In the news, there have been some schools coming under fire for using “too much” technology in the eyes of some parents and community members. In fact, it has seemingly become a trend to question the use of technology-before even trying it. I’ve been thinking more and more about learning in today’s day and age, and I've come across a few articles that talk about 1:1 computing and using devices in the classroom. They are:
Here are the most salient points from each article:
This research tells us two things: That 1:1 technology use, especially in recent years, has massively improved students’ access to information and the ability to obtain it. This research also shows us that the efficacy of using 1:1 technology is greatly affected by the teacher’s experience and comfort level with it. Teachers who do not condone the use of 1:1 tech do not have students who use it effectively (or sometimes properly). Like any other practice in education, this requires a lot of thought and training behind it for successful implementation. There are those out there who are still asking: “Why?” Why change what we’ve got going on? Why try something new? If your resistance to new ideas is due to the fact that you feel it's inherently "wrong" to implement change (or that you’d somehow be doing bad by your learners), you’ve got nothing to worry about. Our kids learn ubiquitously, and are coasting through the age of information-with or without us. So, I have to ask: Why not? The change we are faced with in this day and age is not one that causes us to inherently reverse course and “un-do” the ethos of education. It’s to reform the way we approach teaching and learning. It’s to adapt to the “here & now” before we become the “there & then,” a passed-over option for public schooling in the 21st century. Why change? Simply put, because we must. There are two forces of change behind the latest push for technology use in the classroom, according to Schwann & McGarvey (2011). Force #1 is the strong desire that caring educators have always had to “individualize and personalize” learning. We all know that effective learning requires a focus on the needs of the individual, and this is how we have felt for a long time-this is just good teaching. As a special education teacher, this is my bread and butter-every reason for my existence. Force #2 is the powerful new technologies that are customizing nearly every industry and profession. The reality of today’s learners is that they have unprecedented access to information-we are at a nexus of availability and depth of information, unlike anything we’ve seen before. Today is much different than the “tomorrow” of yesterday-flying cars, etc…Today, we have much more access and customization available to us than was ever imagined possible. Take the soda machine down at your local burger joint. Not all that long ago, we had a choice between 8 different soft drinks (with one inevitably having a horribly misspelled note over it saying it was out). Now, because of mass customization in the food and beverage industry, we have over 156 options just to wash down our “burger-y goodness” with (thanks to the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines). To borrow a phrase from the 2004 Red Sox (and the 2015 Red Land Little League team), “Why not us?” If we have so much choice in soda, why not in something that has much more importance than quenching thirst? Today’s active learners know how to find information. If we can’t keep up with them, what’s stopping them from making a choice that isn’t us? Positivism is crucial to how we operate on a day-to-day basis. If we want our students to go on and do great things-to really shape and mold our future-then we have to lead by example- we have to live it. Finally, let the most salient point be this: change is coming whether we like it or not, and it is our job to keep up with our students-at home and at school-not the other way around. References:
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