When reading about cognitive apprenticeship, defining it over the wiki with our small groups and then discussing our work and presenting the topic to others in the class, the most fruitful learning took place when we were in our groups discussing the learning design and how the learning design fits into the How People Learn framework. When discussing our ideas in person, after working together to put these ideas on the wiki, we were able to provide examples of our ideas and talk about the learning design more in depth. We talked about which parts of the learning design we thought were importnant and useful. It was helpful to hear the perspectives of others in my group and learn from them as well. I was able to look at the learning design in ways I hadn’t though of before. I thought the combination of working on the wiki and then coming into class for a debrief session was a useful way to learn and retain the information more, rather than just reading the article.
Our presentation could have been better. When reflecting back on our presentation, we noticed that we were presenting to each other, rather than the class. By presenting the information orally, another way of recollecting what we had read, we gained more of an understanding of the topic. Our presentation operated as if we were just continuing with our small group discussion, instead of teaching the class and including them on learning about cognitive apprentice. Maybe we did this because we were still grappling with comprehending the learning design. After the presentation we had a better understanding of cognitive apprenticeship because we were still bouncing ideas off of each other and had to address questions from other students in the class. A second try at the presentation would make it a lot better and more productive. We would definitely veer off the path of the traditional lecture-like presentation that we gave the first time around with our group as the bestower of knowledge. If given a second chance to present we would do something more interactive to teach cognitive apprenticeship to the rest of the class. It be interesting to model the presentation in the structure of the learning design and have the students learn the topic through cognitive apprenticeship.
Discussing the teaching examples we thought of when commenting about the learning design on the wiki was useful as well. I enjoyed listening to my peers' teaching ideas. It helps me expound upon my teaching ideas and come up with new ones. Another way our group really learned was discussing how we could actually implement cognitive apprenticeship in our own classrooms and create lessons that align with this particular learning design. When putting what we read about in the context of our own teaching, we made real-world connections with the topic. These connections provided a lasting impression and helped us know the learning design even better.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Imaging the Framework
When thinking about how I was going to present my graphical depiction of the four learning environments, I made the decision to use Prezi. I’ve never used it before and was interested in learning how. I felt this was the perfect opportunity play with the application and make these learning environments come alive for myself. I found that I got really into it and was really focused on the project. The hours that I worked on it just flew by!
While reading Chapter 6 of How People Learn: Brain, Mind Experience, and School, John D. Bransford’s mention of schools as factories resonated in my mind. He states, “In the early 1900s, the challenge of providing mass education was seen by many as analogous to mass production in factories. School administrators were eager to make use of the ‘scientific’ organization of factories to structure efficient classrooms. Children were regarded as raw materials to be efficiently processed by technical workers (the teachers) to reach the end product. This approach attempted to sort the raw materials (the children) so that they could be treated somewhat as an assembly line. Teachers were viewed as workers whose job was to carry out directives from their superiors—the efficiency experts of schooling (administrators and researchers).” This cold, view of learning honestly horrified me. Learning environments that are thought of as churning out a product? How insensitive. I wanted to use this notion as a contrast to the learning environments in my image, so I made a separate circle outside of the main circle of learning environments to pronounce that “schools are not factories” and “students are not products.” (Bransford, 2000, p.134). My Prezi then moves on to the each learning environment perspective indicating that learning environments are, or should be, learner-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment centered, and community centered. I created the main part of my image to look like Bransford’s Figure 6.1 on page 134: Perspectives on Learning Environments. I did this because I agree with the concept that the four perspectives are interconnected and all-encompassed by the community-centered perspective.
