This is true. I started wanting to shut every open laptop in my class and force people to put away their phones- and found that if I give them interest and encouragement they can use those resources as part of the class discussion - taking a concept further with on-the-spot research, for example, that brings a relevant A/V to share with the class. Also the phones when used "positively" connect classmates to absent team members instantly through the social networks and can allow them to turn work in to me when the students can't access a PC. Connect!
So the challenge then, Sheila, is to integrate technology and apply various methods in their use. This is difficult for some teachers. What kind of preparation would teachers benefit from in regards to this kind of technology use?
Cell phones are top of my list, these new phone are capable of amazing thing, surfing internet is one of them. this alows the student to be informed the the lab setting.
Laptops, again east information gathering and now can hold ove 500 gigs of data and video.
And how do you think this will change education in the future, Ryan?
Good point Tommy, the internet is awesome. point , click shoot. theres the info. But still there needs to be ILT.. as I was taught the instructor led training, to sort out what might be fact and what might be over exagerated fact. or even complete fiction! There is room for Wireless wonderland. theres no getting away from it. Its the way the industry in moving. so move along with it. or get out of the way. But never forget a person with 10,20,30,40 yrs. experience inwhat your after is better than any internet.
The internet and mobile and networking phones are characteristic of many students today. I struggle with the idea of students using these devices in the classroom sessions due to the potential for cheating and the distractions that they cause the students in class during presentations. I would be willing to integrate these methods, but how do I help the students understand that there is a proper time and place for their use?
Good questions, Cleve. I hope others on this thread respond...from my perspective, I see those challenges as always with us whatever the technology or lack of it. Motivating students to not cheat but to work authentically is part of our work as instructors. The appropriateness of the use of the technology emerges from well defined and relevant assignments. The design of instruction is what supports the overall success of the learning for the students.
I believe that the two main technology applications that influence the characterization of students today are social networking and smart phones. The students have become more impatient than even my generation. If you are familiar with the term "microwave generation", remember that it was used to refer to those of us who are now in our mid-thirties. Technology has developed exponentially since we were deemed the most impatient, "gotta have it now" generation in history. That is no longer the truth. The majority of our students are accustomed to asking a question to a friend via text and getting an almost instaneous response. They are able to google anything and get automatic bibliographies from a phone or PC.
Social networking has caused a level of familiarity that can be very destructive. Real relationships are not the norm anymore and frienship has been reduced to the click of a mouse. Because of this it is more challenging to get students to respect the traditional classroom setting and to hold their attention. I have found that autonymous projects tend to keep the students focused longer than class discussions (unless they are debating).
Yes, Mariska. Technology has progressed rapidly and continues to change. The implications for teaching and learning are vast. Rather than see social networking tools as diminishing relationships, could it be that they are being redefined...and could these new relationships benefit the learning process?
an application would be the smart phones and the ability to travel the internet with great ease. there is so much information on the internet now that students can learn about any topic of intrest at any time all in the palm of there hand
I enjoy the thread. However, it's not the tools...you still have to read, write and think critically. From the comments above, the technologiesy and applications that gain favor offer accessibility, portability, ease of use/consumption. These enablers offer more opportunity for learning but it is the original technology - the human brain -that counts most. The comment on the wild west is a fair comparison. It seems technology has not settled sufficiently to let educators settle on standards. This technology (discussion threads) is only a step up from email. So we work with what's available and chase the next best thing to reach the student.
I believe that hands on is important rather then using the internet for the entire course instruction, students she be able to learn hands on
melissa ,
I'm assuming you're referring to lab time here? Yes, there is the application piece which usually requires demonstrations - technology can support and/or mediate the demonstration of skills as well - can you think of examples of that using presentation or projection technology?
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I know this isn't the answer that you are looking for but I have been using Facebook Groups for Schools in teaching several of my college courses - https://www.facebook.com/about/groups/schools and I am using Mobile Devices to integrate students' own technologies - see http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/communication-activities-using-mobile-devices/ fro some of the mobile-driven activities I used in an undergraduate course on interpersonal skills.
Jaclyn,
I would not "expect" a specific response to this question - multiple technologies and multiple applications in learning. I am interested in how teachers use technology to mediate and deliver education.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
There are many ways in which technology applications can influence the characterization of today's learners as being nomadic. Two general classes are the ability to access information in multiple platforms and instantaneously (internet, mobile connections - phone, ipad, etc.) and the ability to engage in social communication to enhance learning (chat, blog, social media). By capitalizing on real-time and asynchronous opportunities facilitators can create dynamic learning environments that are relative to the learner's interests which then sets the foundation for extended self-directed and collaborative learning.
Dr. Stacee,
I agree that the technology provides constant connection and I also think that because of that, current students truly expect that kind of connectivity to content, instructor, and peers throught their learning experience.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
The two most important tools that will have impact on students are Web 2.0 tools and social media (Twitter, Wiki, Google doc, Facebook, etc.) used for academic interaction. Educational technology has a significant positive impact on achievement in all subject areas, across all levels of school, and in regular classrooms as well as those for special-needs students. Educational technology has positive effects on student attitudes. The degree of effectiveness is influenced by the student population, the instructional design, the teacher’s role, how students are grouped, and the levels of student access to technology. Technology makes instruction more student-centered, encourages cooperative learning, and stimulated increased teacher/student interaction. Positive changes in the learning environment evolve over time and do not occur quickly. Seven or more "multiple intelligences" that are of equal importance in human beings and develop at different times and in different ways in different individuals. Multi-media can go a long way to addressing these intelligences, much more than traditional teaching methods. In comparison to Web 1.0 tools, Web 2.0 tools allow Web 2.0 allow presentation, video, mobile and community tools. These tools are about revolutionary new ways of creating, collaborating, editing and sharing user-generated content online. It's also about ease of use. There's no need to download, and teachers and students can master many of these tools in minutes. Technology has never been easier or more accessible to all as it is today.
Vimlarani,
Very true...and the ease at which the instructor knows and uses the technology. It is important to keep trying and practising new technology in order to keep our courses current and applied.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
On this topic of how to let the students guide themselves to a place where they use the technology as a tool to authentically learn and not use it as a crutch to cheat, is a critical step in classroom management. I believe as Instructors, it is a "hands on" learning process for us because we must find that area which addresses the students ability to use the technology to find answers and then for them to feel confident in their knowledge of that info so that they do not need to cheat. We all store info in different ways and that is the beauty of the technology: it allows the student to find information in a manner that "speaks" to them (i.e., the type of learner they are).
Does this require instructors to be more perceptive or have more knowledge of the available spaces for learning?
