"Listen to the Natives"

As a teacher of 14 second and third grade boys I would love to teach my kids math through a video game! In his article addressing technology in education, Marc Prensky suggests that math (and other subjects) in the form of a video game would help remedy the divide between students with 21st century skills and teachers who are still stuck in the 20th century. Video games are the topic of the vast majority of my students discussions and I know if such a math video game were developed, their attitude toward school would be vastly different. Now we just need someone to do it. What if the creators of famous video games contracted with an education organization and developed software?

I agree with Prensky's emphasis on the importance of choosing teachers for their empathy and guidance abilities. I’m all for that aspect of progressive education. It makes education meaningful to those who are being educated. I also agree with involving students in the planning of effective teaching methods. This fosters engagement, which again makes education meaningful. We educate for the benefit of our students and in turn for the benefit of our society. There are standards that should be met, but also, including students in the process of teaching and learning allows them to take ownership of their education.   

As far as “young people” being far ahead of 20th century teachers, I don’t agree completely with this generalization. As a lower elementary school teacher, I have the opportunity to teach while integrating technology. Because of the age of my students I also teach them how to use technology as well. This puts a great responsibility on my shoulders becuase I must go above and beyond to stay current and to teach the use of technology well.

In response to Prensky's description of herding, the system of established grades is herding at its best, but I know that many teachers work hard to utilize a variety of group settings. I am not sure what kind of alternative to this system Prensky is proposing, but maybe something along the lines of multiage classrooms? Offering cyber groups as part of the solution to this problem in a sense makes education limitless. Students are able to experience new cultures and such a wide variety of perspectives. This sounds like a great idea, but as with any great ideas there are some areas to be cautious in. Also In efforts to rid ourselves of this “herding” mentality it is important not to forget the value in peer interaction. Balance is key.

After recent class discussions I have been challenged to think about the use of cell phones in the classroom. Prensky suggests that students should be able to vote with their attention with a teacher in not presenting an interesting lesson. The difficulty in allowing cellphones and students “voting with their attention” is that kids have a very difficult time paying attention in the first place, and not all material is going to be attention grabbing, and teachers with many preps have a hard enouhg time coming up with something interesting and creative for every lesson. 

In summary, I understand and agree with Prensky's passion to teach our students 21st century skills and to keep education up to day. However, I do think, however, that Prensky takes on an "all or nothing" perspective. There are many, many teachers who are not currently teaching with or using technology effectively. This can be due to many reasons though. As one who is not personally very attracted to technology, I would shy away from it. Also, teachers can be resistent to change. The vocation of teaching is not easy, and trying to learn and incorporate constantly changing, new techniques can be difficult. However, this is where the whole "life long learner" comes in. We need to be willing to go above and beyond to deliver the best education possible for our students. 

"Power Pointlessness"

In his article addressing the use of Power Point, Jamie McKenzie uses the phrase "PowerPointlessness" to describe the use of PowerPoint as a goal unto itself. The goal of creating an effective, well communicated message is usurped by the task of making a PowerPoint presentation. So in the end all students end up doing is figuring out how to put a bunch of weird clip art pictures on a slide. McKenzie points out that often, when students are asked to create a presentation using PowerPoint, they focus primarily on the lay-out and aesthetics of each slide, as opposed to the content and messages therein. Effort and concentration go toward making slides with clip art and other visuals, instead of effectively portraying the necessary information. McKenzie also notes that this is not necessarily a problem soley in the classroom. PowerPoint presentations should be a tool to aid in the effective communication of information, however, at times they can be used as a crutch instead (for example, the presenter just stands up there and reads each slide to the audience).

To help remedy this increase in "PowerPointlessness" McKenzie suggests providing grading rubrics for students so that they know and understand how they will be graded. Also McKenzie strongly recommends showing students examples of work, including examples of high quality and low quality work. I find that this is key in helping students understand what kind of work they are to produce. Usually if I ask students to complete an assignment, and their work does not turn out the way I had invisioned, it is because I did not model for them or I did not show them examples of work. Also McKenzie also emphasizes teaching students how to present information thoroughly (ie: including both sides of an argument). The PowerPoint should not be the main focus of the presentation, the key concepts that the student is presenting should be. In light of this students need to be taught public speaking skills. The power of the presentation is directly connected to the way in which it is presented. Good public speaking skills aids in good use of PowerPoint presentations.

website: http://www.fno.org/sept00/powerpoints.html

How can technology help develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills?

How can technology help develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills?

I think one way that technology helps to develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills is by allowing students to have relatively easy access to necessary information.  Also, the use of technology helps students to organize that information into a presentation of learning in a fast, creative way. For example, several websites were suggested by Lorrie Jackson in her techtorial that allow students to demonstrate their progress through several levels of learning. I especially liked the Biography Channel and plan to use it with my class. We have been discussing famous people and how they changed society.

            In the article on CARET discussing student learning, research results were given that showed a growth in higher order thinking and problem solving skills in students who used technology more so than those who did not (or at least didn’t use it as much). Using technology exposes students to a vast amount of information quickly and easily. It also provides them with tools to sort, process, and present this information in a variety of unique ways. I think this is what promotes the development of higher order thinking and problem solving skills. Also, let’s face it, technology is intriguing. What student doesn’t want to play around with a computer or website to see what they can do? In harnessing that intrigue, teachers can use it to spur on student learning. As mentioned in the article on CARET, students who used collaborative technology developed higher order thinking skills and were better able to understand and effectively present information on a civil rights topic. Using technology allowed students access to various discussions and points of view on the topic, therefore broadening their understanding of it. Technology, in providing students with tools, enables students of all ages to create and present thinking in so many ways. It also broadens a student’s thinking and exposure beyond that of his or her own experience. This practically pushes students to think on a deeper level.  

From the reading I was thoroughly convinced that using technology did help develop this, but I would have liked some concrete examples. Many statistics were given, but after establishing the fact that technology does develop these skills, I had hoped the writers would give specific examples of how students used technology (for example explaining projects they made and websites they used).
References:

http://caret.iste.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=evidence&answerID=7 

            http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial011.shtml

            http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic69.htm

A Note About Teaching

In addition to seeing my students learn, I find great joy in teaching and discussing the Bible with them. They have so many great questions, many of which I don't have the answers to. When we talk about God's word, I can see and understand what Christ meant when he said we are to have faith like a child. Encouraging and watching the growth of my students spiritually is one of the best parts of teaching.

Assignment #1: A Bit About Me

    My name is Meredith Rodriguez. I'm 25 and am married to my high school sweetheart. I have been teaching 3rd grade for the past three years, and, while parts of this teaching experience have been enjoyable, I have found it to be rather challenging! I love my students, though, and greatly desire to see them grow spiritually as well as academically. One aspect of teaching that I find especially appealing is watching "the light bulb go on." Seeing my students grapple with, understand, and use new concepts is very rewarding and spurs me on to become a better teacher. I also enjoy listening to their many, many questions and then challenging them with questions of my own.

    I am not too terribly comfortable with technology. Usually, I use computers to search for information, check email/facebook, write parent letters, and papers. I use the internet to look for lesson plan ideas, classroom management and set up suggestions, educational articles, and field trip information. I rarely use scanners and digital cameras, and other computer peripherals. I am a little nervous about taking this educational technology class because I am not the fastest learner when it comes to using technology. However, after viewing the syllabus, I am looking forward to learning how to create a webquest and becoming more familiar with technological tools.