Technology for the student...

The types of technology that I use in my classroom will be limited to the types of technology that I have mastered. I read Marc Prensky's article "Digital Immigrants, Digital Natives" discussing how young people have developed differently neurologically because as digital natives they have always used technology. I am a digital immigrant that grew up using very little technology and probably could have died happy being able to email until other projects pushed me to learn more. I like using the limited technology that I know how to use. I know that I will learn how to use more technology but it takes me a long time. The eToy assignment that we worked on the other night showed me a lot. Joe's picture was amazing! His drawings were accurate and very creative. Adding the movement made it an even greater picture. I still don't understand how to use the tiles for instruction. If we had not handed in that picture I would have tried to work on it all week, spending a huge amount of time on it, bothering my kids for help and it would have been as good as any other second grader's project. My mind does not work that way. The good part is that I can still teach and my students will learn. Right now I plan on teaching early elementary. It is a great age for the teacher-directed, direct instruction computer programs. At that stage, students can benefit and be entertained using drills and learning games. The computer can help with instruction and instant feedback so the students can learn facts and be introduced to new items. I like the webquests and other online information searches. The use of computers should be encouraged in inquiry-based learning. The use of computers can enhance discovery as students begin to develop their own ideas and interests. When it comes to constructivism and project- and problem-based learning, I will always encourage the use of technology and will learn a lot with and from my students. Online resources can be invaluable but if the students are going to need more involved computer-support they are going to have to go to their peers and other technology-oriented people. Part of project-based learning is discovering experts to ask for help. My students will not be cheated because I am not as computer-literate as other teachers. I will always ask for help and I will always be supportive of alternative methods, but I don't think I will ever be able to incorporate the very difficult levels of computer programs in my classrooms. I think that I will be a better teacher if I develop lessons using what I do know. I will try to encourage students to implement every tool that they can for developing projects. There is no reason we cannot learn from each other. I will learn new technology as I need it but I will need help.

Kaiser Family Foundation study

On a beautiful summer day, my son and 3 of his friends rode their bikes into our backyard, jumped on the trampoline and all immediately pulled out their cell phones to check messages and text. My mother-in-law and I were sitting at the kitchen window. "What are they doing?" she asked. I was embarrassed to explain what was going on. When reading the Kaiser study I was reminded again how ridiculous cell phone behavior is, and not just among the young. I thought this class was going to be about how wonderful technology is in the classroom and that I would be taught a lot of classroom-friendly tech. The more I think about how much technology has invaded our lives I am beginning to like the idea of "tech-free zones". Technology is great for limitless and fast information. Templates are readily available to help you organize thoughts and presentations. It is invaluable for communication. At the same time, technology is destroying contact by making personal contact seem unnecessary. Just as the Kaiser study mentions that students often use 2 to 3 types of media concurrently, any group of kids gathered can be limitless when you include those communicating online or by cell phone. All of this connecting is disconnecting people from the importance of personal contact. The classroom may be the only place where students have to shut everything off and just be themselves. Educators have worked for years to establish a child-centered approach to teaching. The focus should always be on the child, and then focus on the machine.