I read an article a couple of weeks ago that really caught my attention. Unfortunately, when I went back to it – or at least TRIED to go back to it, I couldn't for the life of me remember where I had read it. Darn. It was about the use of technology in the classroom and how, if we aren't careful about how we use it, we might actually be doing more harm than good to our students' ability to think critically.
What technology and the use of the internet can give us is instant access to amounts of information so vast that our ancestors couldn't even have dreamt of it. Yes, I am a Google fanatic, and even as an English teacher who refuses to spell "relief" any other way, I have been known to use "google" as a verb. However, when I recently assigned my students a research project, I was reminded of how dismaying it is to see how they confuse "finding information" with "thinking" and "learning." They are great at cutting and pasting information into beautiful PowerPoint presentations or blogs or webpages. What this lost article pointed out and what I have fought against in my classroom is the ease with which technology negates the need to actually think. I require that for every sentence of fact, students are required to present two sentences of their own analysis, but often students are willing to settle for a lower grade in order to avoid the "pain" involved in activating their brain.
It reminds me of a conversation I once had with one of my daughter's elementary school teachers who felt it was unnecessary to require kids to memorize the multiplication tables or spelling lists because they would always have access to calculators and spell check programs. I tried to explain how understanding the concepts underlying the equations and word structure was just as important as being able to solve the equations or spell the words correctly, but she was in complete disagreement, stating that there are plenty of other areas where the kids can be asked to "think," and that if we skip some of the rote memorization, we can move on to more and better concepts. I understand the point she was trying to make, but recognizing patterns in equations or word formation is basic to analysis of any kind.
While we're touting the use of technology as "best practice," we have to be conscientious that we are not substituting flashy presentations and clever sound bites (or bytes) for true critical thinking, which is fundamental to the success of civilization.
P.S. If anyone read that article and could lead me back to it, I would greatly appreciate it!
I’m pleased to agree 100% with this post. Students don’t think of a calculator in math class as a tool, they overdepend on it. Too many refuse to analyze, they merely compute.
And have no idea why their answer is wrong, often because they don’t understand enough about the limitations of the calculator to know they input the information incorrectly.
I had a feeling that comment would show my age. Rolaids, the antacid brand, used to a commercial that drove me crazy. They would ask, “How do you spell relief?” Customers would answer, “R-O-L-A-I-D-S!”
Color me confused: how else would you spell relief?
The key is this: there is no substitute for critical thinking. If the use of technology supplants critical thinking, the technology should not be used, or the way the teacher facilitates its use should be reframed.
There are ways, regarding the cutting and pasting, where using can use “catching” the kids as a way to teach them. Consider turnitin.com, for example, which my building originally used to catch plagiarizers (and I caught many) and now the culture in the building is that students know that cutnpaste is not okay–it’s a violation of academic trust and integrity. In the last three years I’ve collected easily a thousand papers through turnitin.com and caught only one plagiarizer because now they know the responsible way to use web technology for research, and those with lower morals know they’ll get caught. Instead of using the web to cutnpaste, they use the web properly.
As a student it is frustrating to see fellow students abusing technology. When students get to a certain age they know the difference between copy and pasting or studying the subject and wanting to learn. I think that it is their choice if they do not want a full education. Teachers cannot prevent students from taking the easy way out. Although … Read Morethey can and should try encouraging students not to use technology. Wanting to learn is something students need to figure out on their own. It is not something teachers can control.