Sorry for the delay everyone, we were having technical difficulties which I'm sure you can all relate to. So, anywho...here are the discussion questions Lori and I have for you to answer. Just a reminder you don't have to answer all of the questions.
1. Describe ways in which you can become "digitally literate." Describe ways your classroom can become "digitally literate."
2. According to the video: "Web 2.0...The Machine is Us/ing Us Part 2," virtual reality is a likely outcome of the participatory internet. Do you agree? Why or why not?
3. Do you think it is important for students to be assessed on their "technological literacy?" What about students that are "being left behind?" Do you think it is fair to assess students on their technological skills when some can't even read at grade level?
4. According to the summary of findings of "Teens and Technology," teens seem to use the internet for personal reasons such as talking with friends, playing games, but they are not using the computer for educational purposes. Will incorporating computers into lessons really keep students engaged? Do you think they will be engaged in the lesson simply because it is different from using the textbook and worksheets? Or do you think they will eventually become less engaged in the lesson because they are using the computer for "school work" not for playing games and talking with friends?
5. How has technology in the classroom changed since you have graduated from high school? What are the positive and negative effects of these changes on education and learning?
34 comments:
Amy said.....OK Lori and Lauren, You probably new I had to jump on question 5. I was reading your questions and when I saw #5 I had to laugh!!!!! Well, when i went to high school (I am not telling you how long that was), we didn't have a single computer in the school! Not even in the office. We didn't have photocopiers we had ditto machines! We didn't have calculators. Maybe they had one in the office. They did have typerwriters and they were electric. After high school I worked in a college bookstore and I sold calculators no computers. A calculator with just addition subtraction division multiplication and percentage sold for 20-40 dollars. One with simple scientific functions went from 90 to 200 dollars. Then if you had printing capacity was over 100.00. Hmm let's see how has technology changed since I was in high school. Oh it was invented!
Amy, I liked your comment about how technology has changed and I guess it has really changed for you. Do you ever remember having "hands-on" activities in the lessons you were taught?
It seems today because of all of the new technology innovations that there is a huge push to incorporate technology into the classroom because of the fact that students learn in different ways. But going back to what I think Christine said last week in the blog that multiple intelligences has been around for a long time why did this big push come now and not really before? Worksheets are worksheets no matter how jazzy you may try to make them and they were just as boring back then as they are now. So I guess my question is why didn't we think about "hands-on" activities before?
Amy...I had to laugh while reading your comments. Where I went to elementary school, we had a ditto machine, and that wasn't too long ago. We also had a laminator, and the photocopier was only a couple of years old. We did have calculators, but we weren't allowed to use them to often because we had to use our own brains to figure it out!
It is rather amazing how technology has changed, imagine, in the past 15-20 years there has been huge leaps in the technology world and how it relates to education.
My mom worked in the office and I used the computer for her to help create stuff for the teachers becausee they couldn't figure out how to use different programs. (Either that or they knew I was bored and wanted something to do!) I also had the little figures to get the paper out of the photocopier when it jammed...lucky me!
Even the prices of the "simple" technology has changed. The price of calculators and the functions that they have. It shocks me to this day!
I think about, why do we have to have the technology? Why was there a big push for it?
The big question though is if students are actually gaining more than without technology?
In The machine is Us/ing us Part 2 the question of virtual reality is fascinating. My mind can say why not and then is says I can't imagine anyway to create it. How? and do I really want it? If you go onto youtube there are some pretty interesting things there. Do I really want to smell them? do I really want to touch them? OK JR. That answers part of the question. But no I don't think I do. Imagine getting images of war and floods. We all saw the pictures of the NEw Orleans hurrican. Do I actually want to go into the dome where those people had to endure such horrible conditions? No. If I wanted to view a medical procedure that I was to have preformed on me the next day....do I really want to know? The idea would be great if you were a solider fighting in a forgien country and you had a child born you could actually hold the child. I think down the road we will have a particpatory internet. I am not sure how. I am not sure I really want it. Ok Jr. Poor Jr. Amy h
Yes Lauren, I do have a memory. Just joking some days I don't. Anyway in jr high science we did do experiements. Not very controlled. Like the teacher would ask us to go out into a field out behind our school next to a bar and catch butterflies and bugs. Did he go with us no. Yes most of the boys ended up in the bar. But, it was a good time. In high school we didn't. At least not in Earth Science. Everything was text. My school was a little progressive. We had a lot of teacher's who's husbands were at Cornell. SO we had block Scheduling and we were treated like College students. We made up our own schedules. I went through four years of high school never writing a paper. I also did independent studies in history. I studied Al Capone. We were liberal but to a fault. We may not have had technology but we made it through. I do remember some students who graduated and went went to college together taking Fortran. (An Ancient computer language) They had to do keypunching. They would come home with hundreds of cards. If they got the cards bent or out of order their work was ruined. The cards would give the computer information and that was how it performed it's tasks. Just some more ancint tidbits. Amy h
Hey laurie thanks for the 15-20 but keep going! I think students have really benefitted from technology. I would have loved to have had internet access in school! I was a bored child. I would have loved to have gotten on the computer. I probably would not have been a teacher if I had. I had a very small view of the world and what it had to offer. I really wanted to be an archiologist. But when the subject came up the only ones that were discussed were in Egypt. I wasn't thrilled about going to Egypt. Also I have taken several African American Ar classes and many people never really knew about all of the wonderful African AMerican Artists because you don't learn about them in school. So I think it is a really good thing to have in school.
