I was a senior in high school when I first touched a computer, and it was the most massive thing I had ever seen. We had the big white Apples with the green screens. I can't believe that was back in 1987. Since then I have been fascinated by technology. I can't seem to get enough of it. I know that each class gets 3 computers and the school gets a computer lab. I wish there was a way to have computers for all of our schools.
In my classroom they all get computer lab time on Monday, and then 2 students per day can get extra time on the computers in the classroom. During our guided reading sessions today, there were 2 girls who for the most part seem to be very quiet and withdrawn. When they got onto the computer today, to work on their project it was amazing to see how much it pulled the girls out of their shell. Learning became fun and exciting. I think that sometimes we forget that students need more than worksheets and taking notes. They need to want to learn, and there is no better way to reach them than through technology. In this day and age even the 4th and 5th graders have iPhones, iPods, iPads, or a smartphone. They need something to keep them motivated and interested in their classes.
For example, in the school my nephew went to last year everyone was given a laptop. They had it for the entire year, and could take it home with them to work on homework. During this time his grades went up, and he loved doing homework. I wish that there was a way that all schools had this opportunity.
Our students today are much more techno savvy, and we need to keep up with them. We have a very small window and anything that can be done should be done. I am very happy to see that the teacher I am working with also loves working with technology. Hopefully, our schools can keep up with the advancements of technology. After all these children are our future, and we need to make sure that they are ready.
I agree that our students need more than worksheets. In our world of high technology, out students quickly become bored.In my classroom, even the students with the shortest attention span will become excited and alert while doing a lesson on the computer or when we do work on the smart board. If technology will help our students learn, then we need to incorporate it into our lesson planning. With so many children falling through the cracks academically, we need to use whatever resources that will get them excited about learning.
ReplyDeleteI hate when students are bombarded with worksheets. I think that they get really tired of that and they just love participating in hands-on activities or anything that gives them interaction with other students. I really want to come up with ways to make learning fun for my students. As far as technology goes, what really amazed me was subbing in an inclusion EC class. Several of the students could not talk or even come close to doing a worksheet, but they would sit at the computer for hours and play a math game. This really shows how much potential that computers have for learning and teaching. I hope to incorporate them in my class as much as possible.
DeleteI,too, remember well the days of green screens and floppy disks. I can even recall when there was no memory disk and you used a tape recorder (Commodore 64). I do believe that technology has many uses in the classroom. I also believe, though, that the craft of face-to-face, human-to-human teaching should remain at the foundation of what we do in the classroom. There is a touch, a feel, an intuition involved in excellent teaching that cannot be replaced. As long as we remember that technology should be a tool, not the teaching itself, then I think there is much to look forward to using instructional technology.
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