User Error

In my previous post, I discussed the importance of having alternative plans when technical issues arise. I also gave certain strategies to cope with some common issues people have on presentation day. In this blog, I want to focus on the other end of things and discuss user error.

User error is a coined-term to describe the errors users make when using technology, opposed to technological flinches. I believe user error and competency in software is often overlooked in teaching how to use technology in the classroom. There are many great and creative ideas that persons purpose to use but the lack of execution deter from the content trying to be delivered. 

For example, a few years ago I observed a classroom where powerpoint and a dvd movie were being used together. After watching a few clips from a historical movies, the teacher would switch to power point to outline a few observations and pose questions. The idea was great! What student does not want to watch a DVD instead of hearing lecture. Unfortunately, the teacher did not have a solid grasp of the software being used. The teacher struggled to work with both applications and as a result students lost their attention and assumed chatter with their neighbors.

I think when talking about technology in the classroom, its important to not only teach the innovation of technology as a teaching instrument but also emphasize the importance of mastery for performance. Otherwise, as shown above, students become disinterested and the content missed. 

This brings me to a final point that will lead into my next post: the competency in computers. Teachers must be versatile and efficient in computing in order to effectively teach computers and teach with computers. 

technology

This week in preparing for the resource assignment, I fully realized how great a resource the internet will be in finding sources and researching topics for classroom lessons. There are tons and tons of sites out there that are teacher friendly, and provide great resources for social studies material. I could probably spend an entire summer scouring the internet for curriculum ideas (there are even a multitude of lesson plans out there too, which may also come in handy!)
Even though technology is already an omnipresent part of our society, I am interested to see in ten years if these current trends have continued and expanded (or exploded!) or perhaps schools have gone back to more traditional methods, if that is even possible! There are plenty of skills (ie. library skills, map reading skills) that are potentially being overlooked in schools, because the internet has made these methods practically obsolete. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not quite sure...

Curious

I am curious to see how technology is used in our elementary school classrooms. While it is easy to extol its values from an outsider's perspective, I am curious just how often/easily it is used in an urban setting. In my own elementary school experience, I don't remember using a computer for anything other than word processing (in the 4th grade). I think it is important for teachers to realize that technology is good only if it particularly enhances a lesson, and isn't just there for ornamental or visual appeal. I guess we will see in a few weeks how often technology is utilized in the elementary school classroom...

Post #2

Technology is a tricky subject- I agree with what you posted, Eduardo, that technology is only as useful to enhancing classroom activity if the instructor is well versed in the technology he or she plans on using. It is important to do a test-drive, so to speak, of the activity before trying it out with a class of students. Even in our own experience at GSE, we saw last week in the robotics demonstration that things rarely work perfectly when technology is involved.

Technology Snafus

As a student in the age of technological advancement, I have experience many of times when the "tech gods" did not want to cooperate. I'm sure we can all regard various experiences in the classroom where a beautifully laid out presentation never reached its unveiling point. Having experienced such dilemmas, I thought it would be important to discuss various ways of circumventing for when such occasion happens and the "tech gods" are not on our side.

The following are a few suggestion in using technology in the classroom that I have either observed or been told of.

1. Make sure you know your environment. It is always important to know where you will be presenting and what equipment is available. Not everything is compatible with each other (i.e. Apple with Windows).

2. Request any needed equipment with substantial time. Of course, like any other event, requesting supplies with ample times assures your tools will be ready for you and it helps prevent any last second "snafus".

3. Making transparencies of your presentation. In case the equipment is not working you can use older technology and display transparencies on an overhead. Not the same glamor but your information will not be lost.

4. Make hard-copies (paper copies) of your presentation. In case there is no overhead or don't like to use overheads, you can always bring copies of your presentations to hand-out. Again, your beautiful visual may be lost but they are represented in the hard copy. More importantly, you can continue with the topic at hand.

These are four easy steps that can be taken to help ensure a smooth sailing come presentation day. Please feel free to share any other ideas you may have.

Creative Inspiration-6

As adults we sometimes forget the stimulation we get from creative projects. Projects that do not have defined ends or rubrics to follow. The fun we would get as kids to create anything we imagined and be rewarded for our creativity. Involved in our busy worlds and having to adhere to standards, roles, and codes we forget the imaginative world we once observed as kids.

It is important for teachers to enhance, develop, and embrace the immense creativity children carry with them. One such method would be to use Inspiration - a computer program that enables users to visually and creatively organize material. It is a great tool to not only organize but to also visually the path in logic. It also allows room to easily rearrange material and add visual aids. Inspiration helps kids to academically organize their work and use their creative minds with various visual aids and their decision on how to organize their work.

Post #1

I think that technology, particularly the internet can do a lot for students in the classroom. While there is certainly a financial aspect involved, for the most part the internet is a universal tool that can truly make learning a global experience. Students in a small school in North Philadelphia can suddenly be exposed to cultures and ideas from around the globe. The internet truly seems to be an untapped resource, and if you combine students' inherent curiosity with a teacher's knowledge of how to best utilize technology, there is unlimited potential for what can be learned. I also think that exposing students at an early age to seeing technology as an academic tool, and not just a place for facebooking or playing games, the more likely they are to continue improving and utilizing these skills in future academic or professional arenas.