We are asked today to reflect upon our major projects for this semester in Tech Ed., our Integrated Technology unit plans and webquests. We have been given an example of a reflection that takes into account the TPACK template in which various elements of the Lesson plan are considered and evaluated, piece by piece. These are useful and germaine to increasing our knowledge of the elements that accrue to form the "whole.' However, for my final reflection for this class I want to move away from the theory and speak about my experience working with these tools.
I do not come "whole hog" to the subject of technology in education. I am certainly an immigrant in this world, though I feel I have a decent grasp on what is presumed in taking this class. The idea is that as teachers we're going to be expected to use technology in our teaching. Fair enough. Technology is another tool to help us "get across" what we need to in our particular content areas. Yet, yet... I feel like some of the 'ease' of use for the teachers ends up being more "bells and whistles" than anything else. I think what needs to be stressed with the use of technology is what and where it works best. Obviously this will take some trial and error and teachers do have the luxury of being in the classroom every day.
Our concentration in this class has made me wonder how much actual time kids get to spend in front of computers in school. I know in elementary and middle schools most kids go down to the computer labs once or twice a week. In my son's fifth grade class they have four computers in the classroom, which they use for specific assignments. I wonder because I've heard that a lot of high school graduates have difficulty writing. Modern methods of pedagogy must never lose sight of the fundamentals in education.
In re: my unit plan, I feel visual literacy is particularly suited for the integration of technology as the almost instantaneous ability to dial up any painting or image is pretty slick. However, the heart of visual literacy is the dialogue and ideas that are generated by an informed and engaging teacher who uses the technology to illustrate the theories being presented. The webquest I generated for this assignment makes use of images and links to various museums for image research. I also made use of a you tube video. Pretty straight forward stuff--combined with the student's oral and written participation and some teacher generated enthusiasm, it should all come off pretty well. The night I presented I thought things went well, although my beginning was hampered by my unfamiliarity with the pc. In a real classroom situation I would know to prep a little better:) My bad.
Overall, I feel I have benefitted from what Jim has presented in our class. I do get excited about increasing my computer skills and knowledge. Nevertheless, the real talent I'm after is the kind that takes place standing in front of kids presenting material I believe in and turning their minds and imaginations up to 11 :)
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Wade, I definitely understand your position feeling like an immigrant in this ever expanding world of technology. Between texting and tweeting it seems that technology is offering us an awful lot of short-cuts which is fine for adults who have already mastered what I will call the basics of successfully functioning in our society. I fear that some of our youngsters who are still developing these skills are being hurt by an over reliance on technology. The idea of some teenagers graduating from school without being able to write a short essay is unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteHowever, from what I can see, the short-cuts technology offers us can be very useful both in life and in the classroom. We just need to make sure that it complements an already rigorous lesson plan that promotes knowledge attainment and not distraction.
I think your sense about bells and whistles is correct -- the guiding principle should be like Occam's Razor -- all things considered, the simplest solution is best. Technology can bring a higher level of engagement in some cases, and makes it much easier for students to share their work with the world. But knowing where it makes sense, and where is just muddies things is an important knowing. Good reflection.
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