Social networking websites can be used in many positive ways. Bauer mentions how kids these days can move between the physical and digital world with ease (p. 6) and adults can also learn how to do the same thing. On the other hand, I feel that it is not good for kids to spend too much time on these kinds of sites. Cyber-bullying is an ongoing problem in our country and it is rooted in the realm of social networking apps or sites. Social networking can be great if, according to Bauer, it is properly used to build a network of learning and sharing. But I think in general, kids should not spend too much time on these sites. I use technology in my classroom because my band students have Chromebooks that they can use during the school day. On some days, I will assign work for them to complete on their Chromebooks. However, on other days I will give them a written assignment that they have to finish and turn in. I tend to switch up how my students do their work because I don't want it to be done 100% on their computers. They need to learn how to use their hands and actually write down their answers using a pen or pencil. I want them to know what it feels like to write a rhythmic composition using a pencil and paper, in addition to writing a composition using software such as MuseScore. Sometimes my colleagues joke about how I am old-school and that I still physically hand out assignments instead of simply assigning them to my kids using technology. But I don't want my students to always have to rely on technology to do their work. That is why I switch back and forth between assignments on their Chromebooks and assignments that must be done on paper. I do see the value in using technology in education but I think it is equally valuable to take a break from technology every now and then.
Perhaps the most important bit of information I took away from this week's reading was how teachers must learn to adapt to the ongoing changes of technology in education. I've been teaching for 9 years so I am not necessarily a 'new' teacher. I have faced my share of obstacles and changes in my classroom, forcing me to adapt to many different situations. Technological advances have made drastic changes in my classroom, no doubt about that. However, the new teachers are the ones who are most likely going to be able to adapt to today's technology more efficiently than teachers who have not had as much technological experience. I particularly enjoyed the terms given to the younger generation (digital natives) and the older generation (digital immigrants). In my case, I was an 80s kid so I came from a generation that was gradually crossing over to the world of technology. As a child, I didn't have a cell phone, iPod, or internet because they didn't exist. When I was in middle and high school, the internet was becoming much more commonplace and beepers/pagers were on their way out, soon to be replaced by cell phones. As a college student, social-networking sites became all the rage around the world. One can see how I grew up as technology was also growing up. Nowadays, elementary school students can learn by using technology in the classroom. Sometimes, I wonder how my life would be different if the internet, iPods/iPads, and cell phones existed when I was a child.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the readings this past week. Both the chapters and the article gave me a lot to think about when it comes to how teachers use technology in the classroom. Even though I'm already using technology, I know that I have a lot more to learn. I'm looking forward to taking on new approaches and learning new ways of teaching.
I was also born in the 80s, but my father was always on the cutting edge of technology, both because of his interests and his job. You wondered how your life would have been, "different if the internet, iPods/iPads, and cell phones existed", but I happen to know they mostly did exist. They just weren't mainstream. When the internet came out, my house was among the first to be networked. Web browsing was very different in 1990, but it did exist. The first online games that I can remember came out in 1996. I also remember having an MP3 player before there was any such thing as iPods... today we'd call them androids. My dad also had both a beeper and a cellphone. The only reason he still kept the beeper was because the cellphone wasn't allowed in the closed area where he worked. My friends didn't understand what I was talking about most of the time, even when I showed them, until high school.
ReplyDeleteIn one sense, you are correct that students should learn to work with their hands and unplug from the digital world, but I also believe that they are taught what they need in those areas without handwritten assignments. I remember being told that cursive is was an important skill that everyone would need, and not to rely on calculators since you may not have access to one. Today, everyone has a calculator in their pocket, and cursive is close to useless. The reality is, some students today may need to know how to write rhythms and words by hand, but it will quickly go the way of cursive. They need to work with their hands, but typing is sufficient, and playing an instrument doesn't hurt either. The old arguements against technology were primarily due to lack of reliability. It is now more reliable than ever, and getting better with each passing year. Like cursive, it's not always a bad thing to lose the old way.
As far as patience goes, I think kids have always been impatient. I don't think they expect everything to be easy, they just want it to be. Even in teaching and learning, there is often a better way. That's why we have professional development--to see if we can make teaching and learning just a little bit easier/better.
HI Georgios,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your response. I agree that a mix of technology and paper-pencil assignments can be valuable in the classroom. However, I don't necessarily believe that it's necessary in order to decrease reliance on technology, but rather to instruct to various learning styles in the classroom. We are always encouraged to teach using varied methods that appeal to multiple intelligences, and I think that this issue falls into the same category. Although some students absolutely learn better using all of the instructional technology that we have available, there are surely others that benefit from completing an assignment by hand.
Also, a quick note about Facebook that I included in my own blog post: Social networking sites like Facebook can be incredibly valuable for the educator too! I am a member in several "Music Teacher" groups on Facebook that provided valuable resources to me throughout my first two years of teaching. I didn't realize until after this week's readings that these forums are essentially an informal PLN of sorts.
Hi Georgios,
ReplyDeleteMany of the points you make "hit home" with me. I grew up in the 70s and 80s, and while I use a lot of technology in my teaching, I always feel like I'm at a disadvantage when it comes to technology. It always seems like my students are one step ahead, so I totally understand when you talk about the importance of the teacher being able to adapt to the constant changes in music technology and education.
Your mention of "patience" is also important. Especially with respect to students learning how to play an instrument, where the learning curve is steep. I also have to stress patience with students when they are learning to compose music using music software and a keyboard. It is so easy for students to drag and drop loops into a software program and then proclaim that they have finished their composition. While loops have a place in music, I try to get my students to create original rhythms, bass lines, melodies and harmonies. Although their original creations might not sound as good to them as the loops, I try to stress the importance of the "process". Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn't :).
Anyway, I appreciate what you wrote.