According to the Denizen model quiz, I am a technology immigrant. I am surrounded by technology, know how to use it to some degree, and believe that technology serves a greater purpose, and I would totally agree. I grew up around technology, my Dad would be considered an addict of technology I am sure, but I never seem to know the exact potential of technology. I know that I have skimmed the service of most things, but would always love to learn more.
Like I mentioned, I am fortunate that my Dad has such a strong love for technology, because of this I was always being exposed to the new and greatest technological thing. Being able to use it was a different story. However, whether I was fluent in the language of technology or not, my experiences have led me to develop a great respect for the technology and its potential.
I feel that there is a lot that can be done for emergent readers and technology can be a helpful tool. However, I am sure it is not the only answer to solving questions of literacy. Being a Special Education major, I have been able to see technology used to act as speech for the speechless, a chalkboard for the teacher, and simply a fun way to explore different subject areas. I have, however, have never witnessed technology work, without a good teacher behind the scenes, forcing themselves to understand the vast potential of the technology and how to utilize it effectively.
I found the article on English Language Learners interesting. I agree with what the author is saying about teaching ELL students more than just a second language, and can only imagine how difficult that must be. I can see how technology could be used to help with translation and even encourage literacy, but I have not witness this happen in my placement. There are two students in my classroom who speak Spanish, but are not ELL students. In that regards it is hard to draw on my own personal experience to make a deeper connection to ELL students. I can however, understand the struggle that ELL teachers face with inclusion from a Special Educators standpoint. It is great to have everyone in the same classroom, and learning the same material, but if learning is not taking place because of some other factor, i.e. the language, then what good is inclusion.
I know the advancement of technology will never stop. We live in a fast past world, where tomorrow is never going to be like today, and it is up to the future educators to make a commitment to change and strive to address the needs of every student. To do that, we must accept technology for what it is, and learn to utilize it to its fullest potential. For all of our students, regardless of language or ability.
I, too, fall somewhere in the Digital Native/Digital Immigrant scale. And like Matt, the men in my family are the technological enthusiasts: I rarely fiddle with something for very long before soliciting my father or brother for assistance! At the same time, I am embarrassed that I do not know more, because I know that technology has made incredible strides in the teaching profession. Just the other day, my a cappella group held a rehearsal where 2 alumni were on skype and one was on speaker phone, in an attempt to practice for an upcoming wedding... I can only imagine the benefits and power that these technologies could have! With email, googledocs, twitter, facebook, skype, and cell phones, teachers can be constantly available to students outside the classroom. With technology, learning extends beyond the classroom’s four walls.
ReplyDeleteI do understand that I will need to be completely proficient in any technology that I choose to use in my classroom, but I do believe that asking the students for help, or learning it alongside the students is not out of the question. Many of our students in the upcoming years will be digital addicts... and why not take advantage of their gifts? For years, teachers have been pairing students with mastered concepts of literacy with those without, in order to help them catch up: what’s the difference?
The English Language Learning article was also interesting in that it brought to mind several moments in my current placement classroom. Almost all of my students are second-language learners, so the technology in the classroom sometimes provides all of the English instruction my students get. Their computer programs that involve books and stories being read aloud, with words lighting up (kind of like the bouncing ball), and interactive activities give the students opportunities to situate themselves in the realm of literacy. My classroom also utilizes books on tape, though most of them are in Spanish, and the students often follow along with their fingers, or mumbling the words underneath their breath. In order to keep the Spanish Immersion front alive, with the students expectations that the teachers ONLY speak Spanish to them, technology has become an absolute necessity. And many of my students blow my technological abilities out of el agua!
Matt’s final paragraph is a beautiful summation of our future relationship with technology: we had better embrace it soon, in order to reach our students the best we can.
I unfortunately cannot see what my score is for the technologically savvy quiz, but if I had to guess, I would be placed in the digital immigrant group. Although I use my computer from everything from googling my basic questions to defining words I don't understand (like denizen), there are still so many amazing tricks and uses for technology that I have not learned.
ReplyDeleteI like how Devon mentioned that technology is something that we can learn right along with our kids, although I feel like I will need to be somewhat more knowledgeable than my students. It definitely depends on what age group you are working with. I have seen how difficult it is for my 4th grade students to all stay on the same page during computer time as 21 children are all asking questions at the same time and not a lot of work actually gets done. This might be the case since they only have computers a couple times a week and only in 30-minute intervals. In these instances, I can see the great benefits of using technology to enhance student learning for the mainstream students and ELL's.
I think that technology can be a great aid for dealing with ELL and other "low" achieving students. In my sister's 2nd grade classroom in Virginia, she has a special set of i pads that the autistic students primarily get to work on. By using loud, sound-canceling earphones, they are in their own world, completely absorbed and engaged in the vocabulary producing i pad. Since these students often do not actively partake in class-wide lessons/ taken out of the room for specials, the i pad technology provides an extra tool for reaching autistic students.
I believe that the use of technology can be extremely beneficial for ELL's as well. As the article said, it is so important to include all students in the same rigorous and demanding atmosphere as mainstream children. Technology can reach the entire spectrum of students, so we better be prepared to teach and effectively utilize what it has to offer.