Schools in Lancaster, Pennsylvania have been putting more and more technology into there classroom. They have been using various types of educational software, Mimio boards, PowerPoint, QuickTime, Windows Media Player, and others.
But the newest addition to their technology is using a school-based, kid-friendly e-mail system called Gaggle. The students in grades three through twelve are now using this system in the Lancaster schools. They have an e-mail account where the students can type and hand in all their homework. There is a place where the students can take notes and store them and their homework assignments in the "digital locker". The students can have discussions in Gaggle. There is also a feature called GaggleTube, a kid-friendly version of YouTube. One teacher in the article said " I could see going paperless with Gaggle in the future and having the students turn all their big essays in to me electronically." Could the school system go all paperless?
I think that learning how to write is still important. There are many skills that technology can aid in but should not replace. What are your thoughts on this? Is there such a thing as too much technology? Are there certain skills that just cannot be replaced? What would be the pros and cons of Gaggle? Again, I am very much in favor of adding technology into the classroom. I just wanted to take a different approach and see what people thought about this. Is there such a think as too much technology?
Click on the picture to read the article I got this information from.
It is necessary to incorporate as much technology in the classroom as possible in order to service the needs of our students. I am reading "Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology" by Allan Collins and Richard Halverson, they argue that our idea of schooling needs to adapt fast because a new era of schooling is approaching. We are apart of the Knowledge Revolution, much like the Industrial Revolution, the Knowledge Revolution is using the new available tools to reach and give experience and knowledge to our youth the best way possible. During the Industrial Revolution the printing press changed the way we look at schooling. We were able to reach the masses by using the printing press. Horace Mann had a vision and the printing press allowed it to become reality. We have been living this model for 150 years, it is time to talk through our options.
ReplyDeleteThe Knowledge Revolution allows the learner to pursue their own interests and goals. I love the bottom line of the revolution, life long learning. Life long learning and expertise are two characteristics needed to be successful in the future. The computer greatly extends the ordinary mind in the same way that the power tools of the Industrial Revolution extended the power of the ordinary body. The computer tools allow students to communicate with people all over the world, we are not staying in our own little bubble anymore. Our students can reach out and hear different opinions, not just from their community around them physically. This allows for different perspectives and approaches. Also allows for students to communicate with masters of the topic. For instance they can have a web-chat with a scientist discussing the topic rather than the classroom teacher who may not have as much expertise.
The point is that our thinking is changing and communication is changing. Technology brings enhanced capabilities for educating learners, anything your students can think of they can simply type it into a search engine and be able to learn about it instantly(we must teach students how to find the information). Technology also offers customization, learner control, scaffolding, games and simulation, multimedia, publication, and reflection. The ability of a learner to be immersed into a simulation where they have to solve environmental problems by traveling through the town to interview, collect data, and observe a community not only allows the learner to experience what it would be like in there field, but also allows the learner to know the how and why, which can not always happen in a classroom environment. Technology must be embraced or else there will be consequences.
Students of the Knowledge Revolution are less patient in filling out worksheets or listening to lectures. Students are in a sense being spoiled by the fact that any information is at their fingertips. The students of today what to learn what they what to learn, when they want to learn, and how they want to learn. Educators of today should embrace technology or they might be out the window with the paper and pencils.
I think this question can be looked at from a number of angles...
ReplyDeleteCan there be too much technology in the classroom--YES, especially if the technology is being used improperly, or without sufficient training. This is a problem I see a lot in schools. Tons of money is spent on technology, but very little money is spent training teachers on how to use it. Or, very little training is spent on WHY we are using it (the research behind it, pedagogy, etc).
I do agree with you @Kara, that we need to use technology to meet the needs of our students, which are currently labeled "digital natives". In my experience, I have found that using technology in my classroom has been the #1 motivational tool for my students. But this is just within my school community, where 98% of students are on free or reduced lunch and many students are labeled at risk. Many of my students have little or not exposure to technology at home. This may not be the case in another school, where students have almost every technology readily available to them. Those students might not be as motivated as mine.
Also, my ESL students definitely benefit from a variety of technology tools or technology experiences that I provide for them. However, they could not learn the foundations of reading through technology. Yes, during my guided reading lesson I incorporate technology, but I don't make it my focus. Believe me, I am all for the push of technology in the classroom (hence my degree in Instructional Technology!), but it needs to be done carefully. We live in a digital age, and if we want our students to become competent digital citizens, then we need to find more ways to seamlessly integrate innovative technology into the curriculum.
