In this New York Times article, there is a discussion about whether or not technology in the classroom is as goo an idea as everyone would like for it to be. In one seventh grade English class learning Shakespeare, "...students are bent over laptops, some blogging or building Facebook pages from the perspective of Shakespeare’s characters. One student compiles a song list from the Internet, picking a tune by the rapper Kanye West to express the emotions of Shakespeare’s lovelorn Silvius." But, with the budget cuts and lay-offs, if this really the better future of classrooms?
I’ve said in some of my other posts that it seems as though robots will soon be taking over the classroom, but will that help? Unless there’s some kind of stimulation within the classroom for the students to better grasp their education, technology isn’t going to fill all the voids. There needs to be something other than the fallback to technology to change what’s happening, or better yet, not happening, in the classroom.
The article states “Some backers of this idea say standardized tests, the most widely used measure of student performance, don’t capture the breadth of skills that computers can help develop. But they also concede that for now there is no better way to gauge the educational value of expensive technology investments. ‘The data is pretty weak. It’s very difficult when we’re pressed to come up with convincing data,’ said Tom Vander Ark, the former executive director for education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and an investor in educational technology companies. When it comes to showing results, he said, ‘We better put up or shut up.’”
I think that that’s a good phrase to sum up what’s happening within districts when it comes to funds and lay-offs. If nothing is being done to help, then how is anything supposed to get better? There needs to be a change, not just an update. In order for this to happen, someone needs to realize that technology isn’t going to fix everything, and it’s definitely not going to fix it over night.
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteThis whole course has taught me how great technology can be for the classroom. Technology helps students learn material in ways: ipods, ipads, podcasts, blogs, etc. Students are able to take on content in a new way that helps them connect/relate to what is being taught, which is why I believe technology is definitely a great addition to the classroom. We are fortunate enough to be apart of a generation where there are so many advancements.