With students being able to use the computer or any other
technological invention in the classroom, is the time between teacher and
student interaction decreasing? What potential problems will this cause?
Some administrators and parents are concerned that “teaching
across computers might decrease the frequency of one-to-one student-teacher
communication or increase the amount of time that teachers spend on their
workstation.”
However, this fear has been decreased by research that says that
the technology enhances the interaction with students and teachers. There was
an increase in the amount of factual information that was given to the students
who were able to remember it easier through visuals.
“Beyond the widely expected benefits of computer-based
education-increased student-to-student collaboration, learning of
computer-specific skills, expended research avenues, and enhanced critical
thinking opportunities-the utilization of technology can lead to improved interactivity
and create more student-centered environments.”
I personally believe that the teacher and student interaction
will be enhanced with new technologies because there would be a clearer focus
on what the goals of the lesson are. There will be better organization and
class time will not be wasted on off track topics. If we are worried about
students being distracted when using the technology, we have software to
monitor the students and make sure they are on track.
For example, Vision is a classroom management technology that
allows the teacher to spend more time on the lesson and eliminate distractions.
“Vision classroom computer management lets you make the most of
your time when integrating technology in the classroom. it gives you the tools
you need to control sources of distraction, monitor student computers, get
started without lost transition time and notice as soon as someone needs your
help.”
The best thing that I like about it is that Vision enables
teachers to have direct communication with their students and allow more
one-to-one attention.
My Sources:
Interesting topic Ariel. Im not sure I agree with you on that teachers and students interactions will actually be enhanced. Some of the same concerns that you report I would also be worried about. Such as students being off-task with distractions and teachers being at their work stations more. But interestingly enough some of the experts you quoted says the opposite. I would love to get into a classroom and observe a completely computer based lesson and I hope I have the opportunity to during my fieldwork/ student teaching. But the program Vision has definitely peaked my interest. It seems like an excellent idea and would eliminate the opportunity for students to get distracted. Overall, I am still not convinced that technology can be more distracting than beneficial.
ReplyDeleteAriel,
ReplyDeleteAs Ryan put it, this was an interesting topic. However, I believe we need to preserve the interaction between teacher and student on a personal level rather than via a webcam. While teaching online can work sometimes, a teacher fails to get the same type of clarity and understanding of a student when they only know them through the computer. By teaching to a class thats right infront of you, you get that understanding about who your students are and how will their personalities affect your classroom.