TO answer question #3.The article Teens and Technology: Youth are leading the transition to a fully wired and mobile naton, By Amanda Lenhardt was interesting. I wasn't really surprised by the numbers though. I am not surprised by students with low incomes not having access to the internet. Most are just trying to survive and not get killed, into drugs or pregnant. Of course middle class Americans would have internet. The difference is money and education. The parents with hogher education and money will do whatever is necessary for their child to succeed. Lower income less educated see it as why? WHy does my child need an education or internet. It didn't help me. They are not going to be anything either. (Parents attitude not mine)
I think it is very important for children to be tech literate. I think it is easier in the middle income to teach it. I think in the lower income schools are just trying to do the basic standard education. I just looked on line and found out that one of my old schools just passed their standards but with a warning. that is a big deal. these kids along with their parents could care less about education. They feel as though they are ina pit and can't get out. It is horrible. The worst part is the teachers feel it to. I did. I felt it was hopeless. Try and teach them something that might help them and they don't see why because this is their life and it isn't going to get any better with or without tech. It is difficult to go in day after day and see faces that are blank and don't care if you are there or not. Most of these kids are below reading levels. They should be tested though. If it is not manditory teachers will not teach it because they are all ready overworked. Amy h
In responce to question #2- I would have to agree. Until the video I had never really thought the internet in the sense that the people that use it are the people that "create" it... but it makes perfect sense. Just something simple like in a google search, when you begin typing a letter for example, "w.." words automatically come up, like wikipedia, world, etc.. that you can click on to be directed.. the reason those words come up is because people are searching them so often that site remembers and gives you choices automatically before you even finish typing. The video says that web 2.0 is built on "people sharing, trading, and collabrating," and I agree.
In responce to question #5- Although it has only been about 5 years since I have graduated high school, technology has changed and improved since then. My senior year of highschool, my school just got its first "smart cart"... (computer, dvd, vhs, voice recording, etc. all on 1 portable cart) all the teachers were so excited about it but I don't remember being in a class that actually utilized it. The teachers did not have training on it and had no idea how to make it work properly. Since then I have returned to substitue teach and almost all the class rooms have a smart cart, and several have smart boards. The teachers that have these tools use them every day and it is no longer something new and exciting... it's just the way of teaching now. I think every year technology is changing (iphones, ipods, etc.) and it will continue to do so.
After reading the article on virtual reality becoming a result of the participatory internet, I am not quite sure if I think they are correct in it becoming a reality. I say this because we as people need to communicate with others and I don't know about other people but I would much rather communicate face to face with someone rather than talk to them via telephone or text messaging.
I think virtual reality would interesting in what Amy described in the sense of the soldier being able to virutally hold his new baby. For examples like that I think that is so cool! But as far as having a virtual classroom world I am not sure. My uncle owns a homeschooling company and one of their products was to have students complete the program all on the computer with a virtual teacher. I thought it was very cool at first but then it got to be very weird because I couldn't have discussions with my teacher on questions that I had or ideas that I would have liked to share. I know this program was first introduced in the 90s so hopefully something has come about where the virtual teacher is able to communicate with the student.
Amy, I think that we already have a participatory internet. We have webcams that give us real time interactions. We have instant messaging so that we can talk to someone in real time. We also have MySpace and Facebook which allow us to interact with one another and meet many different people.
There are also videos on YouTube to instruct us on different things, and to expose us to things that are going on around the world that we may not know anything about.
