In the early 60s when our principal wheeled the small black and white television, that sat atop a rolling cart, into the gymnasium, we were all a bit mesmerized as he turned it on (without a remote) and the entire school was watching TV, somewhere other than our own living rooms. We were watching one of the early launches of a spacecraft and it all seemed like magic. That was high tech to us! Today’s students aren’t nearly as impressed when it comes to technology. They’ve always had it and it is a familiar part of their day to day activities. I am still in awe of the smart board in one of my colleague’s room.
I enjoyed reading Postman’s article. His statement that often technologies do not increase one’s options, but decreases them intrigued me. His examples were good ones but I didn’t feel that our options decreased, they just change.
Are we giving too much power to technology? Are we creating a socially backward generation due to the constant use of machines which prevents us from face to face experiences? While his article had many valid points and I thought that it was an interesting point of view, I have to agree with Reigeluth; we need to embrace technology and make it a good fit for education. Whether we like it or not, the minute to minute changes of a technological world are here for good.
Making the right changes for the right reasons is paramount. Reigeluth states that we mustn’t settle for only enhancing the teacher-student relationship, but transforming it, for the better, I assume. He makes it clear that we need to put the learning process first; not all technology will do that. He puts the needs of the learner first and foremost. So properly choosing the form of technology that will provide the best learning for a student and that will allow the teacher the most benefit would be the most practical place to begin. Meeting the needs of the overcrowded, widely spread levels of the students and the standard requirements of the district/state should all be considered. So filling a classroom full of computers and leaving it at that is not an answer. The technology has to have relevance for the learning in each specific scenario. There is no “one “piece of technology that fits all. The biggest roadblock, to me, is that, by the time a classroom is fitted with the right technology, something new has come along.
At this point, my understanding of all of the technology that is available is minimal and I look forward to being exposed to much more. I think that as educators we need to be careful not to buy into what everyone else has or the next new thing. We need to be purposeful in making choices geared to our learning situation. I hope that someone takes the time to ask us.
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