Defining technology as a teaching support and not a teaching substitute
There is no question that there is a great demand on a teacher’s time. Planning lessons, marking assignments, and extracurricular activities alone are enough to fill up one’s schedule outside of the classroom. However, when we’re feeling lazy playing a video or throwing the class into the computer lab is wasting the time we’re given to teach our students.
As a cohort we learned the importance of setting students up for success when watching movies specifically, however, this practical example can be applied to a much larger idea of using a variety of contemporary technologies. Students need to be direct toward the end goal of a lesson. If we fail to provide the direction students need we cannot expect that they will miraculously be able to read our minds and find the answers we saw as obvious. We cannot assume the main point will strike our students in the same way; the adult filter that we sift information through is more developed than the information filter of a middle school student (hopefully). We may pick up on subtle themes and major arguments but without directing students to what they should be looking for they are unlikely to find the same information we did. This could be done as easily as providing students doing an online research project with a chart to fill in on their topic with a list of the different points of interest they need to cover. Another example is our experience in class, telling some students to take note of names of instructors, steps to the procedure, and the name of the procedure left these students better equipped when the tests came around. When we’re creating a lesson we need to be aware of what we want out students to take away from the lesson.
Technology can make the lives of a teacher easier, or provide another platform to engage students, however we have to realize that technology is only a tool. Booking the computer lab doesn’t give us the day off and pressing play on an educational video doesn’t mean students will miraculously understand the unit.
Checked.
ReplyDeleteThis was a terrific and insightful blog entry Jess. How right you are that we cannot and must not assume anything about our student's learning ability. Each learning objective must be carefully planned and built into our lessons. If the goal of the lesson is to let students get what they can out of it...so be it, however a prepared mind will absorb so much more of the content you intend to teach. The prepared mind extends so much further than a Science lesson.
Great Entry!
Yes Jess this is a great entry. My CT told me continuously throughout my practicum "to assume nothing and to teach everything".... which is sooo very true.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many truths to your entry here. I saw first hand in my class what happens when you do not prepare the students. We did many webquests and the students always asked me how it was relevant or what they are suppose to be learning from it.
The last thing I want to say is that in my English class I never got the 'hidden' meaning in poetry or some exerpt. So we can not assume the students will see it our way.
technology can be useful, we just need to prepare them for it.