This question is a brilliant one that I think about often. A few years back I read an article by the BBC talking about the emergence of new technologies in the classroom and whether there was "too much." (See article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6241517.stm)
ReplyDeleteThe introduction to the article comments that previously teachers would write on the chalkboard and students would furiously write copious notes. Now, this teaching method seems to have evolved with the emergence of new technology. Technology provides many advantages, but sometimes I think we need to consider the difficult obstacles of utilizing all these variations of technology in the classroom. For instance, using technology requires plans A-Z. Technology runs into problems of being more unreliable than old fashioned lecturing. Technology can break down, and teachers scramble to a back up plan- and often they need more than one back up plan.
Also, training becomes an issue when too much technology is introduced. Teachers have to go to seminars and learn how to utilize different features of technology. If not, the technology they are given may become dusty and go unused. I know from personal experience as child of a growing digital age, I had to gradually help train my mom in her classroom to use technology. There was a transfer from grade-books that were written to digital ones online. Teachers have to keep up!
Also, cost becomes a huge issue in technology. In the classroom for poorer areas, technology may be older and outdated in comparison with the technology on the market. Because of this we see a gap in the older technologies used and that which is becoming popular and more advanced.
I think a fine line must be placed on decisions to use technology in the classroom. To a certain extent, it may be advantageous. It provides new methods of teaching and engaging students that lectures did not before. However, I was concerned by the article about Lancaster City School in some of their ideas to completely go paperless and only utilize technology. I recently found out that in school systems they have eradicated the teaching of cursive, and it seems that in the event of completely going paperless we are almost taking out printing or writing in general. A fine line must be considered in taking away different pieces of learning. Too much technology would be when we disregard other methods of teaching that bring in different elements. Too much technology would demonstrate in a sense that we are failing in creativity and cannot do anything without the aid of technology. Let's learn to integrate innovation in the classroom and curriculum so as to reach the students, but let us not allow it to take over.
It is very common to use the technology in class nowadays. Teachers and students usually use the technology in teaching activities or learning knowledge. I think there are some certain skills that cannot be replaced by the technology. Like JoyLynn mentioned above, writing skills should not be replaced by computer typing. Students might rely too much on computer typing in doing their homework and most of them have weak writing skills or spelling ability while they have handwriting homework or tests. Otherwise, the face-to-face communication is necessary and basic social behavior in the human society. Students can learn the appropriate social communicative skills through the real conversations. For second language learners, one of the best ways to improve their proficiency level is encouraging them to apply the linguistic forms in daily life conversations. If they just rely on the computer-learning tools, they cannot learn how to solve unpredictable problems that might happen at any time.
ReplyDeleteFor teachers, it is good to use appropriate technology in their teaching. It can motivate students to achieve the academic goals. However, teachers might use too much technology sometimes. For example, some teachers use more than one technology in single class. They are too busy to think about if students can receive so much information in a short time. Also, they spend so much time and energy in preparing materials and they suffer pressure all the time. They might have experiences that the computer-mediated tools are out of service in class and they feel frustrated and upset for that.
I have never used Gaggle before. I believe that it would be a good tool for teachers to collect students’ work and categorize them in the computer. Teachers can also track student’s learning record and encourage them to work harder. Students also have high interest in using this software to show their ideas and performance. However, the instructor needs to consider whether every student can use the computer at home or available in their life. If not, this kind of homework will become a bad idea for some students.
After reading the topic and posts, I couldn't help but think of an article I read recently in the New York Times. It concerns virtual classrooms replacing the teacher-centered classroom. It presents a rather grim reality in our nation facing cuts to the educational system.
ReplyDeleteThe article can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/education/18classrooms.html?_r=1&scp=9&sq=technology%20in%20classrooms&st=cse
As a student, I'm not a fan of virtual classes or the use of too much technology in the class. I have nothing against technology, I own 3 laptops, an iPhone, an Ipod and countless other gadgets. But there's a place and limit to everything. I learn best from a dynamic, knowledgeable instructor who can explain the material I have read on my own. You can't as a computer questions related to the subject.
As a teacher, I'm suspicious of too much technology - mostly because it has the potential to be used as a replacement for teachers. What can I say? I like my job and want to keep it.
Ha! Yes, I will second the notion that keeping our jobs is a good thing!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't teach in K-12, Gaggle sounds like a fun and motivating way for teachers and students to interact with each other. It sounds like a great aid to the classroom and I agree with @Mary that technology and the classroom need to be intertwined together, as opposed to one overtaking the other.
I always find the idea of "going paperless" to be so cliche nowadays. Every company, school, office, etc., seems to make this some sort of idealized goal. It's been my experience that technology almost seems to create MORE paper! I know from my own experience, I like having hard copies of emails and assignments AND I find myself printing out Powerpoint slides so that I can write copious notes on them!