Question #5: I really have not noticed much change with technology since I have been in high school. I graduated from high school 4 1/2 years ago. We definitely did not have any Smartboards in the classrooms. There were a couple of Mac Labs in the school; however no computers in the classrooms for us students (just the teachers computer). Overhead projectors were used a lot in high school, whereas now teachers are using the ELMO in their classrooms. The fist time seeing an ELMO was my last year in college, and I was in amazement! Only a few rooms at Keuka College had an ELMO set up in them, as they were in the process of expanding their use of technology. There are many positive aspects of having something such as a Smartboard or the ELMO in your classroom. Instead of using an overhead projector as we used in high school, the ELMO can tilt and zoom in on images providing more detail. The Smartboard can provide a more interactive lesson with the students. The negative effects of using such technology is obviously the cost. While these technological advances are assisting our learners, there is always that downfall -- money.
I agree with Alison's response to question #2, in regards to the people that use the internet are the one's who essentially create it. Just last May, I have upgraded to a new Dell laptop which is Windows Vista Ultimate. The Google site, which Alison was talking about, is far different from when I had a Windows XP. If I typed in one letter of the alphabet, it would bring up a whole list of things starting with the same letter underneath the Google search bar. I was confused at first, because with Windows XP, it only did that when I search for a particular word. I didn't remember ever searching for those words. However, I then realized that these are things that are searched for very often by internet users ("sharing, trading, and collaborating"). The internet is only making it easier for users to access this information at a quicker pace!
In response to question #5, I think technology has significantly changed since I have graduated high school. Teachers are now using more technology in the classroom as well as relying on the usage at home. One of the most upcoming technology pieces that I have encountered during my student teaching was an Interactive Smart Board. I had never worked or seen one before I entered the classroom. The teacher had just received it and did not know anything about it. She handed me the manual and told me she wanted me to use it. I think this is one of the downfalls with technology being placed in the classroom; teachers are not receiving the proper training for the materials they are being giving. I had to teach myself and then turn around and teach her. Technology has also changed the way students take field trips. During my student teaching, I had the students experience a virtual field trip in California. This field trip gave the children an experience they could not have unless technology was available.
Ok in response to # 5 I graduated from highschool in 2003, so about 5 years ago. When I graduated not many classes had computers in them for the students but we did have a computer lab. However, this computer lab was only in the highschool and there was not any real opportunity to interact with a computer at the elementary level. However, since then I have been back to my school and I am increasingly seeing the school transformed by technology. For starters, the elementary now has a big computer lab of its own that students use on a regular basis. Second, classrooms now have a least a few computers in them for students to use. Third, the school also has what they call a blackboard for each class, so students can go on and access different sites to enhance their learning and/or look up their assignments if they have been absent. Also, the cafeteria has even become digitized...when I was in school we paid for our lunches with money. Now all students pay monthly into an account and when they go to lunch they just type in their pin number and it is deducted from their account. Parents can even access their students to account to see what their students are buying, such as all junk when they are supposed to be buying real lunch!
In response to Heather, I had the same experience in student teaching. When I started my classroom had just gotten a smartboard and my host teacher had no clue how to use it.So she turned to me and said you are young you figure out how to use it and then you can show me. I am good with technology so it came naturally to me and she greatly benefited from me showing her because the school was not providing teachers with any training to use it!
Also, in response to Heather I think the internet definitly widens the students' view on the world especially with reguard to virtual field trips. Many students can get a virtual tour of other countries or places that they would never have an opportunity to see in person! You can even create your own "virtual" field trip in a way by creating webquests on specific places such as the Amazon Rainforest, which I did when I took Dr. Shufang's teaching with technology class during my undergrad here at Cortland!
In response to question # 1 I believe that becoming digitally literate in today's society is well described in the article "Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century" when the authors said "Literacy today depends on understanding the multiple media that make up our high-tech reality and developing the skills to use them effectively." By this I mean that becoming digitally literate means being able to interpret the wide variety of media that we are constantly bombarded with and developing the skills to use these multiple media forms to communicate and seek out info in this increasingly technologically driven and globally connected world that we live in.
As a teacher I will definity want my classroom to be digitally literate. I believe that digital literacy is becoming increasingly important. Also, it has recently been shown that using digital technologies in the classroom as much as possible is allowing teachers to reach all of their students individually in ways that work best for them. Students who were being held back due to the disadvantages of one size fits all curriculum with text as the sole medium are now becoming increasingly successful!
