Blog #1
The world is shrinking as technology now allow us to communicate with peers around the world. Thus making the world a village, where we speak the same language, practice same culture and share same goals, “TECHNOLOGY”. Just a click of a button and you can access the world around you. Technology rules everything now, the world, education, economy, communication, families, and the worst of all our youth/students.
For us to make the best use out of it, education/schools should take a major role in incorporating the use of more technology in our schools so as we can speak the same language as our students. Speaking the same language goes a long way, it helps achieve goals, vision and reach a decision. As much as we want to change our educational system to meet our economic, social and political needs, education should be presented through the medium/media used by our students today.
This calls for creativity and the need for encouragement and support for sustainable innovations of teachers. Shimabukuro (2011), outline the following to suggest how teachers/education can meet this needs, (1) more freedom to determine how and when to use some of the latest online technology that they’re independently exploring, discovering and using (2) more resources to implement those technologies in their own online learning and teaching environment (3) more non-instructional time to develop, prepare, and manage these new environments.
Meeting these needs does not only lie on the teacher/school, as stressed by Withrow (2011) in his article, “ Education of our children is a responsibility for all members of the society, lets us have a system worthy of the digital age”. The success of our future leaders much depends on how best we use the technology in our digital age to educate and capture their interest and involvement in our world today.
With that been said, should we allow our High School students to use their cell phones in the classroom as a resource tool?
References
Shimabukuro, J. (2011). A Lesson From Kyrene: Technology Alone is Not the Answer
Withrow, F. (2011). It Still Takes a Village: Social Media Challenges for Schools in the Digital Age
I absolutely believe we should let students use their cell phones beginning in the 5th or 6th grade. They use the technology better than their teachers, in most cases. It just doesn't makes sense to say, "no, no, no." What are you expecting as results. In the 70's adults said, "no, no, no." In the 80's adults said, "no, no, no." The same can be said for the last 25 years. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
ReplyDeleteThe problem I think relates to semantics. The device in the pocket, backpack, purse, we use the word 'phone' as part of its label. So when the question is always asking about the device being allowed to be used, they never seem to specify how it might be used! What uses are we suggesting?
ReplyDeleteStopwatch - I don't see anyone having a problem with that.
Camera - if the student is documenting items via photos or video, then email to a computer so they can be used in a presentation or document, sounds reasonable and practical
Calculator - as long as they understand it might not be allowed on test days, nor on standardized test, but to do the same thing a school issued calculator would do, reasonable
E-reader - to read PDFs, or books for class or leisure after completing work, reading is good
Web/Google - school cant filter the content, unless require students to use local WiFi, so protecting them from stuff they shouldn't see, might relate to liability - maybe-maybe not this one
Conversion table in a cooking class
Exchange rates in a business or economics class
If there is a tool the school normally provides, and the students 'device' can emulate, it really seems sensible.
I have plugs in my lab benches and my high school kids love to charge their devices. My compromise is I make them place face down and a bit of a distance from them, removing the temptation.
If the lesson is engaging, and I mention someone not in the book, say Archimedes, wouldn't it be better for them to google 'Archimedes' instead of coordinating where to sit for lunch via text messaging?
I believe students should use a cell phone if it serves a purpose and cannot be substituted with another controllable resource. In this case, it is imperative that educators set expectations to what they need to do. I see we have no control over usage. In my district cell phones are prohibited, not because they are not good resources but because they are usually used as non-academic, distracting tools. I can't think of something that can only be done using a cell phone. Can someone open my mind to this... what would be something that cannot be done with a computer instead?
ReplyDelete