Too much technology is really up to whom it works for. But, for now, there should still be a real teacher. Even Rosetta, has realized that their program is not dynamic enough to meet the challenges of teaching a language had have subsequently added a live tutor to the mix.
ReplyDeletePoint being: technology is a tool, like flash cards. It is not really the teacher… yet.
And getting distracted by the 'awe-mighty-power-of-computers' is a mistake.
If the program is bad, you might as well let the students play on facebook (at least then they'd be using language!)
To be clear, however, since the number 'too much' is subjective it really is up to the situation. If it works, it works. A projector, or doc-cam, calculator are not intrusive technologies unless they are being used incorrectly.
There can be too much technology just as there can be too much writing, reading, listening and speaking in class. It would all have to depend on the purpose of the course and how teachers give instructions. I do think technology if used inappropriately can distract course or students’ focuses. It is very beneficial for students when the teacher uses powerpoints to enhance students learning by incorporating graphs and charts but if the teacher tries to put in too much sound effect or have every PowerPoint slide line/information flying in from various angles…it may seem intimidating and annoying to the students.
ReplyDeleteSpelling is a skill that cannot be replaced. When students use word documents, they don’t have to memorize the exact way to spell words because the computer will do the spelling check for them. If students get used to not memorizing how to spell correctly, this may be a big program when they take paper-based tests. I haven’t used Gaggle before but it seems like a good way to get students involved in school work after class as well. Just as Yun-Ju stated, the teacher will have to make sure every student has computer access at home. Moreover, the teacher should always have other plans when encounter problems like the internet is down or the student’s computer is down or somehow Gaggle does not work anymore.
Teachers are still needed in the classroom. Teachers can notice students’ needs by their facial expressions, body movements, and the blank stare back when you ask them questions. In my mind, technology is used to assist students’ learning but after all, students still need someone to interact with/test their knowledge(interlanguage) and to make critical decision on what feedback to provide at the current situation.
Too much technology can be a bad thing in certain contexts. I am thankful that I can write fluently by hand and on the computer, which I think is a product of my generation. Soon, students will be forgetting how to write by hand (is penmanship even a class anymore? But, as mentioned above, my spelling is not as good as I would like it to be (thanks to Bill Gates and MS Word correcting all my errors).
ReplyDeleteSometimes I just don't trust technology. I think it raises the chances of intentional and unintentional plagiarism (which is rampant in some contexts). And I'm just not comfortable with the idea of a completely virtual classroom. There's something about physically being with a group of people (or perhaps is just that fact that in life you need to learn to follow a schedule, be places on time and things and those are things you learn by attending class?)
Does Gaggle offer real-time collaboration for group work? I see that corporations have sophisticated networks that would allow real time updating of documents (Microsoft Cloud, Go-To-Meeting) but is it feasible for schools to have these?
For language learning it may be difficult to practice authentic communication. Like a lot of the things we've discussed on this blog, these products/software/websites are good supplements, not substitutes.
There's also the issue of accountability. How can teachers account for all that homework should the network go down or files get erased. I guess they could print everything, but that would defeat the purpose of going paperless.
There is no question in my mind that students today need to be able to use and keep up with the technology of today’s world. Teachers, too, should be equipped and able to use the tools that will enhance their lessons and pedagogy and benefit their students the most. We have come a long way since a blackboard and chalk were our only tools, and teaching and learning has changed hugely since I was in school. I agree that there is much benefit in incorporating technology more creatively into the classroom and doing it well. That being said, I am also a proponent of balance in all things in life, including technology in the classroom (and out!) I think there needs to be reasonable limits set just like there are limits needed for the use of technology at home and elsewhere. In some ways it almost seems that as we become dependent on technological tools as a society, we are actually losing some important skills along the way.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of tools, I think of a tool as something a person uses and not the other way around. (I think @A.C used the word “intrusive”). When our ‘tools’ begin to manage us and we feel helpless without them, it could be a sign that it is ‘too much’. Another way to look at it is to ask the question, “Is it appropriate?” as well as, “what kind of technology is appropriate for the given situation?” I think we need to be choosy and make thoughtful decisions. Perhaps there are times when less or no technology is a better choice.
Education is not just about the attainment of more and more knowledge. There are other skills and areas in which students need to become competent. Some of these skills (such as conversation skills) cannot be learned through technology and rely on lots of face-to-face practice time. Some lessons can only be learned through rich interaction with family, teachers and peers. I wonder whether it is true that as some have said, the attention span of students is becoming ever shorter? Teachers have always been challenged as they try to keep the interest and attention of their students. These days it is only getting harder as they must compete with multiple distractions or distracted students.
