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21st Century Overload

I just got done reading an article by Marc Prensky titled, "The Natives."  In a nutshell, the article looked at how our "21st Century" students are way beyond us teachers in technology and integrating it in their lives.  Our children we teach are digital natives, as he calls it, and many of us are digital immigrants.  The role of the teacher, according to Prensky, is changing dramatically.  He says:

As educators, we must take our cues from our students' 21st century innovations and behaviors, abandoning, in many cases, our own predigital instincts and comfort zones. Teachers must practice putting engagement before content when teaching. They need to laugh at their own digital immigrant accents, pay attention to how their students leam, and value and honor what their students know. They must remember that they are teaching in the 21st century.

I will say that, straight out of the gate, this article rubbed me the wrong way.  Now Prensky might say that I am simply reacting against the reality of these 21st century needs, just like an immigrant might complain of his children leaving the ways of tradition, but this certainly isn't the case. 

I am a child of the 21st century and technology feels like an extension of my brain.

What I didn't like about this article was the blind acceptance of the world our children live in and how he believes our response should be to cater our education to their needs.  He states, "As 21st century educators, we can no longer decide for our students; we must decide with them, as strange as that may feel to many of us."  I am not advocating pushing our students away from all of their interests and teaching only what I believe to be relevant.  Yet, I believe that as adults with hopefully some more experience, that what we believe to be important might actually be, regardless of whether or not students push back in protest!

Looks like I'm starting to where my philosophy of education on my sleeves :)

I just really believe it to be important that we don't just study our student's interests, motivations and influences and modify our education accordingly, without critically looking what might actually be flawed in their worldview!  

Technology is doing many a great thing and Prensky is right in saying we need to catch up in American education.  However, there are serious flaws and issues involving what technology has given us.  Will teaching our children to learn through video games prepare them for rigorous study in college?  Will making everything online and tangible help our distracted students learn how to truly focus for a long period of time?  Is blogging (ironic...) and texting teach our students to really learn how to express themselves with their words, or will it lead to a bastardized version of the English language, completely stripped of it's power to communicate?  LOL and OMG just doesn't seem to cut it, in my mind, as a legit expression of excitement or distaste.  

Technology has given us so much.  It truly is important that our children learn the 21st century skills, especially critical thinking, analysis and good research.  On the flip side, I also hope to teach children how to critique the world they are surrounded in and how to critically assess what they think is just "how it is."  This includes what technology has given us.

Let's not simply adapt to our students, but listen to them and analyze what they give us.  Let's do our children a favor by learning from them, but also pushing them in directions they might not be okay with. The best lessons I've ever learned in life were not always fun or engaging in the moment.....

Okay, rant over.  What do you guys think?  Am I over critical in this, because I kind of feel like I'm overreacting...but maybe not.  Maybe I just didn't enjoy the fact that he said 21st century around 1 million times..

Here's a question:

  Are our current problems with students lacking interest in school only because we don't engage them on their level?  Could it be that their are another issues screaming out?  

-Sell.

Mr. Glib

Good evening, interwebs.


At the end of his article(Powerpointless), Jaimie McKenzie mentioned that, for teachers and students to become effective powerpoint-er's, it is imperative that we stay away from the temptation of being glib.

Glib?

Though I knew the word, it hadn't hit me as anything of terrible importance, rather just something to, well, glibly avoid!

That is, until he read the definition.

Marked by ease and fluency of speech or writing that often suggests or stems from insincerity, superficiality, or deceitfulness.


This definition, in my opinion, sums up my struggle with power points and the temptation of our students.  Power points have become an excuse for students to "wow" others with flashy flash and cheap clip art, all in an effort to deter from the fact that they haven't put in the effort.


McKenzie pointed out that really, a good presentation on power point should be 80% research and 20% presentation.  It is this type of research and effort that will make a power point come alive.  Sure, there will always be skills to work on and McKenzie recognizes this.  It is important to be lively, and to have eye contact and to engage the audience with a gripping and hopefully convincing, presentation.


However, no matter how gripping the presentation and smooth the speech, the definition of "glib" stands tall.  A great speech with no backbone might reveal us to be what know one wants to be labeled as: insincere.  


