Review Tube - Week 2

I've just watched a pair of videos about technology and students which for some reason consisted almost entirely of youths holding up white boards and trying not to smile. Forgive me for thinking there might be some examples of young people you know, using technology, instead of glumly posing with a Harper's Index worth of curious stats. I call the stats curious because they seem to be a tossed salad, what for example is the relationship between the number of honor students in China and the fact that most teachers don't know how to use a wiki? A girl will write more emails than papers this semester according to her sign, whats the take away? That people are more likely to do fun or social things than hard work? That's not exactly a new problem on campus and in fact it maybe that increased access to technology is detrimental to learning, it certainly increases the number of distractions available.

There are a lot of great uses for technology in learning but these videos seem to suggest that traditional learning without ipods, laptops or whatnot isn't of value to the "digital natives" as they've been dubbed. Something about this bothers me, not because I'm a Luddite but because I suspect that technology is another false panacea. Nothing in these videos convinced me that more technology would result in higher test scores or greater earnings potential down the line. In fact the videos missed the best use most students make of technology, that is - Self Expression. By creating and sharing digital media such as videos, blogs and photos young people have an unprecedented opportunity to be heard and connect with like minded peers which is truly a marvelous thing. Educators must be aware that young people connect to technology primarily for entertainment and social purposes, not to train for "jobs that don't exist yet". Technology by itself is not the solution, nor is the lack of a computer in the classroom the mark of a bad teacher. In order for technology to enhance education in a meaningful way there need to well developed programs with proven results.      

Nothing inspires my Beacon pride like the pastel fiberglass gator knot. Seriously, I grew up in Florida where this would be expected and acceptable, it makes no sense here. Then again I'm no fan of the giant iron worker sculpture by the same artist outside Wheatly. My favorite campus sculpture was the green lobster coffin that used to grace the entrance to McCormick (is it back?). This of course has nothing to do with the course, I just wanted to try out my blog.

Good Luck

Something will be here soon....