The importance of incorporating technology in the classroom.

Over the last two weeks of teaching rounds I have noticed a huge difference in students and the school environment, compared to when I was at school. I think the main reason for these differences is the rapid growth in technology. These technological advancements have hugely affected the children of today, and consequently altered the school experience.

When I was at school, technology was fairly basic, the internet was relatively new and we used blackboards. Today’s students, however, are the first generations to grow up with new technology. They have spent the majority of their lives surrounded by and interacting with “computers, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age” (Prensky, 2001). The students in my class are certainly active users of technology; I was gobsmacked when I discovered every single student in the class had a mobile phone (this is in a year 5 class by the way, so students are roughly eleven years old) and about 90% of the students have four T.Vs in their homes!

Because the children of today have grown up in an environment that is saturated by technology, it is no surprise they therefore think and learn differently as a result. As Marc Prensky (2001) states in his article ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants’: It is now clear that as a result of this ubiquitous environment and the sheer volume of their interaction with it, today’s students think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors”. This means the traditional methods teachers were exposed to when they were at school are now outdated, and no longer appropriate for the students of today (Prensky, 2001). Therefore it is critical teachers adopt new teaching methodologies that are appropriate for students from the i-generation. In order to do this, they must teach differently from the way they were taught and “learn new ways to do old stuff” (Prensky, 2001) so students are engaged in the learning experience.

References:

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon. 9 (5).

First day of school

This week I had my first day of placement, which was both very exciting and daunting too. I am doing my placement at a Catholic school called Christian Brother’s, which is also an all boys school. All in all, the day went extremely well and I had a great time.

I was mostly impressed by the students who were very well behaved, disciplined and respectful. This was somewhat of a surprise to me, as I thought because the school was all boys, there would be more of a tendency for the students to be disruptive. Though, credit for this must be given to the school for the environment it creates and values it instils. High standards, independent learning, and respect are just a few of the values that are reinforced at Christian Brother’s.

Apart from the three R’s, one of the most fundamental components of a school is its community. The community is what makes schools different from one another, and is also one of reasons a parent will decide to send their child to a particular school. Parents want to send their child to a school where the values taught align with those in the home. As Hinde-McLeod and Reynolds (2003) state in their article ‘Planning for Learning’: “For many parents, choosing a school for their child is a reconciliation of family values and aspirations with those of the new educational context”. But what exactly is a school community, you may ask? A school community can be defined as: “the sociocultural groupings which overlap to constitute a community of learners, where dialogue and respect underlie cognitive apprenticeship and where viable knowledge is inextricably bound to community” (Hinde-McLeod & Reynolds, 2003). At Christian Brother’s, the community can be defined by both gender and religious affiliation. However, a shared educational ethos throughout the school is evident, and positive interactions between members of the learning community is also emphasised.

Here is a link to the school webpage if you are interested: http://www.cbhslewisham.nsw.edu.au/

Reference:

Hinde-McLeod, J. & Reynolds, R. (2003). Primary Contexts. In Planning for Learning, (pp 23-43). Social Science Press.