Many teachers and professors believe that interaction in class is a must. Also, it can be strongly argued that most young men and women, especially college students, have a great hunger for the use of technology. Why not combine the two? According to the article I read, “Classrooms Go High Tech to Engage Students” by Megan K. Scott of the Associated Press, many teachers are realizing that and beginning to take advantage of students need for technology.
Beth Simon, a computer science professor and the University of California San Diego, has utilized her student’s need for cell phone use as a way to interact with her and the rest of the class during lectures. Not only did she not ban cell phones in her class like most professors, she encourages them to use them as a way to ask questions, comment, answer questions, and use the Internet as a resource in class. "They're going to use it no matter what. How do you use this ubiquitous technology that's out there to change the dynamic of the classroom, to engage the student,“ said Simon.
You can argue that students can simply raise their hand to answer a question but if you actually have ever been in classroom you can see that there are people who raise their hand and answer questions but you also know that for the most part many more students know the answer but just don’t want to raise their hand or the teacher picks on someone else. This could be a way to eliminate students not being able to share their thoughts and show that even if they are not raising their hand continuously they still are engaged in the class.
This article also talks about professors using podcasts and live streaming video of class as a way to lecture. I believe that to be fully engaged in class you should be there but I think that making the lectures and class discussions available for later use would be extremely helpful. All students miss something in class whether it by zoning out or simply not understanding it but if a student was able to go back and review everything that was actually said in class it would be incredibly helpful.
Online class discussion boards during and outside of class, which this article also talks about, would be something that would be very useful for all students and professors. Students could ask the professor and each other questions and post ideas they have for everyone to see. This is also a way to make sure everyone can share their opinions and discuss topics in class.
Overall, I believe that technology is a great tool for the learner and also the teacher. Students want technology and what better way to engage students in class than allowing them to use that technology? All professors, especially those of the technologies, should utilize these amazing new ways to get students to learn.
My article can be found at:
http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/2009/07/16/classrooms-go-high-tech-to-engage-students.html
I think that it is important to start integrating new technologies into the classroom setting because students today will need to be equipt with advanced technological skills to thrive in the work place. Using technology to have interactive class discussions outside of class on a discussion board would be helpful for some subjects where students and teachers could have access to help each other. However, while technological advancement is important for students to familiarize themselves with, I still believe in old fashion practices of going to class, seeing a teacher in person and taking notes. We don't want technology to take over our ability to engage ourselves in learning and studying. The use of cell phones in class for example could be a good way to ensure participation from the entire class by having them send in answers to quiz questions or in regular class discussion, however, by doing this, students then lose the ability to learn from their peers. A good way to include technology in the classroom might be to have homework computerized where our mistakes could be explained to us on a computer program.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of this article is very convincing that technology is a key factor in learning and experiencing new things in our world today. From online homework to power point presentations, many of the methods used in the classroom impact how much information is taken away from that course at the end of the day or the semester. Even though these methods are good ways to teach students new ideas, the technology in our world today could be taking away what matters most about attending classes. I also think it's important to just experience the college course work and seek personal help for trouble in class. The whole participation in class and display of knowledge concept push the student towards communication and maturity, which sometimes technology can hinder. It's important to learn to speak in front of other people and not just type your opinions or questions to a teacher. From personal experience, I think online homework and power points are helpful tools in attaining a good grade in any course. However, this article pushes technology a little too far into the heart of the course.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the integration of technology into the classroom and outside of the classroom is beneficial to the students and better prepares them to operate successfully in the real world after graduation, but I also agree that traditional learning practices should remain in place. Athough the integration and familiarization of new technologies has its benefits, good old fashioned hand raising and human interaction is essential to learning. Moving into the future, we can not afford to lose basic people skills and sway away to taking all necessary courses and assignments being attended and accomplished without even leaving the comfort of ones room.
ReplyDeleteTechnology today is giving business so many tools to make work more effectively and efficiently such as blackberries, computers being faster and better, as well as the wonderful user friendly internet that we have all grown to love, maybe it is time we use this technology in the classroom as well. By giving students the opportunity to learn a subject by reading different articles or hearing different opinions on videos over the internet will broaden the views and the minds of students. I think it’s a good idea to integrate the use of technology whether its computers, cell phones, or podcasts they all when used properly will be resources for students to learn more and do better in the classroom as well as the world. Technology is something the majority of us all will have to use in our professions, so it is good to understand it and use it while we are still in school.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading and reflecting about the issue, I personally believe that, although integrating technology into the classroom is definitely helpful in some ways, the traditional learning practices such as going to class, taking notes, going for extra help, and discussing issues with fellow classmates is the better answer. Like Julie says, "We don't want technology to take over our ability to engage ourselves in learning and studying" and I completely agree. I personally believe that using cell phones to ask teachers questions and give answers to questions, etc. is unnecessary and ridiculous. As for using other forms of technology to study and understand a particular topic, such as different articles, media, powerpoint, I feel these are the forms of technology teachers can use to help students understand the material better.
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