I found it interesting that
73% of teachers said that they or their students used cell phones in the
classroom or for assignments. This was very surprising to me as someone who was
told growing up to ensure cell phones were never seen or used without
repercussions, so I am glad to see this changing. One result that was not surprising, unfortunately, was the continued negativity
and hypocrisy towards Wikipedia. Even though 87% of the respondents used
Wikipedia on their own, they still discouraged students in the focus group from
using it despite the benefits it provides as a source of research and information.
As an aspiring teacher, I would rate on the high end in most of the categories discussed. My main strengths are quickly adapting to new technologies and the use
of different search engines and research tools for classroom activities. While
I do use some of the social media sites, I wouldn’t say I’m a frequent user or
use them to their full purpose, especially compared to the 26% who use Twitter.
As I transition to a classroom setting, I will remember the 45% of teachers who have students
share on a website or the 41% who have them work through GoogleDocs.
I have encountered many teachers
who couldn’t do much outside of basic computer work, much less
73% that are “very confident” in their online search capabilities, so it is
good to see this trending upwards today. The ones who used the most technological were true
to the survey in that they were often in the under 35 group. It is good to see
the growing trend of technological acceptance in the classroom as a tool to further a student’s education and understanding
of the material.
Joseph (Joe?), I agree with what you said about Wikipedia up to a point. I think it can be a useful tool, I just wish teachers would use Wikipedia to show students the difference between a primary source and a secondary source. Most good Wikipedia articles have links at the bottom to the primary sources and so students could simply check those sources to verify any information they wanted to use. I think it's a missed opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with you Joseph as well as Daniel on your view of wikipedia. Wikipedia is a great source for basic information however, like Daniel mentioned it is a secondary source and more in depth research must be done on a specific topic before the information found on wikipedia can be considered reliable.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, I definitely agree with your points. Anytime I'm looking to write a paper on a topic I know nothing about, I look at the wiki page first to check out all the sources cited at the bottom as a starting point for my own research.
ReplyDeleteJoseph,
ReplyDeleteThe finding about cell phone use is interesting to me--especially with regard to less affluent districts. Oftentimes, students in these districts only have Internet access through their cell phones. Given the lower cost of acquiring and operating these devices, many students actually use them for homework and are allowed to use them during class for research, etc. This is an interesting way to help bridge the digital divide.
However, sometimes even in affluent districts, teachers may embrace the use of smartphones to remedy a shortage of computers. Or, they allow them for more practical reasons--it’s better to see the phones on the desks, rather than to have students sneak a text!