Software in the Classroom

Having now considered three different types of software used in the classroom. i.e., drill/tutoring, teacher directed inquiry, and constructivist/student directed inquiry, the question we are considering this week is how are we to use these tools in our classrooms?

As a budding art teacher, the use of technology in the classroom, generally, is as a supplement to the arts curriculum, unless of course the subject matter is learning how to use photoshop, i movie, or illustrator, which are computer based programs. Nevertheless, the most obvious use of software may exist in exploring issues in art history and having kids do research given a specific subject. For example, a teacher directed inquiry would be if I were to assign a unit on Marcel Duchamp, I would provide some hints as to what subjects are germaine to Duchamps work e.g., readymades, surrealism, dada, chance operations et al., or, in a more constructivist manner, provide a short introductory lesson on Duchamp and turn the kids loose to find out as much as they can on the artist. Falling into the latter method, a web-quest could also be appropriate in an art class in learning about various techniques in, say, painting, photography, or printmaking. My overall intention would be to use technology in the most broad, interesting, and appropriate manner in order to keep coming at the curriculum in various ways. We must face the fact that the old school drill/lecture type of instruction is frequently boring for kids these days--unless handled in an exceptional, integrated manner that encourages the input of students. I definitely enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for art history, but with that, know I must be absolutely committed if I am to 'turn on' the kids. We've all experienced classes in which we have a natural interest, and then that interest is sabotaged by a boring teacher. Our goal in effective teaching is to explore different methods, softwares, and experiences that bring the subject into the kids "world of interest." This is easier said than done, but with one look at the internet resources available in all content areas, it behooves us to stay current and keep our minds open.

Kaiser Foundation Adolescent Media Use Study

In reading over the results of this study I had a similar reaction--though less visceral--to the video we watched in class at the beginning of the semester re: the rise of the internet and the fact that China will be the number one english speaking country in the world in a matter of years. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that I have reached middle age and have an 11-year old boy who is beginning adolescence which, according to this study, is concurrent with a huge rise in media usage. To think that he could be spending 8+ hours a day playing video games, texting, talking on the phone, watching video etc. makes my head shrink. More importantly, it reiterates to me that as parents we must be aware of what our kids are doing and how much time they spend doing it. After all, we are immigrants to the new technology, whereas young people are natives, as the recent PBS documentary "Digital Nation" noted.

What disturbs me the most about the study are:

1. the decrease in reading books (not to mention the non-reading of newspapers)
2. 4 1/2 hours a day of watching tv (45% leave tv on all the time)
3. 47% of 'heavy' media users (>16hrs.) are mediocre students and are often sad, unhappy and bored.

If these statistics are to be taken at face value, there is a serious penalty that will be played out in the future--one that may involve an entire generation of kids who are under educated, under employed, and struggling to find a mental equilibrium. I find the onus of this scenario to rest securely upon parents, and their ability to use sound judgment in overseeing their kids phones, computers, and video games. It is a proven fact that the area where judgment takes place, the frontal lobe, is now known to be developing for young people well into their 20's. Therefore we must be their guides to reasonable behavior, and provide the appropriate structure within which they can act, grow, and earn privileges.

I would be the first to admit that living in the 'Future'-- as we are now doing, provides an incredible opportunity, through technology, to expand our human capacities for knowledge and understanding. However, with all of these new potentialities we must remember that our responsibilities to practice sound judgment, empathy, and the rearing of our children to face the future with confidence and insight has never been greater. The Kaiser Foundation study is a tool, and a warning, towards this goal.