Philosophizing a Bit

It's hard to know where to begin.

For three years, I have followed education courses which have dealt with issues all the way from diversity to "PowerPoint Learning Objects". And now, I have to condense a plethora of random convictions into a short amount of meaningful space. A great task. Except, some of that stress is reduced since really, technology is my priority in this epic blog experience.

For one, I have to continue to believe in the power of a teacher (3). Not only the power to help a student earn a decent grade in a class, but the power to change adolescent perceptions of success and of the future. Yes, please refer to any and all inspirational educator movies in order to understand my sentiment. Alongside this "belief in teachers," there is a random assortment of resources which reference the "Power of One" idea; quotes, film clips, articles. I have provided a few links in order to aid you in better understanding where these inspirations come from.

"The Power of One." (Video). http://www.caringstrangers.com/powerofone.htm

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. (Margaret Mead) http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/qu_margaretmead.htm

Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is most important that you do it. (Gandhi) http://www.famous-quotations.com/

We must become the change we want to see. (Gandhi) http://www.famous-quotations.com/

And, if you're dying for a connection between teacher power and technology, indulge in these fantastic (and simple!) quotes:

• Teachers are vital to the learning process. Tech is good, but it is not a perfect substitute.
• Computers can never replace humans.
• Learning is based on motivation, and without teachers that motivation would cease to exist. (7)
  

It's these last quotes, including the ones by Gandhi, that should serve as jumping-off points to the discussion of modern education. For one, I have come to organize my style of education in a way that aims to include what I consider "modern information"; that is, I aim to make sure that my lessons and my activities will actually cover information like African history (although I need to make sure I don't maintain an African history bias). In other words, there's definitely a need to stress (or continue stressing) relevance. They may not see the vital significance of the Rwandan genocide (but afterwards I hope they do!); however, it is an event that is still causing problems today, and that is RELEVANT.

However, it's no longer just an issue of content or an issue of standards or an issue of interesting curricula. As we have learned in this class, it is now also a question of technology. We are led to inquire: how can we possibly find the happy medium between exemplary education and technological use?

We have been able to explore applications, articles, websites, and techniques in order to give us, as future educators, a "leg up" when it comes to having our own wired classrooms (isn't that one of the main points of this class?). As a practicum student, I've had limited experience with SmartBoard and online quiz game-making. But, even though there's a small chance I will even have a SmartBoard (much less more than two computers in my classroom), I still have to train myself to be ready for the day when the gods bless me with twenty top-of-the-line MacBooks and matching iPods.

Here's the simplest point of philosophical rambling about technology and education and kids: it's not about "fighting" the negative effects of technology, it's about FINDING A BALANCE.

Don't trivialize it, capitalize on it.

Consider, for example, the various websites provided at the bottom of this blog. They all have some tidbit of information related to our students and technology, and can even be used in helping to build that all-important, personal philosophy about students and technology.

Belief #1: There are negative effects of technology on education; be aware of them.

Education is no exception to those institutions affected by technological problems. Cell phone use, unfair nation-wide distribution of school funds, bad technology use by teachers... it happens. The first step in being an informed educator is to know the problems and work against them.

For the Wiki project, my partner and I looked at attentional deployment/multi-tasking. The articles I found were quite informative as to the negatives of multi-tasking; the result is students who aren't necessarily absorbing the information they need to absorb. That, obviously enough, has some big significance in the education world. Also, however, I read up in this articles about brain structure, and how brains respond to alleged "multi-tasking"; and the truth is, the brain (even though it's going through its own evolutionary process) isn't the multi-tasker we assumed it to be. Therefore, yes, there are certainly problems with kids doing all those different things on top of homework.

Not only that, but the brain isn't currently as adapted to technology (or, really, our tech habits) as it needs to be. One of the articles points out that at the rate we use technology (every blinkin' chance), our brain's processes of use and relaxation aren't getting done. This can't possibly be good for children's brain abilities. (4, 5, 6)

Of course, a huge point to consider (and to make distinctions): "For all the handwringing about Generation M, technology is not really the problem. "The problem," says Hallowell, "is what you are not doing if the electronic moment grows too large"--too large for the teenager and too large for those parents who are equally tethered to their gadgets. In that case, says Hallowell, "you are not having family dinner, you are not having conversations, you are not debating whether to go out with a boy who wants to have sex on the first date, you are not going on a family ski trip or taking time just to veg. It's not so much that the video game is going to rot your brain, it's what you are not doing that's going to rot your life." (5)

Belief #2: Teachers need to have the right amount of training before they can be appropriate users of classroom technology.

