Tradition with Technology (Digital Learning, Part 2)
I was critical in yesterday’s post about those who were arguing for more digital learning in the classroom. While I do think there is something wrong with people who constantly think every new technology will completely change the world, I don’t want to leave anyone with the impression that new technology has no place in the classroom. In general, I think teachers should go with their instincts. If they think new technology could improve learning, then they should give it a try. If it doesn’t work, that’s okay; trying new things may be better than sticking with the status quo.
So what technologies could find a place in the classroom? Blogs are a great place to start, especially as teachers look to improve kid’s writing skills. Blogs offer easy publishing – kids don’t have to worry about formating in a certain way, printing out what they write, or sending a file to someone. One click publishes a post onto a site that a student can help design. Further, blogs offer easy grading. A teacher can setup a spreadsheet with links to all his students blogs, then go down the list and read all the new posts. A teacher could also setup an RSS feed to update him whenever a student writes a post. Blogs also offer easy ways to share student work with parents, always a win-win situation.
The New York Times article also mentioned using wikis to get information. While I don’t think it’s good to steer children toward information sources that lack oversight (for example, we shouldn’t print out Wikipedia articles, bind them together, and call it a textbook), a class-created wiki can be a great way for students to demonstrate learning and collaborate on a class project. A possible starter topic: a wiki page about the school. Have the children interview teachers in the school and then put that information in a wiki. One grade could do this at the beginning of every year, ensuring the school an up-to-date staff directory and an interesting, important project for students.
Finally, there is no reason that classes can’t work on multimedia projects. Video has never been easier to capture and edit on the computer. How about some small, simple handheld digital video cameras? They are inexpensive, good quality, and fit perfectly in the hands of kids. In music class, why shouldn’t students work on their own songs? It’s easy to record music and edit it, complete with additional sound and music samples, when using a program like GarageBand. Students should begin to see their daily work as something that can be archived. Music class can be about more than singing songs together; it can be about creativity and achievement. Multimedia works can also be easily shared on the web.
Teachers should begin discussions with their schools’ technology workers, whether that’s some random person who comes in once a week or a full time staff. Schools without such contacts should look to parents with tech experience. I’m not especially tech-savvy, but I know I could handle installation of blogging software or wiki software. The real message is that teachers shouldn’t be turned off by those who scoff at their ambitions (myself included). Even if technology doesn’t completely change learning, there is definitely a place for it in modern education. For teachers trying to bring learning into the 21st century, my hat is off to you.
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