This is my
first reflection piece after reading “Beyond Technology Integration: The Case
for Technology Transformation” and “Of Luddites, Learning, and Life.” I found that I both agreed and disagreed with
comments from each.
In the Transformation article, a couple of
points caught my attention. The first was the assertation that in our current
educational system, we divide students into large groups and teach the same
content in the same amount of time in order to sort them into laborers and
managers. I would disagree with this. The biggest reason I see to teach large
groups at the same time is for efficiency. In my experience of classroom
teaching (group) and 15 years of homeschooling (individual), it is much more
time effective, for example, to teach 30 students how to do double-digit
addition at once rather than one at a time.
I would, however, agree with their opinion that we should hold
achievement constant at the mastery level, by allowing children as much time as
they need to reach those standards. In over 25 years of teaching, it has never
ceased to amaze me how teaching the same concept is learned so differently by
students. There are always those who pick it up the first time, those who take
a few practice rounds, and those who continue to struggle unless there is time-consuming,
repeated exposure and intervention.
In the Luddite article, again, I found
myself both agreeing and disagreeing with the author. On one hand, I concur
with his belief that sometimes because the technologies are there, we often
invent problems to justify using them.
Several years ago, I was discussing with my principal how much a
smartboard would add to my teaching. Now mind you, I had taught those same
concepts successfully for years without one,
but just knowing that they were available made me feel as if I needed one. On the other hand, it felt slightly
like an affront when the author claimed that the information-giving function of
schools was rendered obsolete long ago. Really? Had the author’s child been
sitting in my classroom this morning learning about topics ranging from phonics
decoding skills to how to multiply, I think he may have felt differently.
