- Simple & Seamless. Technology should have a nice, intuitive feel to it. Look at the success of the I-pods and I-phones and such. These days, using one (at least most of their functions, especially the primary ones) doesn't really require a wealth of time or education. I see using technology more as a vehicle to get something done, not the job itself. Technology should facilitate gathering information, not get in the way of it.
- Accessible. If it's worth having, then it shouldn't be a chore to use it when needed.
- Reliable.
- Flexible
That being said. Here are some things I think are wise to consider when deciding on whether to implement technology in education:
- Will it help me/my students do something, we weren't able to do before? or expedite some process? Maybe that "something" is relating better to my subject (better engagement, perhaps), or to other students (with regard to their understanding of science). Maybe it is a way to collect data, organize it, analyze it, and/or communicate it. Maybe it is a way of observing or manipulating something they were incapable of in the past.
- Is it going to be a substitute brain for my students? Will it "do too much" for them and process information for them, thus leaving them out of the loop and lacking in thinking skills they should be developing themselves? I think that answer is most often in how teachers allow/encourage students to use that technology.
I think of graphing calculators and how their programs can be used to perform functions (like automatic graphing) that I want my students to know how to do first. Mind you, these same calculators allow students to solve problems in multiple ways, that would be too tedious or arduous to do otherwise. I do allow and encourage my students to use technology, as long as it is a supplement to their own thinking and work, not a replacement of it.
Steve, I think the graphing calculator and its frequent companion something like Logger Pro or Labquest (tools that collect and process data graphically) deserve discussion. On one hand they enable you to collect data easily. However, at my school we are starting to see that students don't understand what is happening behind them. For example, our AP Bio teacher complains that her students can't interpret prepared graphs or understand what they have to do to show their results. In particular she sees this from students who have come from AP physics and Chem where almost everything is do automatically.
ReplyDeleteI've had a major complaint with Excel graphs for years because the default modes don't plot paired points as a potential line with reasonably drawn and labeled axes. This is a an example where the program seems intuitive -- ask it to take a table of points and make a graph, but the graph is often not what a scientist might want to see and students need help in understanding this. Just because it is easy to create doesn't make it useful.
I think I am going add another comment to my guiding principles of technology use that after you use it, you ask yourself is this what you wanted it do and does your product make sense?
Just had a large discussion at school two days ago about the use of calculators in the classroom. Students have become so reliant on them that they almost then become a hindrance. I'm currently teaching Algebra 1 where the use of a graphing calculator is preferred but not required but I get students who have calculators that have so many bells and whistles that they can't figure out how to add and heaven forbid I ask them to do it by hand.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest issue that came up in my class this year was simply that - the calculator replaced their ability or desire to think logically. They would enter something simple like addition and get a ridiculous answer (because they multiplied or divided by accident) and right it down with out even pausing to see if it was a logical answer. Eventually, I began giving them calculator free quizzes periodically and it really threw them for a loop. If nothing else I think they began to understand their reliance the machine instead of a reliance on their brain.
My issue is how to address those problems as we move more and more towards these technologies that seem to cut the brain out of the equation.
Particularly with the calculator thing if anyone has any suggestions or things that work well, I'd love to hear it because that's something that I really struggle with in my classes.
I don't allow calculators (as much as possible ) in my AP BIo and AP Enviro Sci classes as the AP exams for those courses don't permit them. I spend LOTS of time teaching APES (where there WILL be at least one calculation Essay) how to multiply and divide large numbers. THey simply (!0 no longer know how to and (2) have NO way of judging of the answer they have is in the correct 'ballpark". When I did allow them to use calculators at the end of the year, their labs indicated that they had measured the local Target's shelf space in fractions of millimeters...sigh.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we need a caclulator rant blog.
Haha! Maybe we do. So Target's shelf space isn't in millimeters? Who knew! That's what astounds me is the not getting even in the ballpark sometimes. There's no sense of what is a possible and probable answer. I try to incorporate and am developing some lessons for my Algebra classes on logical answers to hopefully reign that in a little. We'll see...
ReplyDeleteThis is a great discussion! Although I haven't looked into it in a while, the "research" into graphing shows that students struggle with interpreting graphs whether pre generated, computer generated, or hand-plotted. It is a skill that takes regular reinforcement and exposure.
ReplyDeleteI love the calculations discussion...but,
ReplyDeleteOn a different note I think your second bullet point: "Accessible" is an interesting notion. I know I have had tremendous problems in gaining basic technology for the classroom. I believe you are presenting this word in general terms of actual usage, but what can I do when there is no accessibility at all?
I have been in Mississippi for a year, and am continually amazed by the lack of technology. I thought my principal would have an email address so I could forward pertinent emails from parents, or professionals visiting my classroom. Nope! In fact he doesn't even know how to access the web on his office computer!
How can I expect to be supported on technology in the classroom when administrators don't even know what webcasts are?
As the last of the slide rule generation, I maintain that the lasting value of using a slide rule was knowing when your answer made sense.
ReplyDeleteOne idea I did briefly this year and want to continue with next year are calculator free estimation of the answer quizzes. Two or three problems, your answer needs to be one digit to some degree of magnitude, like 400 or 0.005
Kelly, your comments about your situation in Mississippi I guess validates the last chapter in the text book. When I read how low is the current bar for technology understanding, I couldn't believe the copyright on the book was 2008. In GA, about 10 years ago, the state wrote a technology proficiency standard into requirements for renewing all levels of educational certification. Okay, it might not really be proficiency, but you did have to pass the ten week, 3 hour a day class.
I know this is a discussion started last week, but... Tom, I know just what you mean about using Excel for graphing. It gives a nice, shiny graph, but not always the one you want! I make my students do thier graphing by hand for the first quarter at least, and then they have to do it again later on too. I think what we are really talking about here is the need to teach higher order thinking skills WHILE teaching the students the content knowledge they need. Up until a few years ago, I really struggled with how to do both. Then I joined a HS Chemistry curriculum writing group through the University of Montana. There myself and a dozen or so other HS chemistry teachers wrote 12 units that attempt to do just that. Using inquiry (inquiry definition: data collected and processed, THEN the students are guided in learning the concept from that. DATA BEFORE CONCEPT!) based methods, and the 5 E's learning cycle, we came up with what I think is a good (not perfected) curriculum. The results are very positive too. Basically, student content knowledge either stayed the same or increased (and here's the best part..) while higher order thinking skills improved also! Eric is right, it takes regular reinforcement if it's going to be effective. That's one thing I really like about the units I use. Reasoning is a deliberate thread in every unit. It's all in HOW it is taught, not WHAT is taught, if you know what I mean. That's not to say that I teach it perfectly, but it's helped make me a better teacher. If anyone would like to peruse our materials (it's free), I'll give you the web site. Anyway, I'm really happy with the results in my classes and I cannot/will not go back to teaching the "traditional" concepts then data method ever again.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I can't claim that no student of mine hasn't come up with a ridiculous, illogical response which isn't even in the ballpark. But,.. as a whole they are pretty decent at using reasoning in their answers and discussion.
The calculator is a necessary tool for many of my students with special needs. We teach the concepts for understanding and allow the use of for application.
ReplyDeleteAlong with calculations, has anyone used Fermi problems with their students? It is an idea I haven't gotten around to using. Wikipedia gives a good example of one and more are found @ http://www.physics.umd.edu/perg/fermi/fermi.htm. They are estimation problems taht help teach dimensional analysis. For example -- estimating the # of hairs on your head or the number of piano tuners in Chicago.
ReplyDelete