Chapter One Journals Entry
Summarize and Connection:
Being in part of the iGeneration I have seen first hand what technologies have done for the teaching field. Mainly, it has shown me that a seven year old can tell a teacher how to fix their tablet or smartphone, and high school age children can tell their teacher how to work the new projector. So it was no surprise to me that many students and teachers use laptops, smartphones, and tablets to better understand and give information.
With that being said, what did surprise me was what was said on page five. It states that as technology becomes more common we tend to take advantage of it. I didn't agree with this idea at first, because people still care about speed and storage of computers, but then I realized that is only when they are getting a new computer, tablet, phone, so on. I am writing on a desktop computer right now. I don't know what speed or processing power it has. I didn't even think about that until it was stated in the book.
I was also surprised on page nine when the book states what teachers need to know when teaching in this generation. Critical thinking skills, informed judgments, and being able to communicate were all ideas in this paragraph. I am confused as to why this is being mentioned. Is that not the point of teaching? Why does technology have to do with this idea of teaching? Shouldn't we be teaching this even if we didn't have computers and tablets and phones?
Finally on page seven, I finally saw how much teachers and students relied on technology. Grades, attendance, research, networking, group projects, PowerPoint presentations, and software to name a few. How did teachers do it back then. I know many teachers that wouldn't know what to do if the couldn't teach with a PowerPoint.
Focus Questions:
What roles does technology play in the lives of students and teachers?
When it comes to education, technologies such as the computer and the internet come into great demand. With the use of the internet students and teachers can communicate even outside the classroom. Also, instead of handwriting papers students can now type or even talk-to-text. Because of this teachers have many new outlets to show information through, and students have many options for how they intake that information. For example, this online class is one of the many new ways that we use technology to change the teaching field.
Tech Tools
Tablets, Smartphones, and Laptops
I found it shocking that next year there will be about 10 billion mobile Internet devices, even though there are only about 7.3 billion people. Then I thought about it again. I along have a tablet, a laptop, and a smartphone. Many people have all three and multiple of those three.
However what I did find to be interesting is that this book doesn't seem to mention the down side of technology. The following is a video from Fox News talking about test scores being effected by laptops in the classroom. It wasn't just the ones with laptops eithers, it was also the students who sat nears those with laptops who grades were effected, for the worse.
Textbook - Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Summarize and Connection:
Being in part of the iGeneration I have seen first hand what technologies have done for the teaching field. Mainly, it has shown me that a seven year old can tell a teacher how to fix their tablet or smartphone, and high school age children can tell their teacher how to work the new projector. So it was no surprise to me that many students and teachers use laptops, smartphones, and tablets to better understand and give information.
With that being said, what did surprise me was what was said on page five. It states that as technology becomes more common we tend to take advantage of it. I didn't agree with this idea at first, because people still care about speed and storage of computers, but then I realized that is only when they are getting a new computer, tablet, phone, so on. I am writing on a desktop computer right now. I don't know what speed or processing power it has. I didn't even think about that until it was stated in the book.
I was also surprised on page nine when the book states what teachers need to know when teaching in this generation. Critical thinking skills, informed judgments, and being able to communicate were all ideas in this paragraph. I am confused as to why this is being mentioned. Is that not the point of teaching? Why does technology have to do with this idea of teaching? Shouldn't we be teaching this even if we didn't have computers and tablets and phones?
Finally on page seven, I finally saw how much teachers and students relied on technology. Grades, attendance, research, networking, group projects, PowerPoint presentations, and software to name a few. How did teachers do it back then. I know many teachers that wouldn't know what to do if the couldn't teach with a PowerPoint.
Focus Questions:
What roles does technology play in the lives of students and teachers?
When it comes to education, technologies such as the computer and the internet come into great demand. With the use of the internet students and teachers can communicate even outside the classroom. Also, instead of handwriting papers students can now type or even talk-to-text. Because of this teachers have many new outlets to show information through, and students have many options for how they intake that information. For example, this online class is one of the many new ways that we use technology to change the teaching field.
Tech Tools
Tablets, Smartphones, and Laptops
I found it shocking that next year there will be about 10 billion mobile Internet devices, even though there are only about 7.3 billion people. Then I thought about it again. I along have a tablet, a laptop, and a smartphone. Many people have all three and multiple of those three.
However what I did find to be interesting is that this book doesn't seem to mention the down side of technology. The following is a video from Fox News talking about test scores being effected by laptops in the classroom. It wasn't just the ones with laptops eithers, it was also the students who sat nears those with laptops who grades were effected, for the worse.
Resources:
Kapa, J. (Performer) (2013). Students' use of laptops in class lowers grades: Canadian study [Television series episode]. In Fox News. New York, New York: Fox. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2aybVf5QAMTextbook - Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
As with most things, there is usually more than one 'side' to the story. Evidence shows that technology is a part of our world, but how it is used and when it is used relies upon good judgement on the part of the user! :) Technology should not be 'driving' the bus when it comes to teaching and learning, but it should certainly have a seat on the bus! :) Ultimately, it is a tool and we need to know it well enough to use it as an appropriate and relevant tool.
ReplyDeleteHowever, since this class is about technology, the focus will be on using it versus not using it...and hopefully, we can uncover how it can be used to help transform learning to be critical thinking, effective communication and good problem-solving rather than the emphasis on standardized testing results.
This first blog post was well done and nicely enhanced with the relevant video! :)