I was reading through my stack of magazines last night and I came across an article with the same title as this posting. The article is located in the August/September 2010 issue of neatoday magazine. The author, Rosita Force, teaches technology in Omaha, Nebraska. Her answer to the question at hand, "sometimes yes, sometimes no." Ms. Force provides two good examples for the pro Smartboard side. The first is a kindergarten teacher who's students learn letter sounds by tapping on letters on the Smartboard. The second is an interactive problem solving site by the BBC where students use their hands to make choices to further develop solutions. Ms. Force questions whether the use of Smartboards enhance our students ability to solve problems or if they are being used to babysit. She refers to teachers who have turned their IWB into a big movie screen. It saddens me greatly to think that there are teachers out there who would do such a thing.
The article raises the fact that the generation of students we have seated in front of us daily are so connected to technology and school often serves as their time away from their devices and gadgets. We have already discussed through our course readings that it may be to our advantage to incorporate the technological fads our students utilize into our teaching so they become more invested in the learning process. Does the increased usage of such technologies limit our students' creativity and innovation or encourage it? I think back to discussions with Alan Foley about developing mobile apps as teaching or learning tools. If students create their own programs or apps to use on Smartboards or Smartphones, it would appear they are solving problems on many levels.
Ms. Force ends her article by reminding the reader that some of our greatest thinkers had only tablets and a something to write with as tools. Are we doing our students a disservice by including more advanced tools in our classrooms in leu of pencil and paper? Only time will tell.
To read the article in its entirety visit neatoday magazine.
Hi Greg,
ReplyDeleteThe article you reference presents a provocative argument surrounding a pen/pencil & paper orientation vs. advanced tech. tool mindset. I think as capitalism and economic globization continues to increase around the world, the use of advance technology for social, academic, international interactions is going to become common place, just as how the use of a pen/pencil and paper pencil are now considered normative communication constructs.
~Aja
Greg,
ReplyDeleteInteresting article. I can really see both sides of the argument here. There is something to learning the "basics", which I would consider reading, writing, and arithmetic, and utilizing only pen and paper to do so. I guess it really comes down to using technology to enhance the learning process and not using the technology if it doesn't enhance the learning process.
I agree with Aja and Sue- there can be both sides to the argument. However, I believe that just like teachers should know basic pedagogy and be able to do it before getting wrapped up in technology, students also should be able to learn without technology first, then enhance that learning later. (I'm thinking of my former high school students who couldn't add without a calculator, or worse, their cell phones.)
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI am so flattered that you have read my article.. more importantly-- I feel like you totally understood what I meant! :)
I love my smartboard but there are some days that pencil/paper are the best tools for the job.
The technology in my classroom is really just another "rabbit" in my teaching hat.
I was really interested in Aja's comment about what effect capitalism has on education...