Monday, November 11, 2013
Rethinking Education for the Modern World
When we look at today's education system, whether it be high school or higher education, we see a system that in many ways has not changed in any substantive way from the education that individuals received 100 years ago. Sure, efforts are being made to integrate technology into the classroom experience but it often ends up feeling forced, like technology for the sake of technology instead of technology for the sake of education (e.g. writing notes on a SmartBoard instead of a chalkboard). How should education evolve to meet the needs of a 21st Century society and, more importantly, of the 21st Century student? Watch this video (oh, this one and this one too!) and then think about how you would build a university or high school for the modern age if you could start from scratch. What tried and true methods still work in education and which ones need to evolve to stay relevant in the modern age? Can technology be used in the classroom in meaningful ways (what are your personal experiences with technology in the classroom)? How do we make meaningful changes to enhance what we already do well in education without "throwing the baby out with the bathwater"? Do traditional methods still provide any useful experiences or help students develop useful skills that they will need in today's job market? Do you feel like the education you are receiving will serve you well in today's technology saturated society? These are only a few questions that come to mind when considering the ways in which education should evolve to stay relevant in an age of ever increasing technology.
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Firstly and most importantly, our education is vital to everything we do in life – needless to say! But to change it too much, I believe, would not benefit us in any way. While it certainly doesn’t or will not ruin our education, it has the potential to. Specifically, technology is distracting. Like in the video made by a Kansas University professor and his students, they say they use their laptops for facebook or for other things outside of their class. They have the technology for learning in front of them, yet they become distracted by the many social media sites and games available to them. In class, I see my peers texting underneath the table or directly in front of the teachers. What interests me though is some will defend themselves when “caught” and say they are using a dictionary, writing homework assignments, etc. While they may be doing just that, how does the teacher know they aren’t texting? Most often, teachers don’t feel the need to question it further.
ReplyDeleteOn the contrary to the negative qualities of technology, it is not all bad. Technology is increasingly efficient, making it easier and faster to communicate or to process nearly anything. As our society is becoming more technologically advanced, so are the jobs and careers of our time. You need to know how to use Microsoft Works for nearly any position, and its useful for a secretary to know how to type fast. Google Chrome is becoming very popular. We just recently switched our entire school system to using Google Chrome and Google docs.
Beyond Google Chrome, I personally use Google to answer any question I have when I don’t want to wait. I view it in this way: the whole world is at my fingertips. Any question I have can be answered through Google. Anything I want to know, I can learn through Youtube! It’s incredible when you really think about it. The information available to you is limitless. But should we change our education and integrate more technology into the learning process? Absolutely not. We need teachers setting an example, writing on a whiteboard (even a blackboard!) so we can visually see it and remember it in our memories. There is no reason we shouldn’t use technology in specific projects or outside of school, yet in school we still need to hold on to what we have left of books. We should strive to use “old-fashioned” books along with our technology - but when needed, not just wanted. I wouldn’t change a thing about our education. It truly isn’t necessary. The world knows enough about its technology that we do not need to replace books and other valuable learning techniques. I, at least, feel prepared enough for the world of careers filled with increasingly advanced technology.
Society today has grown into social media reliance. Students and teachers rely on technology to help them succeed with everyday assignments. Many teachers allow students to use laptops and smartphones in class. Some students don’t know how to use a dictionary because they are used to there electronics doing the work for them. This is also with teachers; many teachers don’t use a chalkboard anymore. Many use smart boards or white boards, even elmos and projectors to teach their students. Many high school teachers would agree that the use of these electronics is a great way to help the students learn, however if you were to ask an older professor at a college they would most likely disagree. This is because the way they were taught to teach their students is becoming differently than the way children in high school are taught.
ReplyDeleteStudents are taught that technology can do no harm. But as kids learn to only use technology and not worry about textbooks or dictionaries, it can hurt them, not help. Many college professors teach in a mechanical way, meaning they will not change how they teach and will not change with the growing of social media. Students are having a hard time adapting to this. Many college professors want hand written work. Students are so used to using computers that it because difficult for them to hand write a paper.
Professors shouldn’t have to adapt to the growing change of society with technology. This is a student’s job. A teacher should be qualified to point their students in the right direction and help them get ready for the real world. Professors should teach the way they feel is most sufficient. Even though professors might have a different style of work, students don’t have to take the class. If the student wants a more advanced technological class than they should take it. But professors shouldn’t have to adapt. That is the student’s job, and it is only helping them prepare for real life. Kids today need to realize that the world wont please you, you need to have the tools to succeed and not all of those tools are technology use.
I agree that technology is helpful and can reduce conflict with certain subjects because it is easier to look at online. For instance Google, and YouTube. These sites provide information that might be harder for a student to understand in a textbook or from a teacher. However, I feel that the problem is that many people want social media to gain users in the classroom rather than technology. I agree that social media is a growing situation, but it should be left on students and their free time. School is a place to learn skills, not drama.
