We read a few different articles in Week 3. In the ones that covered technology, it was interesting to see that at least one article said “don’t do too much technology too soon”, while others said to make use of it…
I am of the “don’t do too much too soon” camp, and believe that we need to keep it as simple as possible. Some tech companies look at how many clicks it takes to get something done; I know that my interest is lost and my mood deteriorating at the 4th click.
What an interesting topic!
I certainly understand your sentiment. Most importantly for me, trying to incorporate too much technology that is new to me means to having as much ability to help my students and to manage their learning environment in a way that is dependable and accessible to them. So I think it’s a priority for me to not to bite off more than I can chew at one time technology-wise.
With that being said, I also want to mention how much I enjoy incorporating new technologies into the class. I think I enjoy it because of the new possibilities for creating situations for learning that are engaging for students, the flow seamlessly together, and that allow me to focus on what matters most rather than getting too bogged down with “clicks.” At its best I think learning technologies can do all of these things, and trying new ones a couple at a time gives me an opportunity for me to explore their possibilities and to become proficient at using them so that I can pass their benefits on to students.
Of course, their is a line between what’s helpful in the classroom and what’s causing students to lose engagement and access rather to increasing them. And the “line” usually sits closest when I am trying new technology for the first term or year. But if I never tried any of them, then I would never learn to use them at all, and I think that would ultimately be a big net loss for the students.
Thanks for sparking this discussion!
Rachael
What an interesting topic!
I certainly understand your sentiment. Most importantly for me, trying to incorporate too much technology that is new to me means not having as much ability to help my students or to manage their learning environment in a way that is dependable and accessible to them. So I think it’s a priority for me not to bite off more than I can chew at one time technology-wise.
With that being said, I also want to mention how much I enjoy incorporating new technologies into the class. I think I enjoy it because of the new possibilities for creating situations for learning that are engaging for students, flow seamlessly together, and allow me to focus on what matters most as a teacher rather than getting too bogged down with “clicks.” At their best, I think learning technologies can do all of these things, and trying new ones a couple at a time gives me an opportunity for me to explore their possibilities and to become proficient at using them so that I can pass their benefits on to students.
Of course, their is a line between what’s helpful in the classroom and what’s causing students to lose engagement and access. And the “line” usually sits closest when I am trying new technology for the first term or year. But if I never tried any of them, then I would never learn to use them at all, and I think that would ultimately be a big net loss for the students.
Thanks for sparking this discussion!
Rachael