Let's explore the PRO side of things

My blogs thus far have basically highlighted some of the downfalls of technology. I don't want anyone thinking that I am completely anti-technology. It DOES have its place. And, this week especially, I have seen good uses of technology in various places.

The first place that I saw a great use of technology in the classroom was at a workshop given by one of our book reps at the college on Wiley Plus. It is an online software in which teachers can post assignments (homework, quizzes, tests, etc.) and the students can do them on their own time. The features that it had were amazing! Students can now show their work directly on the computer using a "white board" so that they can either submit it with the problem (if required) or they can print it off or email it to their instructor to get feedback. This is, of course, much easier to do if you have a tablet of some kind to write on, but there is a menu on the side of all the mathematical functions. You also don't need to know the keystrokes for certain mathematical functions, like exponents, because you can just use the arrow keys to type where you need to. This software also links the student directly back to the section in the textbook in which the topic was covered so that they have a reference. It also keeps track of what they are getting right and wrong so that the student can see what they need to go back to and practice. If set up by the instructor correctly, this would be a TERRIFIC tool for the classroom.

I also wanted to let everyone reading this know that I am actually very into technology myself. I own a tablet PC where I can write directly on the screen which allows me to highlight text, mark papers that students email to me, etc. It is still new to me, so I haven't used all the features yet, but it is still pretty cool. I am also on the Internet quite a bit between my Teaching With Technology class that I am taking and with checking email, facebook, banking, etc. I would consider myself relatively high tech.

I also just watched a case study for my class (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoCnzVZ1phY) in which they show an elementary class that used technology to create a public service announcement about global warming. It not only taught them about global warming, but it also taught them the correct uses of researching and selecting materials from the web, marketing, collaborating with others, among many other very useful and educational topics. As I said, technology does have its place, we just have to make sure that it doesn't completely take over.

Support for my position on technology

I just read an article on line at http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/technology/sobel.htm.

It is called "Take Back the Afternoon: Preserving the Landscape of Childhood In Spite of Computers" by David Sobel.

I encourage you to read it. It is about the role that technology should play in the classroom. There are some lines that I would like to quote:

"... does the computer really make your preschooler smarter, happier and healthier? Or does it numb her brain and make her just another contributor to the globalization of a consumer-oriented, ecologically destructive culture?
Regrettably, it is not so clearly black and white. Rather, to paraphrase Judy Collins, 'Something's lost and something's gained in computer use everyday.' When children in and out of school are using computers, they are not doing something else. If we understand what they are not doing as well as what they are doing, we will be in a better position to decide what place computers should have in children's lives."

I think this speaks for itself. This is basically my fear that children are just getting too much exposure to it and are losing some valuable EXPERIENCES in the process...experiences that one can NOT recreate virtually! We also spoke about this in our group for my Teaching With Technology class. The point was brought up that technology may be a big contributor to the obesity epidemic. I don't think anyone would disagree that actually going out and playing sports is VASTLY different from playing "fantasy sports." Which one has more benefits? I think the choice is obvious.

The author goes on to discuss things that are being lost in students childhoods (outdoor discoveries, playing "pretend," etc.). He then says, "This erosion of childhood concerns me and computers seem like a river in flood washing away the soil that roots children to the natural world."

"Computer use in school may be something of a different story. ...The message here is that good software is much more dynamic and interactive than most of the rest of the stuff that goes on in school. "

"This does not mean, however, that we should cave in to demands for more and more computers in schools. Instead, we need to focus on creating learning environments and educational challenges that are equally as engaging, interactive and sophisticated as good software."

"Technology enthusiasts want us to believe that all educational problems are nails and that we can solve them by giving everyone a computer hammer. But cooperative learning, apprenticeships, real science, social action projects, and community-based environmental education are equally important tools in creating educational reform."

"The point here is that computers should follow, not lead. Dynamic, real life engagements that build skills, self-confidence and a sense of purpose in life are the motive force of education. The computer has a role to play in this drama, but it should be a supporting cast member, not the star. Right now, the computer is too much of a prima donna, attracting attention away from the rest of the players and the technical crew. And if an increasing percentage of the school budget is spent on computers, then not enough will be spent on pianos, art materials, laboratory equipment, land acquisition for the nature center, bilingual education specialists and a new sound system for the theater."