I found it interesting that the article ended with this definition.  It's as if McKenzie is stating, "Look, get all the skills of an important power point down, it will help.  But if you don't put in the work, you will be left with no spine."


So, I leave you beautiful readers with some questions.  How do we preach against "glibness" in a classroom? How can we prevent students from avoiding research and focusing on the presentation?  Finally, how can their be a marriage between focus upon rigorous study and gripping presentation?  




More to come, as I improve my response :)
Sell

From Bloom to Blog

Good evening, intertubes.

For the longest time, I always viewed the internet and technology as something that is a constant hindrance to concentration and higher learning skills.  I mean, it doesn't take but one millisecond to become to distracted on the internet and shift from reading an article, to watching a stupid video on youtube.

Yet, as I researched the topic of using the internet and using technology wisely, I am becoming a believer in technology as a tool for high-order thinking and problem-solving skills.

Over two decades ago, Benjamin Bloom came up with a list of different levels of learning.  These levels are:

1. Knowledge

2. Comprehension

3. Application

4. Analysis

5. Synthesis

6. Evaluation

I have often looked at technology as only addressing the first two levels of Bloom's intellectual behavior.  It shows that I have viewed technology largely as a source of information, and not much more.  The techtorial we had to read mentions this as a common belief among educators.  This is partly because the internet and technology can be reduced to this, but it has much more potential.

Technology has the ability to be most effective in building critical thinking skills in the form of project learning.  The best part about this is that with online resources, this type of learning the leads towards higher levels of thinking can be applied to a wide array of ages.

For instance, students of all ages can be working on a Christopher Columbus project (in honor of the day off that I didn't receive...).  Younger students could go to a website that generates flashcards for quick learning.  Secondary students can go to Library of Congress' American Memory to find information on the topic.

Besides gathering information for knowledge, comprehension and application, technology can also tap into the higher faculties of Bloom's list.  There are many sources where students who, after doing their research, can put their thoughts and ideas into public or semi-public forums for discussion.  This can be something like the techtorial recommended (WISE) or other sites that foster creative conversations and critiques.  It can bring debate to the classroom in a timely manner, which is essential for higher learning skills like the last on Blooms learning scale: evaluation.

Overall, the ability of technology, especially the internet, to foster higher learning skills is growing.  Educators, including myself, need to realize that the internet doesn't have to just be passive but it can play a crucial role in a student's ability to think critically.  Who knows.  If we show students this, they might look at the internet in a different light.  Students might began to see the internet as deeper than entertainment.  They might see it as a chance to learn and understand at higher levels.

Sell.

The Man Behind the Keyboard

Hello, internets.  My name is Adam Sell and this will be the place where I pour out my heart and let it bleed technology and pedagogy.

In all seriousness, I'm a recent college graduate in Communications who only recently got the urge to become a teacher.  I know many have wanted to be 3rd, 4th or whatever grade teachers their entire lives, but this desire to teach is a new phenomenon for me.  I love to see students learn.  I hope to teach high school history and convey to students the importance the past plays on the present.  Also, I hope to simply be a role model to kids.

 The man behind this blog also loves to be in the outdoors, whether it be birding (I know, I know...) camping, fishing or hiking.  I also love to listen to music and hang out with my close friends.  Theology aslo tickles my fancy, as does history and hopefully teaching it someday!


With technology, I consider myself to be moderately proficient.  I can do most basic tasks on a computer, I text more than I want to admit and own I own numerous Apple products (like everyone 20 something cool-guy). I'm also getting into photography.  Though my college pockets are not deep and might be getting cobwebs, I hope someday to work with DSLR cameras for nature photography.   Right now I own a decent camera and have worked with my photos on photoshop and have used scanners, printers, etc. while working with my images.

 As far as the internet goes, it is something I grew up with, so I consider it second-hand nature.  I use not only for entertainment, but have used it for professional use in the past, including writing online for my internship with the Illinois Audubon society.

This class should be an exciting one.  I always want to learn more about how I can improve my technological proficiency to enhance the learning experience and overall aesthetic appeal.


Sell