Assessment of Technological Abilities of JDHS

One of our assignments was to analyze the technological abilities of JDHS. What follows are my thoughts on the project.

I gained a decent amount of knowledge and wisdom from this project, however most of the information I had already known. One thing that I find interesting is that my school has a technology guru on the job at all times. When my parents were in school, there is a good chance that the job never existed! My host teacher informed me when we were discussing computers in school that he wasn't consulted at all about the computers the district provides the teachers. He would have opted for a laptop, but instead was given a giant desktop the size of a small refrigerator. On top of this, the internet on his computer is frustratingly slow, and the school-wide software program that covers attendance and student grades malfunctions an absurd amount. Thanks to technological advancement, however, in the near future these problems will be fixed!

Article Assessment #2

What follows are my thoughts on "The New WWW: Whatever, Whenever, Wherever" by Tom March.

Indeed, advanced technology provides us with what we want when and where we want it, a downside of which is a spoiled-to-hell human race. It affords us with the opportunity to impulse-buy 24/7, which has many positive and negative effects. Being immersed in what I call "instant capitalism" makes us happy, but potentially on solely a superficial level. In many respects, instant capitalism is analogous to soma in "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxely- it makes us happy, but superficially so. As the article said, "Children and teens with mobile media devices are like kids in a candy shop." Indeed, we need to ensure we don't overdo it.

I agree with March when he writes that it is unfortunate that too few schools integrate the internet into the curriculum. I strongly believe that a class website and blog are an extremely effective way for students to engage (further) in a subject and that every teacher should have one. We need different, better mediums for teaching and learning.

My Mantra Regarding the Use of Technology to Teach Mathematics

My mantra with regard to why I will use technology in teaching mathematics: "To develop a richer, deeper understanding of how math works."

Given that we are immersed in technology, we "see" it in order to evaluate its utility and impacts by a multitude of means. Engaging in hiking, backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, rock/ice climbing, skiing, snowboarding and other outdoor activities is a superb example. As Joni Mitchell said, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." Immersing oneself in the outdoors without the presence of "technology" forces one to mull over the utility and impacts of the powerful institution. Another means is reading novels, which serves to expand one's mind and drive one to regard familiar objects in different lights. Also, watching movies that take place in the olden days helps one develop perspective on our current technology-oriented lives. Technological advancement is something I cannot help but contemplate on a daily basis.

How Much Will Technological Advancement Change the Way We Teach?

I believe that the increasingly interactive and diminished size of computers, communicators and handhelds will exert a strong influence over secondary education with regard to how teachers teach and students learn. What I mean by this is that while I believe that the substance of lessons will not change significantly, the teaching and learning process will. I believe that it is a matter of relatively short time before every student has some type of personal computer that they bring with them to school. (As a side note, I recently skimmed an article discussing how one school district is using iPods to enhance the process of students learning English as a second language.)

While right now most teachers and students prefer to have physical books, papers and tests, for example, in the near future I believe most teachers and students will opt to have them in digital form. In digital form, reading will be easier (including note-taking, highlighting, reverting to previous passages, etc.), papers will be easier for teachers to grade and tests will be easier for students to take and teachers to grade.

Students' Using Technology in the Classroom

I wholeheartedly agree with the International Society for Technology in Education Standards. High schools in this country already indirectly require students to demonstrate a certain level of technological literacy in order to graduate (such as requiring students to submit typed papers and take math tests that require the use of a TI-83). Requiring mastery of certain technologies is for the students' sakes as well as society's, as making a descent living in the near-future global economy necessitates it.

As a teacher of mathematics, one thing I can do to advance technological literacy among my high school students is teaching them how to use a TI-83 and such computer programs as Mathematica. If I am a middle school math teacher, however, I believe I will focus the learning process more on manual math. The availability of new media drives the development of new literacies by giving the masses a delectable taste of what is possible in the near future. Humans are lazy and seek to maximize their time and energy, hence technological advancement!