I’m not sure that I didn’t learn the same as most of my students. I grew up with computers in a very technological family. My brother (that was three years older than me) set up the entire network of computers at my elementary school when he was in fourth grade. I received my own computer for my birthday in second grade and I remember having to wait for the phone to dial to load AOL. We had three computers in the house with three different phone lines and I can remember sending my mom instant messages to find out if dinner was ready. I spent the majority of my free time outside of school or volleyball playing “Gizmos and Gadgets” and other science-related computer games. I received my first cell phone in sixth grade, sent text messages in high school, and bought my first smart phone and Bluetooth in college. I can remember computer projects in elementary school, Smart Boards and laptop carts in high school, and Elmo’s and Blackboard in college. I feel like I’m at an interesting age to be teaching- I’m about 10 years older than my students but I grew up in the time when the technologies that are widely available now were just being introduced.
My learners are Generation Z. They are between the ages of fifteen to eighteen and born around 1993 -1996. I teach sophomores, juniors, and seniors- the majority being juniors. The school district is in a middle-class neighborhood and nearly all of my students maintain jobs outside of school. I would estimate that 90% or above have computers at home with internet access and approximately 60% or above own smart phones. By the time they arrive in my class, the students are able to make elaborate PowerPoint presentations, are masters at locating information on Google, enjoy using entertaining Web 2.0 sites, and some sustain their own web pages or YouTube sites. They have grown up with computers and other forms of technology.
My learners learn by doing. They enjoy manipulating objects and discovering phenomenon on their own with minimal guidance from me. They enjoy cooperative learning. They are willing to put in a large amount of effort in the laboratory but are unwilling to put effort into answering the lab questions. They enjoy writing lab reports on the computer using Equation Editor in Microsoft Word but it is a struggle to get them to do the same work on paper. They are their best when working in small groups with tangible objects and technology. Just as Clay Shirky stated in “How Cognitive Surplus Will Change the World,” my students like to create and want to share with each other and they will do so given the tools. They are going to participate in activities that allow them to create and feel a sense of community whether it has just communal value or actual educational merit.
Being comfortable with technology is not the same as being proficient. I have changed computer settings, set up wireless networks, synchronized my cell phone to my computer, and have had countless other experiences with modern technology and am very comfortable doing so but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t have to read the directions. Some of my students are actually proficient with technology, having created applications for smart phones and can easily answer my random computer questions at school. They also really enjoy recording live demonstrations in my class with their cell phones and posting them on Facebook or other sites. The vast majority of my students are simply comfortable with technology- happy to use it after I have shown them what to do. They love typing equations into Excel and running the math down a column of numbers after I teach them how to do it. They also enjoy using Data Studio to graph their labs for them after I demonstrate the hardware. Basically, my students enjoy ANY technology that I show them and they understand it very quickly after some instruction.
The approach best suited for my learners is to use as much technology, cooperative learning, and tangible objects as possible. I often have my students devise their own experiments, collect data, analyze the data on Microsoft Excel, and develop or apply mathematical equations to prove scientific phenomena. Some students require more help than others but the majority of students enjoy my labs once they understand the process. Sometimes the labs are an introduction to a unit but often they come after some direct instruction. The direct instruction, or “absorb-type activity” is usually just to orient the students with the vocabulary, principles of interest, and stir up curiosity (Horton, 2006).
We have abundant supplies and technology at my school but the biggest constraint is the students’ overall understanding of mathematics. Although my course is conceptual based, there is a large component of algebra and trigonometry. I spend a lot of time teaching students the order of operations, scientific notation, right-triangles, and how to rearrange equations. Any time that I spend reviewing math is time away from the content of my course. I don’t necessarily see a way to overcome the math barrier. I don’t mind having to teach math, especially because it is so helpful for the students when they take standardized tests; however, I get annoyed by having to reduce the depth of the topics that I want to cover because of their weakness in math. I suppose in the future I could create interactive tutorials for my students to review mathematics outside of class.
I do believe that teaching my students the mathematics, especially the pattern recognition and ability to use computers to solve complex equations is essential for my students to learn. I like that my students have to derive their own equations rather than being given them. They set up the lab, they collect the data (given computers and the necessary hardware) and they describe to me what is happening and predict what would happen given a new set of data. According to Tim O’Rilley and John Battelle, “data analysis, visualization, and other techniques for seeing patterns in data are going to be an increasingly valuable skill set.” The ways that I teach are meant for students to learn both the content and also for them to have the skills that they will need in the future job market. Below is an interesting video by Karl Fisch that I came across online. (To easily post the video here I found it on YouTube but the original is on the site I referenced below.) It provides a series of quotes from educators spanning a long period of time regarding new technologies at that time. I find it interesting because it shows that the educational system has been against technology rather than embracing it. I am VERY lucky to be teaching in a district that promotes the use of technology! In my classroom I have one computer for every two students, the latest Vernier & Pasco hardware, an Elmo, a projector, access to three different computer labs, and the district doesn’t block YouTube or other sites that can be used in education. I can’t understand why other educators are against technology- I suppose that is because I grew up with it.
Fisch, K. (2006, September 20). The Fishbowl. Retrieved August 3, 2011, from Blogspot: http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/09/what-if.html
Horton, W. (2006). E-Learning by Design. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
O'Reilly, T., & Battelle, J. (n.d.). Web Squared: Web 2.0 Five Years On. Retrieved August 3, 2011, from web2summit.com: http://www.web2summit.com/web2009/public/schedule/detail/10194
Shirky, C. (2010, June). How Cognitive Surplus Will Change the World. Retrieved August 3, 2011, from TED.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_how_cognitive_surplus_will_change_the_world.html
No comments:
Post a Comment