As for me I wouldn’t change the way education is taught. Education is a vital skill to have in this world and professors and teachers need to show the student that through learning in the best way possible. Adding social media to a classroom won’t make life better; it will create more problems than solutions. Technology can’t be ignored because it is useful, I feel that it is necessary to have in order to do well in a classroom, but social media is not.
As times and technology changes, I think the education system needs to change too. Teachers should change their curriculum to catch students attention and gain their appreciation. I'm not saying that they should completely change their whole system, just change it around to match their student's interests a bit more. When a student is greatly interested in what they are doing, they will most likely give more effort and show some of the hidden knowledge that they posses.
ReplyDeleteChanging the education system doesn't necessarily mean using technology just for the sake of using technology though. I think the biggest way technology should be used is as a resource. The internet supplies us with a world of information. Teachers should encourage students to learn online, just as much as they learn from books. Websites like YouTube and Wikipedia open up a world to a whole other classroom with many new perspectives, viewpoints, and ideas. This doesn't mean that teachers should make students use an app on the i pad because they want to say they used technology, it means using technology when it is suitable and right for the task at hand. I find that when a teacher hands me an i pad I learn nothing because the teacher doesn't even really have a valid purpose for using it. Other times, like in math class, I find the graphing calculator on my phone super helpful and valuable to my knowledge.
Just because technology is advancing I don't think we should forget all of the traditional ways of teaching. I find that old fashion notes are the easiest way for me to remember something and that lectures and discussions often get me thinking and wondering. The best thing a teacher could do is find the balance between old and new. Maybe relate a lecture to facebook or the latest hit song or television show, have students read a chapter one night, and watch a YouTube video the next.
I find that with the education I have now I'm not really ready for the job market though. Another change education should bring is preparing kids for the real world. I've heard rumor that business math will soon be required to graduate. I think that is a great idea. An education should not only teach you book knowledge, it should give you real world knowledge too. I can solve for x and square a number, but where will that get me in life? Simple information like how to use you money wisely or write a check are skills that should be taught in every school
The perfect school would posses a balance of both traditional and what's current, it would also teach students how to survive in the “real world”. The education system now would just need some minor adjustments, but nothing major.
Changing our classroom tremendously with technology I don’t think is the answer. I think learning is learning. Technology can be very distracting like how teenagers use them in class everyday and get yelled at. What’s the difference of putting a laptop there? I think some technology changes were necessary for the teachers. Like getting smart boards instead of having a projector, it is quicker and faster. Or going from paper grades to using the computer for all the grades, I think those are some great changes. But I don’t think that it is necessary for all kids to have chromebooks. So the school can monitor everything. Why have that when most kids have other computers. Why put money towards things that aren’t absolutely needed. But when it comes down to education everyone needs it. But also time needs to be used properly and timely. I don’t think that you should have to sit in front of a chalk board for 4 hours. Why not have shorter classes. Or instead of a chalk board use a whiteboard that is easier to write on and nicer. You don’t necessarily have to have a smartboard but it is a great thing to have. I think when it comes down to it you need to have a good education and what works best for the teachers is kind of what you get. Obviously some subjects change. But history is probably one of those subjects that things will not change tremendously. Also to build from the ground up a brand new university isn’t necessary because as we go along and we end up improving everything anyways, I don’t think all the old ways are the best but as the years go on. Everything ends up getting improved anyways. So no I don’t think it is necessary to build a new university from the ground up.
ReplyDeleteThis is Shannon Mandigo's response but i couldn't log on to my google account so i used Grady's gmail account.
ReplyDeleteThe world has been evolving since day one. We are constantly adapting to our environments and to new ways of life in order to survive and be successful. One controversial topic that relates to evolving is technology. Technology is constantly changing and improving everyday. People want the latest technology so they can feel “Up-to-date”. However, many of the adults today are not educated in how to use some technology. This is a problem because many adults work in an office building, and they have been used to simple computer techniques in their daily routines. If their job field decides to update their technology to something brand new, these people would have to learn how to use them all over again. Or worse, they could be replaced with someone who is familiar with new technology. Another example is my father has to now learn how to use technology. He is a carpenter, and his clients prefer to communicate via e-mail. I often have to type his responses for him and add files and/or pictures for him, because the era he grew up in rarely used technology. This is why I feel that our education systems should incorporate more use of technology.
If I were to build an academy from scratch, I would combine the classic education techniques with today’s technology. This way, the students would be familiar with both ways and would be better prepared for their future in the job field. However, I would ban all social media sites that would be used for recreational use, with the exception of if a class was doing a project that required these sites. There would not be a way to prepare my students for every new gadget, but they would be prepared for what is out there now and have some knowledge to give them a step ahead for the next big thing.
With technology constantly changing, so does the classroom. Whether or not the classroom should change with technology should be up to the student and his or her learning style. Sometimes, like in the case of elementary school, the children are too incompetent to make their own decisions about which technology they like, or even which learning style they prefer. Obviously the teacher can’t always cater to the learning style needs of every student, and it is much more difficult on the elementary level. However, I’m talking about high school or college education and disregarding learning styles. If I could model my own high school or college, what would it look like? Let’s find out.
