Reflecting on The Shifting Discourses of Opening Speech: A meander in the Mainstream of Educational Technology by Denis Hynka
The above mentioned article describes the main support for modern educational media as computer software, moving the classroom into the computer monitor that the majority of students spend 30 hours a week in front of, on their own time.[1] As students engage with this form of media, becoming more proficient then many of their archaic teachers, they become less motivated by the technology itself. Bringing a cart of computers into the classroom may have sparked a sense of novelty in students initially that allowed the medium to acts as its own reinforcer; however, as computers become incorporated into the classroom they are expected by the class rather than an innovative way to engage students.
Educational videos operate as an effective form crowd control, as students have been socialized to sit quietly and allow this form of media to wash over them. The classroom may passively engage with content however eventually satiation sets in and Bill Nye does not bring as much excitement as it did the first time the videos were brought into the classroom. The Norman McLaren produced film Opening Speech has a certain level of novelty, largely because it is black-and-white and provides a window back in time to 1961. Incorporating modern films and the latest of gadgets can enthrall kids for a while, however, the novelty of technologies they are less likely to use may surprise teaching professionals with how they can hold a student’s attention. When every student spends 30 hours a week on a computer the idea of paper and markers to create a poster appears more exciting and enthralling then using Photoshop or whatever the latest image editing software happens to be at the time.
Jess you write blogs like you write a paper. Captivating. You are right about the whole novelty idea. Markers and paper will always be more fun than Photoshop!
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading about your insights about technology in the classroom. It is interesting how different forms of media capture students' attention in different ways. And i thought it was great in your last point that you mentioned that pen and poster projects can spark more excitement for students than a computer, which the student has now grown accustomed to. Thanks for your great words, Jessica. I think...I am going to make a book out of everything you say this term. Perhaps a scrap book? Have your people call my people and we can work out a deal.
ReplyDeletePaper and marker = novel. I like. I hadn't thought of it that way. Mind blown. Good night.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the kids like markers and paper because they engage the senses in a way that a computer never could.
ReplyDeleteTouch - the feel of the materials, the resistance of the markers as they move across the page
Smell - who doesn't like marker smell; almost as great as glue smell
Hearing - the sound of the markers marking or the pages turning
Sight - a big poster vs a computer screen
Taste - might not fit in, but I've use my mouth as a third hand on occasion to hold pens or pen-caps, or even as a place to put my pencil while I think thoughts.