Using the technology of the Prezi enabled me to visualize the four learning environments. The process of creating the Prezi helped me to more clearly see how the environments are interconnected. When inputting a characteristic of one learning environment, I found that it could fit into multiple perspectives! Also, I had to really think about what each learning environment looks like and the qualities each environment has so I could accurately depict each perspective on my image. I had to go back to the chapter and re-read certain sections. I also revisited the group definitions and referenced the image examples that were provided to us. By doing this, the information was reinforced and I was able to have a firmer, in depth grasp on the learning environment perspectives. By working through each environment on my Prezi, I had to think of the characteristic of each environment and words to describe these characteristics. I also learned from trying to find graphical representation. For me, the visual aid, and the process of creating it, helped me to store these ideas in my long term memory. If I hadn’t made the Prezi and just read the chapter, I would not have remembered much about the four learning environments or understood them as well as I do after creating the Prezi and putting the framework into an image.
Making the Prezi was easier for me than writing. Sometimes I find it hard to express my thoughts in writing. I often procrastinate on writing because I feel like I don’t know what to say. Once I actually sit down to write, the ideas start flowing, but I have to force myself to start and get through the initial paralysis. Once my inertia gets moving, I’m okay and am able to write. Creating this presentation was not like that at all. Once I accessed the Prezi online, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and was excited to make it happen. I found that I was able to learn how to use Prezi easily. The hours I spent creating my Prezi flew by, but when I spend hours writing, the time seems to drag. Imaging the learning environments framework was a lot different than writing. Writing has a certain flow to it that is maintained. For the Prezi, I was able to throw out words and whatever I was thinking and rearrange these thoughts. I do the same thing when I write, but the Prezi made my thoughts tangible. There were no rules as to what I could create. I was able to fully immerse myself in the project and felt good about what I created.
Through imaging the learning perspectives framework, I learned multiple things. Firstly, I now have a better understanding of the four learning environment perspectives through creating this image and working through defining each one pictorially. Second, I learned how to use a new technological tool, Prezi. Now that I know how to work Prezi, I can use it to make presentations and use it for other assignments, or even in my own classroom. Finally, by reflecting on the project and about how it helped me learn, I recognize how using the Prezi and the process of creating my image helped me better understand the framework. I also made realizations about why I procrastinate on writing. This project helped me better understand how I learn.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
How We Learn
Since the beginning of formal education, the way students have been taught has been guided by religious or political motivation. In the early days of education during Puritan times, when only basic literacy was the main focus of education, the students were expected to know how to read the bible. Later, during the Revolutionary War, in the United States, the main focus of education was to set the new country apart from Great Britain by creating a unified identity with, for example, the creation of American English. Then, when Sputnik came along we changed the focus to math and science, since we were evidently lacking in this area compared to the Russians. Eventually education got “back to basics” with the teaching of the 3 Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Now we are in the era of No Child Left behind with standardized tests to measure progress. Do these tests measure depth of knowledge and understanding of the content, or do they measure shallow application of the facts and a student’s ability to take the test itself? (For more information on the U.S. history of my content area, English, please see the Power Point presentation by Dr. Janna Jackson Kellinger.)
Through these eras and changes in education, it does not seem as if anyone really focused on the learning and depth of understanding, as talked about in Chapter 1 of How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School. Today we are looking at studies of the mind and on processes of thinking and learning. Scientific research is showing how learning theories play out in the classroom for tangible evidence of how these theories can be applied to improve student learning. In schools, the focus needs to shift from rote memorization and regurgitated facts to a way of learning that promotes depth of understanding.
We now think of learning more of a process over time. To experience true learning, teachers need to first address the student’s pre-conceptions and prior knowledge and use the prior knowledge as a leverage to help the student acquire new, accurate knowledge and understanding of a subject area and maintain that knowledge after the test and course are over. Students should secondly gain a strong foundation of factual knowledge about a subject so they can use this knowledge to become experts on a subject matter. Students should be able to apply the facts in different ways and in different contexts. Lastly, teachers must emphasize the development of meta-cognition skills so that students can define learning goals and self-assess to monitor their own progress. When a student has acquired good meta-cognition skills he or she can understand their process of learning and be able to predict how they will perform.
