Sunday, January 17, 2010
January 14th's class
One of the ideas that sticks out at me from the class is the idea of the changing nature of teaching and learning due to technology. For example, when Julye and I looked at mobile computing we discussed the pro's and con's and couldn't really suggest whether it was a good thing or a bad one. It's both. The social, face-to-face contact isn't there, but the accessability is wonderful. Also, I was impressed with Roland's comment about how the characters in "Avatar" are so realistic looking that it's possible the human actors could be digitally created too. That is amazing and almost insulting at the same time.
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I find it sometimes challenging to come up with pro/con lists in short times without thinking further than the immediate sphere of consideration. When considering cell phones, there is a whole pile of things that can be considered (distractions, discipline, cheating. privacy, human rights). Cell phones have become ubiquitous, and as a result, it is natural to consider the pedagogical value of them. If texting could be controlled so that answers to questions can be fed to a teacher via computer, that is good. It's not good when texting becomes hyped note passing. Then there's the emergency contact issue - the excuse for students to carry activated cell phones into class. Student: "What if my mom needs to get a hold of me?" Teacher: "She can call the office and then the office can call the classroom." Parent: "It's my right to be able to contact my child personally at any time." Spares can be sticky, but it pictures are taken and posted to YouTube, that's a no-no. Cell phones are problematic, and not just in schools. Have you ever seen some people drive? Pulling up beside them one connects the dots - cell phone in hand, mind off the road.
ReplyDeleteHow do you find Avatar insulting?
Lana, I think that is important observation - the tech can be good and bad, the trick is to use it wisely, minimize the bad and use it to enhance the learning.
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ReplyDeleteLana, How so true. I went on Second Life after a couple of years of staying away and I was amazed how real the avatars had become. When I registered several years ago, avatars only moved around, the animation was flaky. A couple of years later, avatars could speak, animation was fantastic, and interaction was more real. It was amazing as well as insulting at the same time.
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ReplyDeleteI find it sometimes challenging to come up with pro/con lists in short times without thinking further than the immediate sphere of consideration. When considering cell phones, there is a whole pile of things that can be considered (distractions, discipline, cheating. privacy, human rights). Cell phones have become ubiquitous, and as a result, it is natural to consider the pedagogical value of them. If texting could be controlled so that answers to questions can be fed to a teacher via computer, that is good. It's not good when texting becomes hyped note passing. Then there's the emergency contact issue - the excuse for students to carry activated cell phones into class. Student: "What if my mom needs to get a hold of me?" Teacher: "She can call the office and then the office can call the classroom." Parent: "It's my right to be able to contact my child personally at any time." Spares can be sticky, but it pictures are taken and posted to YouTube, that's a no-no. Cell phones are problematic.
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ReplyDeleteRight you are! Technologies have both their good and bad points. As with many things in the pedagogical realm, how we integrate the technologies into our teaching practices with ultimately determine its usefulness and value. Equally important, is the inclusion of the teacher in the decision making process regarding the selection of technologies. How often are teachers given technologies to use and simply told… find a way to use them.
ReplyDelete... or a teacher finds a technology to use to great benefit and the 'powers that be' say no, due to blocking or some other dubius reason. As Roman says, teachers MUST be part of the decision making.
ReplyDeletere: Gary's comment about misuse of cell phones- in summer driving at about 75-80 mph (Miles per hour) on I-90 in Michigan, a lady I passed on a very crowded freeway was reading & on her phone!!! Scary stuff!