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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

August 25th Reading

After some of the comments in class today about the difficulties we may face teaching with technology, I began to consider the possibility that technology may be harmful in the classroom. Could technology take away from face-to-face teaching? Will teaching students about the advancements in calculators make it hard to teach them the details of how to solve the problem by hand? These thoughts worried me. 

However, the reading for today turned my thoughts around. “Technology mediates learning” (Masalski, 348). The emerging programs and technology will only better the communication within the classroom. Especially with the development of wireless devices to instantly receive homework and see how the students are progressing. Even better, I realized that technology in math could help students learn the main and important concepts without having to worry about solving tedious computations. The math modeling programs will help students realize how math has real life applications and hopefully raise their interest in the subject. This chapter has made me very excited about teaching with technology!

3 comments:

Jess Madigan said...

In my high school calculus class, we received a class set of TI-84 calculators and we had a project to complete. Our teacher received our answers through the calculator and although it was very cool, my teacher didn't fully understand how to use them. Many people pressed wrong buttons, some got lost, and some calculators weren't connected to my teacher's calculator. It all turned into a big mess and waste of time. Instead of reintroducing the project to the class or trying to fix the problem, my teacher said "forget it" and we moved on. I think that this could definately be the biggest challenge faced by teachers when they want to implement technology. It doesn't always work and can make lessons more confusing-- which is the absolute last thing technology should be doing.

jmonaco said...

I agree with you, Danielle. Technology can really enhance a student's learning experience by giving him or her a visual of what they're learning. This picture can help the student grasp the concept he or she is trying to learn and hopefully can stick with him or her easier. I do feel, however, that it is very important to not fully rely on technology to teach students concepts, because it is still vital for a student to know how and why something works and where the idea comes from. This will help the students see where it can be applied in everyday use.

awilkey said...

Agree! I was very skeptical about using technology in the classroom until I finished reading the first chapter. I began to see that technology really does enforce learning. It's an important tool that is almost necessary in today's society. Why would a teacher intentionally refuse to use the tool if it enhances and mediates learning at such a high degree?

It's also interesting to see how technology helps math skills. I am a visual learner, so if my school at utilized technology in my math courses, I feel it would have helped me a lot.