Schools and (very) New Technology

[flyingsliverfin]

My school recently sent out a survey about how people feel about using some of the newer technology in school to 'aid' classroom learning (Personally I think most of the students will just play games/text/get distracted). Some things they brought up were iPads or other tablets, and smartphones.

Anyway, I was wondering what you guys think of it.

[drawkcab]

My school recently sent out a survey about how people feel about using some of the newer technology in school to 'aid' classroom learning (Personally I think most of the students will just play games/text/get distracted). Some things they brought up were iPads or other tablets, and smartphones.

Anyway, I was wondering what you guys think of it.

Your instincts are spot on.

[jjex22]

I've always been undecided in these areas, - I think it's too contextual to really make a generalisation. If I were to attempt one it would be that these technologies should be used in IT and the arts, but are maybe less necessary, and possibly counter productive in more traditional subjects.

I of course talk of secondary education and higher primary (KS 2,3 &4); higher education needs to use the tools of the industry it prepares it's students for, and the foundation stage may benefit just from the technology being more familiar to the student and making them feel more comfortable.


I don't think the distraction is the major issue - when I teach classes directly from the whiteboard, with the students having nothing but excersise books and pencil cases out (one of my favourite rules for year 9), it doesn't stop the passing of notes, chatting and games being played, - that's my job. The school I worked in last year in still had blackboards in around half it's classrooms, and none had the interactive boards I see more in primary schools, and it didn't matter, because children expect school to be different by this age - and, though they fight you every step of the way, they know they have to work.

Where I find newer technologies hinders learning is in the way the kids know more about something than the teacher - I may try to make my classes as fun and productive as possible, but make no mistake, I also make sure I keep control. This is easier without the tablets and laptops - I may be a computer nerd, but I can't keep up with the latest apps for 13 year olds! if they've only got a pencil case, a book and a phone in their pocket, it's a lot more predictable what their going to get up to!

Of course the laptops and the like can be great - they always get the kids excited and can make a nice break in a double lesson; if we've got to get through something even I find dull, a subtle hint that we may, if we have time, get the physics department's laptop's out after the half way bell and put it into practice, they seem to put up with 50 mins of copying down!

I think the only area we really need to be careful of is over using - all these devices have spell checkers and calculators and graph builders - it's great to know how to use those tools, but the whole point of school is to learn to do those things yourself.

P.S. I'd have liked to have seen "Yes - In the hands of responsible/motivated teachers" on the poll ;)

[Basher101]

sure for some things like physics and chemistry it would be very good to have digital 3D models of complicated molecules to get the idea... I got in our Chemistry room a Smartboard, it is a Whiteboard where you can draw and write with a special Pen that makes everyhing digitally projected there. Great tool to explain things as only the teachers use it.

otherwise
Your instincts are spot on.

[ojdon]

I resist bringing in my own phone and tablet into lectures due to them being a distraction.

[IWantFroyo]

There have been people expelled from where I go because they were irresponsible with a computer running a 2001 operating system (XP). Guess what they would do with newer electronics that could have games available natively...

I think taking paper and pencil notes is the best way to retain info. Computers are for working on papers at home.

[IWantFroyo]

sure for some things like physics and chemistry it would be very good to have digital 3D models of complicated molecules to get the idea... I got in our Chemistry room a Smartboard, it is a Whiteboard where you can draw and write with a special Pen that makes everyhing digitally projected there. Great tool to explain things as only the teachers use it.

otherwise

Same thing here. Our school uses Smartboards and Promethean boards. The Smartboards can be used with a finger, and the Promethean boards can only be used with a special pen.

I personally like the Promethean boards better, because you can point things out with your finger without the screen going crazy.

When students get in control, it quickly becomes chaos.

[Basher101]

Same thing here. Our school uses Smartboards and Promethean boards. The Smartboards can be used with a finger, and the Promethean boards can only be used with a special pen.

I personally like the Promethean boards better, because you can point things out with your finger without the screen going crazy.

When students get in control, it quickly becomes chaos.

+1

all our smartboards are from Promethean. Great technology. I would not advise to use tablets in the normal workflow, though. From my own learning experience i learned, that i could read a text 100 times and only vagueley remember it, and when copying it on paper with a usual pen i can recall its content to the fullest.

The more Senses are involved at learning, the faster it is done.

[IWantFroyo]

+1

all our smartboards are from Promethean. Great technology. I would not advise to use tablets in the normal workflow, though. From my own learning experience i learned, that i could read a text 100 times and only vagueley remember it, and when copying it on paper with a usual pen i can recall its content to the fullest.

The more Senses are involved at learning, the faster it is done.

Huge +1!

I personally write down all my notes on notebook paper, and if I think they could be improved, I type them into a word processor.

The only kind of technology I would be supporting of is ereaders for textbooks. They'd have to be tough enough to withstand the average beating a textbook gets, however, so we probably won't see this catching on for a while.

[Basher101]

Huge +1!

I personally write down all my notes on notebook paper, and if I think they could be improved, I type them into a word processor.

The only kind of technology I would be supporting of is ereaders for textbooks. They'd have to be tough enough to withstand the average beating a textbook gets, however, so we probably won't see this catching on for a while.

main problem with the new technology at schools is who will have to pay for them..

[IWantFroyo]

Our school is so overloaded with tech that they barely have the budget for anything else other than the football program. Each classroom has a Promethean or Smartboard, a TV, and several computers all running WinXP Pro.

After the Promethean boards were put in several years ago, we don't even use the TVs anymore.

Plus, most of the teachers have iPads, but I'm not quite sure why.

[flyingsliverfin]

+1

The more Senses are involved at learning, the faster it is done.

For me too. Though sometimes I can get away with memorizing quite a few things just by reading. Notes + reading + talking about it is the best

[Basher101]

For me too. Though sometimes I can get away with memorizing quite a few things just by reading. Notes + reading + talking about it is the best

Throw in writing and you Ace the test...

[Rubykuby]

I take my netbook (Ubuntu) to school with permission. No trouble whatsoever. I get done what needs to be done. What troubles me, though, is other students expecting me to fire up a game, watch videos, yada yada yada. As a matter of fact, they tend to push me in that direction. Usual answer is that the machine can't play games lol.

Yes, technology is great. Yes, I would recommend it. But I myself wouldn't trust a whole classroom of students with technology just like that.

[Basher101]

I take my netbook (Ubuntu) to school with permission. No trouble whatsoever. I get done what needs to be done. What troubles me, though, is other students expecting me to fire up a game, watch videos, yada yada yada. As a matter of fact, they tend to push me in that direction. Usual answer is that the machine can't play games lol.

Yes, technology great. Yes, I would recommend it. But I myself wouldn't trust a whole classroom of students with technology just like that.

Only those who are willing to actually USE it for learning will do so...everyone else should stick to paper and pen by default <.<

[Basher101]

why do you post Off-topic stuff here...open a new thread and don't flood this one..