Have you ever wondered why we keep technology out of the classroom? Well the Tech Commandments article tells you exactly why. The fear that children will act the same way online as they do in the classroom, the fear that the student will known more then the teacher, the problem of not having technology educated teachers. These are some of the many reasons why teachers want to keep technology out of the classroom, however, what if we had teachers that knew how to work the technology, they knew how to teach the students to act on the internet then wouldn't it be alright if we had technology into the classroom?
We need to understand that in order to use technology our teacher need to be taught how to use it first, and there needs to be a set up. For instance you don't want a teacher to start the lesson, tell the students to turn on computers and load a program that takes twenty minutes. Have the computers and the programs on and running, and shut the monitor off so they cannot see what is on there. Its is little things like these that can help improve our classrooms and our future students.
I think that students and teachers need to get into a routine of using technology. Of course you will always have those few students who misuse technology (i.e. go on Facebook when they're not supposed to) but whose to let those few students stop others. Your right, by finding little ways to save time and by making a routine, technology can be more easily incorporated into the everyday schedule.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a teacher should have a way to set up technology so that it does not take up half the period. But how does a teacher do this? I know that some websites are educational but might take a long time to load. That is why a plan B is always good to have!!
ReplyDeleteI think that teachers need to set-up the technology ahead of time, if possible, in order to save time. Also I think it is important that teachers conduct a few trial runs when setting up technology which may cut down on the time. If these two ideas do not work then I agree that a plan B needs to be in order which could be an alternate lesson.
ReplyDeleteTrial runs and computer prep should be instinctual to teachers who use technology in their classrooms, but for some reason these simple steps that would save valuable time during a lesson are forgotten. Why? Because teachers are still not using technology enough in their classrooms. Would a teacher plan on giving a hand out to her class and then simply neglect to make photocopies before class began? Of course not! This comes instinctually to teachers because they have done it so many times. It may be out of some teachers' comfort zones to use technology in their lesson plans, but we should not be teaching to make ourselves comfortable. These are skills that the students will undoubtedly need as a part of their everyday lives when they grow up. They already navigate the Internet and their home computers with ease. If a teacher is nervous to use technology in the classroom because they are afraid that something will go wrong, fear not, because one of the students will probably already know how to fix it and then you will be the student that day!
ReplyDeleteTeaching teachers about technology should be necessary and mandatory in schools. Too many teachers do not know how to use the technology in the classrooms, thus, ineffectively implement them into the classroom. Teachers should be shown how to use certain programs on the computer, and apps on the IPad and even how to use Smartboards. Many teachers are afraid of technology because they either are not used to it or are not knowledgable on how to use it, or that something will go wrong and they will not know how to fix it. The only way for schools to ease teachers fears and make them feel more comfortable with technology, is to provide training session, although, they should make it mandatory for teachers.
ReplyDeleteStudents need to be taught the proper way to use technology and schools should not be afraid to integrate this into curricula. The internet is a useful tool that has the ability to help and hinder students' growth. The only questions I have is how much time should we allow for teaching them how to properly use the internet? Should we make it mandatory for all subjects or only the ones which can directly affect their online choices? Do we teach them exactly what we are afraid of (e.g. Facebook)? I want to teach my students how to be internet smart, but when and for how long is the question?
ReplyDeleteI think it is a great idea to have the programs already running for the students. There is so much time wasted when having the students set it up themselves. Teachers need to look at the little things that will save time.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a great idea to have the programs already running for the students. There is so much time wasted when having the students set it up themselves. Teachers need to look at the little things that will save time.
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