My name is Jennifer Hof. I am an English major at CSUN and interested in continuing to become a teacher (most likely at the high school level). I believe strongly in individual rights, freedom, and privacy as long as they do not impede the rights, freedom, and privacy of someone else. I believe that information should be free and easily exchanged, and thus feel that media technology should play a strong role in teaching. The age level of the students affects what level of technology should be used, so as to both consider what children are capable of understanding/utilizing and so as to not interfere with the rights of parents to determine what is and is not appropriate for their child. By the time a student reaches the high school level, however, they are close to legal adulthood and should be able to explore the world a little bit more freely in order to prepare them for the adult world.
Of course, using technology simply for the sake of using technology is both ineffective and aggravating. I haven't had too many occasions where teachers used technology where it was not appropriate, and none so major that it's made an impact I can recall now.
The most interesting thing would be the concept of using not just technology, but "social media" (Twitter, Facebook, etc) in the classroom!. One high school is doing just that, check out this short (2 minute) video about it:
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I completely agree that the technology used in a classroom has to not only be age appropriate, but student appropriate. Technology is a good tool, but it is also very obvious when a teacher uses only to say that they used it. Technology should be used as a positive addition to a lesson, not to satisfy some kind of quota.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, in regards to teachers using technology in the classroom inappropriately, I have one amusing example: my science teacher in high school showed the movie "Twister" not once, but TWICE as an 'educational tool' in the classroom. Reading your commentary made me remember that, reminding me of California's critical deficit of competent teachers in the public school system. I particularly agreed with your stance on the freedom and accessibility of knowledge and media technology's role in the manifestation of this ideology in the classroom. I enjoyed reading your commentary!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, what was the purpose of using the movie Twister each of those times?
ReplyDeleteI think that Jennifer makes a strong point when she says that we, as teachers, should utilize the use of "social media." I think that using something similar to Facebook would be great. My biggest concern, and only because I teacher middle school students at present, is the control one would have over it. I would not want my students to abuse the technology by placing inappropriate comments up on the web. I guess the key would be in how you present it to your students and the kind of consequences you have in place for those who abuse the priveledge.
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