Communication in the Classroom
Joey Munley
Over the past few decades, technology has increased dramatically and has played significant roles in the classroom. In the past, teachers would use worksheets, books, and old fashion chalk boards. With the increase in technology for schools who can afford it, they have new tools which help them teach more effectively. Computers have proven to increase a student’s means of resource which has created a digital divide. This is a popular term that suggests there is a division between nations or communities who have access to communication technology and those who don’t. (Thurlow, Lengel, & Tomic 2004 P. 84) This divide has fueled the One Laptop Per Child to allow those underprivileged to get a better education.
The OLPC’s goal is,” To create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning.”(OLPC 2008) When children have access to this type of tool they get engaged in their own education. Technology in regards to children’s education has shown to improve not only their ability to research everything, but their interactive level in the class has shown to improve. For example, “Elementary classes have used the internet to establish personal correspondence with other students throughout the world. Global communication helps kids learn firsthand about the diversity in the world, knowledge that cannot be equivalently expressed in a textbook.” (Woodall 1996).
Teachers benefit from using technology not only for things during class, but also outside of the school. In class, instructors no longer need to use only worksheets to have children participate in class, now they can have their students do online quizzes and lessons online which keep the kids active and involved. Higher education also involves the instructor’s use of technology. Instructors benefit from this technology by using power points during class along with using a microphone to help enhance their students learning. In a research conducted to help support literacy skills, “Early results suggest students are highly engaged with the PowerPoint™ presentations”. (Blum and Watts 2007) Power point on projection screens support phonological awareness skills, and keeps kids interested. By using this, the teacher was able to add sounds, pictures and keep it interesting for the kids to stay involved and to pay attention. (Blum and Watts 2007) With research such as this, it shows that technology in classrooms is more efficient then without. It can be used to grab student’s attention, even if they seem to be an at-risk child.
Research has been done on the effects of technology use with teachers to parents. This was an attempt to involve the parents and have more communication with teachers rather then a parent teacher conference a few times a year. The results from this research were that through these emails, parents were more involved at the elementary and secondary level. (Thompson 2008) Communication has developed into an everyday tool used by most people who have access to it, and having easy access to your children’s homework, and emails from their teacher makes it easy to keep track and keep involved in their education. Those without this use of technology can have a hard time keeping up with how their kids are doing, and keeping the communication with the teacher close.
Reference List
Blum, C., & Watts, E. H. (2007). [Teachers’ use of LCD projection systems to teach young children]. Unpublished raw data.
One Laptop Per Child. 2008. vision mission education project. Retrieved 11/23/08
http://laptop.org/en/vision/index.shtml
Thompson, B. 2008. Characteristics of Parent-Teacher E-Mail Communication. Research. Volume 57, Issue 2 April 2008 , pages 201 - 223
Thurlow, C., Lengel, L. & Tomic, A. (2004). Online Ethics and International Inequities.(P84) Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
Woodall. M. “Teaching the Teachers,":Rich Tools for Global Learning
Philadelphia Inquirer, November 28, 1996. Retrieved. 11/23/08.
http://www.princeton.edu/~edutech/benefits/tools.html
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2 comments:
Computers in the classroom are becoming the norm and not the exception in my school district. Every classroom in my kids elementary school has a "Smart Board". These units allow teachers to sit at a computer while the students view the board and see everything the teacher does or the teacher can also write on the smart board (like they used to use an overhead projector) and save it directly to their computer for future use. These boards give the teachers much more flexibility in teaching.
One of the books I used for a reference in my blog was Mark Bauerleins' The Dumbest Generation: How the digital age stupifies young americans and jepordizes our future". His main point is that computers are great but todays kids are not using them as an avenue for learning but as a means not to have to read and study. Bauerlein states that 9 out of the top 10 sites frequented by younger Americans is a social networking site and kids have up to 5 leisures hours a day, rather then learning they are downloading, IMing, posting, chatting etc. rather that learning (Bauerlein, 2008).
His book, even if partially true, does not speak well for the younger generations. He thinks college age students can use technology but do not necessarily know what to do with the content it provides (Bauerlein, 2008). After reading some of the class blogs I am inclined to agree with him.
I found all the blogs on your team site interesting, easy to follow and over all very well written. I would venture to say that none of your group entered college having to take remidial reading or writing classes. Great job.
Refernces
Bauerlein, M.(2008). The Dumbest Generation:How the digital age stupifies young americans and jepordizes our future. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
It is great that students here in the United States in wealthy areas are able to use computers to better their education. "Most of us are surrounded by communication channels and tools that keep us constantly connected to sources of information and to people in our communities: a technological infrastructure. This infrastructure is centered in particular cultures, and we are privileged because as part of those cultures we are able to participate in the technological infrastructure" (Thurlow, Lengel, & Tomic (2004).I feel the digital divide is made bigger and has a big affect on society in this way. Is it really fair that some students can experience and learn more than others?
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