I will be the absolute first
to say that I do not believe that elementary school and middle school students
should not have any sort of technological devices in the classroom while they
are learning. I fundamentally agree with Rotella’s insinuation that money spent
on technological developments should be given to teachers instead! If tablets
are given to every 5th grader in America, for example, the role of
the teacher becomes diminished—they simply become a moderator.
Growing up, I went to a
private elementary and middle school where no technology, essentially, was
allowed. I had a computer class for an hour a day where I learned to type, and
that was it. If the students had free time in computer class, we were allowed
to play educational games for 45 minutes—enough screen time for us to be
content. Every single class was taught and based off a whiteboard, a textbook,
and one teacher. And let me tell you, my classmates and I were definitely some
of the best and the brightest when we were funneled into the public school
system for high school. I think that had we been given tablets, we would not
have paid attention to anything we were being taught. Tablets and having devout
students who are going to respond well to them is idealistic. What a great idea
in theory! The article sets out some good information as to what the tablets
will be able to do for teachers and students, but I just don’t think the ideas
are realistic. If the tablet is set to monitor and track students feedback and
help the teacher provide customized learning, tell me just exactly how is a
teacher going to facilitate three different groups of students all learning at
different levels? I think inequality in the classroom, based on which group a
student is placed in, is an extremely real possibility that should not be
perpetuated or acceptable due to a technological gadget.
As a college student today,
I realize that I use my laptop every single day and in every class. I find it
easier for me to type my notes and look up something on Google if I don’t know
the definition to a word. However, the fundamental building blocks of education
that I was taught back in elementary school, without a tablet, are already
there. I am able to efficiently use technology to my advantage and am able to
separate myself from the screen because I did not grow up learning from one. I
don’t think that children should solely rely on technology to learn; I don’t
think they’d be able to do anything for themselves. And if the job of our
generation is to make the world slightly better for the next generation to
come, we’d be doing the children of tomorrow a disservice by allowing
technology to be the dominant force in the classroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment