Technology
April 3, 2008 by ilrlo
Does current technology truly better engage students? I assume that this is because of the visual aspect. So could other less current technology be used just as beneficially (writing/drawing tools, paper, etc)? In “But Will It Work With Real Students?”: Scenarios for Teaching English Language Arts, Alsup and Bush discuss the benefits of using PowerPoint as well as potential pitfalls. They talk about how “snappy visual and audio cues” engage students (p. 149). Media presentations are nice and can sometimes grab attention if done well; however, wouldn’t a hands-on activity or critical thinking game work just as well at keeping students engaged? I’m afraid that students will zone out, fall asleep, or let the presentation go in one ear and out the other. Many students in urban schools work. If they are up late at night, sitting and listening or even watching can make it hard to stay alert. When students have to do something, surely there is more reason to pay attention. Activities can include visuals and music as well as kinesthetic qualities.
I have also noticed that students tend to get easily distracted when working on the computer. Alsup and Bush (2003) include a section in which a teacher talks about how his students would work on computers. They would “peer over the shoulders of their classmates to see what was on their computer screens” (p. 152). He mentions that other teachers dislike using the computers because (he assumes) of the chaos and noise of students moving around, talking, and looking at each other’s screens. This teacher likes that the students are getting excited and sharing their writing. I would love this point of sharing. However, there are other negative factors of using computers. There are other, less beneficial “distractions,” than sharing with peers. The problem that I’m talking about is that students get on a computer and immediately want to check their emails, surf the web, etc. Though I have observed teachers keeping a close eye on her students and asking questions about the work that they are supposed to be doing, oftentimes, a teacher simply cannot keep all of her students engaged in the lesson when sitting at a computer.
Create a free edublog to get your own comment avatar (and more!)
I agree with you that just using technology doesn’t guarantee student interest and engagement. In my experience, I have found that students are likely to moan and grumble at a PowerPoint presentation even when it has all the bells and whistles. I also agree with you that the most effective lessons are interactive and student focused. I worry, though, that the pendulum has swung too far toward student-centered instruction (even though the pendulum hasn’t swung far enough when it comes to technology-based instruction due to a lack of access for many urban teachers and students). I know that some people would argue that this is impossible, that you can never have too much student-centered instruction, but I don’t know if a primarily student-centered pedagogy effectively prepares students for what will come after high school. I guess I would argue that the best instruction is balanced. I think that students have to learn that sometimes they will need to sit and listen to things that may not be particularly interesting to them. Especially in a college-prep classroom, and all classrooms are college-prep under No Child Left Behind, students need to learn how to learn under various conditions and in various ways. Most college classrooms are not student-centered, and I think it is our responsibility to prepare students for this fact.
I’d also like to comment on your thoughts about computer use in the classroom. I agree that you have to diligently monitor students when using the computer lab because they are quick to check email and surf the web…although, I have not found monitoring in the lab to be a difficult task. I guess for me, the most difficult component of using computers is a lack of access. We only have one lab to share among all teachers, so it is hard to schedule class time for computer use. I don’t have a computer other than my teacher laptop in my classroom, so, admittedly, I don’t use computers as much as I would like to use them.
I agree with you about the distractions of technology. The other side of that is that school districts do their best to combat this “non-productive” use of school computers by adding more and more network blocks. From my school, I cannot access any streaming video or audio, sites that have certain words in them (especially words like “gang” or “sex,” even though they may be legitimate sources for research on controversial issues), and sites from which students can purchase essays (which is only a problem because occasionally my students use them, and in order to prove that their papers were plagiarized, I have to access the site from my home computer to print the “proof.”) There are more and more sites and features blocked every month at my school, and many of the network blocks inhibit my ability to use certain technology in my classroom. It is a shame that policing students’ use of technology ultimately hurts our ability to be effective, technologically-savvy teachers.
I have never really thought about the lack of kinesthetic learning when it comes to the use of technology. You raise a very valid point. Today I have been working on my computer for hours now, and I haven’t moved an inch. While visual and text driven learners don’t mind this kind of stagnant learning process, others would find it a terrible time. I, for one, don’t mind sitting for hours, therefore I have achieved a lot in my college career, but the difficulties a high school teacher could potentially run into attempting to achieve this learning environment are intimidating.
I also think about your point too iltrgb. As high school teacher, we attempt to make lessons as engaging and exciting as possible, either with technology or without, but how far is this away from the real world? Jobs don’t expect you to be excited or engaged. They expect you to work. Also, in college professors don’t care if you are engaged. At that point the student is in charge of whether they gain knowledge or not. The professor is in charge of failing them or not.
I think your point is valid, but also flies in the face of most of the research I’ve studied and most of the knowledge this program has given me. That, however, should never stop us from asking these questions. Is student based learning gone overboard and disconnected students from the real world?
I share your views regarding Power Point Software and it’s benefits and limitations. I feel that the criticism of Power Point leading students to over-simplify their work is a valid one. It also seems to me that much of technology can be either overly complex to use and not worth the hassle or too commercial and simple to be worth the effort of checking every single link found on a page to ensure that the students are safe while on the site.
I am looking for a happy medium where I can safely lead my students to technological and literary nirvana. Anyone have any suggestions?
Tragalibro