use or distraction towards other students.
2. The iSchool Initiative
In this short video Travis, a high school student from Georgia, shows and talks about the pros of the ischool. The ischool is a hand held school system basically that would keep the students from having to write or listen in class durring school hours. This program has many applications that apply to subjects that are taught in schools today. You can access homework and notes from your ischool without any physical interactions with teachers or the other students. Math formulas are available on the ischool but I really did not see where the explanation of the application of these formulas. You can learn on the ischool better then the traditional way, but if you do not have any idea of what you are looking up, what's the point. I agree with the one statement Travis said around 4:15 mark in his video, "The ischool will be lockable for the schools and personalized for the kids. The access will be limited to websites dedicated to education."
3. Watch The Lost Generation
The basic point I took from this video is the fact that if we don't change the way things are trying to unfold in today's world, the next generation will be lost in the same economic problems as our LOST generation. The producer of this video had a good technique of getting to the point and getting the point across. After showing the effects of what will happen in our future without change, she did a simple thing, she reversed the effects by reversing the current flow of things.
4. Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
In this video it is hard to imagine that all of these people from 12 different countries can put something together that sounds as amazing as this video. Even though the members never met in person they sing in perfect harmony with one another with a virtual conductor directing them.
Again you contend that content should come before learning how to use tools. Actually your problem is that you do not consider technology to be a set of tools but rather a content area that competes with other content areas with which you are more accustomed and value more. Technology is merely a set of tools. Just like pencil and paper; typewriters (remember them); telephones; telegraphs, etc.. Is there some content that must e learned before students learn to use those tools? Surely you would not make that argument. So why do you make that to the modern research and communication technologies. It seems to me that we should want our students to make use of the most powerful tools available to student a particular content area. That way they could cover a far greater portion of the content, make better comparisons and analyses and solve more problems and rase more questions. You start with an assumption that technology will be misused. Lets teach how to use the tools properly and watch what happens.
ReplyDeleteSo you are saying we should take the school budget and spend on computers, for every classroom, that may or may not be misused and teach the students how to use them? You say that I assume they will be misused but you assume they will not be misused so if they are misused by half the students and used properly by the other half, does that mean half the students shouldn't be allowed to use the technology? If the students, using technology to find their answers through different networks, has their computers break or taken away due to budget cuts or just lack of funds, which set of students will succeed then? It seems the ones that may have misused the computers and were forced to learn the subject material the traditional way (before networking), may have more of an advantage. I rather be able to teach my students using technology when it's available but have them understand what I have taught before allowing them to depend on the computer to do it for them. If we are going to spend the money for the computers to be in every classroom at least have the students understand how to find the answers if the computers were not in the classroom.
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