As a teacher I would personally use technology whenever possible to engage my students since they are increasingly becoming digital learners. This in turn would increase their digital literacy as they would become increasingly familiar with it as time goes on. I would also directly teach certain technologies such as how to use the computer for word processing and how to search the web in order to find reliable information. I would also encourage my students to have online pen pals with students in different areas of the world so that they could see how similar students are all over the world, even in cultures that are drastically different from theirs!
Also, in one of my other literacy classes we have been learning about the Universal Design for Learning Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age and it emphasizes increasingly the need to digitize texts such as text books to allow students to access texts digitally, which can be enhanced by hyperlinks that will encourage them to further their knowledge on the topic or to increase their comprehension by increasing their background knowledge. There is a school in New Hampshire which is working toward digitizing their entire curriculum!
In response to # 3. I am not sure if it is necessary for students to be directly assessed on their technological literacy because that would just add another assessment to the already too long list. I believe that their technological literacy can be indirectly observed/assessed by just watching their interactions with different technologies. Students should be encouraged to express themselves in many ways using the most up to date technologies available to them. I do believe that students need to be "digitally literate" in order to reap the benefits of today's technologically driven society, but I don't believe they have to be directly tested to assess this ability, especially since it is second nature to many students today!
In terms of those who have been being left behind, I believe that there are many technological innovations that could currently help teachers to improve these students literacies using online/ computer literacy programs and this might even engage them more and encourage them to take more responsibility for their own learning!I know that in many of my graduate literacy classes the importance of integrating technology into literacy is increasing and studies are showing that students literacies are being greatly enhanced by the vast array of digital literacy programs out there such as digital story telling program and much more!
Question #5
Technology has changed quite a bit since I went to highschool. I graduated in 98 and went to a small catholic school. We didnt have the funding for state of the art computers, I remember using them mostly in a typing class I had to take. The internet was just starting to make its way into everyones homes and email was the "big deal". No one was walking around with cell phones in school or ipods and PDAs, its very interesting to see how much has changed in 10 years.
The positive result of not having lots of technology in the classrooms is that there was more of a focus on the basics. Reading and writing were big pushes and I learned how to use the card catalog in the library for research and how to write a quality essay. I think this is still an important skill that is being overlooked. Students today research using google and plagerism is at an all time high. I also talked to my friends and peers and didnt have text messaging or AIM. I feel as though some students today live in their computers through myspace and chat rooms, and text the important things they should be saying to their friends.
There were plenty of negative effects as well. As a teacher today I have been in classrooms with smartboards and whiteboards and lots of computers. The benefits have been amazing to the students. Many students are visual learners and the internet allows us to see the world without leaving the classroom. I believe students are much more engaged when technology is used and that is the goal of all teachers, engage the learner.
Question #1: Digital literacy is a term that describes a person's ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment. I think some ways in which I can become more digitally literate is to just continue practicing and improving my digital literacy skills. I am pretty comfortable and have a good "grip" on understanding and performing certain tasks successfully using a computer; however, there is always room for improvement! There are still so many programs out there that I have no clue how to begin using, so learning how to use them would help me become more digitally literate. My future classroom can become digitally literate by learning how to use certain programs on a computer that they will be using for the rest of their lives, such as Microsoft Word. As a teacher, I will incorporate technology into my lessons as much as I can in order to get my students more familiar with how certain pieces of technology work. Having my students use the internet, too, during my lessons will help them in becoming more comfortable accessing information from a different source (instead of using books).
It seems since we have all graduated high school a lot of our schools are becoming more technologically savvy. Instead of the teacher having a computer there are computers for students to use as well. One thing that keeps coming across in different schools is the value of the technology that schools use. For example I sub in the Vestal school district quite a bit and I know that they are having problems with their computers not always working all the time and the computers being extremely slow. This is very frustrating to teachers who want to use this advanced technology but can't use it because of certain "glitches." This is one of the reasons why I am a little hesitant about using computers in my class because I can't always rely on it because of all the "bugs" that still need to be worked out.
Heather, that is really interesting that you were able to take a class field trip to California via the computer and vitural reality. It makes me think of Google Earth and how I wish schools were able to use that more often. I can see that working really well with the third grade social studies curriculum since they study different countries and cultures. How neat would it be to go to Egypt?
Everyone is doing a great job with posting and are giving some very in-depth responses. Keep up the good work!! :)
#3. I think that students should not be tested on their technological skills due to the fact that not all students use the computer at home which leads to the problem of inequity in homes in urban and rural homes. If students are to be tested on their technological skills it would have to be in the area of non-computer such as cell phones, ipods, MP3 players. Even though these are not educational technologies, it's what most students know across many cultures and income levels. The day you may test students technological literacy is the day all students have a desktop/laptop in their homes with internet, as well as having all classrooms equipt with the same access so that students will have consistency with technology at home and at school.
