I have the opportunity to interact with teachers every day and this is the most common thing that I hear from them. I think that there is a "Sabertooth Curriculum" issue. I don't know if anyone has every read it(link is below) but basically it is a satire on education. It is about a "caveman" era school where they teach fish grabbing with bare hands, horse-clubbing, sabertooth tiger scaring with fire. Then the water gets muddy so they can't see the fish, and the horses and tigers migrate because of the ice age.A man suggested that they start learning to fish with nets and to hunt with spears, etc. The school tells him there isn't time to teach that and the original 3 lessons. Even though the 3 original lessons are useless now, they continue to teach them and assert that there isn't enough time to teach everything.
While that is an exaggeration of our schools today, it definitely applies. We need to look at what we are doing just because "we've always done it" and also start to see what parts of our classes and curriculum we can make more efficient. In my past, efficiency has frequently meant incorporating technology. I think instead of having the focus of what is being added, we need to focus on what is going to benefit our kids the most, and teach that. After all, we stopped teaching the slide rule because the calculator was invented.
I do think that technology is an investment in both time and money, but it is an investment that has great returns. It may take you a while to design new lesson plans, or get trained on technology, but it saves you so much time in the long run that it is worth it. And it does cost a lot of money, but I can't show you a teacher that would rather have new textbooks than more technology. Yet, that is what we are given many times. Technology is a worthwhile investment that we can't afford not to make. The article below, Tech's Greatest Potential, discusses how the UK is embracing technology in the fullest way. I only wish we had this approach.
Sabertooth Curriculum
Tech's "Greatest Potential"
Nice Post and I liked the comparison from our schools to caveman school. Very interesting way to put it in perspective. I do feel that we need to drop all the old "useless curriculum" and move foward with all of the new and improving technology. I just found a video online...kinda weird but i like how the person (afro) shows new tech compared to old tech by showing pictures of old items from the 90's to items of today.
ReplyDeleteHeres the link:
http://youtu.be/-rObMm63fj8
I love the cavemen analogy. Using the right technology to teach the topics we teach is essential to integrating tech into our schools. I have seen calculus teachers being required to sit through tech training on pod casting. I'm not saying you can't use podcasting in a calculus course but there are better uses for delivering the cirricullum. (interactive java applets, data analysis software) sometimes when I hear people talking about tech integration it seems like they want technology used for the sake of using the technology rather than using it to enrich the cirriculum.
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts here! It is truly about the students and not about the technology. I do think that teachers sometimes are stuck in a way of thinking that has always worked for them in the past, so why change now type of attitude. It is not about the technology per say, like Jen alluded to in her comment, forcing Calculus teachers to learn about podcasting, but if the trainer really understood the value of podcasting and how it could benefit the students and teachers, the training might have been a bit more beneficial. It is all in the presentation of the tool and the outcome for the students. I have had much success with teaching teachers about podcasting. It is one way for the introverted students who are petrified to show work in front of a class, to shine! We had a wonderful story this year with students using my digital voice recorder to explain some science projects, added music to it and really nailed the project goals. I think again it is how it is presented that matters.
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