I thought it was interesting that this teaching style that is dated and not connecting with our students today, pertains to our young fresh out of school teachers and not just the older teachers who have been out of school for decades. Young teachers today are still being taught on the traditional approach to teaching. So I guess where does the change begin???? It’s a vicious cycle. It was overwhelming to find out that one-third of students and half of minority students drop out of our education system before they complete high school. The fact that most students find that most of the schoolwork that they encounter today is completely meaningless is a tragedy. We have to have a drastic change and make the instruction and content more meaningful.
Chapter 6
It’s Time to Catch Up
Children today don’t need the same skills and information that is currently being taught based on 20th century ideas. Kids today are more equipped to understand that they are way ahead of their teachers in the understanding of what they need to learn. Teachers have to create Velcro learning so students are engaged and ready for life-long learning. After reading the list of activities that the book suggested for teachers to become more exposed to the digital environment, I actually felt a little less behind. The list included activities that I do on a regular basis. The problem is I do all those things in my daily life, but would not necessarily feel completely competent in being able to incorporate them in my teaching. I feel I am behind in the implementation. Hopefully this class will expose me to some ideas on how I can successfully do this.
Chapter five was very adamant about the tragedy at hand. I was shocked to read some of the statistics about students dropping out of high school, but I was most surprised about 12th graders who view school as having no relevance to their lives. I can't imagine feeling this way! Perhaps the author of our text is right in suggesting that this is due to a lack of communication and understanding between teacher and students of the digital generation. If we are to make them realize how much they NEED to be in school, why it is important, how much they will learn, etc, we must adapt our teaching styles to relate to their digital skills. Chapter six goes into detail about the benefits of these skills. It provides suggestions for teachers to accumulate similar skills such as playing a video game while listening to music. Some might say this is an extreme measure, but it is simply a way to understand our students! Isn't this the goal of every teacher?
I had not made the connection between the drop out rate of students and the teaching gap with the digital generation, but it makes perfect sense. Students are not only bored and disconnected, but they are made to feel like the skills they do have are inferior to the skills required to learn in a text based classroom. Students that drop out early miss out on the higher order thinking skills and cognitive skills that they develop in the higher grades. This leaves them unprepared to handle our complex world.
Even young teachers entering the classroom today have difficulty reaching the digital generation because most of their education was in a traditional classroom. This begs the question. How will we close the gap? Educators that don't understand the digital world will have a very difficult time making information relevant to today's student. We are going to have to at least try and catch up with our students fast developing skills and balance those along with face to face and text based learning that we are comfortable with. "Diving" into the digital world is scary to me because I have no idea what I am doing most of the time, but the more I use trial and error the easier it becomes to figure some things out. Thank goodness for the help button!!
There is a huge gulf between todays "digital learners" and their "non-digital" teachers. In the future, the way we teach and the way we train our teachers will depend on whether these students will be productive in this digital age. Instruction must be adapted, and if necessary, completely changed if we are going to produce successful learners and productive citizens.
Students today have impressive skills with technology, but the use of this technology is often overlooked. If students are to view their schoolwork as valuable, meaningful and interesting, we must connect the subject contents and skills with todays technology. Students must see that their education is applicable and worth the effort. It is our responsibility, as educators, to discover these digital tools and commit to using them effectively in our classrooms.
CHAPTER 6 - IT'S TIME TO CATCH UP
In chapter 6, the authors clearly explain that it is time for educators to catch-up. If students are going to see their education as relevant and applicable, teachers must connect the knowledge with the relevance. The "VELCRO" analogy is so appropriate. Instruction without relevance is like one side of VELCRO, nothing is going to stick! When the knowledge is married with the relevance, the learning sticks in the minds of the students. In order for this to happen, teachers must know the world of their students. They must become actively involved in technology and how to incorporate that technology into their classrooms in a meaningful way.