As an aspiring teacher, I do not have experience in the classroom with these methods, and they seem overwhelming when trying to imagine how I will implement them into my classroom, but I know and understand that it is so important to use these methods to help students reach their full potential. The research shows that students learn better when prior knowledge is addressed, facts are put into context and applied to activities, and when the students are able to use meta-cognition skills to create goals and self-assess. I think it is also important to create a classroom environment that is safe and comfortable for the students to participate in. I want my student to feel good about what they are learning and know they can set goals they will accomplish and be proud to do well. I want my students to know it’s okay to make mistakes as that is part of the learning process. I want them to be able to correct their own mistakes. I hope to be able to create a learning environment for my students that ignites inquiry and promotes self-efficacy so my students have the desire and confidence to succeed.
Lastly, I thought it was interesting that at the end of the chapter the authors addressed how these methods can also be applied to adult learning. Even career development for teachers seems to have become just another process to get through, or just another requirement a school district has to meet. For example, a teacher friend of mine mentioned that at a school she taught at their whole career development time was spent pouring over MCAS results to see where they fell short. She felt it was a waste of time and the teachers got nothing out if it. If teacher development is not meaningful, connected to prior knowledge, and not applied in the classroom for self-assessment, how can teachers improve their teaching skills to help their students learn better?
Webspiration
I found that the Webspiration activity was useful in that it helped to map out our ideas of what a Millennial Kid is. We were able to brainstorm and organize our collective thoughts in a way that broke down the different aspects we’ve been discussing in class. By creating the Webspiration, we were able to physically make the connections and see a product of our thoughts. We were able to discuss these things through IM. We could also go into the Webspiration later and edit the map afterwards when we thought of additional ideas. It’s useful to have a physical embodiment of our brainstorm thoughts to go back to and reference again and again.
Collaborative group work is helpful in that we were able to get new ideas from each other and think about Millennial Kids from different perspectives. Group work can be difficult when trying to work with others while getting your own ideas across. I think working collaboratively on a project through utilizing technology is a very important skill to have, especially for life as a professional worker. I currently work in a corporate setting and we are constantly collaborating on Power Point presentations, creating Live Meetings, and issuing tutorial videos. It’s important that my coworkers and I work as a team to collaborate and map out what information is important. We are always working together at team meetings to find best practices and ways of handling the business. By using tools, such as Webspiration, to work together and map out ideas, students will have a better understanding of the academic content as well as gain skills to be a successful professional in the 21st Century.
I was looking through You Tube at some videos about collaborative group work. There was a lot of interesting infromation that I came across, and some I did not necessarily agree with.
I did find a video, shown below, of a tabletop interface created by a teacher. The interface benefits collaborative learning for young students ages 6 - 7. According to the designer, Richard White, a computer interface is projected onto the table top and is combined with a sequencing game. The students work in pairs to build a story board out of 12 images that are in the center of the table. Six images create one narrative, while the other six create a completely different storyline. The students must work together, sometimes trading images with other teams, to create the storyboard and complete the narrative. I thought this was an innovative and useful way to use technology hand in hand with collaborative group work to learn story sequencing.
I was looking through You Tube at some videos about collaborative group work. There was a lot of interesting infromation that I came across, and some I did not necessarily agree with.
I did find a video, shown below, of a tabletop interface created by a teacher. The interface benefits collaborative learning for young students ages 6 - 7. According to the designer, Richard White, a computer interface is projected onto the table top and is combined with a sequencing game. The students work in pairs to build a story board out of 12 images that are in the center of the table. Six images create one narrative, while the other six create a completely different storyline. The students must work together, sometimes trading images with other teams, to create the storyboard and complete the narrative. I thought this was an innovative and useful way to use technology hand in hand with collaborative group work to learn story sequencing.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Youth Survey
When writing my survey questions, I found that I was truly curious about and interested in what youths had to say about themselves, how they use technology and how they feel they learn best. A lot of the answers were not surprising; others were quite interesting and helped me to think about how I can use their answers to make my teaching more productive.
