Using Technological Tools in Education

I believe there is a place for all educational learning tools. In the early years, children learn foundational knowledge such as their multiplication tables, spelling, the alphabet, etc. Certainly there is a place here for drilling tools, whether the old-fashioned “repeat-after-me” type or the drilling software on the computer, or an interactive method that somehow combines physical activity with the repetition. As students develop in their cognitive abilities, I believe there is more of a place for inquiry-based learning, where students are given a problem and must figure it out, largely left to their own talents, skills, and resources, but strongly facilitated by an expert teacher. I think that there are certain subjects that lend themselves to more structured forms of teaching (teacher-directed) rather than hands-on learning (student-centered). I also believe that, to a certain degree, all learning is constructivist because people learn by making connections, thereby “constructing” their own learning. That is the very reason why having a strong foundation in the basics is so important. It’s like having the electrical sockets necessary to plug new learning into to make it work, or make the lights come on.

Engagement of the students in the learning process is critical. A good lecturer can actually do this through skilled questioning, enthusiasm about his/her subject, and the ability to show relevance on many fronts. Because of the increasingly short attention-span of many students today, hands-on learning has become popular: engaging the student in a physical activity of some sort. I think this is a good method, but, like all methods should not be used blindly as a panacea. After reading Oppenheimer, I am increasingly aware of the seductive nature of new technological tools and will watch to ensure I am not blinded by the glitz of those tools, but am always assessing them based on criteria we discussed in class for “appropriateness.” As a librarian, however, the bulk of my teaching will be teaching students and faculty how to use online databases, catalogs, the latest and greatest tools for citations, and maybe Web 2.0 tools, so I may be working with students, faculty, and administrators who have been “seduced” by technology. I will have to remain all the more balanced if this is the case. That means I cannot react in the opposite direction (taking a bad attitude about technological tools) but look at technological tools as one of many educational tools available.

As a college English teacher, I tend to keep my lessons low-tech. I use the computer, document camera, and Blackboard. If my students have computers on which to work in class, I integrate a bit more technology, but still keep it secondary to substantive reading, discussions, and some lecture. Typically English textbooks come with an online component on which students can drill on various elements of grammar. I encourage them to use this tool, but I do not spend class time on it. However, I haven’t ruled that out as a possibility if I see fit do so at some future date. I never rule out any tool that might be helpful. I use my intuition to help me navigate through the needs and dynamics of each individual class. I try to model open-mindedness about the Internet rather than a cut and dry judgmental attitude. For example, I would advise the class about evaluating all websites rather than taking the attitude of “Absolutely NO Wikipedia!” I tend to model my thinking out loud to students when I am analyzing an essay we have read. I am a big believer in small group discussions at the college level and then sharing as a large group, using strong facilitation skills to keep the lesson on track.

Kaiser Report - Part 2

I just realized I did not respond to the actual question for our assignment, so I will continue my thoughts on this posting.

I don't believe the Kaiser Foundation Study will impact educators. I think technology in the classroom is here to stay and the drive to incorporate it is too strong and intense to just go away because of the negative effects of heavy users.

I will be striving to use more technology in my teaching, but due to the fact that I am not using much now, that's a good thing. I will always consider the cost of using technology, as I discussed in class when talking about appropriate technology. How much additional time will it take, etc.

As a librarian, it will be my responsibility to teach students and faculty about the latest and greatest technology appropriate for education. As I saw in my student teaching, often teachers jump on the bandwagon of wanting to use technological tools and once they try it, they realize just how much more time training the students to be effective users of that tool takes. Then, they may change their minds again. I saw this happen with an instructor who wanted her Freshman students to use Noodlebib and even had the help of the librarians to train the students, but she was inundated with questions and regretted her choice.

As always, I think a balance is necessary.

Kaiser Foundation Report

I found the Kaiser Foundation Study fascinating, but not surprising. One thing I found intriguing was the link (in data only--the authors made sure to mention that they could not confirm a cause and effect relationship here) between a lower degree of personal contentment and a higher usage of media. I don't know about the rest of you, but I often find that to be the case for me. It seems the more I watch television, the less I feel content with my life. I have often wondered why that is and have chalked it up to the superficial focus of most of television coupled with the inane aspects of humanity that are frequently shown on most shows.

Another tid-bit that I wondered about was the chart on page 13 that illustrates those students who get good grades and compares that to their media usage. The bit I found interesting was the percentage increase of schools that don't use grades. With heavy users, that category does not exist, while with moderate users it's 3% and light users goes up to 10%. I wonder what schools these are and if they are linked with socioeconomic class as well. For example, public schools is the norm for heavy users versus a private or charter school that is out of the norm and likely very expensive. I thought it was interesting that that type of school seemed to correspond with media usage. Does it also correspond in some way with families placing limits on those children?

The fact that all media is becoming more prevalent, more widely used and accessed in most homes is not a surprise. It is disturbing to me that media is in kids' bedrooms because I would think it is much more difficult to supervise appropriate usage that way. I also think kids are more likely to fall asleep watching television, and I believe that is not wise. One's conscious blockers (of common sense and sorting and thinking) are not "on" when one is asleep, so all that stuff just goes in as "truth." Frightening. Not everyone believes this, however.

I find it a little disturbing that only about 10% are reported to read print media online. I wonder about taking in little fragmentary bits all the time and never reading anything comprehensive. What is the long-term effect of that?