Just like picking up a pencil, learning how to use a washing machine or use a cell phone, operating a computer and all its ancillary family members isn't instinctual but learned. I believe that the generation previous (mine for example) to the digital native era, learned about technology resultant from specific needs.
My own digital apotheosis came when I realized that the work place had changed and if I wanted to be a part of that community (at that time I was working to make enough money for producing my own and my friends' performance work) I needed to have basic computer skills. As an individual with pronounced ADHD (undiagnosed until graduate school although I was keenly aware that something was amiss with my cognitive approach and abilities) the thought of typing—putting paper in the typewriter, often 2 sheets with carbon paper between, hunting and pecking at the keys and then having to constantly erase and reset based on my myriad mistakes, proofread, then retype to fix the mistakes—was a task(s) that was not only daunting, but for me, nearly inconceivable, that is, I really could not conceptualize my ability to do so for the length of time it took to complete the average work task. What I learned, after some years in the tech industry and my greater familiarity with the new technology, was that many of the obstacles to simply getting a college degree had been greatly mitigated, so I returned to school to get a bachelors and a masters degree.
“. . . education needs to follow
those young people who grew up with the technologies and move . . .
from a teacher centered approach to learner-centered approaches . . .
(Jones, 32).”
I have always believed that a more
positive, efficient and effective approach to teaching is not the
teaching of a specific thing (e.g., the ABCs) but teaching students
how to learn and instilling in them the desire to do so.
 |
| Techno-evangelistic metaphor inherent diagram |
" . . . the assumption being that they (techno-evangelists) are attempting to dismantle decades of tradition without having anything to replace it with (Thomas, 4).”
Sweeping changes in technologies have
always prompted for change in the way people approach many other
aspects of their lives; the industrial revolution certainly did and
had a profound impact on approaches to education. Fear and ignorance
are usually at the root of indictments regarding profound change.
Although these (fear and ignorance) are to be expected in some
quarters, they are nevertheless debilitating to the community as a
whole. Caution and reflection are perhaps better choices (and
metaphors) for integrating fresh approaches to old challenges based
on constantly evolving incoming data. In this country, politics and
religion have so long played a part in decisions regarding education
that it seems very likely that we will again be one of the last
industrialized (that era again) nations to adopt new, and
already proven, strategies.
First I want to thank you for sharing your own personal story of how technology helped you adapt and return to school. I agree with you on teaching "how to learn" rather than rote facts/skills; once you instill the core concepts of discovery, students are better able to apply them outside of the classroom walls. Your illustration does a good job of stressing the significance of pedagogy regardless of approach. Your point about the influence of politics and religion on the (lack of) progress in education is also astute.
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ReplyDeleteMegan ScrogginsJune 11, 2016 at 4:36 PM
ReplyDeleteYour introduction really grabbed my attention...great personal story to support the quote you chose! Your second quote also jumped out to me in the text. I just finished my third year teaching, so since I've been teaching cooperative learning has been a big push. I was really successful at implementing Kagan strategies my first year and saw great results. The next two years I was at a new school, and did not use them nearly as much. At the end of this year, I started again and was reminded of how great cooperative learning strategies can be for students! They had so much fun, they barely remembered they were learning while doing it! Thanks for reminding us how important it is to be student centered!
I loved reading about your experiences with technology! I am considered and digital native and have used technology for most of my life, but my family didn't always have access to technology. I agree that it must be learned and we aren't just born with the knowledge. I love image you chose! Technology really does seem to improve student thinking, collaboration, and creations. I agree that lecture isn't as beneficial as collaborating and creating works that illustrate the learned information. Within my teaching, I see more motivation, creativity, and interaction when incorporating technology.
ReplyDeleteI think that we do sometimes get in a rut with our job and we become comfortable with the way we do things. Then something happens and we have this eye-opening experience that makes us realize that technology has profoundly changed and we have not. This causes us to look at what we are doing and how can we best remedy the problem. Although sometimes we don't want to, we have to motivate ourselves to keep going so we can teach and educate those around us.
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