What are some benefits and limitations of incorporating technology into a teachers' instructional day?
There are many benefits to using technology, but if used inappropriately or incorrectly, the limitations can outweigh the the benefits. For example, using a SmartBoard is a great way to incorporate technology. Students love to use it because it is interactive, and it gets them involved in the lessons. I have witnessed (more than once) teachers trying to use the SmartBoard and not knowing how. They took valuable class time trying to figure out how to use it and never really did. It wasted time and frustrated the students and the teacher. Some of them had no back-up plan and so the lesson was ruined. The middle school I went to had 2 SmartBoards. I never saw them being used as anything but a projection screen/ dry erase board. The teachers were given the boards and not given any training on how to use them, and so they were a pointless waste of money. It would be very beneficial to teachers to have training workshops on how to use the technology. Especially for older teachers who did not grow up with computers like we did, the task of just "figuring it out" is nearly impossible.
Another way to use technology would be for grading purposes. This is extremely useful because it can organize everything for you and give averages, etc. without ever having to use a calculator. However, teachers should always have a back-up grade book because computers are known for crashing and everything will get lost. In my high school there was an older teacher who had been teaching for many, many years. He absolutely refused to use the computers to do his grading. He would only use his gradebook and calculator to do grades. The administration would get frustrated with him, but he was not willing to change what had worked for him for years. In this situation, it really was easier to just let him use his gradebook than try to teach him to use the computer!
A good example of technology use was used by my Pre-calculus teacher in 11th grade. He had a system that allowed the notes on the board to be saved onto the computer. Then, if someone was absent or missed any of the notes, he could print them out instead of having to copy everything and re-teach it. He also had a type of clicker that we played games with kind of like the clickers here at WVU.
When used correctly technology is a great thing. Students need to know how to use it because it will be a big part of their lives. I do not think that we should be totally dependent on it, however, because technical malfunctions do occur. One of the most important things I have learned about technology is to always have a back up plan just in case!
My question to you is how much should we be reliant on technology and is there a point at which we are too reliant on it?
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You have made many good observations. Technology is just another tool that teachers can use. Just like other tools if they are not used effectively, they can hinder student's learning. The sad thing is that time is not allowed for teachers to learn how to effectively integrate the new tools and get comfortable with them. The goood news is that tools like on-line grading do free up time that teachers can devote more time to learning the new tools. I have also learned that I don't need to know how to use the tools or the program perfectly before implementing. I can learn as I go, but if I wait until I am perfect then I will be left.
ReplyDeleteYour blog and question makes a lot of great points. Teachers should be cautious when relying on technology. Like you stated computers can crash. One of the issues I have seen in my mentor teacher's classroom and other professors' classrooms is that technology can be wired incorrectly. This can be a problem for even teachers our age. I usually have little trouble working on computers, but if I had to work with the plugs and wires of a computer or smart board I would have no clue. So I think teachers always need to have a backup plan to their lessons if the technology does not work properly.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that maybe our society is relying on technology too much. A lot of times we like to take the easy way out. If we use technology too much students may miss out on learning the basics and will not have the knowledge when technology is not working correctly. Technology right now is still a little unreliable and should always be used carefully in the classroom.