In my school we have at least one iPad cart for every grade band, but we are not yet 1 to 1. We have reserved half of the library for a Mac Lab and just received all new Mac desktops this year. We also have the luxury of a computer technology teacher to actually work with the students. However by middle school the students only see him for a 5 week block. I must admit I’m not quite sure what skills or content they are taught in those 5 weeks, but most students have basic knowledge of how to use our computers and iPads.
So, after reading Stuck in the Shallow End-Education, Race, and Computing, and given that my ImagineIt project will rely on my students’ abilities to use technology to research, create presentations, and share out their conclusions, I’ve identified one major problem that often hinders any research project I’ve launched with 7th grade students over the past years. The problem as I see it is the attitude of the students toward the technology we use in class. Rather than viewing it as a tool for learning, the students view it as a toy. My experience has been that in spite of reviewing the technology agreement and consequences with the students, many of them are initially inclined to waste away the allotted time attempting to play games and/or search up topics that often have nothing to do with the task at hand. As of yet, I’m not quite sure of the solution. I am hoping that once we uncover topics and questions they have a vested interest in learning more about, that it will in turn, drive them to use the iPad as a tool and not a toy!
So, after reading Stuck in the Shallow End-Education, Race, and Computing, and given that my ImagineIt project will rely on my students’ abilities to use technology to research, create presentations, and share out their conclusions, I’ve identified one major problem that often hinders any research project I’ve launched with 7th grade students over the past years. The problem as I see it is the attitude of the students toward the technology we use in class. Rather than viewing it as a tool for learning, the students view it as a toy. My experience has been that in spite of reviewing the technology agreement and consequences with the students, many of them are initially inclined to waste away the allotted time attempting to play games and/or search up topics that often have nothing to do with the task at hand. As of yet, I’m not quite sure of the solution. I am hoping that once we uncover topics and questions they have a vested interest in learning more about, that it will in turn, drive them to use the iPad as a tool and not a toy!