Managing Technology

The podcast, From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Learning, got me thinking a lot about how teachers need to really prepare to introduce an assignment for the first time and think about all of the challenges that might come with the excitement of using technology. From the conversation, it appeared that the two student teachers recognized that there were some challenges with the task, such as how to grade this type of report versus a written report as well as how to handle students saying that they submitted the assignment online but the website didn’t show that it was there. For those who submitted a telephone call in assignment, it was hoped that more time would’ve been spent rehearsing as if it was a real presentation. These are all things that could’ve been discussed and planned for prior to giving the students the assignment. As an elementary school teacher, I don’t know how well nine year olds could handle this task or how parents might feel about it. I do think a lot of discussion about the use of these tools and choices for submission would need to occur before allowing students to call in an assignment. I appreciate the desire of these student teachers as well as the teacher who took her students on a Google Lit Trip to incorporate technology applications to make the work more current, creative and engaging for their students.

In yesterday’s NY Times there was an article by Matt Richtel called “A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute.” It was interesting to read this article about a school where technology is not used at all and compare it to all the different uses of technology that we are reading about in class. Although I have my students work on activities that don’t incorporate technology in some subjects, it is hard to imagine a classroom without it, or using a chalkboard instead of a SMART Board. I’m not sure what the right balance of technology is, but I do think the most important thing for teachers to keep in mind is student engagement and learning.

--Robyn