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From LA Johnson/NPR
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There is a strong push to increase technology use in the classroom
- President Obamawants every student to learn computer programing citing a need to prepare kids for future jobs
- Some schools have started teaching computer programing as early as kindergarten
- Florida is contemplating making computer code a foreign language
- Other schools are experimenting with telecommuting or online learning for high school students
- Children and teens already use cell phones just as frequently as adults do
There can be positive results from using technology and teaching it
But not everyone has equal access
- Kids from lower economic brackets tend to not have technology at home that allows them to fully engage in a technology based classroom thus causing them to lag behind their peers
- In fact the use of computers can maintain and exaggerate inequities
- Not all teachers receive the same level of training for the new technology they are encourage to use in their classes
- This is especially true for teachers from low income districts
- There tends to also be a digital divide between suburban, rural, and urban districts
- Girls lag behind boys in the use of technology
- Boys are much more likely than girls to find computer programing and other technology oriented courses engaging and applicable to their lives
- Levels of technology access before the age of 10 has been shown to correlate to similar levels of 'full-spectrum technology' use in college and beyond
Some feel the technology push could negatively affect students' learning or just generally question its effectiveness
- "In some districts where schools have invested heavily in computers and e-readers, test scores have remained the same or fallen."
- One study found that test scores were lower when testing was computerized as opposed to being paper an pencil
- Additionally, our brains process information differently from a screen... We read more deeply and retain more information when we read from paper
- Relying too heavily on technology could negatively affect students' ability to learn
- Students' use of smartphones to cheat on exams has long been a concern
- Plagiarism is also a huge problem
- Some types of technology has actually been show to impede learning in young children
There are also ethical and health concerns
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| From Rose Jaffe/NPR |
- Tweens log 4 1/2 hours of screen time a day
- Teens log nearly seven hours a day
- that doesn't include time spent using devices for school or in school
- Some teens actually experience withdrawal symptoms when they can't access their phones or social media
- Excessive media use can lead to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and obesity
- There is the issue of needing to provide privacy protection for minors
- Teachers are accountable for their students' tech activities when on school owned systems and must teach 'netiquette' to help ensure students' safety
- Cyberbullying and sexting have become major health and safety issues that need to be smartly addressed by schools
- There have been cases of students getting into legal trouble for downloading porn onto school owned laptops or for hacking into school computer systems to change their grades
My personal feeling is...
It's an ad, but they have a point.
Things I referenced in the powtoon:
- Flipped classrooms: students at their own pace
- connect directly with experts
- impossible travel
- students are ready for a technology reliant careers
- aid in adapting or differentiating lesson materials
- improve students' focus
- enable inquiry and project based learning
References I made within my video:
