Quote:
“This explosion has outpaced our pedagogy, our curricula and methods of instruction, and the definitions of what it means to be literate in a multimedia society. (One major irony in American education is that no philosophy or pedagogy has been developed to take into account the role of visual representation in instruction, while at the same time increasingly large portions of the education budget are being spent on iconic technologies such as computers, video recorders, and video cameras.)” (Semali, 2001)
Reaction:
I never thought about the expansion of technology as surpassing the educational system’s ideas of literacy in our multimedia society. This quote is right, though. Teachers need to be focusing on the bigger picture, such as globalization. Our technology allows people to communicate and collaborate across seas now, and therefore, teachers need to be as up-to-date, if not better, with new technology than their students. Teachers need to incorporate technology within their classrooms and not for the traditional means, such as solely using computers, cameras, or recorders. They now can use live-feed to communicate with other teachers or students in other countries. It’s amazing what technology they have today that can be useful to teachers and to students.
Reference:
Semali, L. M. (2001, November). Defining new literacies in curricular practice. Reading Online, 5(4), Retrieved from http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/semali1/index.html
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I found a podcast program that talks about the use of technology in the classroom, and how technology should not drive the curriculum, but that the curriculum is the driving force, which can be enhanced by technology.
I found a podcast program that talks about the use of technology in the classroom, and how technology should not drive the curriculum, but that the curriculum is the driving force, which can be enhanced by technology.
Techforteach, (Producer). (2011, March 3). Curriculum [Audio podcast]. Technology for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=Curriculum&video_id=223443
Can you imagine how much and how many different kinds of things that a class could learn about other countries and other cultures with all of the available technology. It would almost be like taking a trip for these students that never will go anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we need to prepare our students for a global society. Some school systems tend to brag about the available technology and money spent on technology, but how do they really use these tools in the classroom?
ReplyDeleteMary Jo made a comment about schools bragging about the money they have to spend on technology. I have been to what is considered a "21st Century School" where they had portable smart boards and a multimedia lab capable of video conferencing. But the problem was, teachers were not really using these tools. So my question is, how are we going to convince teachers how and why these tools should be incorporated in the classroom?
ReplyDeleteI almost chose this quote. I'd like to work in a school system that has a large educational budget, period. It's like pulling teeth to get new calculators and pencil sharpeners at our school, let alone computers equipped with web cams that would allow students to participate in virtual classrooms. Teachers write individual grants, on their own time, for things like cameras and video recorders. There's a sign-up sheet for the computer lab that fills up months in advance. We have one lab and one traveling lab for K-6. How can we possibly be expected to prepare students for this global society when we barely have the tools to execute a paper/pencil curriculum.
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ReplyDeleteSince I don't teach in a K-12 classroom, my question is, for schools that have the equipment to incorporate these types of technology, are they teaching the teachers how to use it and how to make the most of it? I know that some of the schools in Marion County don't have a TIS to provide guidance and instruction in using technology, so I'm wondering if there's enough support for the teachers in this area?
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of money being spent on these items and are not being used in the schools. I still believe that most teachers would like to change things and believe it would help, but most do not know how. I think it is more in the fact that everyone says it needs to be done, but not a lot of examples are given. Some people just don't feel they are creative enough to do anything different. It is like a car, you don't have to go out and buy new rims, just polish the ones you have.
ReplyDeleteWest Vriginia leads the nation on technology expenditure for students. However most of that money was spent on SmartBoards which ultimately supports a pedagogy of watching rather than doing. In a recent survey it was found the most common way teachers used technology was to have students use the computer for word processing to make a "good" copy after the had wrote the original.
ReplyDeleteI think until administrators and education leaders broaden their definition of literacy that goes beyond producing and consuming print based media schools will struggle to move into the 21st century!
I also agree with Erica. 21st century teacher doesn't necessarily require the latest and greatest.