7 Must-Know Classroom Technology Trends that are Changing Education
7 Must-Know Classroom Technology Trends that are Changing Education
Neil Postman's article references his view that 21st century problems will not be "more stunning, disoriented or complex than those we faced in this century". I agree to some extent, however we need to view technologies as solutions to problems that in turn will increase quality of life. Schools are taxed with the vital work of sifting through the marketing of technology to incorporate those that are beneficial to student learning.
This article comments on 7 trends. Flipped learning is not new, however has become more advanced. Students of all levels and regardless of geographical location should be able to access courses via net. Gamification - a new word in my vocabulary - attempts to engage the young learner with rewards and levels of difficulty. I would say though that life is not a game; it has much more complexities than a game could possibly deliver. Social media is one that has gripped technology users of all ages. Even in this course, we are using Twitter, Blogger, etc. that only increase our logged screen time; I am not convinced that is healthy. Do we need more ties that bind us to a Smartphone?
Selwyn states, "Let us challenge the tired buzz-words and taglines that distort discussions of education and technology". Schools that embed only social media related apps are too narrow in focus. A more broad-based approach is needed to incorporate productive technologies. Technology is moving much faster than the educational system, hence we have a sense of urgency when we hear of a new technology marketed to youth. Let us take a critical look before investing time, money, and the well-being of our students.
Neil Postman's article references his view that 21st century problems will not be "more stunning, disoriented or complex than those we faced in this century". I agree to some extent, however we need to view technologies as solutions to problems that in turn will increase quality of life. Schools are taxed with the vital work of sifting through the marketing of technology to incorporate those that are beneficial to student learning.
This article comments on 7 trends. Flipped learning is not new, however has become more advanced. Students of all levels and regardless of geographical location should be able to access courses via net. Gamification - a new word in my vocabulary - attempts to engage the young learner with rewards and levels of difficulty. I would say though that life is not a game; it has much more complexities than a game could possibly deliver. Social media is one that has gripped technology users of all ages. Even in this course, we are using Twitter, Blogger, etc. that only increase our logged screen time; I am not convinced that is healthy. Do we need more ties that bind us to a Smartphone?
Selwyn states, "Let us challenge the tired buzz-words and taglines that distort discussions of education and technology". Schools that embed only social media related apps are too narrow in focus. A more broad-based approach is needed to incorporate productive technologies. Technology is moving much faster than the educational system, hence we have a sense of urgency when we hear of a new technology marketed to youth. Let us take a critical look before investing time, money, and the well-being of our students.
Hi Kirk, I agree that schools are being targeted with the latest technologies promising big rewards in student achievement and this is just not true. We have read several articles that stated that technology in itself will not improve student achievement, there are many factors that influence student achievement and technology can help students become interested and show their learning in a different way. It can also assist student learning in terms of educational software such as Kurzweil. I find that there is also pressure on educators to infuse technology into their teaching because it is viewed as the current trend and the latest thing happening in education. Technology has it's place in the classroom but it is not the most important thing.
ReplyDeleteI like how you tie these articles together and come up with a valuable conclusion. That said, I caution against using the call for looking & thinking critically as a reason to not incorporate technology in powerful ways. I find it is easy for educators to dismiss technology because they simply don't want to take the time to explore and take advantage of the technologies. Too often things are seen as a dichotomy, when reality is far different. But your final line is an all important point.
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