I really didn’t enjoy Capelle’s article. I was expecting it to provide insight into standards-based implementation of blogs and wikis in the classroom, but I found the content lacking and his tone almost condescending. If there’s anything I’ve had hammered into me after a year of taking M.Ed. classes and working in a public school, it’s teach to the standards! The main point of Capelle’s article seemed so obvious that it makes me wonder if writing it was even necessary. I mean…if lessons are usually structured with the learning goals in mind, then why would a tech-based lesson be planned any differently? We think about the content, the competencies we want our students to achieve and the process and tools that we can employ to help them do so. We take into account the needs of our class as a whole and each student as an individual. Then we plan, modify, and plan again. It’s almost as if Capelle was suggesting that educators might get so mesmerized by new tech tools that they would forget to consider the most
effective ways of learning for their students.
So, going back to Kim’s original question, is it the technology that drives the project or the project that drives the technology? I think it can be interpreted as going in either direction, depending on the situation. It’s entirely possible to design a lesson plan based on a certain tech tool. An educator might be inspired by the technology they encounter in their personal life and decide to create a completely new project or activity that allows them to integrate it into their classroom. Or, alternatively, a seasoned teacher could be looking for a way to update old lesson plans by modifying them to include the use of some modern tech tools with which his or her digital native students are already familiar. In either case, the project itself might be dependent upon the tech tools, but the idea behind it and the overall content of the lesson is not.
Does this answer the question? Maybe it’s the slightest bit verging on chicken or egg territory, because I think either one can create--or in this case inspire--the other. For the time being, I guess, we can take Capelle's article as a reminder to keep lessons meaningful and teach content in contextualized ways that make it relevant to our students.
I took away a similar reminder from the article. Whichever tools we are using, lessons should be relevant to the students. We don't want to simply throw a blog lesson in one day because we are excited about blogs, without any connection to what we are teaching. I agree with you that it did seem like the author thought teachers might get so carried away by excitement that they forget the importance of meaningful lessons. But, I did think it was a good reminder about using technology thoughtfully especially as more pressure builds for teachers to integrate it into lessons.
ReplyDeleteI also found it a tad condescending! As teachers we strive to make all lessons meaningful to our students. Technology is one tool in our arsenal, as with everything else it can't be over used or it will lose it's effectiveness.
ReplyDelete-Kristie
Great thoughts here. It is often frustrating to hear about standards based teaching so much. We know that is what we are supposed to do as teachers, and we are trusted to do so in our classes. By throwing in some technology, I would hope we do not lose sight of the standards. I often struggle with the "teaching to the test" syndrome as we teachers and the leaders of our nation are finally realizing that the No Child Left Behind really does not work for our children. To still be thought of as in need of improvement after great strides had been made is discouraging to all involved. Making our lessons meaningful is what we strive to do all of the time but I guess it is helpful sometimes as a gentle reminder!
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