I realize going into teaching that not everyone has enough money to have a computer in every household. I am lucky enough to have had multiple computers growing up. However, there is so much available access to computers in the public (ie. libraries, community centers, etc) that we must not avoid using computers as a teaching and learning tool. Technology is such a powerfull learning tool. We can explore more in one click today then students could 20 years ago in hours of library research.
"When teachers choose not to use technology in the classroom, students are disadvantaged." (Swain, C., Edyburn, D.) The authors hit it on the dot with this quote. Even if some students in your class do not have access to technology, you can not hold the rest of your class back. Not using technology because a few don't have it is a disservice to all. Getting ahold of technology is not difficult
If you ask students, they want to learn and be ready for the future. Holding information such as how to use technology or when to use technology will be holding back information. Our world is becoming more and more technologically advanced each and every day. Every day we don't encourage the use of technology is another day lost for the students.
For most students, "technology is an integral part of their lives." (Greenhow, C.) Most of the time, students want to learn in the classroom things they don't have outside of the classroom. There are some technologies that are classroom technologies and others are personal, or home technologies. They want to learn about those they don't have because they are interesting.
For those students who are not fortunate enough to have the technologies required for out-of-classroom-work, I would tell them of all the places in the area which have free access to computers. There are always community centers, libraries, etc. that have free access to technology. If that doesn't work, I would ask the students to show up early to school or stay afterwards to get the work done. Anything is possible if you look for the answers.
Do you ever fear that students may lose a grasp on some of the content you want to teach them because they are focused on getting the technology right? I think that comptuer literacy and technology use should be a completely separate class and subject, so that is not up to those of us teachers who may not be very well-versed in technology to teach the technology as well as the content. I definitely see your point though, we shouldn't let the masses down for the sake of the few. Good job!
ReplyDeleteTrevor, I agree with everything here. It is definitely possible for everyone to have access to technology these days, with libraries and community buildings. There is always a way to get things done. I think it is important that we are very deliberate in how we use technology in our classroom; our students should be learning both the content and how to use the appropriate technology. Do you think that the "old ways" of seeking out information has become obsolete, such as how to research in a library via journals and textbooks? I think it is still important to teach our students how to do both.
ReplyDeleteTrevor, good word. I agree with you completely. My article says pretty much everything yours says, except you said it much better. Teachers HAVE TO use technology in their class. It is not injustice for those that do not have access at home. It would actually be injustice for the students that do not have access at home if the teachers did not require it. They are the ones that are further behind the rest of their peers in the ever demanding technology world. If teachers do not force them to use technology, then they are going to leave high school seriously disadvantaged! I struggle with this one question: If some students are already unmotivated to do the work we assign them, how are we supposed to expect some students to go out of their way to put more effort into the same amount of work that their peers are doing (meaning the students that have to go out of their way to go to the library or come into school early)? It is a tough question that I am wrestling with...
ReplyDeleteLooking for the answers is exactly what we as teachers need to do! Preparing kids for their futures is our job and we have to use technology to do that!
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