When asked how teachers can make school more engaging, one first year college student mentioned that she would like to see Power Point presentations used less often in lectures. She feels that it can be effective, but when over used becomes boring. I agree with her. Throwing a Power Point presentation up on the screen to teach a lecture will not do the students any good or help them learn. Sometimes the Power Point presentation is an easy crutch for the teacher. Maybe the teacher feels up to speed with technology when utilizing a Power Point presentation, or maybe it makes it easier for the teacher to instruct a lesson. Teachers may think that using the visual aid during a class lecture will help the students learn and retain the information, but unless the students are fully engaged in the presentation, they may become disconnected with the lesson and miss out on pertinent information.
Although they can be over used, Power Point presentations can be useful in that they are accessible for the students after the lecture. They can be referenced again and again if needed, but, as the college student mentioned, can be over used and become monotonous for the students. It would be more productive, for example, to have students pick a topic, create their own Power Point, and then have the students teach the class. This type of activity would really involve the students in their learning. The college student’s comment about the over use of Power Point reinforces my previous statement that it’s not merely incorporating the technology in the lesson that is effective, it’s how the technology is used that facilitates fruitful learning.
This survey showed me that students are more interested in having the teacher create meaningful activities, rather than just use technology to teach. When asked how teachers can make school more interesting and engaging, a few students mentioned incorporating certain technologies such as the use of laptops in the classroom, videos, and internet research. The most significant answers came from students who did not mention incorporating technology in the lessons at all. One student answered that teachers should “be open to discussion and questions. Kids our age like to repeat something you just said in different words, just for verification that it's correct. We aren't meaning to be rude or anything, and it bothers some teachers, but we just want to make sure we aren't learning something that's wrong.” Another answered, “Teachers should not just focus on teaching a subject, but getting their students excited about the subject.”
View the Youth Survey here: Youth Survey
View the Youth Survey results here: Results
View the Youth Survey graphed results here: Graphs
A lot of the results are quantitative and self-explanatory through the graphed results. I was able to survey a variety of students from different states, both public and private schools, and students of different ages and grade levels.
The answers to the following question interested me:
If your teachers were to use more technologies in the classroom, such as a class blog, Wiki site, You Tube, Google Documents, etc., and allowed you to use these technologies for class assignments, would you be more interested in the class material?
About half of the students answered that no, they would not be more interested in the class material if teachers used technology more. My next question, Would you be more likely to remember what you learned?, prompted about the same split of answers. Half of the students answered yes, and the other half answered no. I was surprised when the results showed that only half of the students think they would be more engaged in the material and remember more of the material if technology was used in the classroom for the lessons. The other half felt that using technology in the curriculum would not help them retain information and/or engage them in the lessons. The split answer shows me it’s not just merely incorporating technology in the curriculum that makes students engaged and better learners, it’s how the technology is used to help student learning that will be most effective.
When asked how teachers can make school more engaging, one first year college student mentioned that she would like to see Power Point presentations used less often in lectures. She feels that it can be effective, but when over used becomes boring. I agree with her. Throwing a Power Point presentation up on the screen to teach a lecture will not do the students any good or help them learn. Sometimes the Power Point presentation is an easy crutch for the teacher. Maybe the teacher feels up to speed with technology when utilizing a Power Point presentation, or maybe it makes it easier for the teacher to instruct a lesson. Teachers may think that using the visual aid during a class lecture will help the students learn and retain the information, but unless the students are fully engaged in the presentation, they may become disconnected with the lesson and miss out on pertinent information.
Although they can be over used, Power Point presentations can be useful in that they are accessible for the students after the lecture. They can be referenced again and again if needed, but, as the college student mentioned, can be over used and become monotonous for the students. It would be more productive, for example, to have students pick a topic, create their own Power Point, and then have the students teach the class. This type of activity would really involve the students in their learning. The college student’s comment about the over use of Power Point reinforces my previous statement that it’s not merely incorporating the technology in the lesson that is effective, it’s how the technology is used that facilitates fruitful learning.
