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This is a short interview with me discussing the overview of the blog.
http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/3941/episodes/17417#
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Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Baby Technologists?
Our children love technology but too many of them are still graduating high school knowing only how to program a cell phone or a mp3 player, all of which is a part of technology but to get the job in the future that will require a person to know how to use a computer to run programs and do reports. When it comes to technology, we simply have to teach our children more and sooner.
Right now, technology courses such as keyboarding or technology education are taken as electives in middle school. At the same time middle school teachers are expecting students to turn in typed term papers, typed research papers and science and social studies projects that have computer based research included. Middle school students with technology training have a better chance at getting the assignment done than those who have not learned how to type or search for research that’s not found in a book. I feel lucky because my daughter has been in technology-savvy classrooms, and (through my wife's good genes, not mine) behaves well, finishes her work early, and uses technology frequently. But I've seen other students in schools who don't fit that description and aren’t involved nearly as much. I wonder, as these students progress, how uneven the playing field will be for them. (O'Neal, 2007) Middle school is not the appropriate time to teach these technology courses.
So when should a student starting learning the basics of technology? I believe in elementary. Elementary is the time technology should be applied where students will learn the basics of a computer and how to use it for research. Typically taught at the middle school and high school levels, Rogers’ study (2006) of Wisconsin schools showed that 85% of their schools introduce keyboarding at the elementary level while the most popular grade levels are 3rd and 4th grade, recent years have seen successful introduction into even kindergarten classes. This early introduction reduces bad habit development and provides additional benefits that include improvements in spelling, writing, and reading comprehension. (Zeitz, 2008)
To find out more about Computer Explorers, check out this cool website from Austin Texas:
Computer Explorers - Austin
When I was a first and a second grade teacher, my class knew the basics of computing. Once they went to the third grade teacher, as good of a teacher she was, she knew nothing about computers so her computers were not used by those students who knew how to use a computer and could have learned more. Computer skills lost. We can no longer hope that each teacher will teach their students how to use the computer as they should. There needs to be a curriculum and a position created that will assure that every student has had the opportunity to learn the skills. If we began teaching technology skills in elementary, than like the fun technology available today that students has mastered by the age of nine, how to use technology to produce work will be just as habitual.
Elementary is the time to start teaching students technology skills so they won’t be behind as they continue their education. Schools will soon have to hire personnel that will assure this is done and make time in the curriculum along with science, math and reading. The thought of this generation growing up not knowing where to pick up where we left off in technology, gives a bleak outlook into the future.
Works Cited
O'Neal, C. (2007, July 7). The Digital Divide Within: Creating a Level Playing Field for All Students. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-within
Zeitz, P. L. (2008, May 25). Keyboarding Research and Resouces. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from Word Press: http://keyboarding.wordpress.com/catergory/research/
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