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"Teach Me to Think."
This simple,
four-worded proclamation speaks volumes in today’s society. Educators are skilled and certified to facilitate
learning in their respected fields of study, but the inquiry remains: “Do
educators effectively demonstrate to students how to successfully think for
themselves and utilize the most of their resources?” In today’s 21st century, it’s essential to employ
technology in the classroom, but students, and educators alike, need to be
conscious of how to incorporate technology into the classroom.
In
Julie DeNeen’s article, “10 Reasons Why Educators Should Encourage Independent
Learning,” DeNeen illustrates the story of children in Ethiopia introduced to a
Tablet. I found it fascinating that
these children, who, with no direction and no understanding of the English
language, were able to operate and utilize the Tablet to teach themselves the
English alphabet. DeNeen emphasizes
several rationalities for expediting independent learning, and, in particular,
I find myself to strongly agree with several of her points. Firstly, “Flexibility for different levels of
intelligence” appeals to me, personally.
I grew up with a learning disability, and, in some circumstances, I
found it to be difficult to grasp material in class. With a flexible, independent learning
approach, a student’s accessibility to information and resources, and, their
ability to learn at their own pace is essential to their education. Too many times I’ve sat in class and I’ve
struggled with the material and needed assistance only to have the teacher
occupied with another student. While
most educators have made it a priority to support their students whenever
possible, the student-to-teacher ratio is still far too prodigious for the teacher
to allot enough time to meet with each and every student, as necessary. In today’s society, technology has been
crucial to ensuring that students have easy, reliable alternatives to seek
guidance when face-to-face instruction is not always available.
While
my previous comment touched upon several of DeNeen’s key points, I want to
emphasize her fifth advantage to encourage independent learning: “Passion and
curiosity cement learning.” If a student
isn’t interested or motivated to learn the material in class, then why should
s/he bother? Technology has developed
numerous tools to simplify and accelerate the learning process. I recall when I was in grade school; I
struggled to comprehend Algebra I. I couldn’t
solve the problems in the book, and I wasn’t grasping the material in
class. Fortunately, technology was
accessible to me, and, there were numerous educational “video games” that aided
me in the learning process. My father
purchased me a “Carmen Sandiego” educational tutor/game that guided me through numerous
math problems. The game was beneficial
because I grew motivated to study the material in a fun, paced environment that
I felt comfortable in. I did
successfully learn the material, and, eventually became very good at it,
too. This story, however, emphasizes
DeNeen’s point that passion and curiosity do indeed cement learning. Students, with the correct tools in place,
and the proper motivation, can succeed to do anything they imagine.
While
technology can be greatly beneficial to students and educators to support
learning, it can also exist as a hindrance in the classroom. In Timothy Smithee’s article, “Negative
Effects of Using Technology in Today’s Classroom,” Smithee highlights key disadvantages
to using technology, such as: cost, diversion of resources, limited learning
and student distraction. With the
emergence of smartphones and other hand-held computers (i.e. iPad and Tablet),
it’s important for educators to understand the consequences of these
devices. Facebook, Twitter and other
social media applications are prevalent, and, while sometimes resourceful in
the classroom, educators cannot always rely on students to use technology effectively
and appropriately. Technology, too, has
made it possible for students to speak to one another via a computer screen or
to solve math problems with the click of a button. Technology can, however, eradicate a student’s
ability to think critically, to be imaginative, to speak to someone
face-to-face instead of in front of a computer and to think for themselves. Technology has become a powerful resource in
today’s classroom, but to successfully regulate the influence that technology
possesses, it needs to be managed properly.
Technology
has become an astonishing resource in today’s 21st century. Classrooms have emerged from the prototypical chalk
and blackboards and over-head projectors to PowerPoint, Blackboard and
blogs. Educators have additional and
more superior means of communicating with students and delivering
material. Technology will endlessly develop,
and, as educators, I believe it’s our responsibility to make students and
ourselves aware of the benefits and disadvantages this emerging and
ever-growing tool.
