Monday, October 15 Part 2
The PDF titled "Chapter 2: Using Computers to Teach Writing" contains some very strong points for both the advantages and disadvantages of using technology to teach writing in primary and secondary school classrooms. As I stated in my previous journal, unfortunately, I will not be able to use this document in my research because the author and source material are not available to me.
I begin this journal with the cons not because I am against technology in the classroom, but because the author makes a valid point of the disadvantages that technology may pose for teachers of writing. She lists the cons in comparison with traditional writing methods used such as "pen and paper." I've taken the liberty to quote her exact words in this journal.
The list includes:
* increased difficulty for basic writers
* difficulty in providing direct instruction due to difficulty drawing students' attention away from the computers; computers can be a distraction
*inequitable access to computers: more access for the rich, less for the poor; also, low-achieving students are more likely to use computers for drill-and-kill, less likely to use computers for writing and holistic problem solving
*more clutter in the classroom
*more downtime
*monotony; difficulty sustaining students' interest
*potential dependencies created through prolonged use of word processor
*less writing for pleasure, such as letter writing
*a technocentric attitude: students deduce that the equipment is more important than the teacher
*an increased vulnerability to business interests and the "commercial/technological alliance" that hopes to enlist future workers and consumers
*less pre-writing
*a distorted sense of audience: the computer becomes the audience; an impersonal, nonhuman audience replaces a human audience
The disadvantages highlighted in red resonate with me because I am a teacher in a school that is poverty stricken. We do not have the tech tools that other more affluent schools enjoy. Our Chromebooks are hand-me-downs from other schools. These Chromebooks have been refurbished at least once, yet they still have many glitches. I only have eight headphones for 25 students, and no mice. How are my students expected to compete with students who have a new Chromebook and all it's accessories, while they try to share a headphone set among three or more?
Since most of my students are English Language Learners, they usually qualify for System 44 intervention. System 44 is a wonderful program on paper. In reality, it is a monotonous, boring drill-and-kill torture chamber that most of my students never escape. According to my students, the problem with the program is that they "get stuck" in the Spelling Zone. Last year, one of my students spelled over a hundred words in one session. The session never ended. It continued to add more spelling words to his to-do list. He became cranky, argumentative and finally gave up. Because he was bored. At our school, we put so much emphasis on completing System 44 that it takes priority over more language-rich interactions with writing in some classrooms.
I strongly disagree with the disadvantage highlighted in purple. I think the researchers were stretching a bit. About twenty years ago, a text book company offered my former school district a lot of money if they were allowed to use our students in a research study on the effectiveness of their exams. I'm sure the text book company "hoped to enlist future consumers" with this exchange. Twenty years ago, exams were all paper and pencil. Business makes the world go round. We shouldn't be pointing accusatory fingers at the tech companies.
The disadvantages highlighted in green go back to good classroom management skills and relationship building with students. These also sound a bit far-fetched. Build a relationship with your students, keep your classroom clean, create engaging lesson plans, such as writing letters, and you'll be fine. The teacher is the captain of the ship. The teacher decides where the students will go.
Tomorrow, I will write about the advantages of using technology in the classroom according to Covert Author.
The PDF titled "Chapter 2: Using Computers to Teach Writing" contains some very strong points for both the advantages and disadvantages of using technology to teach writing in primary and secondary school classrooms. As I stated in my previous journal, unfortunately, I will not be able to use this document in my research because the author and source material are not available to me.
I begin this journal with the cons not because I am against technology in the classroom, but because the author makes a valid point of the disadvantages that technology may pose for teachers of writing. She lists the cons in comparison with traditional writing methods used such as "pen and paper." I've taken the liberty to quote her exact words in this journal.
The list includes:
* increased difficulty for basic writers
* difficulty in providing direct instruction due to difficulty drawing students' attention away from the computers; computers can be a distraction
*inequitable access to computers: more access for the rich, less for the poor; also, low-achieving students are more likely to use computers for drill-and-kill, less likely to use computers for writing and holistic problem solving
*more clutter in the classroom
*more downtime
*monotony; difficulty sustaining students' interest
*potential dependencies created through prolonged use of word processor
*less writing for pleasure, such as letter writing
*a technocentric attitude: students deduce that the equipment is more important than the teacher
*an increased vulnerability to business interests and the "commercial/technological alliance" that hopes to enlist future workers and consumers
*less pre-writing
*a distorted sense of audience: the computer becomes the audience; an impersonal, nonhuman audience replaces a human audience
The disadvantages highlighted in red resonate with me because I am a teacher in a school that is poverty stricken. We do not have the tech tools that other more affluent schools enjoy. Our Chromebooks are hand-me-downs from other schools. These Chromebooks have been refurbished at least once, yet they still have many glitches. I only have eight headphones for 25 students, and no mice. How are my students expected to compete with students who have a new Chromebook and all it's accessories, while they try to share a headphone set among three or more?
Since most of my students are English Language Learners, they usually qualify for System 44 intervention. System 44 is a wonderful program on paper. In reality, it is a monotonous, boring drill-and-kill torture chamber that most of my students never escape. According to my students, the problem with the program is that they "get stuck" in the Spelling Zone. Last year, one of my students spelled over a hundred words in one session. The session never ended. It continued to add more spelling words to his to-do list. He became cranky, argumentative and finally gave up. Because he was bored. At our school, we put so much emphasis on completing System 44 that it takes priority over more language-rich interactions with writing in some classrooms.
I strongly disagree with the disadvantage highlighted in purple. I think the researchers were stretching a bit. About twenty years ago, a text book company offered my former school district a lot of money if they were allowed to use our students in a research study on the effectiveness of their exams. I'm sure the text book company "hoped to enlist future consumers" with this exchange. Twenty years ago, exams were all paper and pencil. Business makes the world go round. We shouldn't be pointing accusatory fingers at the tech companies.
The disadvantages highlighted in green go back to good classroom management skills and relationship building with students. These also sound a bit far-fetched. Build a relationship with your students, keep your classroom clean, create engaging lesson plans, such as writing letters, and you'll be fine. The teacher is the captain of the ship. The teacher decides where the students will go.
Tomorrow, I will write about the advantages of using technology in the classroom according to Covert Author.