Amy...I think you bring an interesting point in the parents attitude about education and their son/daughter. So many parents are falling into the "Why bother?" because the differences in the social classes continue to widen and nothing is happening to even out the social classes. I have worked with students who have told me that they don't care about education and learning because their parents don't care. They would rather do something "fun". How can you argue that? You can try and show them the world that exists outside of not caring, but they are a product of the community that they live in. Very unfortunate, but very true.
Then when you add the technology piece of it...who is going to pay for it? How is it going to be paid for? Many schools without the technology also have buildings that are falling apart! Where should the line be drawn? How should the line be drawn? How can a line be drawn?
# 5. As a teacher, I believe students will use the internet for education purposes because it takes away the stigma of learning through the book/worksheets. Incorporating lessons through technology will help students look at assignments as "fun" because it's not the traditional paper/pencil assignment. Many students (high school)will be more incline to do the assignment electronically simply because it's a different way of doing classwork or homework. Speaking from experience students enjoy lessons if it's in a technological format. I like it as a teacher because it holds students attention for a longer period of time.
Alison, I think that you brought up a very interesting aspect in that technology is very exciting initially, and then it is there to use, no longer exciting, but just the way of life. Do you think that this technology eventually becomes a dust collector because it no longer is new and exciting?
# 5. Let's just say that in my high school days...Well, have you ever gone to the library and use the card catalog system? Have you ever heard of the Dewey Decimal System???.Hahaha..Their was limited access to the computer and all computers were designed to only run programs which were accompanied by those black floppy disk. Technology since I've been out of high school, has changed 180*. Yes science classes had microscopes. But with other classes you had to type your papers with a TYPEWRITER. So in the next 20-25 yrs what will technology be like in schools???
In response to question 5: First of all Amy I love your response. Technology has changed a great deal in the past six years. When I was in high school we just received clusters of computers in each classroom. However, we never actually used them. In fact we did even really take advantage of the computer lab. Most teachers who used technology in their classrooms used an overhead; and that was in almost every math class or class where we took a lot of notes. So obviously there was a lot of lecturing and copying. I think now that teachers are being more formally introduced to technology and are being more adequately trained they have a great appreciation for it. I didn’t even know what a smart board was until last year. The district I work for gave a training session on it at the end of the school year, and it was so impressive. There are so many advantages to having technology in your classroom. Students can always read what is being written, the work can be saved, you can view the internet with students, have power point presentations, show videos or clips, etc. I do realize that there are negative factors to having and relying so heavily on technology. Unfortunately, when the server is down, light-bulb goes in an overhead or projector, or the computer freezes it can be incredible frustrating. Those who are apposed to technology tend to think it creates a lot of extra work because you have to be prepared for things to go wrong as well. If you think about any lesson you teach, usually you have a back up plan if your students aren’t understanding, finish early, need work to modified, and so forth. Technology is no different. However, there are plenty of activities and lesson ideas you can get off the internet; you can even pull up the sight with the directions and leave it up on the screen for everyone to see. You know you are going to have to write it down in your plans though and make copies for those students who have difficulty reading from a distance, so really it’s not that much extra work. Technology is another resource for teachers to use in their classrooms.
In response to question 4: Teens do you the internet for personal reasons which include talking to friends, playing games, instant messaging, going on facebook or myspace, etc…and none of these interactions are educational. However, I do not think incorporating the use of computers in the classroom would disengage students. If you constantly use the computer for lessons, yes students will become detached from what they should be learning. But if you constantly give worksheets don’t you get the same results? This is something we already know; students essentially need to be entertained by the use of various teaching strategies. Others mentioned this same idea in their blog, so as long as you are aware of how often you are taking advantage of the computer, and are using it in various ways students should remain engaged in your lessons. It is still very important to remember that not every student learns best this way, some students thrive on “hands-on” lessons for example. I do not think students will become less engaged because they are using computers for “school work,” but for the reason that we may over use computers instead of differentiating our techniques.
I agree with Gretchen when she says that “some ways in which we can become more digitally literate is to just continue practicing and improving digital literacy skills.” I think this is very true because practice does make perfect. Also, learning how to use technology doesn’t usually mean you sit down and read a book on how to do something, instead you play around and learn. I think that by being exposed to different types of technology also helps students and teachers become more digitally literate.
