I'm a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga.
In this post, Mr. Spencer highlights some very important points about this type of technology. He says that they are merely flip charts in front of a projector. They are teacher-centered and still based on the lecture-format. How will they make students smarter? He says, "The technology will drive the instruction rather than the theory driving the implementation of technology..." Teacher-centered tools will not help with student learning. I agree with Mr. Spencer. This technology can be a great tool, but the focus has to be lifted from the teacher to the students. It definitely cannot be said that the use of "Smart Charts" is a revolutionary change, just as Mr. Spencer notes. Changes are still pending before we see this change.
Don't Teach Your Kids this Stuff. Please?
Mr. Scott McLeod is currently the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. Also, he is serving as an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. Mr. McLeod's blog post is oriented towards parents, teachers, administrators, and board members. In this post, he outlines the methods of technological connectivity. He uses the convincing method of sarcasm to point out that his kids are going to be ahead of everyone in a decade or two because he is using all of these methods. Mr. McLeod addresses the issue of blocking technology and its connectivity from students. Blocking it does not solve the problems. I want to emphasize how important it is for teachers to educate how to use technology. Isn't it easier to teach students to use it for the right reasons rather than watching over them all the time? I think students will be more prone to use it positively if they are taught to use it like that. One thing's for sure, technology will make them more fit and adapted for their futures.
This is a cartoon by John T. Spencer. The Papermate represents a PC, which is less costly and has several issues compared to the Mac. In contrast, the Ticonderoga represents a Mac, which is more costly but is more efficient, in terms of issues. I own a PC because a Mac is too expensive. Luckily, I have gotten to see several advantages of the Mac due to EDM310.
This is a post by Mr. Spencer based on a conversation between the principal and Mr. Johnson (his characters). The principal asks Mr. Johnson why his class was playing games. Mr. Johnson argues that they were not playing a game, but rather engaging in an advanced simulation. The principal tells him that he needs to focus on rote memorization skills with his class.
I still cannot believe that in this time and age we are still engaging students in pure memorization. When are our educators going to realize that it just does not work. I'm probably more harsh right now because of my frustration from pure sitting at my desk and studying for my nine chapter genetics test. I really want to learn this material. But why do I have to learn it like this? Isn't it unfair to a student who wants to learn to have to sit and memorize instead?
In this post, Mr. Spencer highlights some very important points about this type of technology. He says that they are merely flip charts in front of a projector. They are teacher-centered and still based on the lecture-format. How will they make students smarter? He says, "The technology will drive the instruction rather than the theory driving the implementation of technology..." Teacher-centered tools will not help with student learning. I agree with Mr. Spencer. This technology can be a great tool, but the focus has to be lifted from the teacher to the students. It definitely cannot be said that the use of "Smart Charts" is a revolutionary change, just as Mr. Spencer notes. Changes are still pending before we see this change.
Don't Teach Your Kids this Stuff. Please?
Mr. Scott McLeod is currently the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. Also, he is serving as an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. Mr. McLeod's blog post is oriented towards parents, teachers, administrators, and board members. In this post, he outlines the methods of technological connectivity. He uses the convincing method of sarcasm to point out that his kids are going to be ahead of everyone in a decade or two because he is using all of these methods. Mr. McLeod addresses the issue of blocking technology and its connectivity from students. Blocking it does not solve the problems. I want to emphasize how important it is for teachers to educate how to use technology. Isn't it easier to teach students to use it for the right reasons rather than watching over them all the time? I think students will be more prone to use it positively if they are taught to use it like that. One thing's for sure, technology will make them more fit and adapted for their futures.
Khushbu,
ReplyDeleteYou have developed a well written post. I am glad you understood that the comic was about Mac and PC users. I own a PC as well and there are benefits to both types of computers. Many of the blog posts you had to comment on for this post used sarcasm to expose the problems with our educational system. We should no longer be afraid of using technology in the classroom! Good job on this post.