EDLD+5364+Week1

The content from this page was originally posted on my blog, then moved here to comply with course standards. It was also the foundation for my discussion board posting.

When I started reading the book //Using Technology With Classroom Instruction that Works// by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski a discussion really struck me. It illustrates how our perspective affects the way we see things and the need to shift our perspective when it comes to technology in education. A group of instructors were touring a school with a 1 to 1 laptop computer initiative when a superintendent had this discussion with a student.

"So, how is this really making a difference for you?" The student replied, "Sir, I'm special ed and I've been special ed all of my life. but with this thing here (the laptop) I am just as smart as the next kid." "No, really. How is it making a difference for you?"

"I don't read so well, and learning through my eyes is hard. With the laptop, what I do is write what I am going to turn in, like an essay or answers, then I go up to the menu bar and pull down to 'speak it.' Then I put on my headphones, close my eyes, and listen as the computer reads back to me what I have written. If what I have written makes sense, I turn it in. If not, then I can go back and make any corrections."

As the chapter points out, that students learning style had been controlled by his teachers his entire school career. The superintendent didn't see what the student saw. His perspective was that technology had to teach the student, or touch him in some way. The student had a different perspective, technology finally gave him the power to learn when he had dealt with problems his entire life. It wasn't about technology, it was about learning and who had control of the learning. Often we see technology as something that does something to students, like give them knowledge or simulate a process. Many look for educational software that teaches, rather than programs that allow students to apply learning in an authentic setting. That was the superintendent's question, "What has the computer done for you?" I have a different perspective and thus a different question that I always ask. "What have you done with the computer?" My perspective is set just as firmly as that superintendent. I don't know, maybe that is just as bad. We all need to be able to look at things from a different perspective to really analyze them. The readings this week as well as the videos all were focused on the teaching that happens in our classrooms and how that prepares students for the future. I believe that focus is the most important. I see many fantastic technologies that may be the beginning of the technology that our future depends upon, but our students will not be prepared for that if we are stuck using today's technology rather than being taught 21st century skills.

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