Kelly Hines wrote a thought provoking blog on technology use in education. Her view is that the use of technology in schools does not determine the success rate of our education system. I am in full agreement with Mrs. Hines on this point. She also makes the point that there is change needed in the way teachers approach the profession. Mrs. Hines goes on to state that teachers can be successful without the use of technology. One reason being that the presence of technology in schools is irrelevant if there isn't any good teaching. To add to those points, Hines states that teachers must be willing and able to learn. Teachers also must recognize that just because they "teach", that does not mean all students have learned.
As I stated earlier I also believe that technology, alone, will not make our education system better. The list of problems is very, very long. I am glad that we are having the discussion about what can be done to better education in America but, technology is not a resolution to this problem. I would not recommend removing the advanced technology that has been injected into the classrooms. However, I believe we must all try to understand what the best roles are for modern technology in education. After reading Mrs. Hines' blog, I read about ten comments to the blog. It amazed me that nearly everyone that commented agreed with her assessment. That tells me that the majority of our population may know that the idea of technology being the key to better education is not true. My point is simple, let's not overrate what technology can do. Technology can do what you or I tell it to do.
Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Karl Fisch wrote a blog in 2007 on the importance for teachers to know how to use technology. He believes, for the most part, that teachers should be technologically literate. He does not define technological literacy. Without that his definition it is hard to be critical of his opinion, but at the same time, I do not agree with his perspective. My difference in opinion mainly stems from his comparison of technological literacy to not being able to read or write.
My thought on that idea is this, only in the worst situation would an illiterate person be asked or allowed to teach. On top of that, at what rate would they honestly be judged by? I don't think anyone would expect an illiterate person would be able to teach 5-7 year old children how to read and count within a ten month period. How would that person administer tests or plan daily tasks? Seems sort of impossible to me. On the flip side, the majority of teachers are not teaching tech-based courses. You don't need knowledge of how to surf the web to teach who sailed where in 1492. You would not need to know how to use Excel to teach an accounting major how to book keep. The technology that we have in today's world is not needed to teach what is deemed as necessary curriculum in today's world. Now, if we get past the point of American History and World History being important, and move over to stage of World Wide Web History being important, then I would definitely say that teachers must be tech-savvy. However, I think Mr. Fisch has jumped the gun. The bigger issue for him and others of his mindset, is that there is no concrete level to tech-literacy. I think he should figure that out, before he encourages school inspectors who are "technologically illiterate" to find alternative lines of work.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
Gary Hayes created a counter for the volume of usage of web-based applications. It counts the number of Twitter accounts created, images uploaded to Flickr, and many other things of the sort from the time you access the website. What does this mean for the teaching profession? I do not know. I don't think it poses any type of new challenges for teachers. I do understand that it can be helpful, but I am missing information that would give me the knowledge of how it literally helps teachers. I don't think it changes the value of the profession. If it does, I fail to understand why. There is a lot that I don't know and understand about social media.
A Vision of Students Today
Mark Wesch produced a video that gives current students' perspective on their education. It is a very interesting video. Students from Kansas State University surveyed themselves and the results were written in different places in the classroom. If I were a teacher today this video would probably leave me sad and confused. I would be sad because these poor students, in many cases, are forced to waste time and money. I would be confused as to how did the higher education system get to this point. Has something gone wrong, or is it a norm that today's students are not adjusting to?
I don't have the answer to that question. When thinking about it, the answer is very attainable. There is enough data and material to figure it out. The question is important because it blankets many other questions that we have about our education system. For instance, are we turning to technology to right the wrongs of today's education or will modern technology help students adjust and feel more comfortable with the requirements and challenges of their education? What do you think?
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ReplyDelete"I think he should figure that out, before he encourages school inspectors who are "technologically illiterate" to find alternative lines of work." They must be unwilling to learn as well as being technologically illiterate before they wold be fired. Does this alter your opinion?
You take your history with no technology. I'll take mine with technology. Want to place any bets on which class will be most successful? I'll take all bets!
"I don't think it poses any type of new challenges for teachers." You don't? Radical changes in communications and behaviors will not affect how schools operate, students learn, etc? I disagree!
"There is enough data and material to figure it out." Have you figured it out?
It does not alter my opinion of what Mr. Fisch stated. You give a more balanced and fair point, and I would not argue with that.
ReplyDeleteAs far as history class goes, we're in agreement. The problem is none are offered as hybrid or web courses.
I understand your point. But I don't see a radical change in communication. This is not who's right or who's wrong. To me social media is an additive. Unless schools require teachers to only communicate through social media, then the ancient avenues of communication will always be an option. For the students that will one day be teachers, the experience that they are gaining now with social media will allow them to make it a part of their work without much difficulty. Maybe the biggest challenge will be school districts allowing the use of it.
I won't say that I have it figured to the T. But i think it is more of something going wrong with the system. I see numerous problems within the education system and the problems seem to be growing. But at the same time I there is a degree of blame to be placed on the student. However, it is hard to hand them their share because they are simply powerless followers.
You say, "Social media is an additive. Unless schools require teachers to only communicate through social media, then the ancient avenues of communication will always be an option."
ReplyDeleteThe old venues may be an option, but if we are trying to produce the best skilled, most well-rounded students, don't you think we should have them learning from more than one resource (the teacher)? Social media allows children to connect with peers and teachers all over the world. The cultures that the children would encounter may provide an exchange they might otherwise never experience.
Good point Anthony. I recognize the value in exchanging cultural ideas. I am all for connecting with peers around the world, especially if we are encouraging ourselves and our children to share and understand cultural viewpoints and opinions as well as educational ideas. To clear up any confusion, when I referred to older communication tools, I was pointing to how teachers and parents will communicate with each other. I believe the students will be more apt to using social media and other tools of modern technology to communicate with their educators. However, I don't see this generation of parents attaching themselves to the schools through social media with a full effort. But, if the parents are willing to try now, in the future, the idea should be at a highly efficient level.
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