7/23/2015 Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education: iPad, Tablet, Computer, Listening CentersRead Now
Digital videos, video games, and other technology are great tools in the classroom. Yes, there is an initial investment and it can be costly. But here's a list of reasons to use technology in classrooms:
1. Students love it (It's their favorite medium) 2. Engages the four key components to learning: Active Engagement, Group participation, Frequent Interaction/Feedback, Connection to Real World Experts 3. Professional Development (to prepare for future employment) 4. Makes Life Easier for Teachers 5. Improves test scores 6. Helps students with low attention spans - reaches students through different methods. (ESL, Sp. Ed.) 7. Learn from the experts 8. Encourages homework - flipped classroom 9. Saves money (Increases the number of functional teachers in the classroom. Less money needed for curriculum resources.) 10. Removes obstacles (amplifies voice) I am all for this, but budget is an issue where I teach. Here are my questions: Are there technology grants for adult schools? How do we overcome obstacles of fear, usually with the older adult students, and obstacles of language, especially with beginning level ESL students? Reference Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education: IPad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers. (2014, October 7). Retrieved July 23, 2015.
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So, what is the allure of Snapchat? Setting aside its reputation as the sexting app, it has a wide appeal for young people. A Snapchat picture can only live between 1 - 10 seconds, then it fades away. This appeals to young people. There are no comments or likes on Snapchat, so there’s less pressure to crop or adjust the lighting to make a perfect picture.
One feature of Snapchat is it allows people to use pictures and video to tell stories. You can create “Stories” around a central theme and take pictures and brief videos throughout the day to add to the story. Once this is all put together, the whole thing only “lives” for 24 hours. An example of the power of Snapchat was illustrated by Jerome Jarre. Jarre has 1 million Snapchat followers, aka fans. He sent a snap to have people meet him in Union Square at 3pm and a huge crowd showed up. Just to get a taste of snapchat, I downloaded the app to try it out. I send a few Snaps to my only friend, my 13 year old daughter. I can see the appeal for young people. It can be a fun way to tell a story. But, I don’t see it as truly “documenting” a story because the documentation fades away. Do any educators use Snapchat for learning/teaching? If so, how is it used? Reference Neistat, C. (2014, October 2). Snapchat Murders Facebook. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
Prof. Michael Wesch in his humorous, light way brings out a serious critique on how our education system has been working. Using an informal poll of his students, we learn that technology may be disrupting the “old way” of teaching. Students are not so mesmerized with what the teacher at the front of the room is teaching them. Instead, they are on their smartphone or laptop - checking email, Facebook, tweeting, IMing, etc.
New Definitions He defines knowledgeable as “knowing a bunch of stuff” that the teacher dumps on students in a lecture hall or typical classroom. He defines knowledge-able as able to find, sort, analyze, criticize, and create new info. Prof. Wesch points out that today’s students have access to just about everything, more knowledge than any one instructor can give them. He argues that in order to meet the needs of students a teacher needs to adjust his approach. The knowledge is out there. Instructors need to help students sift through the data to sort through and analyze. Like I tell my students, everything on the internet is not true and we must always consider the source. If a milk company tells you that milk is healthy and we should keep on drinking it, you must consider the source. Whereas many people say that technology separates us. He says technologically makes it “ridiculously easy” to connect with others and gives examples of a few viral videos. In education, that means we can also use technology to organize, share, collect, collaborate, and publish. It is a tool that can enhance learning as long as we learn how to use the tool properly. Reference Wesch, M. (2010, Oct 10). TEDxKC - Michael Wesch - From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-Able. Retrieved June 8, 2015
MOTIVATION What's your motivation for being online? Do you see the internet as a social space that you visit daily or is it a tool to be used as needed? VISITOR A visitor goes online, does what they need to do, then gets off. They tend to be private and goal oriented. They only use technology when they need it. They tend to have more of an individual learning style. They see the web as having tools to be used as needed, then put away when done. RESIDENT A resident wants to be visible online. They are communal. They see their online presence as a social space and an extension of themselves. If you don't stay active online, eventually your presence will fade away. So, staying active is important. WHICH AM I? As Dr. Dave White stated, you don’t have to be one or the other. It’s more like a spectrum, with visitor on one extreme and resident on the other. I think I am more of a visitor. But, I do maintain 2 Facebook pages; so in that sense I am a resident. I am learning that having a Personal Learning Network is important for me professionally as an educator. So, I am one side but I’m motivated to become more of a resident than a visitor. WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH SCHOOL? The old school student mindset is: "Learning is between me, the content, and the expert.” The students look to the teacher to give them what they need to learn. Then I suppose the new school mindset is: “Learning is between me, the content, my classmates, other students, and any experts I can find online.” The internet has opened up sources that were previously not available. Also, students are more likely to share what they are learning with an online audience. Reference White, D. (2013, May 31). Visitors and Residents. Retrieved June 8, 2015 |