The article for this week makes some valuable arguments about the intellectual legitmacy (or lack thereof) of educational technology. I appreciate that the authors challenge developers, teachers and users to devise and discover new, more stimulating ways to use technology in an educational setting. However, I thought the article failed to acknowledge one very essential and undeniable trait of the classroom; that is, that every student is an individual with his/her very own individual learning needs and preferences. The authours make the sweeping claim that "technology-based education makes learning more active and interactive for each student." Anyone who has been in a classroom will agree that there is no method or material (including technology) that works perfectly for every student. While I agree that technology has the potential capability to provide access to a larger amount of information than any other resource, I do not agree that technology necessarily makes learning more active or interactive as the authours claim. In fact, I almost feel that it makes learning less active and interactive. I suppose it all depends on one's perception of "active" and "interactive." For me, active invovles physical engagement using as many of our senses as possible. Interactive, in its most simple definition, for me means interacting with others through dialogue, sharing or the likes. Technology-based education is often an individualized task. Even though this forum involves all of the members of our class, for example, I am still sitting here alone not really interacting with any of you. There is a whole other argument for keeping kids active while they are learning, and many would argue that technology has served to severely decrease the physical activity in kids' lives. Video games, television, computer games, cell phones and text messaging all make it so kids don't have to go outside to play with their friends or make a physical visit to their house.
Surely I can agree that technology "brings resources to the classroom that motivate, stimulate, and encourage students." However, we must keep in mind that these resources do not necessarily motivate, stimulate and encourage each and every one of our students. For many students, active learning such as actually going to a river to study it's features works much better than looking at the river on google earth.
I will close in agreement with the authours that "there is of course no obligation to use particular digital tools, but there is surely an obligation to have a thoughtful and informed understanding of how one's educational purposes are best served, and by means of what cultural tools." Part of being a thoughtful and informed teacher is to know what works best for your students. By providing a variety of learning materials and opporutnities, which should very well include digitial tools, we can ensure that all of our students have access to a rich educational experience.
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2 comments:
For me, "technology" is no more inherently "active" than the comparatively primitive technology we are all familiar with such as pens and paper, and scissors, etc. What is active is the act of surfing the internet. If you want to help your students become self-directed learners, as I think we all should, then the internet in it's entirety is a hugely valuable resource.
Using a specified system to "deliver" content may be useful to us. But what our students really need are transferable skills to learn new technologies, and find and evaluate new resources on the internet.
That would give them greater agency, and greater power.
I do see your point that you do not feel you are interacting right now because you were sitting alone by yourself, as I am in my house alone. But, I am reading your post and responding to it, which I am not sure if we were in class we would talking to each other at all. I think that online discussions have a place in our teaching because everyone has a chance to offer what they want. I like being able to read and respond to people, who I might otherwise not have a conversations with. But I am also the first to say that I hate online courses especially in PDP because I want to talk and discuss and I feel that we are all just doing the "work" to get by.
I think what you mean by active learning is different for you than it is for me. When I think 'active learning" is different than kinestic learning. I think that active learning is where students do not just receive information or presented with a lecture, but must actively participate in order to gain, share or create new knowledge. I think we are often too passive in learning, and the switch to active learning which includes discussions and thinking for oneself.
Lastly, I agree with you that we can use the web or multimedia as a resource because really our world is changing (for the best or worse, I'm not sure) but I think technology in the classroom is a tool we should as teachers. Some students just work better typing than writing things out, and I am ok with that.
Thanks for you comment, it really made me think today!
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