Technology Article Reflection

Devin Pringle  pringle_devin@yahoo.com  October 25, 2013

 

"Catching On At Last" - The Economist

This article, “Catching On At Last” written by The Economist, introduces the reader to the current technology tidal wave that is heading for American academia and potentially the whole world over.  This article strongly advocates technology in the classroom, stating that it can be used as “an extra pair of hands in the classroom” in an effort to lessen the more menial tasks such as “marking written work and leading pupils though dull drills of words and numbers.”  Through the blending of technology with teacher-student / student-student involvement, students are said to be more engaged in the learning process and therefore their educational experience exponentially improves.  The student’s time in the classroom can be tailored through technology, which reflects favorably upon technology when compared to the “impersonal” and “regimented” way of students reciting times-tables the teacher writes on the board.  Many are seeing technology as doing the work of many teachers, because it is capable of teaching students on their various levels.  The article addresses hurdles the technology tidal wave faces: those with start-up programs will face issues of local politicians who can change rules of the schools as they see fit; many see technology and “less qualified man power” holding an agenda of replacing qualified and trained educators; there is potential for the data received from the technology to be misused by the creator companies; and that the benefits of technology will only be available to the prominent.  The article relays to the reader that America has always been a forerunner for capitalism and new endeavors and increased technology in the classroom happens to be the goal.  Through the provided statistic that America’s educational position has dropped ten places amongst its international peers, the article states, “Educational technology could reverse this trend.”  This leads many to ask, “Why not?”

1.     Technology will be like an extra pair of hands in the classroom, allowing teachers to focus    more on reorganizing their classrooms and not so much on the more menial tasks of grading and drilling.

2.     Blending technology with student-teacher interaction enhances the learning experience.

3.     Technology allows a more customized learning experience.

4.     Technology does the work of many teachers, capable of teaching students on their various levels.

5.     Technology could reverse the current American educational backslide.

As a teacher-in-training, I would be lying if I did not identify with the concerns of America’s teaching unions that “fear a hidden agenda of replacing properly trained human with some combination of technology and less qualified man power, or just technology;” however, I do agree that “the way the technology is used in the classroom is…as important as having it there.”  Through my current education technology class, I am learning the significance of using technology correctly – that it can enhance the classroom experience, should not be simply given over to the student on a whim, but -as with any lesson - should have purpose and intent.  This article presented statistics that America’s education has fallen ten places amongst the international rankings and that technology could resuscitate the dying animal that is American education.  I raise the question of: What could be the root problem to our students leaving high school and college less prepared than their international peers?  Perhaps that is too deep of an issue to delve into during an article response, but it is an area worth addressing sometime, someplace.  Another area of concern that was continuously on my mind: Are we raising a generation of kids solely plugged into technology that it is the only way they know how to function?  A new wave of screen-addicted pupils?  I believe through the advent of cell-phones, human interaction and attention spans have suffered, even if only a minute amount, and even if that opinion has not been statistically proven.  There is currently a profound agenda marking American schools in implementing technology into the classroom; through the article’s admission to there being no steady inflow of concrete facts and data to promote “edtech,” I do not think we should be so quick to jump on the cruise ship and sail into that technology tidal wave until we have a better sense of how to use technology in the classroom and in what ways students do learn best when technology is present.  I agree that technology is beneficial, but I do not feel it is the end-all to America’s current academic dilemma.

One and How

In my college Education Technology class, we read an article titled

How Technology Enriched Your Students' Learning.  

Within this article are responses from teachers all across the country on their use of technology in their classroom.  

One application of technology from this article that I am particularly interested in using in my future classroom full of ESL students is found underneath the title "Flipping My Teaching."

This type of teaching allows the students to take charge of their learning experience.  Within your school, the curriculum provides necessary information and facts about subjects, but when the teacher "flips their teaching" with the use of technology, the students are then able to access their iPads, videos, and "Google forms" to discover and to create.  

In the classroom, I can teach to them what the curriculum and the books require, but then I can hand it over to them:

• The students can come to class the next day prepared with a certain number of interesting facts about the subject matter being learned.

• The students can come to class prepared with various ways of creating something out of one thing being learned. 

This type of learning makes a subject matter come to life for the student and lends to them the opportunity to learn many different things about what is being taught, rather than only the facts the curriculum feels is important.  It also allows the student to discover various ways of approaching their technology and shows them the relationship between technology and the classroom.

 

I joined the online teacher community Tesol.  

It is a professional online community for educators with an emphasis on international education in the field of English.  This community offers an online 

• Career center
• Career development
• Live learning center
• Online courses
• Advocacy action center
• Journal
• Bookstore
• Bulletin, and much more! 

The first article that I read and interacted with was Providing a Sounding Board for Second Language Writers.  

This article addresses the challenges ESL students and teachers face when encountering the need to write papers.  Where ESL students find it arduous to write in a second language, the educators find it equally challenging to create new approaches to the task of writing that excites and delights their students.  

Enter the primary topic of this article:   

SOUND BOARDS.

ESL students may need to see prefabricated phrases, ideas, etc. in order to effectively produce sentences that convey their thoughts.  They can look upon example work of other students, use a phrase-searching activity in which clusters of words and sentences are presented and they fill in blanks or match accordingly.  These are templates of sentences, sentence structures, phrases, ideas, etc. that the students can work with to navigate through the English language with which they will be writing, and lending them the tools to create a piece of work in the language of their future readers.