I read the article "Adopt and Adapt: Shaping Tech for the Classroom" by Marc Prensky. To briefly summarize, Prensky explains the importance of using technology in school. He says that because the students use technology in every other part of their lives, they need it in their school as well.
"If we want to move the useful adoption of technology forward, it is crucial for educators to learn to listen, to observe, to ask, and to try all the new methods their students have already figured out, and do so regularly." I definitely agree with this statement. The students usually know more about technology than their students. I think the students would learn more and find it enjoyable if they also had a part in deciding how to use technology in school.
However, I think the important word was useful. This could be the "Digital Immigrant" part of me, but I think there is technology that may hinder us from learning and that should not be allowed. Because of this, I do not agree with Prensky when he says, "today, even in many schools with computers,Luddite administrators... lock down the machines, refusing to allow students to access email. Many also block instant messaging, cell phones, cell-phone cameras, unfiltered Internet access, Wikipedia, and other potentially highly effective educational tools and technologies, to our kids' tremendous frustration." Yes I think it is crazy that the school would not allow them to use the computers but are instant messaging, cell phones, and Cell-phone cameras really effective educational tools? Even the unfiltered Internet access send a red flag for me. There are websites that are inappropriate for the classroom.
I'm not sure how much of my opinion is because I am a half-breed; I'm stuck in between the "Digital Natives" and the "Digital Immigrants."
What are you thoughts and opinions?
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I agree with you. But maybe if they have the computers set up in a way that they are visible to the teachers than they can have unfiltered access to the internet. I remember when I was in high school the filtered access wasn’t very flittered to begin with. Many students knew how to go around the filtered access. But for those who didn’t, it was really frustrating when students were doing assignments on the computer and the school had a certain word blocked and so those students couldn’t get to the websites needed.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought.
(See my blog site at misstammylee.blogspot.com)