I am just sitting back and thinking a lot about our past, present and future. I have been particularly focused on the advancement in Technology. Seeing as though I am used to the more traditional learning I fear that soon the role of a teacher will be taken over by the secret society of technology. There are many movies and storied that suggest that our world will be taken over by computers and sadly it seems like its coming true. With more and more gidgets and gadgets the classroom is becoming more and more obsolete. Out with chalkboards in with Promethean boards. Out with Hardback books in with chrome books. Don't get me wrong I do enjoy the technology that has been given however I do try to keep my basic skills in motion. For example my daughter and son are only allowed to read hardcover books simply because I want them to understand the true meaning of reading. Curling up with a book and not a nook seems relaxing and less distracting.
Technology is more advanced than our brains are. with computers nad internet information is able to be accessed at the drop of a dime and there is no need really for a teacher to teach when you can Google virtually anything. Does this scare anyone else?
Tell me how you feel?
Will our children be taught by robots? What will be the role of humans in our society? Does it scare you that the world has taken such a digital shift?
Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree!! I teach 1st grade and I see how kids are now even becoming de-sensitzed to technology. When I started teaching 7 years ago, the Promethean boards were all the rage. The kids were engaged using it, I felt, like without even trying. They enjoying engaging with the board and its interactive properties. Now, this is all they know. It seems like now it is now big deal since the novelty is gone (which is only natural), but with this high level of interactivity and engagement, the kids seem so much more numb to it. I think this is due to all of the constant stimulus they are exposed to though TV shows, iPhones, iPads, and every other gadget. The other day I was looking at activity tables for my 9 month old (the little ones they stand at that have button and things to move) and they now have one that you attach your iPad too- its get locked under a case in the center of the table. These are babies!!! They should not be plopped to play with an iPad!!! Both of these examples show how technology has taken over and numbed us. I love technology- don't get me wrong. I am getting my masters in it! BUT, I do think that we need to be so planful in using it. We don't want our kids to grow up into robots either. We want them to explore and learn from real life- not from an app. It is all about balance.... Thanks for your thoughts!
Amanda
Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you talk about your kids reading only physical books. I prefer the physical books, but after a training yesterday on the PARCC exam, it is important that we have our kids learn to read text through the computer or other digital device. It is important to make sure that our students can complete the "classic" tasks, but I think that we also need to prepare them for those "classic" tasks in the new computer method because our students will be receiving their standardized tests through the computer.