It's an interesting fear. One that only perpetuates itself. For as long as we fight to keep the technology out, the more the fear grows. It's only when we embrace the fear that it will extinguish itself.
This year I had a revelation that helped calm this fear in me. As we were starting a final project, I thought to myself, I can't possibly read all the books from which my students might research in the library for any one project that we do as a class. It's impractical. And this gave me an ah-hah moment: it's the same for websites. I cannot, nor should I, read them all. What I can do is this:
- Teach my kids to be smart consumers of information. I can teach them how to question and look for important information so that they consume only the information that will push their thinking and deepen their understanding.
- Show my kids how to critically evaluate the effectiveness of a source. I had to do this with books any way! What's the difference when it's a website. Not all books are created equal, and the same is true for websites. Same lesson; different medium.
- Empower my kids to analyze and synthesize the information they find in order to think on their own. Kids are powerful thinkers. They like to play with information and form it into their own thinking. I can empower them to think and share their thinking. I can help guide them through misconceptions and misunderstandings.
This small realization helped to free me up from the frustration I shared in the last post. Next school year, I hope to help move the parents of my students into a more open mindset about technology. It's been a hard sell, and I can understand why. But it's time for all of us to break down the wall and jump into the 21st century of learning!
First of all, bonus points for using the word "quell" - we don't use this enough. :)
ReplyDeleteI really like this video about "the wall" because I think it's fair and logical and accessible. So many times, I think teachers who don't want to jump into the technology with both feet are seen as outdated or resistant. I only know about myself, but that is not my problem: I just can't see using something that doesn't make the work better, just different (and often causes a lot of frustration).
However, I do believe that we're missing out on a huge teaching opportunity if we don't at least TRY to update our teaching methods. I don't want to be adequate, I want to be excellent. And I am passionate about teaching kids skills that don't just stop at the English classroom door. This is a huge one. I also need to explain to the kids (and myself!) that perseverance and patience are important skills, and with new technology and ideas, they are crucial. They should see me reacting honestly but fairly when the tech stops our learning instead of helping it, and the more we practice with it, hopefully the less that will happen.
Love! for two reasons. First, I think this is a nice reminder that progress and the real world are not smooth sailing -- there are continuos bumps, walls, and redirections. Second, I think your three bullet points make a perfect "end goal" for habit #1. If my middle school students could do all that while learning science I would be a happy camper. Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat message in "The Wall". Let's think about the video itself... How much planning and research had to go into creating that project? Clear and concise message in under 2 minutes. That's a difficult task.
ReplyDeleteSo, on one hand, people may argue that making a video to demonstrate understanding is just using technology for technology's sake. What's wrong with just writing a paper? I would argue, using technology in this instance allowed students to deliver a clear message, conduct research, use infographics, and tell a very concise story.