Tuesday, September 16, 2003

The following synopsis and reflection is from the site listed below:

http://www.asbj.com/2002/08/0802technologyfocus.html

"The Technology-Rich Classroom: What would your teachers put on their wish list?" is an article that shares the pluses and minuses of various technology instruments and practices. In practice, the article suggests that "technology helps students learn at their own pace," and "students are more passionate about their learning" when they are utilizing technology. The reason for this is that the students can go at their own pace, as well as work in cooperative groups. However the key component to implementing technology is to have someone who really knows what they are doing. The article refers to this as a "technology specialist." The article continues to mention a study that was conducted to see what technology could help in the classroom. They gave their opinions about computers, printers, digital cameras, document cameras, video/computer projectors, CD players, and VCRs, and how beneficial each is to the classroom. The article concludes by sharing the biggest necessities to implementing technology. They are word processing, a web browser, and some presentation software.

I found this article really interesting for several reasons. First of all, it really hit home when it mentioned that student learning was enhanced with technology. I can relate to this because I run an after-school computer club. The students that join are eager to get started, and to get their assignments. I very rarely have that during math, reading, or social studies class. Students seem to be more engaged, enjoy their assignments, and do better work when they are utilizing technology. I try to implement technology during regular education classes, however we only have two in our classes, whereas the lab supplies thirty wonderful, new computers. That leads me to the second thing that caught my attention in this article. That is, a computer for every student is not necessary. If students have to share a computer, they learn to work better together. Finally, something that I think a lot of us forget is the fact that we are still allowed to interact with humans. It’s funny that you mentioned this at the first class because so did the article. We still need a teacher to teach the class, to give handouts (instructions), and to get feedback from the students (assignments). I feel that technology needs to be implemented in our daily practices as an educator. However, we must continue to relate with humans.