I find myself in the midst of a shift in my thinking toward modern technology. In many schools still, iPods and cell phones are the stuff that maddens educators and allows the students to drift off into the nether reaches, minds closed and impervious to intelligent ideas! Of course, it wasn't that long ago (or was it?) that many of my teachers thought chewing gum was to be the ruin of our generation!
My point is this: personal consumer technology is here to stay; it will only get smaller and more sophisticated in my opinion and virtually every student is seemingly captivated by it. Why not tap into it as a means of enhancement? I have stood upon this electronic soapbox in the past weeks and railed about the problems that it causes in schools. What has become apparent is that it remains despite our best efforts to have it removed. I must admit to some lingering fundamental misgivings, but there is still too much potential to help.
Thus, I begin my journey into learning more about how to better utilize what the kids have and what they like in order to aid in their quest for higher learning. I think I'll start by learning as much as I can about iPods (sorry Mark, not copy-catting!) and podcasts. It helps that my 10 year-old saved his Christmas and birthday money and bought an iPod Nano so that I can experiment a little. What I hear from colleagues (both at work and in my classes thus far) is that using and creating podcasts can add a lot to the educational experiences. Hopefully, I'll know a little more by my next post!
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3 comments:
Hi Jimmy, this is Joe (TA)
It is interesting to read that you are 'turning'. When I hear the term 'turning', I always think back to Star Wars.
I have to ask, are you turning to the 'Dark Side', or the 'Light Side'?
From Wikipedia:
"...two aspects of the Force are given emphasis: the light side and the dark side. These are concerned with the moral compass of the Force ...(the Dark aside) of the Force seems more powerful, though it is just more tempting to those that can touch upon the power as it doesn't impose any restrictions on its use."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_(Star_Wars)
To follow your drift, "...still turning, I am!"
I believe that I am beginning to see the good possibilities in things that heretofore have caused trouble in the school setting. I am turning and not spinning, however! I guess a good analogy to what I am undergoing is like chemotherapy. Unrestricted use of the toxic medicines kill not only the cancer, but the host as well. But monitored and systematically measured doses can have a positive effect on the patient. Thus, any positive outcome would have to be away from the dark side of the force. Of course, any Jedi worth his light sabre would know that!
Podcasts seem like such a strange idea to me. I suppose it's because through all of my educator training, professors have always harped, "Use visuals!" for instruction. That, and I myself am a very visual person. Podcasts are something that you listen to without any other type of interaction (as far as I can tell). I think it might be very difficult for a student to recall what they've been listening to. I don't know, I could be wrong. I've never heard a podcast (much less owned an iPod!) That's just what I've picked up from my limited experience. I haven't read your second post on the podcasts yet...maybe you'll have some answers for me there.
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