Having grown up in an era where the technology we used in school was limited to a calculator, I am constantly amazed by the technology that my children are using as part of their everyday school life. I have recently read the article Computer as Paintbrush: Technology, Play, and the Creative Society by Mitchel Resnick. One aspect of the article that resonated with me was the finding that children become most engaged with new technologies when they work from a place of personal interest. This is evidenced in many parts of life and not limited to children, education or technology. From my own experience if a child is interested in a topic, the learning and discovery will naturally flow and when this can happen in the world of technology then you are on to a winner.
The challenge for teachers is to engage children in areas where perhaps their interests do not lie or where they lack confidence. As demonstrated in the article, the use of technology in conjunction with low-tech supplies can lead to outstanding results not only for the student but the teacher and school as well.
The article also comments on the tendency to lump all technology into the one category - one with little student control and interaction. This has been shown to be incorrect but some may always feel this way. This type of thinking is not limited to technology, as witnessed in my practicum last year, students' creativity can equally be stifled when using crayons and paper.
No comments:
Post a Comment