About 35 years ago I was the branch president of a small church congregation in San Jacinto, California. It was an all Spanish speaking congregation with about 150 people on the roles and around 50 people attending each Sunday. One of my responsibilities was to oversee the financial end of things. I had a financial clerk, Mike, who was a CPA professionally. Two people were responsible for counting donations every Sunday. Usually, I was able to delegate that to one of my counselors, but occasionally I needed to help Mike.
As Mike was the financial expert (he really was) he ran things. This was back in 1980 and computers really were not very common. Mike used an electronic calculator and was incredibly fast with it. One afternoon we had a power outage at church but still had to do the accounting. We started as we usually did with me grouping money and dictating to Mike what was there and for which category the money would go. After about 5 minutes we realized that I was much faster with paper and pencil math and switched roles. His dependency on the calculator had caused his computation skills to atrophy. We finished and the next time we worked together we were back to our original roles with an electronic calculator.
The point of my story is that I have a concern that by relying too heavily on the computer our students may lose some basic thinking, research, writing, and editing skills that are essential for cognition and comprehension development. That being said, I also think it is imperative that they develop strong computer skills. Their ability to succeed in school, business, and the world is going to depend on these abilities.
As any others have pointed out, I think a balance is necessary. Here are some of my ideas on the use of technology in the classroom.
Pros of Technology in the Classroom
- The world is at the student’s fingertips for research.
- With Google Chrome students and teachers can save their work very easily.
- Editing and revising is much easier.
- Students can work from home (if they have access).
- Teachers can assign work from home (great if they are home sick) and correct work.
- Save paper.
- Teachers can assign work specifically for individual students or groups of students.
- Programs can be used to focus on specific skills.
Cons of Technology in the Classroom
- Too much dependence on the web (not able to research in other ways)
- False news.
- Teachers letting the computer teach the students.
- Students not having access to the same quality of technology at home.
- Plagiarism
- Because of the speed of internet research, students may not digest what they are putting down.
- Inability of students to work with others or in a team, if too much of their work is with their heads down buried in the computer.
- Possible lack of divergent thinking, just finding the first few citations on their Google search.
- AND both lists can go on and on. Like most things, it doesn’t matter how much or how little we use technology as much as how we use it!
Great blog! I love the lists of pros and cons...they are so true! I notice certain inadequacies in my students when using technology at this 3rd grade level. I believe cursive may be a thing of the past, especially when you can do an electronic signature of most important documents. And have you ever experienced being with a cashier who couldn't count back change since the machine was down and couldn't tell what the change should be? Teachers now and in the future need to make sure there is a balance of old and new.
ReplyDeleteI also like the list of pros and cons..you really laid it all out! The biggest con I notice or disagree with is letting technology teach the students. I always want to remember to teach first and only use technology to support MY teaching. I also like the pro of "the world is at the student's fingertips". I told my students just today that they are so lucky to have so many interesting articles on their chromes ready for them to read! How lucky are they to not only have chromebooks but to have technology at such a young age!
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ReplyDeleteGood list of pros and cons. Being too dependent on technology can be a problem. When the internet goes down some people are lost. Old timers like you and me could teach with a stick in the dirt, or a beaver stick in the hand.
ReplyDeleteGreat example or your friend becoming too dependent with technology. I believe that in some instances the traditional "paper and pencil" method when working with students can be very productive.
ReplyDeleteI agree I think too much of a good thing is exactly that... students do need computer skills but they also need critical thinking skills and hands on experiences.
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