I recently watched a video entitled "A Vision of K-12 Students Today" and I was shocked by the seriousness and solemness that the students projected. Nothing was said verbally, but it was enough. The statements on the whiteboards spoke volumes. Right from the get-go you recognize how much time the students of today interact with technology in their daily lives. Statistics like: 16.5 hours watching TV a week, gaming 3.5 hours a week, 5.5 hours on a computer a week, etc... We live in a digital and technologically-influenced world, and more and more students are walking into our classrooms with experience and knowledge of so many resources that us, as teachers, may not be familiar with. And that is the problem.
More often than not, teachers are uncomfortable working with or using technology in the classroom because it's something they have never used before themselves, yet their students have. There's a technological gap that is quite evident. Therefore, teachers may choose to rely on lectures and other teaching methods to reach their students. Unfortunately, as seen in the video, these methods are not affective in reaching them. Instead, students find themselves disengaged, not interested, and bored. In addition, students question why they are learning what they are learning if it's not going to foster: critical thinking, creativity, and skills that are essential for today's world. This is where technology and its use in the classroom comes into play. We have to teach our students in a way that is most practical and beneficial for them... the statistics should tell you how we're going to do that. Technology, technology, technology!
Data such as what was shown in the video you chose can be very powerful and helpful in making decisions.
ReplyDelete