The information covered in the five articles was eye-opening to me! I have been teaching in the high school setting for twenty-three years now and the use of educational technology has been more and more pervasive, through the decades.
I can remember when the internet was simply a database for information. We were able to digitally access information that we would have had to look up in text. As amazing and efficient as this tool was back in the mid-90s, we had no idea the level of learning that later generations would be afforded, as a result.
As long as I have been working in education, I had never really considered the historical framework of our education system. The fact that we are still “manufacturing” students in an outdated and mostly irrelevant style of classroom education is shocking, to say the least. The educational world has been steadily evolving, with the development of new technologies, but yet we continue to teach our students as if nothing has changed? I am completely sold on the concept of deep learning. For many years, I was skeptical of how much of a role technology should play in the classroom. With that being said, we cannot escape the fact that the everyday world has become digital and if we cannot adopt new pedagogies into our teaching styles, then what are we really preparing our students for? “This is the real potential for technology to affect learning - not to facilitate the delivery and consumption of knowledge, but to enable students to use their knowledge in the world” (Fullan, M. & Langworthy, M. , 2014).
In reviewing Kuhn’s article, Connecting Depth and Balance in Class, it’s clear that the utilization of educational technology is not simply beneficial, but necessary. With the ever-growing list of differentiated learning styles in today’s youth, technology allows for many learning styles to be reached, without making drastic changes for individual students. These programs “adapt to the needs of the student in real time and take advantage of a wide range of preferred learning styles” (Kuhn, M.S., 2008). We must change our approach to everyday classroom education, if we expect our students to thrive in a world in which technology plays a more and more important role. Children are accustomed to learning through digital technology, so why not make it more of our everyday approach to learning?
References
Fullan, M. & Langworthy, M. (2014). A rich seam: How new pedagogies find deep
learning. London: Pearson. Retrieved from https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/global/Files/about-pearson/innovation/open-ideas/ARichSeamEnglish.pdf
David, I totally agree with you! I loved what you said at the end, we have to change the way we teach if we want our students to thrive in this digital age. I went to school and the teachers lectured and used their boards, we didn't get on chromebooks or tablets. I believe that we can find that balance of teaching and using technology. There are so many studies out there about how students are so much more engaged when a lesson involves technology. I'm trying to incorporate more tech in my lessons throughout the day. Really enjoyed your take on the articles.
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