Since reading a classmate's posting on the GLIDES program, I have been somewhat intrigued by one of the student responses that essentially said that with all of the different technology to which students have access, it makes sense to utilize them for educational puposes (e.g. iPods for podcasts). While one part of me (the teacher side, I think) agrees whole-heartedly, the other side (definitely the administrator) cringes a little to think of some of these gizmos being allowed in school when most have heretofore been used for purposes about as non-educational as can be!
Cell phones, for instance (depending on the features), could be used by groups to take photos and transmit information from a remote site back to the classroom for a variety of projects across several curricula. Unfortunately, a recent experience proved that students can't always be counted-on to use these devices for such noble reasons. We had a shooting in our small town and the perpetrator (since apprehended) was on the loose. Rumors of invading gangs and drive-by shootings were rampant from the time the first bus arrived the next day and thanks to digital communications, almost half of our students had called home or their parents had been alerted by the parents of their kid's friends and we were left with a "ghost town," inhabited by the remaining terrified few. Of course, all the rumors turned out to be false, but a day of education was sacrificed.
I guess the point I am trying to make is that without student maturity and self-control, utilizing current technology can be hampered if not stymied altogether. Cell phones have gotten so bad in some schools (for reasons similar to what I have alluded to as well as cheating, drug deals, threats, etc.) that they have been banned. In searching for ways to combat unwanted cell phone use, I came across devices called "jammers" that render the phones useless in certain areas. Unfortunately, it seems that they are currently illegal in the US, likely due to the fact that they might interfere with certain emergency frequencies or those making legitimate calls. Perhaps as technology advances, something else will come along that will be useful in this way without disrupting legitimate communication.
Obviously cell phones aren't the only techno-culprits. In reality, it is the societal problem of wanting what we want when we want it, with little or no regard for impacts or consequences. Which is a shame because current (and future) technology has so much that it could offer to enhance educational experiences. It seems that for the time being at least, only isolated pockets will be able to utilize it in the school setting.
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2 comments:
What students do with the technology is a problem and one that should be taken seriously. I'm all for tech, but having safe-guards in some form or another is important. In some ways, it's a high tech way to pass notes. The biggest issue that I see is the depersonalization that occurs when tech is used for illicit things. Some of the IM and MySpace stuff that I've intercepted has been unbelievable...they print it out to show their friends at school. It's like they are completely different people online!
I also searched for ideas to help curb cell use a while back. One company makes detectors that do not block their use, but home in on any active device(kinda like a James Bond movie). Any device that is turned off will not set it off. Right now I don't know what page it was, but I'm sure it's still in the history of my work PC. I suggested this to my principal, since he's always out and about in the building. Just having students know that it could happen is a good deterrent.
More importantly, I'm writing in response to one of your responses about animations. A good tool when properly used. I found http://www.educypedia.be/education/climateanimations.htm which deal with weather. Some things are REALLY basic, but there might be something that could be useful there. It does do a good job of showing some basics that you can do your own additional commentary on. Weather is something that I've always been interested, but I kinda miss the manual calculations of things like the dry adiabatic cooling rates ...physics was a great tool here! Amazing how sciences can blend so nicely together.
Have you been using the Purdue Weather Processor? That was really my first internet experience in college. It has good info and can be much more detailed than the weather channel offerings. The home page is http://weather.unisys.com/.
I almost posted about using iPods in the classroom, but I changed my mind. I wasn't keen on the idea. I think most teachers will agree that cell phones, iPods, etc. are so much of a distraction in the classroom that it's not really worth trying to integrate them into the curriculum. How are you supposed to control texting, for example, if the phones are allowed to be out and in use? Another problem could be an accessability issue. If students are using their phones to send pictures, as you suggested, who is paying for all those messages? It can get quite expensive! Parents might insist on schools paying their phone bills. Or what about the few students in each class who don't have a phone? Are schools to provide them? We would be better off using other forms of technology, such as digital cameras for photos and online computers to read/listen rather than iPods for podcasts. It's easy to monitor which sites students visit and block the "bad" ones. You can't monitor as well when students have earpieces in and you don't know what's happening.
Anyway, I think it's all a great idea, in theory. But the practicality just doesn't exist. It is indeed an issue of "maturity and self-control," as you said, and unfortunately, most students just don't have it.
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