Blog Post 4

Voice thread created by Madison Birdsall

Technology Ticks to Treacherous Teaching

Is it possible/appropriate to hold educational technology accountable for student learning gains and losses?

It is possible to hold technology accountable for student learning because it is molding learning in a particular way. It is pulling the minds of young children into a world where a necessity is placed upon an object created by impure connections in the mind. This connection has created a learning environment distracting students from pure values and knowledge, placing them on material items. What is the purpose of technology? To save time that is also created by man? To make the classroom more entertaining to increase motivation? To provide support in engaging a full classroom of students? All of these things ring back around on the issue of what our world has decided to hold as our top priority. We have decided that technology makes things more efficient and interesting; creating knowledge based system around man-made items. This has taught our young to place their importance in a small scale outlook. This small scale outlook does not allow students to broaden and expand their minds. Technology is responsible for the losses of student learning, creating habits of dependency. This creates an environment where one settles and is satisfied with less than personal interaction.

http://trial-technology.blogspot.com/2012/07/why-you-should-not-use-technology-in.html

Accessibility+Accountability Pros and Cons

                                           Word Cloud Created by Madison Birdsall

Accessibility to technology positively and negatively affects my final project topic of the gains and losses of technology. It negatively affects the gains and losses of technology because it creates an even larger gap making us not as equals in certain circumstances. Having a wide spectrum of people with access to technology creates an atmosphere of different values. Depending on which way one looks at it having access to technology has pros and cons. One that has access to technology on a daily basis gains a life of convenience. They are more in tuned with world happenings with easier communication and education. This creates an environment where ones location and class decipher how fortunate one is to be a part of the technology world. The pros that the less accessible get to encounter are more pure personal interactions. One that does not have access to technology is likely to appreciate the more basic needs and the simplicity of living.

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Accountability (Gains/Losses from Technology Integration

Technology Integration Ups and Downs 

                                                         
I chose to do my final project topic on the gains and losses from technology integration. I am very interested in the pros and cons of the uses of technology. Integrating technology in schools has been a hotly debated topic as technology advances further. Should technology become the main source or learning? What will happen to teachers jobs as we become more dependent on technology for our main source of information and communication? How far are we willing to incorporate technology into the daily lives of students? Does technology veer one away from growing into a well rounded person? Does technology encourage bad habits that could occur outside of the classroom? Does technology advance students thinking skills? Does technology exercise the mind in ways that are more efficient than a what person can do? These are all questions that I am curious about. Researching the gains and losses of technology could really benefit me when deciding how much technology I want to incorporate into my classroom. My goal is to create an environment that will allow the children to grow in ways where they discover the special light that they are. I feel technology dims the light making it harder for the children to see the most life fulfilling path they can go down.

Students are spending too much time looking at a screen. This time should de-emphasize the use of technology in the classroom. Technology is helpful in ways for learning but I believe it is more harmful than helpful. I do believe it is more efficient but we are taking it to the next level. If schools are encouraging technology not only are they going to be spending their time motivated by a screen at school they will be getting the wrong message becoming dependent on something outside of themselves.

Screen Time

EDST 220 Driving Questions

1. How can technology tools improve communication between teachers and students, parents, or peers?

Photo Fromhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=students+technology&ex=1

2. How can these tools hinder communication efforts?

3. Why do issues surrounding the use of technology in education endure?