It seems like as I was going through school, technology has become more and more integrated in to education. It's all about the newest and greatest way to teach using technology. It is very easy to get caught up in the "tech madness." It is very easy for teachers to let the technology do the teaching and to take a back seat. I am definitely not advocating that. However, teachers shouldn't be afraid to try new technology, which is what I see sometimes in school.
I do believe that technology can be an incredible asset to the classroom. I think that the technology can help students in ways that textbooks can't. All of that being said, technology does not replace good teaching. I have written about Google Read and Write before on this blog, and it has completely changed how my students write. In social studies, I am able to take my classes on "field trips" to Italy, China, France, etc. They are much more interested in the ancient sites when they can "visit" them. Should technology be used in place of quality teaching? Definitely not. Should teachers begin to feel more comfortable using the different technology available to them. Definitely.
When technology is first implemented in a school or classroom, it is likely that there will not be as much achievement as liked. However, I do believe, that when a teacher is properly trained and comfortable with the technology the achievement part will follow.
The other thing to take in to consideration is the bigger picture. Technology often makes some classroom tasks easier. For instance, using Google Docs, I can provide feedback during class, which is extremely beneficial to my reluctant writers, or the ones that tend to stray off topic. The students also begin to get a feel of the type of comments they should be leaving during the peer editing process. The other thing that it allows is for students to collaborate on documents. Students are able to help each other on projects, even if they aren't able to to meet outside of school.
In my mind, the pros often out weigh the cons when it comes to using technology in the classroom.
I haven't used Google Docs, but look forward to implementing them in my future classroom. The organization it allows is awesome, with no "lost" or papers left in student lockers. I think that technology implemented this way in the Selco experiment would be interesting. If the students could share their results with other students using a Google Doc, maybe they could attempt to mix all the possible combinations of ingredients? I think that performing the "real" experiments is more beneficial than "simulating" what happens on a computer. The Selco experiments involve using the human senses, which the computer can't replicate. I thought Ex Machina was just Holllywood, but maybe there are computers that can communicate what taste, smell, and touch feels like?
ReplyDeleteStacey,
DeleteThere have been some efforts to create devices that will produce smells that are sent to it over the internet. However, I don't think there is a huge market for it.
Jerry
I agree with you Stacey that performing the real experiment is far more beneficial than simulating it on a computer. I think that using technology for students to share their data is a great way to enhance the experiment. If you had a sister school in another part of the country or even world, you could compare results with them. It would be interesting to compare the results because sometimes the "same" ingredients are made slightly different.
DeleteAbby,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you have found an excellent way to use Web 2.0 technology in your classroom. I remember when I was in high school, we had a journal that we would write in on certain days in the English classes I was in. The teacher would then give us the option to read what we wrote out loud and I am assuming that at some point she would collect those and give us some sort of grade. Google Docs would be a great replacement for the paper journal because the students would have access to it any time they had internet access and could write things down “in the moment”. In addition, as the teacher, you could look in on the journal and grade it at any time, even while the student is making another entry. Also, as you said, you can monitor what they are doing in their journals, while they are working on them in class.
I really like that use.
Thanks for the post,
Jerry
It is nice for the students to be able to access their writing anywhere. I have also found that it forces accountability with the students. There's no lying to me about when they finished. When it's shared with me, I know when the last time they worked on the document and can see all the changes.
DeleteYes, that sounds very handy indeed. The question is, how easy is to cycle through from one student to the next? As in, is it faster to flip through papers on your desk? Does it take a long time to get out of one student's file and into the next?
DeleteI find it easier and faster. I personally, type faster than I can write. Just like the students, I am able to to access the papers everywhere. As a traveling teacher, that is very important. It lessens the papers that I am carrying. I'm less likely the miss place them. The files are simply write on my drive. Just how Dr. Siko's assignments/agendas show up in our folders, the students' work shows up in my drive.
DeleteThe only downside is that sometimes I need a distraction free environment, and if you need the Internet, you don't have a distraction free environment. In the past, I would download your Word documents from Blackboard on my desktop, then go somewhere without wi-fi to grade.
DeleteAbbey,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your thoughts on technology not replacing good teaching. I agree. Let me change the question a bit. Can you practice good teaching without utilizing technology? I have mixed feelings on this. I have also utilized a lot of Google features in the classroom. Who knew that Google would be one of the most substantial if not the most substantial contribution to education in the last decade. It makes me wonder what will the next greatest contributions include?
Mike
In my opinion, the answer to your question is slightly complicated. I think that yes, you can be a good teacher without using technology. But, can you be a great teacher? I'm not sure. In my mind a teacher needs to keep up with the current trends of education. Does that mean jumping on every bandwagon that comes along? No. But that does mean looking at what students are interested in and how that can be brought into the classroom. Using the technology to our advantage is key to creating the best learning environment in my opinion.
DeleteI would counter with, "then, there are no great teachers in schools without technology, right?"
DeleteOf course not. Great teachers get the most from their students with the available resources.