Boyd claims that this is the primary use of the Internet. This can be taken in many different ways. While the Internet connects people to textual information, it can also connect people to people and people to other types of media such as videos and podcasts to gather more information on the world.
I think as educators, its SUPER important that we realize there is more than one way to convey information. Not only does it keep our teaching techniques fresh, but it also helps integrate students into the modern day world.
I grew up when technology was sort of there but it wasn't incorporated too much into the classroom. Through grades K-8 I attended three different private schools. It wasn't until the third school that technology was pretty present within the classroom. Almost every classroom had an interactive whiteboard that teachers were encouraged to use within their lessons. However, none of them knew how to use the technology so they often were turned off and we were instead exposed to a "good old chalkboard with chalk".
Hicks and Turner's "Digital Literacy Can't Wait" made me think back into my elementary years because they specifically go into how certain schools have the technology and they don't use it while other schools don't have the funding for technology but they would love to have it. You also have to think about what technology kids have at home because although you might be able to integrate it into the classroom, home life may be very different.
Personally, I have always been an old fashioned person, but I have recently been trying to integrate technology into my learning because I know I'll have to do it for my own students. I think that in the future, I will be using Google Suite a lot more than I anticipate. There's a bunch of different resources that Google has created and helps with presenting and organizing information. I actually love the idea of Google classroom. Having all assignments in one place along with their due date helps with confusion. It's also really nice how students can download the app to their phone so that they are notified whenever there is a new announcement. It allows teachers to connect more with their students outside of the classroom.
Google classroom also allows you to submit work in different types of media. You can submit it through a doc or a powerpoint, but it also allows you to submit links meaning you can link a blog or other resources. One of the main ways I want to experiment with the use of technology in my classroom is allowing students to submit not only papers but voice recordings and videos. For example, if the assignment is to write a poem, the student can send a voice recording of the poem that they've written. The use of the voice recording can help identify whether or not students have also picked up on recitation techniques in poetry.
Technology can be scary for teachers who don't integrate it into their everyday lives. But if you start now before stepping into the classroom, integrating it in can become like second nature.
I think that you hit upon an important point here a few times, which is this: In order to effectively integrate different technologies in our teaching, our individual practice and training are key. Of course, with Google apps like Classroom, you need to actually have a class (although you could create one with your friends to replicate this) if your aim is to play around with it enough to sort of get the hang of its nuances. I love your idea of having students submit voice recordings as their work on poetry via Google Classroom!
ReplyDeleteI think that the way that we incorporate technology in our classroom and classes depends on our priorities and the content that we're studying, but (like our readings this week and your post suggests) it also depends on our circumstances. Sometimes, a good old-fashioned book or dry-erase board (or chalk, like you had in your private school days) might be sufficient in one room, but it may not work in another. In my classroom, for instance, I have a small white board (just one), and instead rely on my laptop, Elmo projector, and screen to communicate important information to students. I used to use the white board, but it was ineffective because not all students can easily see it from their seats. As far as circumstances, In my room right now, due to two vandalism incidents from students who aren’t on my team but use my classroom once a day, I only have 21 working student Chromebooks (but all of my classes have about 27 students in them), so I am unable to assign work there at the moment. Preparation and flexibility are key when it comes to using computer and Internet technology in our classrooms the right way!
While I love that you've included explicit examples in your post of how you yourself intend to use technology in your classroom, I am curious how you plan on tackling issues that relate to covering full length books. While I think your solution to poetry is brilliant, a book is substantially longer to cover on your phone. Though I'm not all that worried for your future students because we live in a world where even the homeless have cellphones. I doubt your kids will be ill-equipped to handle such assignments. Whatever you come up with.
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