by Eric Conrad, professor of education
Heidi Hayes Jacobs is an avid proponent for technology in our classrooms. While a great deal of what she promotes makes sense, some people find her philosophy provocative and potentially misguided.
There is no denying that our world is developing and becoming dependent upon technological advances at a break-neck pace. As educators we are in a unique position when it comes to utilizing current technologies. The following video presentation highlights several interesting points regarding our role as teachers, the need for incorporating technology in our classrooms, and the role technologically dependent curriculum plays in preparing our children for their future.
Please use this blog as an opportunity to share experiences you’ve had or witnessed regarding the use of technology, what your beliefs are about technology in the classroom, and how technology can be used to enhance the meeting of objectives or detract from the learning environment.
After viewing the video, I only have one question: Where would you find the time to do all of this? Currently, I am student teaching and I find it hard enough just trying to incorporate little things as opposed to technology. I always try to think of ways to enhance my teaching but in certain schools you are doomed to textbooks and worksheets. Innovation comes from experience and being frustrated with the way things are. I would love to learn how to do wiki’s, blogs, and even make podcasts with my students but as of right now, I feel like I would be lucky if the CNN Student News video works for homeroom (using old eMacs). Give us the tools and we can make these things happen
I totally agree with this video. Utilizing technology properly is crucial to the success of the countries educational future. However, I have noticed that little to no teachers I have encountered are utilizing technology properly, nor do they plan on doing so in the future. In the previous school district that I was at every classroom had a smart board and I learned that smart boards are not only a beneficial tool for teachers, but it excites students and motivates them to want to interact with the lesson. Yet, most school districts are unable to afford such technological advancements, which is a major issue.
I think that this video is very insightful. Instead of focusing on the “old news” in our lessons and curriculum, she expresses the importance of educators to seek the potential of our resources in the modern day, especially technology, and how it enhances the overall learning experience for our students. I think what is most important about this video is that she explains that it is a process, that over time will begin to develop ways to incorporate technology; there isn’t a magic button to push to put this into motion, but as we work together with our collegues to learn how technology works, and learn how it can benefit our teaching, and more importantly, our students, we will greatly change the face of education. Today with all the technology we have, I am hardly seeing teachers use it to its capabilities. I think teachers need to be educated on technology in general before they can start envisioning on ways to use it in their classrooms. It is something that is going to take time and re-vamping, but in the end, will be undoubtingly worth it.
I always enjoy TED talks, but this one really struck home. During my current internship in a local high school, I’ve noticed that students are truly engaged in writing, reading, and general expression and linguistic communication when they are using technology. However, when a teacher requires students to practice and hone these skills of expression in the Language Arts classroom, they immediately shut down and become unreceptive to learning. Therefore, I think that L.A. teachers must close this disconnect between the students’ use of language in their personal lives and their use of language in the academic realm, and I think we can bridge the gap through the use of technology.
Ms. Jacobs is right when she says that we are teaching a new kind of learner, so we must create a new kind of classroom that incorporates the technology that is relevant to students and their lives. While Ms. Jacobs seems to think that teachers are eager to implement technology, but simply need to know how, I (somewhat cynically) believe that many teachers are simply comfortable with their current lessons and may not realistically have the time to not just reform old activities but create new ones. Ultimately, we must make our disciplines more relevant to our increasingly jaded students so that they once again recognize the value of the public education system. And we can do this by creating opportunities for authentic performance in the classroom, by allowing our students to be futurists now.
I found much of what Ms. Jacobs said to be very insightful and in an ideal world I would love to utilize many of the technologies and ideas that she mentioned. I am an advocate for technology in the classroom and believe that this is the direction that education is headed in, but it is all about availability. This availability includes the money that schools are granted to purchase such resources, the time allotted for these changes to be made and available resources for teachers to learn to use these technologies.
I agree and hope to make one change of assessment in my units that incorporates technology. I would love for my students to create a podcast or video rather than writing an essay. Students still need to do the same thinking and writing that would be required for traditional assignments, but it would allow them to become creative and incorporate technology. I believe that students need to be exposed to more technology in the classroom and use it in a productive way rather than for gaming. At the same time, students then need for focus on learning to type and use the computer in a timely and effective manner which many do struggle with at an elementary age. I believe that there are many positive ways to incorporate what Ms. Jacobs was talking about, but it comes down to the school’s willingness to devote the time and money needed to incorporate these technologies and ideas.
This video communicates many ideas that I have learned throughout my career at QU and in my current internship. I agree that technology enhances student learning because it keeps the students engaged and opens up opportunities for more learning and research. I have observed teachers using smart boards and iPads in their lessons, and the students have always been more eager to participate.
Ms. Jacobs states, “We need to have our students engaged in what makes quality.” This quotation strikes me as very important because the Common Core involves performance tasks and higher level thinking skills. Students need rubrics and models that showcase quality work. I agree that the integration of quality videos, podcasts, and blogs will help students succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Schools need to prepare students for the real world, and the real world is making advancements in technology every day.
However, like many of the posts above stated, it is difficult for teachers to implement technology into their classrooms due to lack of funding. At the end of the video, Ms. Jacobs states that teachers need to “use the Common Core as an opportunity to start to modernize the curriculum.” I agree with this insightful way of viewing the Common Core, but this change, like every great change, will take time.
I agree that students would benefit from the type of learning Ms. Jacobs has described. As Amanda mentioned, its all about availability. Unfortunately, not all districts have the funds available to implement lessons that involve technology. The school where I am currently student teaching just purchased four Eno boards this winter and these are the only boards in the school. Teachers are worried about the shift toward computerized assessments because many of their students don’t have access to technology at home.
Ms. Jacobs believes that technology can increase student engagement and I have witnessed this increase first hand. Since the purchase of the new Eno boards, student engagement in my kindergarten class has increased dramatically. The students are always excited to participate because of the interactive resources that are newly available. We use the board across all subject areas and it has become a great resource for front loading. Technology is not only engaging but can help provide background knowledge necessary for comprehension.