Question #3: I am divided right in middle in thinking that it's important for students to be assessed on their
"technological literacy". Because these students are relying so much on new technology, I do think it's important that they know how to use it; however, some students don't have access to technology, therefore it would be more difficult for them pick it up. This is unfair for students when one is assessing how technologically literate they are. I don't think it's fair at all to assess students on their technological skills when some can't even read. The big problem is this: Not every student has access to computers or a good education. If a student can't read, it will probably be difficult for them to understand how to use a computer since one needs to read the words on the computer in order to know what to do.
In response to question 4, I feel much like cristine does, in order to keep most of your students on task and learning effectively, it is important to incorporate many different teaching styles. Different kids learn in different ways, and those kids who do not have access to a computer or the interent may be less likely to learn using a computer, while they may be able to learn better or the same as other students using alternate methods. Using a computer almost exclusively in the classroom would definetely cause some students to become distracted. There are so many things that students can do while sitting at a computer, and unless you (the teacher) are constantly monitoring them, they could get off task easily.
When I left high school almost six years ago now, my school was just starting get those "smart carts" that Alison referenced. And much like what happened in her school, many of the teachers did not initially take full advantage of the resource they had in front of them. This speaks to the point about teachers being ill-equipped to teach the use of technology to students. As we have talked and read about for the last few weeks, students are the "digital natives" and teachers the "foreigners". Therefore in order for the teachers to catch up and incorporate technology into the classroom in a meaningful way, then teacher training is going to have to be stepped up in a big way,and not just on the small individual level. "Competency begins with understanding" is very true, and unless the instructors understand how to use the technology, how will the students who dont have computers at home learn?
The ways to become "digitally literate" and to make our classroom digitally literate would be to incorporate computer usage into the classroom on a regular basis so that students have a chance to practice using the computers. This would be especially effective for kids who do not have computer access outside the school. Just a small sidenote, I too had to laugh when I read amys comments. I feel like tech. has changed so drastically, i can only imagine how you feel...
#1: Ways that I would promote my very own classroom into becoming more computer literate would be: Including a once a week visit to the computer lab for academic instruction within the lab (yes, once more beyond if they already visit for special areas). This would give us time to work with Blogging or wikis, or even view academic videos on Youtube. I would also incorporate instruction with a SmartBoard in the classroom. These devices are INCREDIBLE! Also, I would jump on any grant work to be done to recieve more technology advances. My cooperating teacher at McGraw did this and he actually had a better set-up in his room than the computer room did! It was awesome!
#5:
Upon gradauting from High School, the only technology we used the Internet for was research papers and listening to music. PowerPoints were just beginning to be used by students for projects and this was awesome! I loved doing my final senior project by PowerPoint. When I entered college, the whole academic dishonesty thing became crystal clear especially with turnitin.com so there have definitely been many positives with the whole advancement in technology since I graduated.
In Amy's point of view, I give her so much credit! Along with anyone else who has lived through this incredible advancement in technology and kept up with it! Definite BRAVO!!!
I do not think it is important to assess students in their technological literacy. Not every student is exposed to technology outside of the classroom so the results of the scores would not be accurate. I think it is important for students to know the basics of technology as we see more of it being used in the classrooms today but it’s not fair to assess them. Just like each student progresses at different reading levels, students progress differently at their technology skills.
In looking back when I went to elementary school, there has definitely been some changes in technology. I remember the teacher using film strips for videos in the classroom. We then got televisions that had to be signed out from the library to play vhs tapes. Then there were also overheads. What a change from what elementary classrooms look like now. Although I still see overheads being used, there are definitely more classrooms with elmo projectors. And not only do I see schools with a television in every single room, but elementary classrooms using the smartboard. I think these changes are overall positive. They help engage the students. The most recent information can attained for the students. Also, in regards to the elmo, you don’t have to make extra copies on transparent paper of what you will be working on, instead are able to use the copy you have. Or even better, with the smartboard, you can just pull up your file to show to the class. A possible negative of this new technology is the use of the internet on smartboard, having to be careful of appropriateness and validity of sites used for class.
#3
I dont believe it would be fair to assess students on their technological literacy. Economic factors contribute to what types of technology students are able to get their hands on, and the fact remains that some are at an advantage. With the growing impact of technology in the classroom there will come a time when students will be submerged in technology, we just arent there yet. Literay issues are very critical right now, and until students have the basic skills needed, technology will have to take a back seat.
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