I remember
watching Little Women (1949 version) a while back and noticed little Miss Amy
March using a personal blackboard tablet during class for learning. It took a
while for teachers to adopt the blackboard as a teaching tool when the
blackboards were first introduced, society has since moved onto paper and
books, and look how far the world has advanced in the last century to the use
of computers and computer based technologies in schools.
Children nowadays adapt to new technologies in a much faster fashion, my barely one year
old has seen us use the iPhone and the iPad, and even as a toddler he will
take a tablet device and swipe his fingers over the screen to try and activate
it and press on Apps. So what does having all these new technologies mean,
especially in schools and on our education system? If computers and
technologies are a part of our everyday lives, and it is becoming the norm,
shouldn’t it be the same in our schools. Computer skills
should be a fundamental part of primary education curricula to build the basis,
and more advanced skills taught in high schools in order to prepare them for
higher education and careers.
It is important when bringing
technologies to the schools that both the teacher and the student know what to
do with it. “When pairing children in a collaborative
learning environment, particularly a technology-rich learning environment,
teachers need to assess children’s computer proficiency carefully and assign
pairs in which peer teaching and learning dynamics would occur naturally” (Hyun, 2005). In this
study Hyun noticed that when students did not understand how to use the
technology, these students would just click random part of the computer and not
know what to do with it. Whereas the students who actually understood how to
use the technology, they were able to interact with the technology as well as
their peers on different projects. Hyun and Davis believes that in order for
computer technologies to become useful in classrooms, “teachers and researchers
must: (1) allow lots of student talk both to peers and to experts in learning
contexts; (2) permit students to explore technology functions for themselves
rather than giving them didactic instructions; and (3) always be available for
scaffolding and dialectical talk with learners” (Hyun and Davis, 2005).
There has been different computer based technologies
that has been tried and tested throughout schools to support learning. Some of
these programs have been “especially
useful in developing the higher order skills of critical thinking, analysis,
and scientific inquiry. But the mere presence of computers in the classroom
does not assure their effective use” (Roschelle et
al., 2000). Rochelle et al mentions several examples of
computer-based applications that illustrate ways technology can enhance how
children learn by supporting “four fundamental characteristics of learning: (1)
active engagement, (2) participation in groups, (3) frequent interaction and
feedback, and (4) connections to real-world contexts” (Roschelle et
al., 2000). The reason why some of these programs have been
so popular within the school system is because the students are solving
real life problems, and being part of the solution. The student are able to see
and understand that what they are doing in class has real impact on their
community.
Computer based technologies also allow students to
have greater control over their studies (Koschmann, 2009).
It has also been used to enhance the learning capabilities of those who are
disabled through assistive technologies.
Let’s not be scared about using technologies in the
school, let’s embrace what technology can do to enhance the education process.
There’s a school in the US as mentioned in a TED talk on personalized education.
In this school, each child comes to school each day to a new timetable tailored
for them and for their learning, at the end of the day the students fill out a
short questionnaire and that helps the computers and teachers determine what
type of learning they should be having the next day. Each day is different and
each student is different. Personalised learning through computer technology,
now that’s futuristic and forward thinking.
References
1 comment:
My boyfriend works for the Dept of Education involved in the "laptop for learning" program. While he believes it's a great idea for the government to provide students with laptops he feels disappointed that there isn't much in the way of support so that both students and teachers get the best out of them. Most kids at his school just mis-use the computers and a lot of the teachers don't even bother incorporating them into class.
-Marjorie
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