Somewhere In Between Technology Enthusiast and Technology Skeptic
I would consider myself an emerging technology enthusiast. I recognize the wealth of learning
that can happen with technology but am not particularly strong at researching, learning,
implementing and teaching through new apps and programs. I also see many obstacles and
challenges that arise when teaching through technology, which makes me a bit of a skeptic as well.
The reading was interesting this week though I found that the two Collins and Halverson chapters
didn’t necessarily match in their pros and cons regarding the use of technology. I also found it
curious that many of the studies they quoted were far from recent. In the rapidly changing world
of technology, I would imagine there must be more recent studies from which to draw their evidence.
that can happen with technology but am not particularly strong at researching, learning,
implementing and teaching through new apps and programs. I also see many obstacles and
challenges that arise when teaching through technology, which makes me a bit of a skeptic as well.
The reading was interesting this week though I found that the two Collins and Halverson chapters
didn’t necessarily match in their pros and cons regarding the use of technology. I also found it
curious that many of the studies they quoted were far from recent. In the rapidly changing world
of technology, I would imagine there must be more recent studies from which to draw their evidence.
First of all, I agree with the two arguments in “The Technology Enthusiast’s Argument” chapter
that “the world is changing and we will need to adapt schooling to prepare students for the changing
world they are entering” (Collins and Halverson 2017) and that technology gives us the tools we need
to help students adapt to and prepare themselves for these changes. The proliferation of computers
in schools, 1:1 device programs and the ubiquitous cellphone that is ever present in students’ hands
challenges educators to be able to engage and inspire students through technology. Continuing to
focus solely on paper and pencil exercises, textbooks that become outdated as soon as they are
published and memorization of facts that can be easily googled does little to prepare our students
to be successful in an ever-digitized world. Devices in their many forms are here to stay and we need
to harness students’ attachment to them in ways that direct them toward using them for learning.
that “the world is changing and we will need to adapt schooling to prepare students for the changing
world they are entering” (Collins and Halverson 2017) and that technology gives us the tools we need
to help students adapt to and prepare themselves for these changes. The proliferation of computers
in schools, 1:1 device programs and the ubiquitous cellphone that is ever present in students’ hands
challenges educators to be able to engage and inspire students through technology. Continuing to
focus solely on paper and pencil exercises, textbooks that become outdated as soon as they are
published and memorization of facts that can be easily googled does little to prepare our students
to be successful in an ever-digitized world. Devices in their many forms are here to stay and we need
to harness students’ attachment to them in ways that direct them toward using them for learning.
I am a firm believer in student driven inquiry-based learning and I can see how the advent of technology
expands the number of directions a student can take their inquiry and the amount of information they
can acquire to nurture their interests. This supports Collins and Halverson’s (2017) argument that
technology allows for customization of learning and greater learner control. At the same time, students
need to learn how to ask the right questions to guide their learning and how to navigate their sources
safely and credibly. Wesch (2013) emphasizes that without the right questions, the internet is merely
a source of distraction. Martin (2018) indicates that teachers are the most important factor in a
classroom with technology because they are the ones to create the opportunities needed for students
to use technology in ways that build and apply problem solving skills.
expands the number of directions a student can take their inquiry and the amount of information they
can acquire to nurture their interests. This supports Collins and Halverson’s (2017) argument that
technology allows for customization of learning and greater learner control. At the same time, students
need to learn how to ask the right questions to guide their learning and how to navigate their sources
safely and credibly. Wesch (2013) emphasizes that without the right questions, the internet is merely
a source of distraction. Martin (2018) indicates that teachers are the most important factor in a
classroom with technology because they are the ones to create the opportunities needed for students
to use technology in ways that build and apply problem solving skills.
I found the sections on “just-in-time learning” and “games and simulations” compelling. Just-in-time
learning addresses students’ needs to find out exactly what they are looking for and avoids the need
to learn what might be considered extra or superfluous information. My skeptic’s response to this is
that by focusing only on what you think you need to know, you might be missing out on different
perspectives, valuable background information and have difficulty truly understanding what you
have found. The games and simulations engage students in applying what they have learned in
real-life simulated situations. I really like this approach to making learning relevant and practical but
as a busy teacher, I wonder where I would find the simulations and the time to vet them before passing
them along to my students. I certainly don’t have the skill to develop them myself and would have to
rely on others to create them for me.
learning addresses students’ needs to find out exactly what they are looking for and avoids the need
to learn what might be considered extra or superfluous information. My skeptic’s response to this is
that by focusing only on what you think you need to know, you might be missing out on different
perspectives, valuable background information and have difficulty truly understanding what you
have found. The games and simulations engage students in applying what they have learned in
real-life simulated situations. I really like this approach to making learning relevant and practical but
as a busy teacher, I wonder where I would find the simulations and the time to vet them before passing
them along to my students. I certainly don’t have the skill to develop them myself and would have to
rely on others to create them for me.
The limitation of time is, for me, one of the biggest obstacle to being a full technology enthusiast.
Researching new programs and apps, figuring out how they work and whether they are relevant
to what my students are learning and then teaching them to my students in a grade level that shares
one class set of computers among four classes is quite daunting. My students have one technology
class per week with the technology teacher and time limitations mean that I don’t often have a chance
to catch up with the technology teacher to collaborate or coordinate what she is doing with what I am
doing. I also want to make sure that I am not just “digitizing what [I] have always done”, which
Culatta (2017) indicates misses the point of using technology effectively.
