If you already read and wrote a comment on the articles about the use of calculators in the math classroom, I would like to invite you to read this new article on Technology:
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2547885520080707?sp=true
Can you imagine a classroom where the only thing your student will need is a laptop, no textbooks, notebooks or even paper?
Do you see more students completing High School with these type of programs/schools?
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of programs/schools like this one?
Would you like to teach in a school like this? Explain.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"From online courses to kid-friendly laptops and virtual teachers, technology is spreading in America's classrooms, reducing the need for textbooks, notepads, paper and in some cases even the schools themselves."
ReplyDeleteJust as more and more business offices go virtual, classrooms will, too. It may not be to the same extent, but the technology for online collaboration already exists.
I see virtual classrooms as a positive shift. Students are growing up with technology and computers and as we mentioned in class, it gets harder and harder for teachers to keep these students engaged. The computer is a familiar medium to them, so the message, or lesson, is more likely to be received.
Virtual classrooms, I think, will result in greater student accountability for his/her work. This in and of itself, is an important life skill for students. Borrowing a laptop from the school promotes responsibility and shows students that they are trusted.
Does this mean our kids will be reading virtual novels like Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World online? That would take the authors' messages to a whole new level!
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are many positive implications in our kids: increasing engagement, use of modern technology they will need to get jobs, and decrease cyclical urban plight.
However, I still think we need to monitor the use of the compputer and really ensure that are kids know how to use the computer properly; This could bring into play having business/computer Ethics courses in a High School setting. They need to be taught the basics of the implications of a world where there are dangers of documenting your whole life online.
Otherwise we could have the tragedy involved in the novels I mentioned at the forefront of this blog: Kids burning books and a hierachy of betas and gammas running to and fro....