In my last blog post I provided a link to an article that gave a description of the potential good and bad that can come from having laptops in a classroom setting. In this post I am going to discuss the best arguments from each side of the debate.
During my undergraduate career, I had Professors that encouraged laptops in the classroom and I also had Professors that banned them. Those that encouraged laptops suggested that students use them as a tool to gather information, take notes, or download the lecture materials to follow along during class. The Profossers that banned laptops from the classroom thought them to be a distraction that prevented students form fully engaging in the day's discussion, often tempting students to browse the web, play computer games, or work on other assignments not appropriate for the topic being discussed that day.
In a college classroom setting, the introduction of laptops has a much different result than if laptops were introduced into an elementary school classroom. Right now, I am going to focus more on the the main arguments for and against laptops in an elementary school setting.
One of the main arguments in favor of laptops in education is through interactive learning students will engage more and therefore their learning experience would be enhanced. The One Laptop Per Child movement focuses on providing each and every child with a internet-capable laptop complete with educational software. The following is a link to their website with their mission statement;
http://www.laptop.org/en/vision/index.shtml
They believe that, "When children have access to this type of tool they get engaged in their own education." In other words, they believe that by providing children with an educational tool that they can carry with them at all times they will be able to find joy in "self-empowered" learning.
The main argument opposing laptops in the classroom is that such an emphasis on technology retracts from the actual learning that should be taking place. The argument is that laptops in the classroom mean less student-teacher interaction. With students using laptops in the classroom, teachers often times are unfamiliar how to best utilize them so students end up spending too much time "researching" on the internet and not enough time interacting with the teacher and their fellow students.
Both sides seem to have valid points. Which side do you think has the more credible argument?
In my next post I will provide some information from studies done to determine the affects laptops have on children in the classroom.
I think the key answer in this debate is that the curriculum and learning standards should always be in alignment with the need and use of the technology in the classroom. A teacher cannot and should not just hand off a laptop to a student and tell them to go off and do their own things because it is going to be "self-empowering, meaningful, relevant and blah, blah, blah."
ReplyDeleteSpecifically, the proper use of technology in the classroom requires more precise and in-depth lesson planning from the teacher, so that when the actual lesson takes places surprizes and downtime are kept to a minimum. Currently, for the IDE 611 Technology Collaborative Project, my fellow team-mates and I are going through this exact process of trying to figure out the best use of technology in a Music classroom. The first thing we did was go to the New York State Core Curriculum and Standards Web site to see what learning outcomes are expected in a music classroom, so that we could plan our technology project accordingly.
~Aja
Bo,
ReplyDeleteI do not think that each student needs a laptop in elementary school. Thus, I do not agree with 1:1 computing in elementary school. Having said that, I do think it's helpful to incorporate computer technology and usage in some of the lesson plans at the elementary school level. I believe that first and foremost, children need to learn socialization skills in elementary school and for these skills, a computer does not enhance that experience. Let's take my daughter's Pre-K schooling as an example. They spend the majority of their time socializing (including eating a meal together)and do not need computers for this. They also are learning basic things like their A,B,Cs and every so often they work on PCs in the classroom to enhance that learning.
Considering I see classmates in graduate school using their laptops for things other than note-taking or looking up information during class, I am wary of younger students having them. I agree with Sue that technology integration is useful, but laptops are expensive, as is upkeep. We had poor wiring in my old high school, so I never borrowed the laptop cart for my students, since there was nowhere to charge the batteries in the room. No matter what the grade level, I believe content needs to be addressed first, then technology.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. I agree that curriculum/content should be the number one priority. But do technology and curriculum need to be seperate? I think that the argument for laptops is that the same curriculum can be improved with the implementation of such a useful technology (as long as it is used appropriatly by both Teachers and students).
ReplyDelete-Bo
Hey Bo,
ReplyDeleteI agree with those who say "no" to every student having a computer in the classroom. Of course I am all for technology in the classroom, this just doesn't seem necessary. I can't help but think that the expense of supplying every student with a computer would be a lot for most districts. Also, if every student had a computer in front of them while they were in class,wouldn't the teacher have a harder time keeping their attention?
Hi Bo- I'm looking forward to reading future posts about mobile learning on your blog.
ReplyDelete