Opinion and Position on Technology in the Classroom



The question that was asked was:

What was your opinion about technology in the classroom? Do you think your original position is changing? Why/why not?


I have always considered that technology has a place in the classroom and my position on this has not changed.  Mainly because I believe that the role of schools is to prepare children for their futures and I see no future in which technology won’t exist.  I do think however that we need to ensure that we are not using technology, simply for school marketing purposes or to tick a syllabus requirement box.  It is critical that the distinction between informal use and formal use is made and that only formal use exists in the 
classroom – as is required in a workplace.  





Paige. (Artist).  (2015).  Paige | Integrating Mobile Tech Into Learning ... - Sites at Penn State. Retrieved March 7, 2018, from http://sites.psu.edu/paigevgraffmobiletechnologies/author/pvg5061/

Comments

  1. Maddison CrozierMarch 11, 2018 at 10:45 PM

    Hi Melinda,

    I found your thoughts on the use of technology in classrooms very similar to my own. I believe that it is essential to incorporate technology into the classroom as it prepares young people for the workplace and provides them opportunities to engage in these technologies in a number of ways.

    Do you think that there are times where technology shouldn't be utilised in the classroom? I think that technologies should be used to facilitate learning by not replace the teaching. Therefore, I think students should have a sound understanding on the content before technologies are introduced into the lesson.

    Thanks, Maddie :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melinda BartonMarch 13, 2018 at 3:06 PM

      Hi Maddy - I didn't really answer that question properly. Yes, I do think that there are times when technology shouldn't be utilised in the classroom and that it should only be used for a definite reason...not just for the sake of using it.
      Not sure if I agree that they should be fully understand the content though before they use technology - there are some awesome platforms and apps out there that assist to build that understanding.
      cheers
      Melinda

      Delete
  2. James QuinnMarch 13, 2018 at 2:41 PM

    Hi Melinda, I totally agree with you when you talk about the need to keep classroom technology use formal in nature. I personally think that you start to take a risk by introducing social media into the classroom environment, particularly from a distraction point of view. While I think that ability to use technology is critical, I also think that knowing when not to use it is equally critical. Cheers, James

    ReplyDelete
  3. Melinda BartonMarch 13, 2018 at 3:03 PM

    James, I fully agree with you. I'm not a huge fan of social media and I know how difficult it is to control with my own children. Whilst undoubtedly fascinating from a sociocultural perspective and I would imagine that there is quite a lot that could be learned from it, I just feel that the temptation for distraction and disengagement would be huge. Perhaps in Senior School it might be OK but Years 7-9 I think it's probably asking for trouble!!

    thanks
    Melinda

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMarch 15, 2018 at 2:40 PM

    Hi Melinda,

    I find your points on technology within the classroom very similar to my own. By reading blogs such as your own and participating in classroom discussions, I have developed an understanding of the importance of technology within an ever changing and revolving classroom. Your blog made me think and consider the use of technology in a changing society and the importance of it.

    Thank you
    India

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMarch 16, 2018 at 5:48 PM

      Hi Melinda,

      Thanks for posting your thoughts. I agree that tech will be used heavily in the future and that students should be educated in its use. I can see from my parents/grandparents what they miss out on--those of them not using tech at all.

      Your point on not using tech in the classroom to tick a syllabus box made me think: If something has been put into a syllabus (that is annoying me and I dont want to teach) there are probably many arguments from people that have lead to the point of that topic being included in the curriculum. So it could be good for me to pause and look into why it's in there.

      Kind regards,

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Connectivism and other learning theories - Module 4

At risk of sounding like a fence sitter who is unable to make up my mind, I find that after a lot of reading, note making and watching of videos, I still have one metaphorical foot very firmly rooted in each camp. I don’t think that there is one single theory which can be applied to all forms of learning, for all ages and at all stages, and I strongly believe that at different stages of cognitive development and maturity, there is a place for Behaviourism, Constructivism, Cognitivism and Connectivism. I see that effective teaching, particularly in this ‘digital age’ requires elements of all the major learning theories – with different focuses at different stages of education, and for children with different styles of learning. A simplified definition of a learning theory is provided by Duke, Harper & Johnston (2013) as a theory that provides a description for how learning essentially occurs. The theory of connectivism doesn’t, to me, describe how learning occurs. It descri...
Read more

Module 10: Collaboration

Image
I think that it is important to distinguish between Cooperative learning and collaborative learning as the two are often confused.  Cooperative learning involves classroom techniques that involve students working in pairs or groups to improve or facilitate their learning and includes techniques such as concept mapping and brainstorming, ‘gallery walk’, ‘jigsaw groups’ or ‘expert groups’ (Goodrum & Druhan, 2012).  Collaborative learning occurs when group work is used to build understanding or meaning, to find solutions or to create something. Activities can include writing or art projects, joint problem solving, debates or anything in which students team up or work in groups to explore or create (Oxford, 1997). The way that I want to help students collaborate is with authentic Project Based Learning opportunities, where they investigate a real world problem and as part of this, develop a product, artifact or presentation for a real audience (“What is Project Based Lea...
Read more

Module 9: TPACK and me

Image
As a beginning teacher who is experienced and comfortable with technology, the concept of TPACK seems a bit of a no-brainer; meaning I can’t really imagine planning my lessons any other way.  I suspect that I have good TK, satisfactory CK (Excellent in some areas but will surely need a brushing up in others!) and developing PK, which would place me where the red star is below.  The goal is to increase my PK to get to the yellow star. In the workplace, after setting the goal or target, standard practice for any new project or plan always starts with an assessment of the available resources and, in my eyes, this framework provides a similar approach to teaching.   Identify the goals of your project (ie the lesson or project you want to deliver – and the curriculum outcomes), assess what resources you have first (your TPACK), then identify and address any gaps in order to give your project the greatest chance of success.   Wish it was as easy as it sounds! ...
Read more