Should technology be used in Schools?


I saw positives and negatives in both schools in the videos.  However, I think technology should be used in schools. Regardless of our viewpoint of it, technology is here to stay and it will have a role to play in their futures. I can’t think of a single type of job or career where technology is not utilised (or at least available to be utilised) in one form or another. To be citizens in the 21st Century and beyond, they will need 21st Century skills.


However, the teaching of specific software and applications is less important as changes are sure to continue at a rapid pace.  What is going to be critical though, is the ability to blend the “legacy content” and the “future content” referred to by Prensky (2001) to ensure that the future content enhances the learning of the legacy content.  As technology changes, students will need the confidence and digital literacy to embrace new technologies and to learn to use them as they come.

There are certainly times when technology shouldn’t be used in the classroom.  It has the capacity to divert and distract and waste time if the task that it is being used for is not appropriate. We need to be careful that the slave does not become the master.  Technology is a powerful tool in an educative setting but it needs to remain as a tool, not the focus. 

Cornet,M. (Artist) (n.d.). Mobile Relationship - Bonkers World. Retrieved March 7, 2018, from http://bonkersworld.net/mobile-relationship


Comments

  1. xxxxx23March 11, 2018 at 6:15 PM

    Hi Mel,

    Obviously technology is here to stay. A tool and not the focus is completely right!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 12, 2018 at 8:00 PM

    Hi Melinda,

    I agree that technology is obviously here to stay, but I don't think that the Waldorf schools and especially the one we saw in Silicon Valley are denying technology is here to stay. Their theory or belief is to have a more natural way to education. The school development director Lucy Wurtz said, "a slow paced development education". Alaine, one of the mothers is quoted as saying that "their house is so full of technology", so they are so exposed to it already. She believes they are sponges so they will learn technology anyway. She also believes classrooms are places to learn the basics and be interactive. The Waldorf schools have a 94% entrance into university which is quite amazing, don't you agree? Another question could be asked, are the Waldorf students exposed to the same or similar technologies at home used in other schools? If so, the sole purpose of the technology at school would be to "engage" them like in Singapore, not to teach them a new technology.

    According to Adrian Lim they use technology in the classroom to make school fun and to "engage" the students. At the Waldorf schools they use interactive activities to engage the students in doing so they are interested and having fun. "When kids are interested that's when learning takes place" (Lim).


    Will the students at Waldorf schools be behind in technology? maybe, but they will probably be ahead in other interactive skills needed. "The role of a teacher is facilitation" (Pr L, S, Kong). According to Kong, teachers were the sole bearers of knowledge but now knowledge is everywhere. Teachers need to guide students where and how to get the correct information, not just share their information. In my blog I spoke about Bowen's book titled "teaching naked". He believes technology should be used outside of the classroom to make the most of an interactive and the pedagogy inside of the classroom. I found it very interesting.

    Regards,
    Brett

    Singapore's 21st-Century Teaching Strategies (Education Everywhere Series)
    User: Edutopia - Added: 15/03/12
    YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_pIK7ghGw4

    Silicon Valley school with no computers
    User: CNN - Added: 14/03/12
    YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUxLKik3zN

    Bowen, Jose Antonio, Teaching Naked: how moving technology out of your college classroom will improve student learning, First edition; San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass; 2012


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melinda BartonMarch 13, 2018 at 4:05 PM

      hi Brett - interesting points re natural way to education. Believe it or not, I'm not actually a huge advocate for technology and I actually deplore the way that we are so dependent on it. But, that is my point. The 'natural' way is rapidly becoming the technology way, particularly to this generation growing up now. Regardless of whether or not a house is 'full of technology' is, to me, irrelevant. I have a very strong distinction in my thinking about technology for entertainment and technology for purpose. A house can be full of technology but what are those kids doing on it, outside of school time? I think it is a fairly safe bet that a lot of use would be entertainment, or perhaps creative. Really different skills to what they would be doing with technology at school.

      The Waldorf schools (by the way, these are based on the Steiner philosophy) certainly do have an impressive university entrance rate but at risk of sounding cynical, I would hazard a guess that those children would perhaps make it regardless of where they went to school. I'd be very interested to see demographic data associated with their students. Independent schools tend to attract children from 'better' backgrounds, those with more involved, committed and educated parents,and more stable, secure financial situations which often create greater opportunities for those children. Thus, I think to compare the university entrance rates for this select group as opposed to university entrance rates for a public school is not comparing apples with apples.

      Thanks for the reference to 'teaching naked' (the mind boggles!!), I'll definitely check it out. I'm not against the Waldorf school philosophy, and there is no denying that their pedagogical practices are sound and successful. I just think that for mainstream education, technology in the classroom has a role to play - even if that role is largely for engagement. Maybe that's not a bad thing - I found a report from the Grattan Institute that states that 'the research paints a consistent picture of widespread low-level passive disengagement and disruption' and states that the problem is widespread but is worse in schools in low socioeconomic areas. In my experience, with kids at high school, lack of engagement and resultant behavioural issues in the classroom is the number one problem at school. If technology engages them, and they are using it to learn real world skills, I say we should use it.

      Reference:
      (2018). Grattan.edu.au. Retrieved 13 March 2018, from https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Engaging-students-creating-classrooms-that-improve-learning.pdf

      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