I guess the bottom line to all of this is that technology is not really the enemy. Everything is good IN MODERATION. Technology needs to be CAREFULLY interwoven into our curricula and should not ever be a substitute for student to student interaction, hands on activities, field trips, and other things that connect our students to the real world.

technology in an administration role

We just had our last department meeting of the year and it got me thinking about this course and the discussions my department has had about technology. There are two different technologies that we are dealing with - instructional technology and administrative technology. Instructional technology would be anything that is used for the classroom. It could vary from the actual technology that we have students use to do assignments to the course management tool in which instructors post documents and grades. Basically, you can consider it anything accessible to the students. Then we have administrative technology. This would include any and all software that is imposed on us by the administration to maintain the school records. We currently use the BANNER system for this. When we switched over to this system, we were told that it could do everything the old system did and MORE. Any information that we wanted would basically be at our fingertips. Once it was instituted, we found out that this was basically not the case and that BANNER was incapable of doing some basic things to which we had been accustomed. Because of this, policies then started being created based on the restrictions of the technology. Basically, the technology was influencing policy. This is driving much of the faculty absolutely crazy! Policy should not be the result of what technology can and cannot do. It should be the result of what makes sense for the college, faculty and students. I guess this would be yet another con for technology in education.

First meeting on Wiziq.com

Tonight was the first meeting of my group using WizIq. It was a completely new experience for me. Of course I have used the Internet before, but I have never created a virtual classroom. I was the facilitator for our first meeting and, I must say, it went very well. I think I can get used to this. I am on the computer so much as it is, so it really isn't much of a hassle to have to have class on it too! This is very different from the way other online courses are run though because it is not really self-paced. You still have designated times that you are meeting with others. The only difference is that you aren't physically meeting. It's all virtual. Now, while I do think this is pretty cool, I still don't think that this is the way all education should go. I can definitely see interpersonal skills going completely extinct. In the younger generations, I already see it...and it scares me. Technology should never be a complete substitute for human interaction. It is simply too precious of a commodity.

During our first meeting, we discussed the LoTi Framework. It is basically different levels of technology use in the classroom. It goes from basically being non-existent to being all that the students do. I find that there is a HUGE jump from level 3 to level 4a and so did my groupmates. Level 3 is where I would consider myself to be. I occasionally use it for my students to explore and evaluate data. They use it to aid in the learning process. Level 4 then jumps right to the students using it extensively to learn material and create projects. Don't get me wrong. They should know how to use technology to their advantage. However, I feel that instruction should drive technology - technology should not drive instruction. We need to use it when it is appropriate and not overdo it. Just because technology exists does necessarily mean that it is the BEST way for our students to learn. Do we want our future generations to just sit in front of a computer screen to get all the answers? Our society may not see the repercussions now, but it will.

Initial opinions on technology in (mathematics) education

One of the things required in my Teaching with Technology class is to choose one of the recommended blogs on the syllabus to read, follow, and reflect on. In other words, it seems that we are to blog about a blog. Don't get me wrong, it is important to read other educators' blogs to get some new ideas and see what is going on around the country, but I found five of the recommended blogs to have very interesting content. I will probably have comments to make about all of them. Also, it is just as important to have some of my own ideas for blogging, so I may only refer to these other blogs in passing while I go on my own rants on various topics. I would like this first blog to address why I named my blog "Technology in Education - Pro or Con?" I teach in a community college which, I admit, has a unique blend of students and so my opinions may be drastically different had I worked in the secondary schools or in a four year university. The students in the community college, especially the level at which I teach (developmental mathematics), vary from high schoolers in the bridge program to adults that are coming back to school after many years. There are students that, I'm sorry to say, are probably not really college material, who have learning/social/mental disabilities who are mixed in classes with students that have the potential but just don't care, who are further mixed with returning students who really do care and are willing to learn, but they have too much other stuff on their plates. I usually only see a few students that put in the effort required for a college course and actually can prioritize and see the value in being there. So, this brings me to my dilemma about technology. First of all, technology in terms of graphing calculators or even just four function calculators are completely OVERUSED in mathematics education today. Almost no one can do a basic mathematic computation without relying on this technology which is one thing on my CON list. Second, being that I have returning students that are not as technologically savvy as the Internet generation, I find it very difficult to institute TOO much technology because that would just be another barrier in the way of them learning the material. This is another CON. I feel that, as a society, there has been TOO MUCH of a push towards technology that students are going to lose the ability to personally interact with others and also lose the ability to think critically. Now, I also realize that technology may be used to facilitate learning and I am for that, but where do we draw the line? This is my standpoint for the beginning of this course. Let's see if it changes my mind.