I have three more classes, one more year of classes, and then, oh please, I think I should be done for a while.
This semester it's a truncated course, just eight weeks, and it just started. It's all about technology in schools and social media and blah blah blah. (I definitely need to work on my attitude about it).
I'm wondering though, what you all think about technology in schools. You all have a variety of professions, and your children are different ages, and live in different places, so maybe you can help me out and I can use this in a discussion or a paper or something.
What is different about schools now than when you were in school?
What do you like about technology in schools?
What do you dislike?
What concerns do you have?
What do you think about kids using social media in school?
Thanks!
2 comments:
Interesting!
How it's different: my kids each have smartboards in their classrooms that the teacher uses instead of a chalkboard, whiteboard, overhead projector or TV; they take standardized tests and weekly reading/LA tests on the computer; their teacher can check out a cart of ipads or ipod touches to use in the classroom.
What I like:they are learning to be very technologically literate. I can get a progress report/list of scores on individual assignments automatically emailed to me daily/weekly/etc.
What I don't like: they are not teaching cursive anymore, b/c they think kids will be doing everything on the computer. Last year I never saw any hard copies of my son's reading/LA tests, just a letter grade on the report card. (and I didn't realize I could sign up for the emailed assignment reports then!)
Concerns: all the screen time-folks are always talking about how that is rewiring kids' brains and what-not. My kids are watching more videos (educational and not) at school than ever before. Also concerned that we are all losing the ability to relate and interact with actual people. I feel technology is often used as a babysitter at school. I also feel like kids are being trained to respond to entertaining, flashy images. I guess I'm old-school, but I still want my kids to be able to sit and listen and understand other ways of teaching, too.
thoughts about social media in school: not sure what you're asking--do some schools use facebook, etc at school? Sounds dangerous--people are willing to say so much more digitally than in person, be mean, etc.
Oh, we're so the same. I don't like all the technology either, for the same reasons you don't.
I'm in a group that's focusing on the idea of social media at school-so maybe I'll have a better idea at the end of the semester, but I know schools use Twitter, and I have kids set up with Edmodo, which is kind of like an educational facebook with more teacher control.
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