I feel that I’m at that age where it’s a difficult moment to
pinpoint my first experience with technology as I have grown up with it. However,
I can see that there has been huge advances in technology since I was young. When
I was in primary school we had access to the “old” style large computers with
the white square monitors and they were “new” then. They helped us with
creativity and different styles of learning. That being said, as children we
had no difficulty learning without the involvement of technology in the
classrooms. We would rarely use the computers, and I recall the teachers relied
much more on textbooks and blackboards rather than interactive whiteboards and
the internet.
I completely agree with your post, because technology has been a part of my life since the beginning, in small and large quantities. Although I remember using the big TV's and computers in primary school, I mostly recall the encouragement by teachers to play, and to use natural resources to learn and believe that I was not exposed to technology as often as current children do.
ReplyDeleteI also can relate to this. Throughout my primary school we had the large old style computers with the Windows 95 version, although we did not have access to them often as we’d like as we only had one between the whole year group. In addition, I can always remember our ICT sessions involving us taking it in turns to create a drawing on Paint, compared to today where each child has the advantage of having a computer of their own and having the opportunity of using more up to date software such as 2 Simple.
ReplyDeleteI must agree with you when you said that you had no difficulty learning without the use of the computer. As I can recall my primary school teachers would only use the computers to print off colouring pages for the classroom, most of our learning was done through textbooks and copying from flip chart paper. In recent years, the use of technology has become more integrated within education and in the daily running of the classroom. Nowadays, practitioners use technology within their lessons by using iPads and tablets that provide apps that are anticipated to enhance the children’s academic learning. But can we prove this is the case or are practitioners using these tools just for the sake of having them because they make their job less demanding?
I remember using many textbooks and having to copy your question out in your workbook to then complete the answer. I agree when you say that practitioners are just using the technology provided so it can make their job easier for them. Technology was created to make lives easier for people, but is it really necessary to use technology in every lesson? Although education has welcomed the advance of technology to the extent this will benefit students however, children are becoming too reliant on technology. DeNeen (2012) says 'technology gets a bad reputation for giving students shortcuts so they don’t have to think', I believe this could be true and important for children's development to think.
ReplyDeleteDeNeen, J (2012) Technology Does Not Nullify Critical Thinking. Are We Teaching Kids To Be Too Dependent on Technology? [Online] Available at: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/other/are-we-teaching-kids-to-be-too-dependent-on-technology/ Accessed on: 18/01/17