When I saw this question, my mind immediately wandered to two of my nephews. They are 5 and 8 and both can totally whip my butt at anything Mario and Nintendo. They play Minecraft and watch YouTube tutorials on the game as well. They spend more time online than they probably should and my opinion on the matter is divided. We can gain a lot of knowledge by playing games, not to mention, some solid hand to eye coordination. I even think there are some great educational games out there that we can incorporate into the classroom.
I’m torn though…
I remember being a child and you could not keep me in the house. We always had a computer as my Dad is an engineer and always kept up with the latest “gadgets”, but I was not reliant on the computer to satisfy my learning. This is where the role of the teacher and learner has changed in the 21st Century.
Technology has come a long way. We are dependent on it to organize even the simplest of tasks. We have XBox 360 with Kinect and Nintendo Wii parties and keep track of our diets and exercise regimens on our phones. It only makes sense that we would prepare our students for a lifestyle they likely already lead. A lot of teachers are “gamifying” their classrooms and incorporating iPads or tablets, as well as interactive whiteboards to keep students engaged.
I think as teachers, we should do whatever it takes to keep our students interested in learning, so long as they are, indeed, learning. If we can make learning more fun by incorporating technology into the classroom, then I think that’s great. We just need to keep in mind that technology cannot be a replacement for teacher instruction and peer interaction. I also think that by using technology, it demonstrates to students that teachers aren’t dinosaurs and can stay current with the changing times. It is also important that we demonstrate to students safer ways of communicating online and how to create an appropriate digital footprint.
Wow! Candice, your blog looks great! Your first post is confident and yet still shows some vulnerability and voice. It is well written and you bring up issues that are being debated, researched and criticized. As a new graduate, I wonder, what was your own experience (as learner) as it related to some of the tools, methods, pedagogies that you discuss here? Do you see collaboration and transparency playing a role?
ReplyDeleteHi Zoe! I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean by "transparency" in this case but in terms of my experience as a learner being a recent graduate, there's a lot I can probably share. To keep it simple though, I found that instructors, in large part, are really trying to embrace technology and provide as many tools and resources to students as possible. As much as I don't like to be negative, I must admit, I really did not enjoy my tech course in teachers college. They attempted to gamify the course but it was absolutely painful. Due to the nature of the activities and what we were required to do, I didn't feel that being in a formal classroom was necessary as everything was online and we worked independently for the most part. We were even tweeting people we were sitting right next to! When it comes to collaboration, I really hope that teachers still emphasize face-to-face interaction and collaboration whenever possible. I find so many teens are not prepared for real life because they can't carry on a professional conversation unless it's behind a computer screen or cell phone. As someone who was incredibly shy as a child, I think that I would have been stunted had I been able to do all my collaborative work behind a computer screen or cell phone.
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