Simplifying teacher expertise is no big deal– heck, textbooks are an old tech version of that, saving us all from the trouble of coming up with our own materials. I actually have spent some time thinking about this, resulting in my decision a few years ago to stop using the grammar textbooks my school bought for our classes. I dumped them because they kept my teaching tied to their pace, their ideas, their examples, and their limited practice materials; I decided I would rather take my cue from my students and what they needed and how they could best be helped to understand. Could i have done this when I first started out? Probably not enough hours in the day– and the fact that I can type materials up on a computer and have them printed out on a machine on the other side of the building certainly helps, so I guess I both object to and agree with Arnett’s point.
Or maybe my point is that if you aren’t very careful, labor-saving (or labor-transferring) technology will tell you how to do your job instead of helping you do it.
I do believe that technology will be coming for almost all jobs, including teachers. How soon? It could be 30 years off. Or, it could be 10. Alexa and Siri still can only answers half the time, but they are improving.
French schoolchildren will have to leave their smartphones switched off or at home as the new academic year begins in September, after lawmakers voted for a ban on Monday. The ban on smartphones, tablets and other connected devices, which will apply to pupils up to the age of 14-15, fulfills a campaign promise by…
Failure is all the rage in education circles these days—but not in the ways you might assume. Today’s failure conversation is less about academic grades or the achievement gap and more about how children react to personal letdowns, lapses, and losses. While this emphasis on the emotional aspect of learning is well intentioned, it misses the…
Technology is playing a bigger role in classrooms and schools in this country and around the world. Here are a few thoughts to keep technology in perspective. Share them with your team and discuss how to best implement technology in your learning culture. I hope these ideas help guide you to more effective use of…
It would appear that Open Plan Classrooms (OPCs) are making a comeback. Or probably more accurately, they never really went away. You may have also heard of them being referred to as Modern Learning Environments (MLEs). I have no knowledge of their prevalence, past or present. But it is looking increasingly likely that your local…
If you’re looking for Classroom Management Tips here are six things for Teachers New to BYOD or 1:1 to think about this school year! Source: New to BYOD or 1:1? 6 Classroom Management Tips for Teachers – Class Tech Tips Five out of the tips are good, but I disagree with spying on the student’s…
If we are waiting for some “technology” to come along and redefine schools, we will be either waiting a long time, or it will be too late. This is a shift we will need to create in our own thinking. Source: Technology Will Not Redefine Schools As a product of 20th century school who is…
