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?
Hi Courtney,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you and your kiddos for (almost) being done with FCAT. My 3rd graders just finished today- I have a lot more smiling faces in the room now that it’s done and over with! We watched a lot of discovery and Bill Nye videos to get caught up with science since our focus has been on mostly reading and math for the last few weeks.
The virtual labs sound like fun! Is this through Pearson? My blog this week was on a recent study indicating that we (adults included) actually don’t comprehend as well on a computer/digital screen compared to paper and pencil. So possibly, your students are not absorbing as much information as we think they are.
Since your students take the math portion online, do they take any practice math assessments online- so the FCAT is not too big of a shock for them? I totally agree with you that students may be on overload with technology, when it comes to learning. They of course still need some interaction, but I believe actual hands-on-learning experiences would be much more beneficial. This of course requires more time and effort…. But it may save us time with re-teaching and remediation in the end.
Hey Victoria!
DeleteI feel like ours has been the opposite, we spent SO MUCH time on Science the past few weeks (I haven't taught Reading since the beginning of March...) and we used the Bill Nye to cram all the info we could into their brains. Think of how many times you can watch a video in 4-5 hours of instruction in Science a day to try to cram in everything you can on the Human Brain - that was our class.
And the virtual labs we've used were actually from Glencoe, which is from McGraw-Hill. They really like it because we could simulate plants growing, look at bird beaks, and all of these other neat things that can't be seen normally in a 5th grade classroom.
They've been doing online math assessments since the beginning of the year, and we've been using some virtual programs that help them to work through problems. But they still come over with the paper and pencil after trying to work it out multiple times on the computer to get the physical example worked out with them. It's really interesting to watch actually.
~Courtney
I am just shocked that the state is wanting EOC's in all high school classes. How will servers handle it. I wonder if there will be programs for them to practice. I know your kids will do great!!
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