- Discuss educational benefits and hindrances of quick access to technology in and outside of classroom.
- How do you feel about teaching in the classroom where every student has an access to a digital device (e.g., laptop, iPad, Tablet PC)? Do you want to teach in one-to-one learning environments? Why or why not?
- Discuss three projects you would like to implement when all your students have an easy access to technology.
Educational benefits associated with quick access to technology includes a wider range of tools at student's fingertips. The Internet creates an endless source of teaching material and activities to supplement student learning. But, with great opportunity comes great risk. With access to the Internet in the classroom, student have a greater means of distraction because while the Internet provides many teaching tools, it also is the only gateway to social media sites and some video games- a great source of distraction. Similarly, if the technology malfunctions outside of class students can be hindered from doing online homework assignments and then fall behind. For instance, Auburn operates using the Canvas system, if Canvas malfunctions or shuts down students are unable to do any of their homework and cannot access information about their classes.
I think teaching in a classroom where every student has access to a digital device would be interesting. Personally, I prefer working directly with physical texts and I think that taking books out of students hands is not a good means of teaching literature. There is a certain quality to physically underlining and highlighting a piece of text which I think helps students to connect to the material. But it would be nice to have digital devices as a supplementary teaching tool, just not as a main teaching tool. I would like to teach on a one-to-one basis. Working one-on-one allows me a greater insight into where the student is in his/her learning. In that vein, I can approach the student where they are and facilitate a discussion that is geared specifically to his/her learning style and knowledge level.
Three projects I would implement if my students had easy access to technology would be:
-Students create review games of various grammar techniques (use of comma, structuring a sentence, etc.) with a program such as SMARTboard
-Have students create a video presentation where they tell the story of one of the books we read in class in their own words - for instance, where students create an abridged, modern telling of Taming of the Shrew
-For a creative writing project, have each student take a picture of five things that they find around the school/their homes and then have them write a story that connects all five things, then make a voice recording of them telling their story