This survey showed me that students are more interested in having the teacher create meaningful activities, rather than just use technology to teach. When asked how teachers can make school more interesting and engaging, a few students mentioned incorporating certain technologies such as the use of laptops in the classroom, videos, and internet research. The most significant answers came from students who did not mention incorporating technology in the lessons at all. One student answered that teachers should “be open to discussion and questions. Kids our age like to repeat something you just said in different words, just for verification that it's correct. We aren't meaning to be rude or anything, and it bothers some teachers, but we just want to make sure we aren't learning something that's wrong.” Another answered, “Teachers should not just focus on teaching a subject, but getting their students excited about the subject.”
Other students indicated that teachers should lecture less and incorporate more hands on projects and activities to let students learn things on their own. This is direct information from students. They just want to be engaged! They want school to be more interesting. These answers show me that students are tired of the classic model of the teacher lecturing at the front of the class. Students want to interact, learn things independently and have classroom experiences that are significant.
Sadly, two students mentioned “school is not supposed to be interesting.” As a teacher, how can I make it interesting and defeat the negative attitude students have? The negative attitude is towards school, not towards learning. As a teacher, I have to foster in my students a love of learning, whether it’s by using technology to hook them in, or by any other means to make them excited about the material. Learning in the classroom could be better if teachers really listen to their students and monitor their interest instead of plugging away at the subject.
After creating and reading the results of my Youth Survey, I would like to sit down with the students to interview them and probe deeper into what they think would help them learn. The survey was useful by informing me about what students are thinking on the surface, but when reading the results, I felt like I wanted to question them further on their answers. Surveys are a good general starting point to get to know the students. I may actually use surveys in my teaching to assess where students are and how they are feeling about the course I am teaching.
Some would argue that technology is the only way to reach these millennial kids, but after working on this survey project, I think that millennial kids are the same as from any other generation, they want meaningful experiences. If a teacher can create these meaningful experiences and connect with students through technology in a productive way that fosters learning I think the school experience for students would be a fruitful and positive one. Lastly, the survey reinforces that all students are different and have different needs.
Sadly, two students mentioned “school is not supposed to be interesting.” As a teacher, how can I make it interesting and defeat the negative attitude students have? The negative attitude is towards school, not towards learning. As a teacher, I have to foster in my students a love of learning, whether it’s by using technology to hook them in, or by any other means to make them excited about the material. Learning in the classroom could be better if teachers really listen to their students and monitor their interest instead of plugging away at the subject.
After creating and reading the results of my Youth Survey, I would like to sit down with the students to interview them and probe deeper into what they think would help them learn. The survey was useful by informing me about what students are thinking on the surface, but when reading the results, I felt like I wanted to question them further on their answers. Surveys are a good general starting point to get to know the students. I may actually use surveys in my teaching to assess where students are and how they are feeling about the course I am teaching.
Some would argue that technology is the only way to reach these millennial kids, but after working on this survey project, I think that millennial kids are the same as from any other generation, they want meaningful experiences. If a teacher can create these meaningful experiences and connect with students through technology in a productive way that fosters learning I think the school experience for students would be a fruitful and positive one. Lastly, the survey reinforces that all students are different and have different needs.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Millennial Kids
Most of today’s millennial kids have been born in a digital era and immersed in technology. They are multi-taskers who have acquired the ability to perform numerous tasks simultaneously. They have an intrinsic confidence in using technology and navigating through the vast world of the Internet. Millennial kids are social beings who construct their own learning, as opposed to being the traditional passive student of classic classroom instruction. I think that today’s kids learn well from their peers. They do a lot of this peer-based learning through online social interaction. I believe that the innate ability to navigate and learn technology is not because we have “millennial kids” on our hands, but because of a young person’s ability to be imaginative, creative and able to work through problems with an untainted, curious perspective. They just happen to be born in an era that gives them the platform of technology to express themselves in a plethora of unique ways through one mechanism, the technology of their choice. It is this passion, creativity and innate ability that educators should use to harness in their classrooms for productive learning.
