Saturday, March 10, 2007

Does the internet and technology offer promise and hope for education or learning or does it just create additional problems? What do you see as the promise and what do you see as the problems?

Technology can be a HUGE advantage in the classroom. It allows the teacher to use an almost unlimited number or resources and references to whatever subject. Personally I am a visual learner and seeing things from different perspectives or forms can help me to better understand and retain information (which is effective learning). Students are also given the opportunity to interact with the content, which is a great way to teach (i think). When students can contribute and use different sources like this, it can help enhance the students learning. Technology in the classroom becomes a problem when it is the center of the entire lesson.
I don't think teachers should rely on the internet to be the main source of the lesson. When students don't have those resources at home, the adjustment to the internet could cause them to have to play catch-up. And when students are only given idea's from the internet then maybe their learning can be restricted. I think it is extremely important to have that personal interaction with another human being. If students become so involved with technology maybe they would loose some communication skills they would normally learn having to use the chalk board or a hand made project with markers and drawings etc...

Technology can be a wonderful tool in the classroom. When a teacher uses technology in the classroom the students can interact with ideas from all around the world. But if those ideas don't stimulate original ideas and experiences with other human beings then they are loosing critical communications/people skills that will help them be socially accepted in our society.

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