As I was reading
chapter 2 there were several aspects that caught my attention. The first aspect
is not so much about technology but rather teaching in general. Teaching is a career
that affect not only the teacher and student but also school and society in
general. Teaching is part of forming future generations, this is why it is so
important to keep students engage specially after knowing that only 75% of
freshman will actually graduate in four years. Students’ primary worries is
that they want to be heard, they want to feel like they belong and are cared
for. Adolescence is a time were each individual finds its identity, they learn
who they are and what they want. As teachers it is so important to make each
student’s learning as individualize and personal to them as we can and
technology makes that gap smaller. It also allows us to connect with the
digital generation. I have seen at my school that student are more engage in technology
lessons because they are able to point to a video or make a comment about the
lesson that relates to their everyday life and when students are engage they
are more receptive to what they are learning.
Some of the barrier
that I have found at my school for implementing technology are; the teacher is
new to the system and has little experience, there are not enough computers for
everyone and due to some students skills the teacher has to spend more time
with those that don’t know how to do the activity while the other ones play on
other websites. All this barriers can be fixed with simple solutions, some of
them might take time but after been corrected achieving the goal is so much more
rewarding. Some outside barrier include the lack of access and the digital
divides and participation gaps. The first year that I had my son I completely disengaged
from technology and I barely watched TV or used my phone, I felt overwhelmed
and also wanted and had to dedicate all my time to my son, when I finally
rejoined the technology era I felt so behind, I had a gap, there were many new
applications, gadgets and ways of communicating that I didn’t know about.
Technology is a matter of staying informed because it is constantly changing
and evolving, kind of like humans are.
The last aspect that I believe
to be very important is the teaching philosophies and as soon to be teachers I think
is important that we integrate the two main philosophy the teacher-centered and
the student-centered. As the school year goes on and lessons unfold we are able
to see that some lessons are more constructive and students can actually put
the puzzle together and they can create hypothesis to test and assert. On some
other lessons that may be more complex students might need more guidance and demonstration
before they can actually replicate the information acquired.
Thanks to the many tools
available now we can provide lessons that are fun to the kids, were they feel
like they are part of it rather then outsiders watching. Web 2.0 tools are fun
to use and they can also measure how much of the lesson the student actually
learned. The gaps that technology may have today can slowly be closed and as new
generations join, schools will have more equipment and staff available to
provide the best education, training and tools for them.
Resources:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Resources:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Impressive - you got right out there on ToonDoo and created a relevant one to emphasize your points in this post! Excellent job. I hope you had fun with ToonDoo but even more importantly thought about some possibilities as to how it might be used in the classroom - students love it (even the older ones)!
ReplyDeleteThe barriers you mention are pretty common and difficult for some to overcome, but I like how you offered solutions, as well. I think the issue of some students needing assistance while others start playing games is indicative of that teacher-centered classroom. If content (including that on the web) is designed to be more individualized and personal to that individual's needs, then the teacher would not be the center of attention and students could work at their own pace with the teacher rotating to each one, as needed, monitoring as well.
Keep up the good work - I like the thinking process and can almost see your 'wheels turning'. :)
I enjoyed reading your post, Vanesa. I too know how it feels to be in that "gap" from the technology I grew up using to the technology now. Technology does have its benefits when it comes to helping students better understand assignments. Breaking through those barriers that you speak of is something that I personally hope to accomplish for myself and my future students. Also, I agree that the more we stay informed, the more we can stay connected with the learners of this generation. Again, great post. Oh and by the way, your cartoon was quite hilarious.
ReplyDelete