Week #1 - Should we integrate . . . ?

Today, I sat in a classroom while 12 juniors worked diligently on a final exam. But their final exam wasn't the standard pen and paper test. I gave them some simple guidelines and asked them to write a letter. The details of the letter don't really matter - the idea does. I asked them to search the internet and craft their letter from what they found.  I asked them to find something they found interesting and write about it. The goal was to generate interest in the subject and perhaps influence them to go a little bit further with the information they've accumulated over the semester.

I am fortunate to have access to laptop computers in my classroom. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 97% of teachers have one or more computers in their classrooms, but the student to computer ratio remains at 5.3 to 1. My classroom is an exception - but does it need to become the norm? Before we had access to computers, we had to schedule library time and have the students look in books to find the information they needed. Now, they can do a Google search to find pretty much anything they need. There were 31 BILLION Google searches per month in 2008 - 10x higher than 2 years previous. This video (from YouTube) is a great collection of statistics on technology penetration across the world:

Statistic like this shouldn't scare people. They should encourage people. They should inform and drive them to innovate. Our children are falling behind in education, ranking 24th in math and 25th in science among industrialized countries. By bringing more technology into our education system we give our students the full advantages of living in the United States. Even student that have never seen a computer can learn from them. MIT did a study with kids in Ethiopia who had never even see printed words. They were able to take a tablet and within days become prolific users and learners. What could our students do if they were given laptops?

Most cynics say "use Facebook" or "text their friends" and that is one way of thinking about it. We can't continue to think of technology as the enemy in schools. We have to give students direction in its use - to become good digital citizens. In other words, we have to be educators. If we can help guide them in the proper use of technology, we can use it to their (and our) advantage. Right now cell phones are taboo - most high schools have some policy which bans cell phones in the classroom. So, students hide them and use them without us "knowing". They become contraband instead of becoming a tool for their learning experience. I recently had a conversation with a student about water quality. During our discussion another student standing by helped out by providing definitions and data that we couldn't recall. And the data was provided quickly allowing the discussion to move on with confidence and real engagement. All from his cell phone.

Teachers fear technology because they don't understand it. I'm a techno-phile and I don't understand 90% of the new technology that's coming out these days. But we can't let that deter us. Angela Watson posted an excellent blog about this very subject. Her take home message? No one is an expert in technology. It's changing so fast that no one can be. As teachers, we're supposed to be experts in our subject areas. We don't have time to even become experts in technology. But we can use Google just like anyone else can. Like Angela said "When you get stuck, Google it."  Join the rest of the world and become search number 31 billion and one. 

Week #0 - Practice Post - How do I use technology everyday?

So, this post is about how I use technology on an every day basis. First, let me say that I loooooove technology. I'm a total nerd about new technology, even if I don't understand it. The recent articles on a robotic pancreas (here), the advent of solar roadways (here), and all the other technology news that comes up is just fascinating. It makes my mind whirl with possibilities. One of those possibilities is how will the technology affect my daily life.

Solar Roadways!!

In my own life, I use all the standards of the day - cellphone, laptop, desktop, connected TV, tablet, etc. Having the power of a computer in my pocket allows me to schedule important events, remember birthdays and check on future dates. I can play games when I'm bored, I can look up directions to a restaurant or store, I can check the prices on the item I'm looking at in the store. My cell phone is a powerful device! I can even look up information from the vast pool of the internet.

Of course, none of this is news to anyone reading this. As a teacher, I encounter that last one fairly frequently from the other side. Students in my classroom love to look up information and tell me tidbits from the web. Recent surveys put the numbers at 70% for teenagers and 79% for young adults as smartphone owners (Nielsen).  This means that most of my class has instant access to supplemental information on whatever I'm talking about. But the real question is: Is this a good thing?

As my title suggests, I believe it is. Any time a student is interested in a subject, I want to foster that interest. I want them to delve deeply and participate in the discussion. Does it take their attention away from me? Yes, of course it does. But it keeps their attention on the subject and maybe even carries their attention outside of the classroom. I recently came across the idea of "situational interest" in a class I was taking for my master's degree. Situational interest is the idea of a thirst for knowledge - that by being curious about a subject you gain interest in that subject until such a time as you find the answers you are looking for (source). If students are able to derive their own situational interest by using their phones in the classroom, I hope that we can drive their curiosity and their engagement.

I guess I got a little sidetracked in this post.