It is easy for me to consider technology in the work place, since that is my current experience. Through the use of technology, the worker can produce more, faster. Between my emails, digital faxes, internal-office websites, office instant messaging, Microsoft Live Meetings, and many other uses of technology in the work place the demand for production increases, and workers are able to meet the demands. Also, associates are commended for finding new ways to utilize technology to make work easier, faster, and more productive. This is all done through a team effort with individuals sharing stories and posting information on a community hard drive and through a team email. If technology is helping all of us technology immigrants, imagine what it can do when used in student learning.
Professor DeGennaro commented on my blog and informed me that my last reflection was thorough and detailed, but she challenged me to really think about the how we learn and the connection between technology and learning. When I read the articles for this week’s readings, I tried to keep this in the forefront of my mind. How do we learn, really? And, what is the connection between learning and everything I have been reading and viewing about technology and millennial kids? When thinking about my own personal experience, I see that I learn by trial and error. I try something, make mistakes sometimes, do things correctly other times, discover new things and then finally master whatever it is I have set out to learn. Sometimes this process happens with the assistance of my peers and with social interaction. Learning is both conscious and subconscious and happens over time with reflection and purposeful judgment. Learning is a process that is continuous. It is a process that works is best when shared with others’ ideas and experiences in collaboration. Now, what about technology and learning?
When I pause to consider how technology facilitates learning, I am reminded of an article I read last semester when doing a group research project. The article is entitled, Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project. The article was written by Mizuko Ito and other authors from a joint research project of the University of Southern California University of California Berkley
The summary of findings that I read talks about how today’s digital world gives students the opportunity to easily and instantly explore personal interests, play with social norms, develop technical skills and experiment with self-expression. According to Ito, youths are engaging in peer-based, self-directed learning when using the Internet. She found that they are extending friendships and social interactions online as well as delving into interest-driven online activity. In doing this they are acquiring social, technical and new media literacy skills by trial and error. These adolescents also gain the satisfaction that comes from immediate feedback from their peers in order to continue learning and growing. (Ito, 2008, p1 - 2). Maybe this is the key to motivation in the classroom: gratification from acquiring a skill and then peaking a student’s interest to learn more. (More information on this topic can be explored at The MacArthur Foundation website.)
I find the notion of self-directed learning interesting, and agree with it to be true. Through self-directed efforts students learn by exploring the internet and experimenting with social behavior. “Geeking out” is a term that Ito introduced to me. Some students may “geek out” and immerse themselves fully into a topic which, despite the traditionally demeaning term, is now a positive image for students to claim (Ito, 2008, p2). Ito informs us that when “geeking out,” students become highly engaged in learning a specific topic or improving a talent. They join online groups with people of all ages and from all over the world in order to learn, improve and to gain a reputation among other experts.
“Geeking out” is an example of self-directed learning. It is also an example of what I saw in the reading for this week when technology forms a sort of “learning ecology.” The internet gives students access to endless digital resources, information, and people. Learners can find “niche communities” to lurk in, participate in and learn from. Learners become part of a “community of knowledge.” It seems like this is where society is moving towards.
Beyond any opinion, theory or research, I have to consider what all of this has to do with me and my classroom. I think about this a lot. I am not currently a practicing teacher, so all I can do is imagine. But, as I mentioned previously, I think it is important to harness this energy of self-directed and constructive learning as a tool in the classroom to ignite inquiry and inspire learning. My classroom has to be a place of active learning, which includes me as both a learner as well as the learning facilitator and guide. Employing technology in my classroom is just one piece of the puzzle. What forms a whole is how I use the technology to facilitate learning and tap into the way my students have grown up: as creative, multiprocessing, hands-on, producer-consumers.