I remembered reading an article early this year. (Yes, I did have to look it up again online!) Its called: 2010: The year technology replaced talking. (USA Today.com) You can look it up if you are interested!
So, to summarize, technology is great and should be used to benefit schools, communities and teachers and students, but used in a balanced way within limits and with careful, discriminate thought of outcomes, both intended and unintended.
Am I seeing a trend in "low-tech" philosophy of education?
ReplyDeleteThere is a great divide in the question over what kinds of benefits technology can provide for education. I'm very impressed by the fact that so many young educators are starting to back away from technology since the reliance on equipment creates a pandora's box of reliance for support.
I've heard arguments on both sides and can only tell that like any high cost item, funding makes all the difference. If funding were not the issue, we would all have unlimited resources to solve all the problems in our classroom with technology...but would it really solve all our problems, or just create new ones?
With new resources comes issues of honesty and access to inappropriate sites. Additionally, we expect vocabulary to change through the years, but is the computer world further complicating speech for our learners with so many new techie terms and text message abbreviations? I'm also interested in finding out about how we educate future generations on privacy issues regarding any and all recorded communications. Now that communications can also become "viral" in a nanosecond gives us pause for what the future may hold. Clearly we realize how quickly communications can damage a career or reputation, and the awareness of having too much technology available is definitly giving us all reason to rethink how we use it.
@JoyLynn, very nice incorporation of a hyperlinked picture to link to the article in question.
ReplyDelete@Kara, thanks for the book mention. This looks like something to add to my to-read list.
@Christina, that NYT article made my jaw drop. If such a practice were put in place for ESL learners (especially those with interrupted education or from vastly different educational contexts), it would completely cut them out of learning the social language, interactional opportunities (and the SLA literature has a lot to say about this), and exposure to the classroom norms of U.S. school systems.
@A.C. your reference to doc cams, calculators and other non networked technologies brought to mind an article by Rafael Salaberry, which provided an overview of less modern and sometimes defunct technologies used for language learning over time. It's quite fascinating to see where we may or may not be repeating past mistakes or transcending past practices: The Use of Technology for Second Language Learning and Teaching: A Retrospective.
I was reading a thesis about computer games and LL, and founded out about a concept proposed by Ulmer(2003 in Wilkerson 2010)which talks about a concept which states the importance of electronic literacy, or electracy. The theory which is goes by the name of electrate language learning, calls for not simply adaptation of technology into the classroom, but for foreign language teaching practices which would "capitalize for learners need for literacy in electronic platforms"(Wilkerson 2010 pg. iii). This makes total sense to me. I have over a year experience of volunteering with refugees from different parts of the globe, and one of the biggest problems they face in the United States is the integration of computers into the lives of citizens to such an extent that not too much can be done without them, specifically internet skills are extremely important, not only for jobs, but for finding information, and communicating with the world around. I believe that it is really important for students of any age to have skills which would set them up for success, and success in todays life is conneceted in many ways directly to technology, thats why it's hard for me to say that too much technology can be bad, as long as the teachers not only use technology, but also teach students to use technology properly. For example, and this is more sad than funny, the internet, is a powerful piece of technology that students today seem to know how to use well, but this is not necessarily true. The internet provides millions of terabytes of data. Some of it true some of it is not for example http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
ReplyDeleteis a website which was created to trick kids, for a study that was meant to show that kids may believe almost anything written on the net. In this NBC article you can find more about it http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local-beat/An-Octopus-in-a-Tree-Seems-Real-115497484.html
Fact is that it seems to me that teachers in this case are a little behind the technology with the skills we are teaching. Today for example data analysis is more important than memorizing, but schools have not caught up to that trend yet.
So what I am saying is that technology is moving forward fast, and kids today need skills today to deal with the technology they will face in and throughout their lives. As a result I believe that teachers need to learn technology themselves, and be ready to teach it and use it in the classroom, this is actually exactly why I took call!
It is really too much technology. Teachers get confused and do know what technology is good for their students, because almost every six months there is a new technology come up to the market.
ReplyDeleteSome schools have been using so many kinds of educational software, such as, PowerPoint, QuickTime, and Windows Media Player to facilitate teaching processes to their learners. However, we should not forget that there are some school cannot afford technological expenses. In this case, when learners transfer from school to school will find some difficulties of using the new technology, for instance, some students do not know how to submit her/his homework on line, or using PowerPoint to demonstration her/his presentation. I would say that using technology in classroom; it should be standred in public school.
Regards