In today’s society, it’s hard to find a place where technology isn’t present, including the classroom. From SMART Boards to personal laptops, students have an ever abundant supply of electronics at their fingertips. But how much is too much?
High schools and even some middle schools in certain districts have begun to hand out personal laptops for every child, and some districts have even begun giving i-Pads/i-Pod Touches to every student. While I agree that technology has huge advantages in the classroom, I think schools are getting a bit carried away. This technology can give immense support fto the teacher, especially in the math/science department, but it may also create an overwhelming number of distractions. So my question is, where do we draw the line for technology? Do we allow every student to have access to electronic aids, or do we make those electronic aids a special privilege that is only used once in a blue moon? Or.....................should we stay away from technology altogether and get back to our roots? Let's hear from you.
I haven’t seen this “personal technology” first-hand, however, if a district can afford it (and prioritizes it), and the use of a laptop or iPod (etc) supports the individual measurability component of a lesson, why not? Several times over the past few months my middle school students have gone into the computer lab or media center for one period or the entire block to work on various assignments. It would have been a time saver if we were able to stay in our regular classroom to accomplish our research or other needs. And on another note…good luck everyone and best wishes!
ReplyDeleteI think that the personal technology aspect of education is extremely helpful to students with all different learning capabilities. Students need to be stimulated in many different ways and technology bring a new aspect of learning that helps many different types of students. Whether is be visual, auditory, or kinesthetic technology caters to all of those types of students. I am a huge believer in incorporating technology into the classroom. It is not a way to make the teacher non existent but a way to assist the teacher in helping students to get engaged in the lesson. GOOD LUCK to everyone! hope everything works out well :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that technology has it's place in the classroom but the idea of every student having an ipad or itouch seems to be a bit too much. Keeping the attention of students who have books and pencils in front of them can be challenging enough, never mind trying to compete against hand-held small electronic devices with bright colors and fun games. I have a good number of students who have iPads, Kindles and other tablet devices. I often have to monitor their use during reading times to ensure they are truly using the device as a reader and not for all of the other functionality it performs. I think the place of new technology will take some time to settle out and hopefully we will find the benefits far outway the distractions.
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