Technology should be used as a learning tool for:
- Cross-cultural communication
- Displaying graphics or videos that demonstrate a concept or help students visualize
- Group work that can be done from home (google docs, prezi)
- Parent-Teacher communication
- Posting homework and links online
- To expand the activities available to students (classroom google maps, literacy maps, creative writing online prompts)
Technology should NOT be used as a learning tool for:
- Think-write-pair-share
- Small group discussions
- To replace parent-teacher communication
- Close reading activities
Technology can be a wonderful tool if it supplements the concepts and lessons being taught or learned in the classroom. All too quickly, however, technology can turn into something distracting or even harmful. Technology opens up a whole new world in terms of communication. Students are able to use twitter, Skype, blogs, etc to connect and communicate with a much larger audience and gain broader and more complex perspectives. But if used carelessly, technology becomes just another piece of noise distracting the students from learning. Or even worse, technology could take the place of essential aspects of learning.
The way I differentiate what activities or tasks should and should not be used with technology depends on the relationship and the outcome. For example, while technology can be a wonderful tool to supplement parent-teacher communication, it should not replace face to face communication. While it's helpful for students to be able to work together on a google doc from their respective homes, in class, students should work together verbally and in person in order to gain the most insight into their topic, and also to learn important social skills and speaking and listening skills. Technology should never replace human interaction, it should be a means to enhance/elevate/expand a lesson or concept in the classroom.
The way I differentiate what activities or tasks should and should not be used with technology depends on the relationship and the outcome. For example, while technology can be a wonderful tool to supplement parent-teacher communication, it should not replace face to face communication. While it's helpful for students to be able to work together on a google doc from their respective homes, in class, students should work together verbally and in person in order to gain the most insight into their topic, and also to learn important social skills and speaking and listening skills. Technology should never replace human interaction, it should be a means to enhance/elevate/expand a lesson or concept in the classroom.
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteImpressive, thought-provoking post. You are definitely asking the right questions (e.g., how can technology supplement/enhance learning)! Great job.
"Technology should never replace human interaction." Outside of the classroom, such as getting gas, almost all of us purchase gas by swiping a card into the machine and dispensing the gas. Unless we're getting a candy bar or the machine glitches, we almost never talk to the dude in the kiosk or mini-mart.
ReplyDeleteBookstores used to be the norm, now we have Amazon.
A few years ago I tutored a city college student, helping him with his online history class: it was entirely online. The interesting part was hearing the "voice" of the various students through their responses, but never hearing or coming face-to-face with any of them.
Given, that process wouldn't (and shouldn't) work with middle and high school students—they need the interaction—even the ones that have acclimated to the digital world via role playing games and Facebook (or whatever) interaction. But I wonder, as the world gets more crowded and technology gets cheaper and more accessible for everyone, will these online classes trickle down to sub-college levels?
Will the structure of cramming close to 40 kids into a room be a lasting, sustainable education legacy?
I love your idea of incorporating Twitter, Skype, blogs, etc... I think that those tools could be really useful in the classroom! I think that if used correctly, they could really help in a lesson! I also agree that technology should NOT be used to replace teacher parent communication - that's a great point! :D nice post!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of expanding the audience of a workshop group via technology? Something like a multi-class forum, whether those classes be on or off the school site?
ReplyDelete