Friday, April 18, 2014

Educational Technology - What is "Too Much"?

This past week, my 5th graders have been begrudgingly participating in their FCAT tests (they are 2/3 of the way through, but get a week break before Math). Quite unlike everything else we do in our class, the test was completely on paper - in fact, I had to turn in a technology bag of every handheld piece of equipment found in the classroom. As soon as today's test was over, I was overwhelmingly quick to plug the laptop into the SmartBoard and start playing a Discovery Channel video (because it's the next best thing to actually swimming with the fishes when you're studying adaptations in water). While my students were sat with drool hanging out of their mouths, staring at the screen, I began thinking back on just this week alone and the amount of times we've watched videos. 15 different videos. In one week. And most of those days were taken up by FCAT, lunch, or recess... how did we even get time to watch 15 videos that were each almost 30 minutes?!

Over this course, I have seen the use in technology in my classroom become more prominent. We have been doing at least one virtual lab a week, exploring different scientific ideas through videos, and also using more power points and other aids with lessons. But I'm starting to wonder if there is TOO much technology being used.

We strive to create a classroom that our students will understand. We know they are a technology-based generation, and that they can't understand what it was like before having all of this information at their fingertips. We are constantly looking for the next thing to introduce them to when it comes to educational technology.

Where does it switch from "not enough" to "too much" technology? What is the silver lining?

I know with my students, any technology used with math confuses them. They HATE it. We have worked with Khan Academy, Study Island, MobyMax, and even the interactive videos that are provided by the textbook. After every tool used, it seems to be a collective "Ok, Ms. MacLaren, explain that to us in writing because we don't get it. They made it too confusing. How do we add those fractions? I don't get it." and then once they are able to work with pencil and paper, it clicks for them. I could show them as many interactive manipulatives as I want, but until it gets to the moment they are able to physically write it down on paper, the whole idea is lost to them.

What worries me is maybe this is true in more than one area with technology. Maybe they are getting over-sensitized to the flashy lights and buzzing ways that they are going to lose grasp on how to understand the information and only really be able to comprehend how to make something look good in a presentation.

Am I in the wrong with this thinking, or could there be a legitimate concern about overwhelming students with too much technological information? Is there a fine line that we, as teachers, need to walk or we'll completely unbalance the system of the classroom and lose our students?

I personally feel burnt out with too much technology use in my classroom, to the point that I've scaled back from it. After that video about the fish today, I didn't use my laptop or screen once. Instead, my students and I really worked through some addition with fractions and then we designed a data investigation we're going to implement on Monday. Just from discussion in class.

Maybe they're a little technologically burnt out too?

What do you think - is there too much of a good thing when it comes to educational technology? Or am I just becoming paranoid with it?

Friday, April 4, 2014

Middle Colony Delaware

Looking for some feedback on my sample project for the state of Delaware! I am looking to pull in my 5th grade students to learn more about American colonization by having them take a closer look at one of the original 13 colonies and create a digital story about it. I was born and raised in Delaware, so I thought it would be a great idea to have that be my example colony! (For other information, check out the link here)