I work in a very small school. We have 9 full time teachers, 4 part time teachers, and about 150 students. In this small setting I am lucky enough to have full conversations with my principal on a daily basis. I know some teachers wouldn't necessarily see that as good fortune, but I do! I really enjoy my principal. She does a great job of staying current and wanting what is best for the students. However, this week she took me by surprise.
My principal and I speak regularly about my grad school classes. We discuss ways I can incorporate what I am learning into my own classroom. She is always up for me trying new things and letting her know how they did or did not work for me. This week I shared the Jing assignment we have in class. Though I have not started my project yet, I think it is going to be a great tool for our school. Many students struggle with formatting for Science Fair projects. I think this would be a great way to model a raw date table through Excel or creating a Power Point presentation. By utilizing this resource we can provide the students with a visual example which they can use at home. She loved this idea!
Next I decided to tell her about Edmodo. I have not had the time to fully dive into this site, however I am so intrigued. I explained that I wanted to really look into Edmodo and hopefully incorporate parts of the website into my classes. I even went into detail about how several classmates said their more reserved students are willing to express themselves in a greater way through this format. She immediately handed me a printed out article, titled, "Digital Dementia". She explained that we needed to create meaningful ways to include technology without over-incorporating such resources into the classroom.
At first, I was offended. Seriously, there is absolutely no way we can over-incorporate considering we have next to NO technology in our school! I took the article and went to my room. The article sat on my desk, untouched, for the rest of the week.
Today, five days later, I have finally decided to read it. In my opinion, the article displays a lot of bias. However, there are some interesting points that are made. Do I think that all students who have unlimited access to technology, at home and school, are going to be obese, have memory loss, or experience other health issues? No. Yet, I do find value on some restrictions. As a child, I had a limit of TV time per day. I had to carefully decide which shows were most important because once my time was up I was done for the day. Some may say that is harsh. I feel like the restrictions my parents placed have played a huge role as to why I am an avid reader, writer, runner, mover, etc. There are times now, even though I have no restrictions at this point in my life, that I won't turn on the TV for over a week or two at a time. Am I disconnected? I don't think so.
There is also an interesting part in the article that discusses the correlation between printing and literacy. It discusses the amount of time (or lack there of in many situations) that is designated for printing in the classroom.
Though I think that article is extreme at times there are a few points that I found interesting. After having a few days to decompress and think about my principal's message, I now have a different understanding. I believe she was trying to get across the importance of meaningful connections between technology and our curriculum. She doesn't want me to use a resource just because I find it interesting and it's available. Rather, my principal want to ensure that there is real value in the incorporation of such resources.
I too struggle with the idea of too much technology versus too little and how to best achieve that balance in my classroom, as well as in my daily life. I think it comes down to the idea of purpose. There should always be a purposefully, thoughtful reason for what we do in the classroom -- with or without media/technology. For instance, I'm currently using Edmodo with my juniors so that they can read and discuss a novel outside of class while we work on a play in the classroom. Of course the two will at times bleed together, but I'm sure that if I just assigned them the novel to read without the Edmodo discussions plenty of them wouldn't bother. In this way I'm almost running two different classes with them -- one online and one in the classroom. Keep fighting the good fight.
ReplyDeleteWow, I was offended at first too! The article is tough to swallow, especially for those of us currently immersed in this class that specifically covers new media in the classroom. However, I liked that you were able to find some sense from it. I tend to agree-- some limitations must be set. A class asked me the other day why some teachers allowed cell phone use and others didn't. My response was that I feel we are partially responsible for making sure young people learn appropriate use of technology and I didn't want to send them off to college/life not knowing when and when not to be playing on their phones. They seemed to appreciate this and were inquisitive as to what was actually deemed appropriate in "the real world" so I gave them some examples (not at the dinner table when out on a date, for instance! They thought that was pretty funny.)
ReplyDeleteGreat example to share with us :) Very thought-provoking.
Wow, I was offended at first too! The article is tough to swallow, especially for those of us currently immersed in this class that specifically covers new media in the classroom. However, I liked that you were able to find some sense from it. I tend to agree-- some limitations must be set. A class asked me the other day why some teachers allowed cell phone use and others didn't. My response was that I feel we are partially responsible for making sure young people learn appropriate use of technology and I didn't want to send them off to college/life not knowing when and when not to be playing on their phones. They seemed to appreciate this and were inquisitive as to what was actually deemed appropriate in "the real world" so I gave them some examples (not at the dinner table when out on a date, for instance! They thought that was pretty funny.)
ReplyDeleteGreat example to share with us :) Very thought-provoking.
Yeah, I was offended for you, too! I agree with LH when she says technology should be incorporated purposefully and thoughtfully; however, it seems as if you were really trying to do just that. I'm surprised your principal reacted in such a way. I've never checked out Edmodo, but now I'm intrigued! It sounds like a useful tool.
ReplyDeleteYou all bring up points that I was going to bring up too. First I skimmed the article and found these phrases: "unrestricted use", "technology addiction", "technology overuse". Yes, the article appears unbalanced and biased. But I'm glad that you eventually give it a critical read and discovered that while biased, there are some good points to it.
ReplyDeleteI think the key is to discuss balance and what you principal stated is also important about having "meaningful connections." My instinct would have been to call out the parents, but we know as educators that is not the wisest or most appropriate path to take.
The technology is not going to go away, but like you have addressed, it is our job (and the job of others in education, not just ELA) to become critically aware of the messages people are receiving and to make these "meaningful connections." I am already seeing how this class is providing you with an arsenal of materials with which to approach the over consumption of media to allow students to become more critical and to use these tools in an effective manner.