I could really just sum up this entire belief by saying: attend Educational Technology. But, the fact of the matter is, having a teacher who isn't flexible around technology or who uses it incorrectly doesn't help students. What's more, teachers might not even understand how to react to children's behavior problems with technology; if the teacher catches a student using a cell phone, but then doesn't know how to turn it off... sounds pathetic. (lecture, etc.)

This entire semester has been full of discussions and demonstrations which apply to this belief. The whole point of the semester was not only to fulfill any state requirements in technological competence, but also to learn software and methods that might actually be helpful in our classrooms.

WebQuests: This seems self-explanatory, as we have discussed the topic in class. But, for repetition's sake, WebQuests are awesome ways to promote student-led learning in a forum which tests children's skills at synthesizing information, working as a group, preparing presentations, and also surfing the Web for appropriate resources. Complementary lessons on authoritative Webpages and search engines can be used to helps students with the WebQuest.

Newsletters: Even though we created these for parent-teacher reasons, students can still use them on their own. Students can do projects like historical advertisements or "one-page" newspapers and "publish" their own flyers.

Digital Stories: I won't go into detail, as I wrote a whole page on this subject previously.

PowerPoint Tutorials: So much is possible here. Not only can teachers use them as lesson enhancers, but students can create them to help other students (or even other classes!)

Wikis: What better way to get students synthesizing information AND using the web at the same time? Bravo Wiki pages! Refer to my Wiki response for an idea on Wiki use.

The point to remember is: I've heard that technology is not necessarily greater than the teacher. So, use technology, but don't forget that your position as a teacher is still powerful! (7)

Belief #3: Basic is okay.

I inserted this belief as a reaction to an article I read about online courses and their positions in grade schools. My reaction was that, although having online courses can definitely be a help in some schools, I don't think they are necessarily vital at this point in time (which was mentioned in the article). I've been through four years of college and haven't taken an online class.

The point about "basics" is that although technology is awesome, that doesn't mean that there needs to be an overload of it. An overload is not only expensive, but also questionably necessary. Not all students are going to become computer scientists. Therefore, when designing projects or teaching technology use, teachers need to focus on solidifying basic skills in their students. (This reminds me a bit of an article on homework I read, and about homework format and focus- I don't have the exact citation on me.) For example, knowing how to surf the web, use search engines, write/send emails, determine webpage authority, and use Microsoft Office are probably the basics. If there's a chance to expand further than that, great. But administrators and teachers shouldn't become fixated on the idea that more technology = better learning. Thus, online classes probably aren't a necessary component. Aim for survival in the digital world when teaching technology. (1, homework articles)

Belief #4: Find the zen, find the feng shui.

As articles have noted (and the video provided on the Wiki page), the solution to multi-tasking or "technology" problems isn't to take an extreme route. Rather, it's all about compromise. Make kids do a graphic organizer about the Mongols and then play Marvel Capcom. In fact, we've discussed rewards and reinforcers in my Behavior Management class... it's a good system. Sometimes, you just gotta remember that there are more important things in life than checking Facebook. (4, 5, 6)

(Although, I've had a hard time learning that lesson.)

Resources to Note and Cite for This Blog and for Further Information

1). "Schools Won’t Require Online Class. Yet." Winnie Hu. Published January 30, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/education/01educnj.html?_r=2&scp=4&sq=education%20online%20February%202009&st=cse

2). (Cell Phone Article). http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/

3). “Children "Tune out" in Response to the Ambiguous Communication Style of Powerless Adults.” Daphne Blunt Bugental, Judith E. Lyon, Eta K. Lin, Emily P. McGrath and Alfred Bimbela. Child Development, Vol. 70, No. 1 (Jan. - Feb., 1999), pp. 214-230. Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the Society for Research in Child Development.

4). “The Perils of Multitasking: When Kids are Plugged In, How Much Sinks In?” Margery D. Rosen. February 28, 2007. http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.scholastic.com%2Fbrowse%2Farticle.jsp%3Fid%3D11595&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFrqEzc04P8kNBsaFRSlO8guVKkG9BFBtA

5). “The Multitasking Generation.” Claudia Wallis. March 19, 2006. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1174696-2,00.html

6). “Too Much Multitasking.” ConnectWithKids. Accessed April 2, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nUMNCzalXI

7). "Is It Age or IT: First Steps Toward Understanding the Net Generation." Diana and James Oblinger. http://www.educause.edu/Resources/EducatingtheNetGeneration/IsItAgeorITFirstStepsTowardUnd/6058

Also cite my courses and professors.

If I did not explicitly cite every section, cite them now.