Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tonight was very thought provoking. The article I read generated a lively conversation between myself and four other class members and has made me more convicted. Technology has a great potential to positively impact education but we must move with care and purpose. Technology alone will not make the difference--technology embedded into instruction will.
I was also really inspired by what Scott had to share, both professionally and personally. I have always fostered student creativity through various art forms. When I taught I used the lunch box and had students create short films. It was a wonderful experience for us all. As an administrator I have gotten caught up in other areas and had forgotten the power of film...I will find a way to bring this to our school. And as a mother, I am excited to show my son the website and short films on the Signal-to-Noise website. They are awesome and he is leaning towards looking into film as a career. This might help him make a decision.
I was also really inspired by what Scott had to share, both professionally and personally. I have always fostered student creativity through various art forms. When I taught I used the lunch box and had students create short films. It was a wonderful experience for us all. As an administrator I have gotten caught up in other areas and had forgotten the power of film...I will find a way to bring this to our school. And as a mother, I am excited to show my son the website and short films on the Signal-to-Noise website. They are awesome and he is leaning towards looking into film as a career. This might help him make a decision.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
TED Video Respon
In class we watched a video of Sugatra Mitra sharing his findings from a number of experiments related to education and the use of technology. I found it very intriguing.
He began by having us think about the remoteness of an area and it's relationship to the quality of the education found there. He shared a number of supposed reasons for poor education in remote areas, including the lack of technology and materials. But what he discovered was that the desire of the teacher to teach in the remote area had much more of an effect on the success, or lack of success, of the students.
He then discussed the phenomenon of high performing schools gaining less educational strides through technology than under performing schools. In our world today, schools that can afford technology are often schools in areas where students would perform well regardless of the technology. He stated, however, that schools where students do not have technology, and are underperforming, actually make much greater gains in learning when technology is introduced.
In summary, Sugatra made the case for placing technology in underperforming schools and creating opportunities for students to teach each other. Their natural interest, curiosity, willingness to experiment, and group learning are a perfect match for using technology to guide their learning.
He began by having us think about the remoteness of an area and it's relationship to the quality of the education found there. He shared a number of supposed reasons for poor education in remote areas, including the lack of technology and materials. But what he discovered was that the desire of the teacher to teach in the remote area had much more of an effect on the success, or lack of success, of the students.
He then discussed the phenomenon of high performing schools gaining less educational strides through technology than under performing schools. In our world today, schools that can afford technology are often schools in areas where students would perform well regardless of the technology. He stated, however, that schools where students do not have technology, and are underperforming, actually make much greater gains in learning when technology is introduced.
In summary, Sugatra made the case for placing technology in underperforming schools and creating opportunities for students to teach each other. Their natural interest, curiosity, willingness to experiment, and group learning are a perfect match for using technology to guide their learning.
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