ReplyDeleteDo I think there are useful ways to use technology to teach a classroom? Of course I do, and I do prefer some methods of teaching with technology than other methods, but that’s just me. I want to cater to everybody. For me, Smartboards are very useful in certain classes, such as math where you may have to refer to an earlier problem. However, I don't like using iPads during class. They can be very distracting, and I find it more difficult to read off an iPad than a book. Even laptops can be distracting. Not that I do this, but I know many people use Facebook on iPads or laptops or even computers during computer apps or whenever we use a lab.
Technology can be both useful and distracting. Using technology isn't in my way of learning, but it's easier for some people. I prefer the way of learning I used in elementary/middle school: hands on or take notes from a lecture. I fear if elementary or middle schools start using technology in their teaching, when the students reach high school they'll prefer the computer way which hadn't really adapted into high school. I still think high school uses mostly tradition lectures. If I had to create a school system, I would use traditional lectures.
Technology is being forced on both teachers and students in the 21st Century, whether they have given their consent to accept it or not. As technology extremely advances at a rapid rate, these departments that are told to “keep up with the Jones’s” keep becoming out-dated. Instead of rushing to hand out iPads, tablets, or netbooks to their students, the school district should evolve their education gradually. In this way, the essence of retaining the information that is being taught will not be masked by the constant obsession of utilizing the technology provided.
ReplyDeleteOne must not forget that before technology, textbooks and chalkboards were great tools to utilize in the classroom. These “tried and true” methods of education were popular with teachers around the world, and were the universal way to comprehend notes and information with students. It is a proven fact that people retain knowledge most efficiently by writing it down, either with pen or pencil, on paper; however, in this new digital age, laptops or Smartboards are more commonly taking their place due to the convenience they create. Not only this, but with increased technology humans are able to access countless amounts of research and concepts through the Internet and other programs; this, although positive to the growth of society, could be seen as way too much for one to take into consideration. This overload of information causes more of a possibility of distraction and a loss of concentration within the classroom that tempts students to occupy their time pursuing other activities using these devices, rather than focusing on knowledge they’re being taught.
By focusing on incorporating the newest forms of technology into a student’s everyday life in school, teachers are loosing their opportunity to allow their students to gain the bare essence of the information they are sharing. Although older methods of teaching could be seen as outdated, they still hold those important elements that can easily aid these growing adults into a positive progression of their future, with or without the extreme integration of technology.
Technology in the classroom is becoming more common as we continue developing new ways to integrate it but, is it actually necessary?
ReplyDeleteThe number of schools across the country that are buying iPads, smart boards, and Elmos is increasing each year. People who are busier can now take college courses with a professor online and even children can take their classes on their home computer. Technology has also crept into the school system in other ways too. Teachers who work with children that have special needs can now use this technology to their advantage. For example, children that can’t speak, can be are granted something that looks like a tablet that they can use to communicate. Programmed into this tablet are all sorts of icons and phrases that this person can put together to form a sentence. When they have what they need to say they can just tap the sentence and the machine reads it aloud for them so they can let others know what they’re thinking, wanting, or needing.
For the normal classroom though, I don’t know if technology is necessarily helping people learn better. Just sitting in a chair and doing something virtually doesn’t help some people. Everyone is different and requires different methods of learning but, with this age of technology it seems that we’re all becoming the same. Instead of going outside and experiencing life we’re all sitting in a chair and “experiencing” things on a screen. The school system could definitely use a change in order to help students become more involved.
Could technology be used to get kids to participate more in their learning? Before the idea has crossed my mind that if as kids hit the high school level their classes became more catered to what they were interested in. The idea is that we could have something that looks like a desk but is actually a touch screen kind of like an iPad. During a period or two a day a child could take an online course on whatever they were interested in on this device like languages, music, anatomy, ect. Then, in turn, children would be gaining the general knowledge they still need but would be more interested in their education because they would have something of their own also.
matt gay November 25 at 9:00 pm
ReplyDeleteTechnology these days is taking over our classrooms in both good ways and in the bad. It is both helping us learn and distracting us from doing so. It has become so large in the classroom that now it isn’t even up to the teachers if it becomes part of their classroom or not. It’s actually become a norm in today’s society for every classroom to have a smart board or something to replace dry erase boards. It has become a fad to try to keep up with other schools and we are so focused on that and not as much on the actual teaching the material.
Technology helps us in the classroom by cutting out the time it takes to hand write all of the notes. It also helps us by being able to watch educational videos on YouTube or having our homework assignments online so we can always check them. Technology can also be very distracting within the classroom. It can be distracting with kids in class using laptops, iPad, and cell phones. Yes, these devices can be helpful to do class work but kids will be tempted to go on Facebook or to text because they have an opportunity to do so because it is so easily hide able.
Technology in the classroom could be better controlled. It can be closer watched to make sure that the students are actually doing their work. I do believe in the future technology will be a great resource to have in the classroom. Technology does have an importance in the classroom and without it it would be a lot more difficult to teach what needs to be taught even with the distractions. With it being such a norm I think the technology is important so we can keep up with fellow schools.