……netting butterflies and mounting them on boards and labeling them with Latin names produces beautifully precise objects of scientific interest…..but it does not capture the ineffable movement of the creature as it moves from flower to flower or from larva to winged (Daisley, 1992)
I certainly appreciate that our children or more technological savvy than previous generations. They have grown up with technology at their fingertips and are “multi-taskers”. Palfrey and Gasser expose us to the Ying and the Yang of technology. They heighten our sense of awareness as they espouse the virtues and vices of young people willing to create and recreate everything from products to themselves in the open forum of cyberspace.
However, they as well as their parents, school staff, school board are still human beings. The need for personal insights into the emotional and social needs of the students as well as the other stakeholders is still relevant and needed. (Daisley, 1992) Teaching one the intricacies of critical thinking can certainly be fostered by technology but many times, faulty self-perception issues must be approached to encourage appropriate disclosure and respect for the prevailing laws established for techno - global world.
Technology in and of itself is not learning necessarily, it may be a readily accessible tool to foster learning. There are still socio-economic issues that must be addressed (Senge, 1999). Disparages in access to education must be ameliorated and efforts to engage parents who have experienced marginalization must be deployed. Offering multifaceted means of assessment other than testing such as small group projects and portfolios may tend to serve our students, their parents, school staff and the community better than the latest and greatest technological break through which is bought today and obsolete today. (Litkky, 2004) Developing true connection within a framework of genuiness and concern for that student’s learning experience will not go the way of Pong, Speak and Spell, Ms. Pac Man and so forth and so on. Whereas MyMathLab, Blackboard, twitter, face book, MySpace, ilinc, and Wimba are great tools in education, fostering and establishing connections that are not subject to viruses, lack of memory to accommodate the downloads and lack of accessibility are crucial as well.
Quintessential Symbol of Diversity
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- Job23:10
- He knows the way that I take and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
State Meet - Digital Native
I asked one of my students who does not live with her mom even though they live in close proximity, when was the last time she saw her mom. She said, "I don't know, - we talked on Face book last week.” I think of how much is communicated by a small gesture or gentle touch or momma's eye signals and I wonder how much deep communicating are we able to do using digital devices?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there is a great deal of disparity when it comes to the use of up to date technology in schools. It doesn't have to be the case though. I talked with a district grant writer yesterday who attended a grant writing conference this week. She said there are billions of dollars out there in grant money. Districts just have to put in the necessary work to get it. When I taught I had my third graders create presentations for math with interactive buttons which they had to show their parents at parent teacher conferences. They had to teach their parent how they constructed their project which involved importing pictures and text. Parents were beaming with pride and so were the students. It was no easy feat but it is possible. Students learned a skill that they will utilize for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteI remember doing a several similar projects while in school, but instead of butterflys I was assigned to collect bugs, leaves, seeds, and flowers. I even remember saving my seed project and using it again the next year with a few added seeds. Thank goodness for modern technology and the P-16 system. Now we can facilitate more engaging lessons and track students' knowledge and progression through the material to avoid repeated lessons and project burnout. Thanks for this post!
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