Plugging+In

Literature Review: Plugging-In

This article was very interesting. When I first started reading it, I thought it was dated. However, when taking a closer look, I come to realize that it makes some very valid points about education today. The discussion of an ever changing environment is the premise of the article. We all must adapt to the changing times and grow with them or be left behind. I have experienced much of what the article discusses in terms of the changing times and how to best use and choose the more appropriate technology for the classroom. It is really important not only to evaluate technology and whether it is appropriate for our classroom, curricula, and our learning environment. First of all, the article discusses how the times are changing in this digital age. People need to be able to change with the times, adapt, learn, and be flexible with the changes we are experiencing. There are new technologies out every day and thus new and different jobs are being created every day. Our students are training for jobs that do not even exist yet. Therefore, it is very important as an educator to be able to teach the students as much as I can about the technologies available to us now and how to adapt our curriculum to use these technologies now and in the future. I do this in my classroom quite a lot. I am always introducing new technologies to my students. I am also showing them different ways to do things, but I am not interested in doing technology for the sake of doing it. I always make sure that it is enhancing the lesson and the curriculum in some way. I also agree with the quote on page six of the article that technology in support of outdated educational systems is counterproductive. Children learn differently now and we know better ways of reaching them. Data from many different aspects of educational research clearly supports the idea that old methods do not work for reaching our current students. Educational models supporting engaged learners are where we need to be moving towards in order to success to set up our students for success both now and in the future. Before technology can be used effectively in the classroom, the classroom itself must be a living, breathing place, changing with the times to accommodate all learners. Their indicators of engaged learning is a great way to evaluate the classroom and the technologies used in the classroom. Focusing on an engaged learning environment will show the teacher whether or not he is doing all he can to reach his current students and if technology is appropriately being used with his students. There should be ongoing assessment with the teacher in a facilitator role. This means that the responsibility of the learning is placed back on the student and not on the teacher. Doing this will provide ways for students to learn to problem solve on their own with guidance from the teacher. Tasks in class should be meaningful and real-life relatable tasks. If the students do not understand why they are learning what they are learning and why they are doing what they are doing, it defeats the purpose of the learning task in the first place. Students will not take it seriously and will not be able to relate to them, therefore, they will not be engaged and energized learners. While focusing on an engaged learning and collaborative environment, there are many technologies that would thrive in this context. Email is a great way to keep in touch with students, other teachers and parents on a much more frequent basis. Emil also promotes collaboration. Students can contact each other about a project, contact their tutor or mentor if they need assistance on a project or assignment, or contact their coach about a game. While providing this collaboration, computer based learning is a bit different. This is where many of the colleges are right now with online courses. There is a huge push for high school courses to go online and the teacher is there for support and assistance/enrichment. All of the lecture material will be online and students will submit their work digitally. I am all for this to a point. Teaching chemistry, it find it imperative that I see my students in the classroom and not only online. Conducting virtual experiments in a virtual laboratory is all ell and good but that does not really reach the kinesthetic learner. I believe that the students need to be involved and work with the chemicals themselves to really get the full experience. This is a change I am not ready to make. I agree with the quote on page 29 stating, “Technology is a tool that gives everyone an equal chance to learn.” While I wholeheartedly believe that, as the article points our, clearly money is an issue. How are schools and districts supposed to set these students up for success in the ever-changing digital world if they do not have the funds to purchase the technology? Even if the districts can effectively evaluate the technologies and they have engaged learning classroom models in place, the districts cannot support the teachers or the curricula without funds. Truth of the matter is many districts spend their money on athletics and not on technology. This needs to change. Spending that money to benefit the few instead of making learning accessible to everyone is not fair nor a good use of funds. Districts need to make the shift to support learning in the classroom and not on the fields. This way, every learner is supported, not just the athletes. Equity is a big issue and every district no matter how wealthy they are, should be given the funds to help every student access the Internet, the information on the web, and to support their learning.