http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Interesting read indeed!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Technology at STEMM Academy
Technology use at STEMM Academy,Ypsilanti, goes hand in hand with learning content. If it is confusing to refer to books, students are directed to websites that might help them understand the concept better. Although, the network connections are not at ideal speeds, students do find it more meaningful to google, and explore about the topics that interest them. Interestingly enough, I do not see students visiting sites that do not concern the content area, while browsing. Well, one could call it classroom culture or it could be the fact that most of them have cell phones and do not see a need to browse on the computer, necessarily. Never the less, I commend my mentor teacher, Mr. Heister, on winning the trust of his class as much as he trusts them. Students are also encouraged to find information pertaining to the content, using their smart phones. Here I noticed, students often get distracted by incoming texts and messages. The instant texting seem to be more popular among students than browsing aimlessly. I find this, as a shift in the attitudes of the present day students. I am surprised at the number of text messages the students get while attending classes. Mr. Heister, wants to develop a culture where the students realize the difference between useful and wasteful use of cell phone... which is really interesting. He empathizes with the students for the amount of distractions they have. He questions,"can we avoid this in this day and age?"..probably not!.. so then, it would be best to teach students to be conscious of their actions, so they are able to discern between the good and the bad, the wasteful and the useful . One of the editorials from Washington Post, shared among the STEMM staff about the 'collaborative environment' talks about what we as teachers, need to bring in the classroom to have a system where students and teachers work for the sole benefit of learning - which might include debates and discussions about mindful usage of technology:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Interesting read indeed!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Interesting read indeed!
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Subha, it's great to see that you are thinking about the question of how kids conduct themselves on the web through a lens other than the one that proposes that the way to go is close off and forbid. I know that this isn't a facile or an insignificant question, but I rather get the impression that you're witnessing your mentor trying to foreground the idea of establishing trust, and not just boundaries, as a way of approaching the question. It's great that you're being given the opportunity to see the problem (and the potential solution) being defined differently, and I will be very interested to hear more about what you're seeing, and what it is making you think about.
ReplyDelete-Subha
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post about technology at your placement. I think this post is really relevant especially after we had Liz Kolb come in and speak to us about using cell phones in schools. I think it is an amazing thing that your mentor teacher is trying to teach students to use technology in a responsible way. I think he has it right when he teaches students to think this way because technology is not going away. As teachers, we can't act and teach in a way as if technology is not an ever-present thing in our lives. It is refreshing and also encouraging to see your mentor teacher's example and see that the students mainly act in a responsible way.