Technology for Access to General Education Curriculum
I find myself always looking for new ideas and technology to
incorporate into the classroom. We are in a time that you have to think, When
is it okay to just stick to what you know and what has been working well for
you and your students?
Our curriculum is changing and continues to do so in our
society today. Teachers are held to higher and higher standards with little
support and are expected to integrate everything that is new. My question
to all of you; is new always good or is there a balance that can be kept?
The question that I have came up when I was reading a Tech
Tip through SmartBrief titled, “Striking a Balance” by Jean Tower. She
discusses how we have the two types of technologies that are in our schools,
the “authorized” and the “emergent”. It brought to mind that we are constantly
being asked to try new software and programs to implement into our classroom
that will enhance our teaching to get the curriculum across to our students.
But what if we have been getting the information to our students and they have
been successful. I mean look at us, we emerged from a time where technology in
curriculum was still emerging and developing.
I am all for technology, it is wonderful and it can enhance
our lessons. If we find a program that works for us how come we have to change
once something new comes out? I understand maybe trying it but it seems that
there has to be a reason for this push. Is there money behind this whole
situation being tossed around? Is the technology that is suppose to be for our
students general education being pressed by big companies who supposedly will
help us meet the standards?
There are so many wonderful resources out in the world of
technology. I think we, as educators are plenty capable of finding the best
resources to enhance our lessons to meet the general education curriculum. It
is all a matter of balance and finding what works for our students.
You raise an interesting question, Francesca - where is this push for technology coming from? And I have a feeling you may have hit the nail right on the head: the "big companies". I'm sure many companies are making huge profits from school districts. It seems whenever something 'new' comes out, it is automatically assumed to be 'better' - it's called good advertising. But there are definitely instances, especially in terms of education, in which we don't need to go and reinvent the wheel. Some processes are tried and true for a reason. There will always be some great lessons that don't involve technology - and I think that is perfectly fine. It's more a matter of determining the balance and keeping our students' needs the top priority.
ReplyDeleteJames,
Deletehttp://smartblogs.com/education/2015/03/10/tech-tip-striking-a-balance/?utm_source=brief
This is the link to the article I was reading. It focuses on what is going on in Massachusetts. Your last statement is so true and I think today we are losing sight of it. Our priority are our students, not money!
I think it's okay to use something "old" that still works, but you have to be careful that is doesn't get stale. I subbed for a teacher who used an ancient copy of a copy of a copy for an assignment. It looked like the original was typed on a typewriter and it had been copied so many times, it was almost illegible. The students mocked the assignment and didn’t take it seriously. All the teacher had to do was re-type it, and maybe change a few references so it would look “new.” I just took that as laziness on the part of the teacher.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Don when you say we have to make sure that it doesn't get stale. A way to avoid that might be presenting it differently while using the same tool/technology. I am not saying we have to use the same thing over and over again, I just think if it works we should use it and as a teacher we should know not to overuse something. I have seen those type of assignments that teachers use and do not bother updating. It really isn't that hard to do. I go through all my files at the end of the year and the beginning of the year to see what needs to be fixed or altered to make it better. I also try to take notes every week about how my lessons went as an assessment of my own work. I also try to find new ways to present the same information in a more exciting way. Today I presented St. Patrick's day and other Irish customs through educational videos. I usually show a few pictures and do some talking but it seemed that I needed to have a balance of the two. The students were getting a little bored just watching the short videos. I think next time I will definitely mix it up or a combination of the old and the new.
ReplyDeleteSome teachers have a saying, "why reinvent the wheels if it is not broken?" Agree or disagree? I so disagree. Something does not have to be broken to be replaced. I get very bored and so for me to teach the same thing the same way would be dramatic for me. This is why the use of technology offers newer ways to teach an old lesson, make a lesson more interactive and meaningful, more thought provoking, and more challenging. Who likes easy? I am sure if this course was offered in all face to face lecturing , with no collaboration, and no tech, we would all go bananas. Why? Because we need blended, we need challenges-it oftentimes brings out the best in us and makes us proud of our accomplishments. Francesca, sorry to say this but most things nowadays surrounds money which is pretty bad especially when it comes to our students and technology. However, I think they are way too many things available for any teacher to stay stagnant with their teaching style.
ReplyDeleteFrancesca, I agree that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", to a large extent. If a particular technology is working well, I don't think it is necessary to change it just because something new came out. Look at the iphone industry. Do you really need to get #6 because it is newer? It is all about marketing and appearances. Look at the Middletown district. Because of winning Race-to-the-Top money, Smart Boards now have to be replaced with "Smart TV"s. I don't think anyone even learned to use all of the technology the SmartBoard is capable of! All of that money could go to so many more worthwhile uses. But just because it is newer and better, we have to use it.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter teaches math in Virginia. As I come across lesson plans, technologies, etc. that I think are cool, I tell her about them. Her response: what I am doing is working fabulously. I have a 100% pass rate on state exams in the advanced section, and 95% in the others. My kids are interested and enjoy class. Why should I change?.....I don't have a really good answer for her. Except that some of the technologies make life easier for us, the teachers, in planning, preparing, and accessing materials.
I truly think that if something works that you should use it but I do not think that we shouldn't look at ways to improve. My issue is that we are so ready to jump on the wagon of everything that is coming out and not taking the time to research as districts if it really will be beneficial to our students. I always try to look out for new ways to change up my lessons because I also get bored doing the same thing the same way. My 7th and 8th grade art students change every quarter so I have a new group every quarter. I never teach a lesson/ deliver it the same way for each group. I may not even have them do the same projects that the other groups do because change is good and it keeps things fresh and the students on their toes because they never know what to expect when they enter the art room.
ReplyDelete