So this has been in my "drafts" for a while, my struggle with technology continues. Why is there even a draft area? Doesn't it know that I wanted it to post? But finally, here is my reflection on Why School? by Will Richardson.
I'm not going to lie, as an aspiring teacher the title "Why School?" had me a little on the defensive. Because school is awesome and fun, duh! But I kept reading. Richardson does make some good points, but I am also hesitant about his overall direction with technology.
I understand that people now have their personal devices glued to their hands, at least the people that have these devices. So it makes sense that they take them out to look stuff up and don't need to know answers to things that you can put in a google search or into a calculator. But, I think the point of going to school is about more than just memorizing facts. Students are learning how to learn. We don't use our World War I knowledge on a daily basis, but what we learned from having to write about the significance of certain events allowed us to understand the deeper meaning and make connections with today's world. To me, these things are important. The reason details are important at that stage is because it allows students to see the broader picture and apply it to significance. For me at least, there is a method to the madness. I'm not saying to ask students trivial questions, but sometimes those little details help with the bigger picture piece of the learning experience. In the same manner, people don't really need to know exactly what 238 x 15 is because they can look that up on a calculator with more accuracy. But they do need to understand how that answer popped up on the calculator. What exactly does it mean to multiply 238 x 15. We use these devices when we get older because we already understand those concepts. But to me it does not make sense for a fifth grader to have a calculator out for that. High schoolers? Sure. Elementary? Not necessary, let them persevere in problem solving and figure it out. I agree with making those learning experiences meaningful, but I don't think that having technology with them at all times is necessary or appropriate. As we continue to integrate technology, there are so many ways to make its use authentic and meaningful. But to me that doesn't mean having it present every second of every day.
The one thing that I am most hesitant about this technology centered approach is the amount of students without access to technology. We already know that the education gap exists and lets face it, these are the students most likely to lack access to technology. What happens to them? I know that we obviously cannot stop the world from advancing but what do we do for them? Do we require that every school have personal devices to supply each student with? Do we ignore it and just help those with the means take advantage of this new knowledge? I teach in an area that is not particularly struggling but still have about 6 students whose families do not have an email address. This leads me to believe that there probably isn't a whole lot of technology at home. But at school we do have 1-1 iPads. But what about the schools that don't have that? Do those children just keep falling further and further behind?
I'm not going to lie, as an aspiring teacher the title "Why School?" had me a little on the defensive. Because school is awesome and fun, duh! But I kept reading. Richardson does make some good points, but I am also hesitant about his overall direction with technology.
I understand that people now have their personal devices glued to their hands, at least the people that have these devices. So it makes sense that they take them out to look stuff up and don't need to know answers to things that you can put in a google search or into a calculator. But, I think the point of going to school is about more than just memorizing facts. Students are learning how to learn. We don't use our World War I knowledge on a daily basis, but what we learned from having to write about the significance of certain events allowed us to understand the deeper meaning and make connections with today's world. To me, these things are important. The reason details are important at that stage is because it allows students to see the broader picture and apply it to significance. For me at least, there is a method to the madness. I'm not saying to ask students trivial questions, but sometimes those little details help with the bigger picture piece of the learning experience. In the same manner, people don't really need to know exactly what 238 x 15 is because they can look that up on a calculator with more accuracy. But they do need to understand how that answer popped up on the calculator. What exactly does it mean to multiply 238 x 15. We use these devices when we get older because we already understand those concepts. But to me it does not make sense for a fifth grader to have a calculator out for that. High schoolers? Sure. Elementary? Not necessary, let them persevere in problem solving and figure it out. I agree with making those learning experiences meaningful, but I don't think that having technology with them at all times is necessary or appropriate. As we continue to integrate technology, there are so many ways to make its use authentic and meaningful. But to me that doesn't mean having it present every second of every day.
The one thing that I am most hesitant about this technology centered approach is the amount of students without access to technology. We already know that the education gap exists and lets face it, these are the students most likely to lack access to technology. What happens to them? I know that we obviously cannot stop the world from advancing but what do we do for them? Do we require that every school have personal devices to supply each student with? Do we ignore it and just help those with the means take advantage of this new knowledge? I teach in an area that is not particularly struggling but still have about 6 students whose families do not have an email address. This leads me to believe that there probably isn't a whole lot of technology at home. But at school we do have 1-1 iPads. But what about the schools that don't have that? Do those children just keep falling further and further behind?