Researching new programs and apps, figuring out how they work and whether they are relevant
to what my students are learning and then teaching them to my students in a grade level that shares
one class set of computers among four classes is quite daunting. My students have one technology
class per week with the technology teacher and time limitations mean that I don’t often have a chance
to catch up with the technology teacher to collaborate or coordinate what she is doing with what I am
doing. I also want to make sure that I am not just “digitizing what [I] have always done”, which
Culatta (2017) indicates misses the point of using technology effectively.
A second obstacle for me relates to communication and social interaction. Students already
communicate almost exclusively through their phones and when they are together, they share
information by showing each other their phones, rather than simply talking and describing their story.
Getting kids on computers for a large part of the day pulls them farther away from face-to-face
interactions with each other. Even collaborative projects encourage students to communicate through
their computers and keeps them from developing person-to-person problem-solving abilities. While I
see that our connections are moving in an increasingly digital direction, I worry about the ability of
humans (children and adults) to communicate directly with each other. Martin (2013) is equally
concerned that decreased communication is leading to a decrease in empathy as people strive to
put on the “right” face in their social media rather than who they truly are.
communicate almost exclusively through their phones and when they are together, they share
information by showing each other their phones, rather than simply talking and describing their story.
Getting kids on computers for a large part of the day pulls them farther away from face-to-face
interactions with each other. Even collaborative projects encourage students to communicate through
their computers and keeps them from developing person-to-person problem-solving abilities. While I
see that our connections are moving in an increasingly digital direction, I worry about the ability of
humans (children and adults) to communicate directly with each other. Martin (2013) is equally
concerned that decreased communication is leading to a decrease in empathy as people strive to
put on the “right” face in their social media rather than who they truly are.
How do you think we can solve the decline of empathy given that people aren’t sharing who
they really are with each other?
they really are with each other?
Hi Valeria,
ReplyDeleteOne of the challenges I face as a Drama teacher in Hong Kong is improving the way students express themselves face-to-face. I find it staggering that in one of the most densely populated cities in the world, the people are very disconnected from each other and seem most comfortable when the are isolated!!
In class, I try to create opportunities when students can empathise through listening or reading real stories or engaging directly with the community. I took my students to a 3 day ISTA event called Untold Stories where they listened to people tell their story of migration. https://www.ista-hongkong.com/untold-stories
Through listening they felt empathy; through smaller group discussions they built a connection; and through creating a piece of theatre based on these real people and real stories of migration they felt a sense of responsibility. Technology was used in this final 20 minute piece of theatre, but empathy was built face-to face.
In saying this, I think young people still do feel empathy, but I find they have difficulty expressing it. People now make tribute pages on Facebook when friends pass away and make empathetic tweets when public disasters happen. Young people express empathy through social media these days, however, I still think part of the feeling of empathy and the healing through solidarity is taken away when there is a screen between people. In fact, more than ever, there is a need for face-to-face connection.
Thanks for your post that encouraged me to think about this.
Alicia
Hi Alicia,
DeleteThank you for your comment. Programs like drama are critical to keeping kids in face-to-face situations. The ISTA event sounds like it was a wonderful way for the students to understand through tone, body language and words how difficult the lives of others can be and therefore develop greater empathy. I do believe that empathy can only be learned in person, rather than through a screen. While a Facebook tribute could be akin to a hand-written letter expressing sorrow, young people these days are communicating almost exclusively through social media and missing out on reading facial expressions, body language and tone. The book that I have chosen to read for this course, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, addresses this problem. I am enjoying the book and hope there are some recommendations at the end because I believe we need to figure out how to get kids to talk to each other more.
Hi Valeria,
ReplyDeleteI feel that we might be in a similar place on the technological scale. I could be enthusiastic about implementing new technologies if someone were giving me the resources that are most useful and showing me how to use them and teach them to my students. We don't want to only digitize what we are currently doing, but in some ways even that would be helpful. I teach grade 2 and I think about how it would be easier to show parents progress on things like math facts if I were to use some online resource that everyone had access to. I think we should utilize the fact that some of these resources are designed to make our jobs easier.
One point that we both included in our blogs was that time, support and access to technology are all limiting factors for us in becoming a true technology enthusiast. At this point I have students that don't know how to minimize a window in a browser or capitalize a letter on a keyboard, so I think that their basic technology knowledge would have to be a focus of the school before I could attempt to include more content based activities in my class.
You pose a really interesting question. I think that school provides for many students their basic foundation for social skills, which is one of the reasons we don't have to worry about technology doing away with our jobs. I believe that in the younger grades their social education needs to be more of a focus than their technological skills. Children learn how to use new devices quickly, but they don't always get along or know how to resolve their issues.
-Katie
Hi Valeria
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I enjoyed taking this journey with you and see many similarities between what you have outlined and my own thoughts. This and other responses that align with your thinking show a growing conscious among educators about issues surrounding tech and tech integration in not only schools but society. With so many great minds thinking about it and talking about it, it gives one hope.
About your question, relating it to music, I really do like the unplugged versions of Eric Clapton, BBKing, Robert Cray and so on and believe there should be time where as much as we like the convenience of being online and using everything technology gives us, that we should periodically unplug, disconnect and do things "the old Way" to remember our human side.
- Glen
Hi Glen,
DeleteI also believe that we should take Tech Breaks and I love that you associated it with music.