After reading the debate summary of Richard Clarke and Robert
Kozma, I realized that the technology debate will go on forever. Technology
changes everything and we, as educators, need to consider how technology
changes thinking. The new tools for communication that have become part of the
21st century no doubt contributes to thinking.
As the debate goes on, we educators continue to implement
technology. I have to agree with Kozma that stated, “technology can make a
particularly significant contribution when coordinated with the training of
teachers to integrate technology into their teaching, with applications that
draw on the unique capabilities of technology, and with supportive curricular,
assessment, and school contexts that advance complex problem solving, creative
thinking, and life-long learning--skills that are needed to support an
information society and knowledge economy".
As educators we have to think how and when to incorporate
new media into instruction. Kozma said that if we do not strive to understand
the potential relationship between media and learning, then one will never be
made and we are unlikely to ever understand the prospective for such a
relationship (Kozma, 1994)
I believe like Robert Kozma, that technology does influence
learning, in the way we learn, when we learn, and what we learn. We must allow
our minds to remain open for the possibilities of connections of technology and
learning.
In the end, as educators we need to know what the
educational need is, problem, or gap for which use of new technology might
potentially enhance learning.
Just as the debate
will go on, for every new advantage a new technology has to offer, there is a
corresponding disadvantage and thus the cycle continues to go around.
Sources:
Deubel,
P. (2007, November 08). The Great Debate: Effectiveness of Technology in Education
-- THE Journal. Retrieved July 19, 2016, from https://thejournal.com/articles/2007/11/08/the-great-debate-effectiveness-of-technology-in-education.aspx
Brown,
M. J. (n.d.). If Technology is the Medium and Instruction is the Method: Then
Do Media Influence Learning? Retrieved July 19, 2016, from http://www.lehigh.edu/~mjbg/portfolio/pdf-pospaper.pdf
I too agreed with Kozma's views. Our students are tech savvy and us educators need to teach to them using those tools.
ReplyDeleteWell said! The best practice is to know your students and use the best tools available to serve them.
ReplyDeleteWell said. And I agree that regardless of the tools used we, as teachers, need to be the knowledgeable one in regard to the student and what their individual needs are. That knowledge and the technological tools is a powerful combination!
ReplyDeleteWell said. And I agree that regardless of the tools used we, as teachers, need to be the knowledgeable one in regard to the student and what their individual needs are. That knowledge and the technological tools is a powerful combination!
ReplyDeleteI think that many of today's students would not be able to reach their full learning potential the "old school" way. They need media and technology to help them learn because it is a way of life for them.
ReplyDeleteHi Buffie,
ReplyDeleteThe quote you included from Robert Kozma was well chosen and makes an excellent point, specifically the excerpt that reads "...technology can make a particularly significant contribution when COORDINATED with the TRAINING OF TEACHERS to INTEGRATE technology in their teaching..."
So many times, in their quest to boast about the abundance of technology available on campus, administrators don't see the value in paying for training to afford teachers with the opportunity to maximize the resources by learning their full capabilities. If this is not done, the devices become high priced gaming systems or plain old dust collectors.
Nice work.
-Johtell
If you don't mind me asking...where do you find all of your amazing immages??? Every post you have done this year has had eyecatching graphics. I love it! You referred to being stuck in the old ways of teaching then students wouldn't grow and learn to the fullest, which I think is a great way to look at it. Understanding this aspect would really make teachers understand that since learners have changed then so should instruction and the way we teach. I also agree with the fact that with so many devices and access to technology that administrators sometimes fail to see that trainings would be valuable for the employers especially when it could benefit the learner.
ReplyDeleteI just Google a particular image, drag it to my desktop, and upload it in Blogger. It is easy. Thanks for asking.
DeleteBuffie Smith
The training is crucial. We have been trained in the pedagogy of teaching because it helps us make good decisions about what is good for students. In the same way, we need training to see how to apply technology. Good point!
ReplyDelete