Monday, January 31, 2011
21st Century Students
This blog entry is a reflection on the following two videos:
A Vision of Students Today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o
A Vision of K - 12 Students Today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8
These two videos emanate a very serious tone about 21st century students and how they are being educated. The videos imply that educators, and the curriculum, are out of date and are not engaging students in the material. They imply that students are yearning for more than just words in a text book, on a chalk board, and written on a page. They want to learn by way of something they can relate with, and presently, that is technology.
This is a digital era. Current students have been raised using computers, video games and iPods. They spend more time perusing Facebook profiles than reading quality literature. Students don’t learn the way their teachers learned and we shouldn’t expect them to. Students, according to these videos, have fuller days now than their predecessors did. The videos also imply that students have a lot of world issues to deal with and that technology can be used to resolve these issues. It seems they are constantly being stimulated by technology and educators must tap into that tool in order to reach their students and engage them to learn.
I believe that it is imperative to include technology in the curriculum to engage students in learning. Using technology as a classroom tool is an important, and obvious, way to reach 21st century learners. It is disappointing to me that there is such a high percentage of teachers that do not use technology while teaching, or do not let students use technology for assignments. Is this because of a lack of funding, or is it because teachers do not understand the benefit of using technology? Maybe some educators don’t want to change. Embracing change can be difficult, especially for those people set in their ways, but to be a productive educator, the teacher is responsible for changing with the time to grow with the needs of the students. I believe that by leaving technology entirely out of the curriculum, teachers may be impeding their students’ learning.
The videos are engaging and interesting, but seem a little drastic. Do the videos contain any propaganda? Are they simply one person’s mission? The videos are definitely being used as a persuasive means to entice educators, and administrators, into employing the use of technology in school. One of the videos merely brushes over a fact that students read 8 books a year compared to the thousands of websites and Facebook profiles they will view. I admit that this astonished me. As much as I support technology in the classroom, I also believe that too much of something is not healthy. I wonder about the addictive part of the brain. Can the students become addicted to technology? For example, I found a recent news article and video entitled “Addicted to Technology.” The news piece reports on potential cell phone addiction. (http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/local_news/special_reports/addicted-to-technology-). Can misuse or overuse of technology hinder learning and deteriorate the minds of youths? Should TV, internet, gaming, etc. be limited? Some kinds of technology can most certainly be a distraction for learning. Educators have to figure out what constructive use of technology in the classroom looks like and also determine what applications of technology could potentially obstruct learning.
Another news article and video I read on the KWGN news site suggests that “screen time” should be limited. (http://www.kwgn.com/news/kdvr-kids-technology-txt,0,3815047.story). This news report indicates that overuse of technology results in poor grades for students and difficulty with sensory-motor functions. If “screen time” is not limited, how can parents and educators form well rounded kids that are knowledgeable and functioning in both a digital world and in the world outside of technology, if one exists? School could be a chance for students to have a break from the fast-pasted and fragmented world of technology. What happened to going outside for a kick ball game instead of gaming on an X-box inside? Is that not realistic in a digital era? What will happen 10, 20, 50 years from now? What will our world look like, technologically?
Ultimately I believe that educators should always incorporate technology into the curriculum as a teaching tool, but must also emphasize the importance of reading a book. There should be a healthy balance of technology and good old-fashioned book learning. If everyone turns to technology alone, will we have an illiterate nation on our hands? A nation that can only write in text-speak and read blogs? Will we forget how to read a novel? Maybe it’s my vision that is narrowed by the love of turning the pages of a tangible book.
Overall these videos communicate the message that they intend to. They convey how necessary it is to satiate the needs of 21st century students with technology as a learning tool. The videos have seized my curiosity and have given me a lot to think about that I didn’t realize before. They let me see through the eyes of a 21st century student. I am curious about the view points of other students in this course.
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