Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Responding to Too Dumb for Complex Text
In the article, Too Dumb for Complex Text, Mark Bauerlein argues that students have a difficult time reading complex texts because it requires single-task focus as opposed to the multi-task lifestyle we've grown accustomed to. He believes that teachers need to slow down and teach students how to read complex texts. This requires focused attention and the use of multiple strategies for comprehending challenging material.
I think that Bauerlein makes a strong point that we cannot neglect complex texts in our classrooms and even though it is challenging, we need to help students learn to think critically and comprehend complex writing. This can start in the youngest grade levels by modeling for students how to ask questions, make predictions, inferences, and connections to their reading. In the older grades, we need to continue to challenge our students with complex texts and take the time to teach them how to properly delve into the literature.
I think the Bauerlein may be too optimistic in his hope that students will develop a habit of reading complex texts in a single-task manner if they are exposed to it in school a little bit each day. In our world today, I think students are still going to prefer multi-tasking to single-tasking. I think it will become more and more rare to see single-tasking among our students at home and in the classrooms, although I am hopeful that we will be able to teach students to think critically about their reading.
I think that Bauerlein makes a strong point that we cannot neglect complex texts in our classrooms and even though it is challenging, we need to help students learn to think critically and comprehend complex writing. This can start in the youngest grade levels by modeling for students how to ask questions, make predictions, inferences, and connections to their reading. In the older grades, we need to continue to challenge our students with complex texts and take the time to teach them how to properly delve into the literature.
I think the Bauerlein may be too optimistic in his hope that students will develop a habit of reading complex texts in a single-task manner if they are exposed to it in school a little bit each day. In our world today, I think students are still going to prefer multi-tasking to single-tasking. I think it will become more and more rare to see single-tasking among our students at home and in the classrooms, although I am hopeful that we will be able to teach students to think critically about their reading.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Response to the article Our Brains Extended
The article, Our Brains Extended, by Marc Prensky could be considered a controversial article about the future of education. There is no doubt that the nature of education is changing as our world becomes more technological. The question then becomes, how can we re-think our curriculum for the 21st century, combining human strengths and technological strengths?
Education must incorporate technology. We need to teach students how to use the technology in a productive and healthy way so that they are prepared for their future. Technology can be a great tool. It excites and motivates students, and can help them see a concept in a new and meaningful way. It is critical that we teach students how to find reliable information and use discernment on the web. We also need to educate parents as to how to monitor and guide their child’s use of technology.
It is important for teachers to continue to teach students how to think critically. Since information is so quickly accessible on the web, there may be a tendency among students to give up quickly when a challenge arises. As teachers, we need to help students overcome this by encouraging them to “dig deeper” and preserve through a challenging task.
Technology definitely needs to be included in our classrooms today. Project learning is a great way to incorporate technology, social skills, and critical thinking. Students should be actively thinking about the world around them and ways to improve it. One way we as teachers can encourage them to do this through project learning. As our world continues to become more technological, educators cannot live in denial. We need to embrace some changes, but hold onto some of the traditional values of education.
Monday, July 29, 2013
My Technology Autobiography
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I experienced technology in small doses. I remember when our family got our first computer. It sat in my parents' bedroom and I hardly touched it. I do remember playing a couple games on that computer; Uno stands out in my mind as one of them. My siblings and did not spend much time on the computer as kids; we played outdoors, making forts, riding bikes, and hopscotch in the driveway.
My world of technology started to change when I entered junior high. My uncle gave my parents AOL for Christmas and we all got our first email accounts. We also got a new computer that sat in the corner of the family room for easier access. At first, I used my email mainly to talk with family members, but during 7th grade I started using it to communicate with friends at school. Instant Messenger became one of my favorite ways to communicate. I would chat with my friends often. We had dial-up internet at the time, so whenever I was on AOL messaging my friends, the phone lines were "busy" which of course was a frustration to my mom. I loved instant messaging and would talk to my friends much more freely this way then in person. There were boys I talked to online that I was too shy to talk to at school. I'm not proud of it.
Caller ID was also a new technology when I was in junior high that changed how my family handled phone calls. Instead of answering the phone with anticipation wondering who was on the other line, one of us would see who was calling and either dash to the phone to answer it (if we knew it was for us) or yell across the house to the person we knew the call was meant for. There were times when we just didn't answer the phone because we didn't want to talk to the person on the other line.
When I entered college, I got my first cell phone and facebook account. I began texting and gaining "friends" on facebook. I continued to use instant messanger as a way to communicate with friends and family. I also got my first iPod in college which made listening to music on the run that much easier.
I never considered myself to be very technological and still to this day don't feel like I'm very savvy with it. At this point, my husband is the most technologically literate person in my house and I run to him with all my questions and frustrations. I consider myself to be slightly "behind the times" when it comes to the latest technology. I just recently bought the iPhone and before that was using a simple "dumb" phone. I also recently purchased a Kindle and have started to read books in that format. This has been a big adjustment for me and one I'm not sure I like as much.
If I'm honest, I am a bit wary of technology. I am slowly embracing the changes, but curious as to where it will ultimate lead us and how it will affect education and my future children. As a child, I was imaginative and creative in my play either by myself or with others. It seems as though children are losing this ability due to the technology they now have access to. There is a lot of value in imaginative play and social interactions with others and I don't want that to be lost in a technological world. I am open to embracing new technology, but still holding on to the values of the past.
My world of technology started to change when I entered junior high. My uncle gave my parents AOL for Christmas and we all got our first email accounts. We also got a new computer that sat in the corner of the family room for easier access. At first, I used my email mainly to talk with family members, but during 7th grade I started using it to communicate with friends at school. Instant Messenger became one of my favorite ways to communicate. I would chat with my friends often. We had dial-up internet at the time, so whenever I was on AOL messaging my friends, the phone lines were "busy" which of course was a frustration to my mom. I loved instant messaging and would talk to my friends much more freely this way then in person. There were boys I talked to online that I was too shy to talk to at school. I'm not proud of it.
Caller ID was also a new technology when I was in junior high that changed how my family handled phone calls. Instead of answering the phone with anticipation wondering who was on the other line, one of us would see who was calling and either dash to the phone to answer it (if we knew it was for us) or yell across the house to the person we knew the call was meant for. There were times when we just didn't answer the phone because we didn't want to talk to the person on the other line.
When I entered college, I got my first cell phone and facebook account. I began texting and gaining "friends" on facebook. I continued to use instant messanger as a way to communicate with friends and family. I also got my first iPod in college which made listening to music on the run that much easier.
I never considered myself to be very technological and still to this day don't feel like I'm very savvy with it. At this point, my husband is the most technologically literate person in my house and I run to him with all my questions and frustrations. I consider myself to be slightly "behind the times" when it comes to the latest technology. I just recently bought the iPhone and before that was using a simple "dumb" phone. I also recently purchased a Kindle and have started to read books in that format. This has been a big adjustment for me and one I'm not sure I like as much.
If I'm honest, I am a bit wary of technology. I am slowly embracing the changes, but curious as to where it will ultimate lead us and how it will affect education and my future children. As a child, I was imaginative and creative in my play either by myself or with others. It seems as though children are losing this ability due to the technology they now have access to. There is a lot of value in imaginative play and social interactions with others and I don't want that to be lost in a technological world. I am open to embracing new technology, but still holding on to the values of the past.
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