Chapter 5 is a huge slap in the face to educators. We have been reading about and discussing the gap, well now we see the impact this is having on our students. The statistics are overwhelming. I never thought there was a correlation between the dropout rate and the technology gap. This is quite interesting, but I do question this. The dropout rate has always been high. I can see that students don’t see a relevance of high school, but there are many factors that play into this. The technology gap could easily become a major reason for drop outs in the near future if educators do not change how material is presented. There is a huge difference in how I learned / was taught and how my students learn / how I teach. There does have to be a change from higher up.
Chapter 6 was a little less interesting for me. I do work with teachers every day that often times do not understand the new children coming into our school and teach the same way they have been teaching for 20+ years. These teachers often do not understand their students learning styles and have a hard time relating the content to their students. I try to embrace technology every chance that I get. There are many teachers that are hesitant and scared they are going to break something. If a teacher is that disconnected to the digital world around them they will never be able to relate to their students. Learning must be relevant to the learner and educators stuck in old ways of doing things will loose their students in a matter of seconds.
I agree with the emphasis Chapter 5 has on the need to teach the students the way they learn best, which is through technology. If we continue to teach the same way as we always have, we will not effectively teach our students because this generation is very different from students of the past. It also makes a lot of sense that although young teachers are often comfortable with technology and are open to using it in the classroom, colleges and universities still train future teachers to teach in the traditional way. UAB, for example, pushes for technological integration into lesson plans, but the requirements of the program as a whole are minimal considering how much teachers really need this training. I also found the dropout rates and the percentages of students who are actually interested in school to be a little shocking, but that just goes to show that there is clearly gap in how students want to learn and how they are being taught.
As I was reading Chapter 6, I realized that since the skills needed to work and function in society today are very different from the skills needed in the past, it makes sense that something so foreign would be intimidating to some. However, it is important that teachers recognize this difference and not look at it as a disadvantage. Just because students learn differently and no longer have some of the skills that previous students had, that does not lessen the importance of the news skills these students possess, but realizing this requires a major shift in thinking for some.
I found the discussion of relevancy in both chapters the best explanation yet of the predicament in which teachers find themselves today.
Teachers still have information to impart, but need to find ways to deliver this information to the digital generation so that today's students will perceive it as relevant, and stay engaged in school as a result.
The vast amount of information so readily available I think makes what is already a challenge to traditional teachers, seem an insurmountable task.
The only way it seems to be able to deliver relevant information in today's world is, as Chapter 6 states, to jump into the digital world with both feet.
Chapter 5 and 6 relate back to the main idea that teachers today are not able to relate to students of the 21st century “The digital generation”. There is a lack in connection and students are not engaged in the learning process because of the teaching methods and or the content presented. Surprisingly, the authors even claim that teacher’s fresh out of college, teaching their first few years in school, their teaching methods are out of date. I slightly disagree with this statement because, even though young teachers have only been taught traditional teaching methods, they are able to relate to the digital generation better than older teachers for the pure fact that they have most likely emerged themselves into the digital era and would be more willing and able to adapt to changing teaching methods of instruction. I believe that even veteran teachers, with training and encouragement that the integration of technologies as a learning and instruction tool is a more effective way of teaching the students, would be willing to learn new tricks. While change can create uncertainty in the minds of many, I believe that the majority of the teachers in schools today have the children’s best interest at heart. It is time to catch up!!! But I don’t think that the emphasis to catch up should be just on keeping kids in school and teach them the skills that they need to survive in the world today…how about teach them the skills so they can thrive in the world today! I think that teachers are on board for creating positive changes. In a kindergarten class that I am observing this week, all of the instruction was taught directly on an interactive white board with the lesson coming directly from an internet resource purchased by the school district. No chalk board, no lectures, the entire learning session was interactive and challenged the students to scaffold before the teacher explained the material. This tells me that teachers are aware of where the interests of students lie and with the proper resources and training everyone can get on board.
I was really struck by some of the quotes in chapter seven. My favorite was the following introduction to the chapter: "Imagine a school with children that can read and write, but where there are many teachers who cannot, and you have a metaphor of the Information Age in which we live." (Peter Cochrane) What a powerful statement! I had never considered it this way, but the author is right! Today's teachers who have continued to neglect the digital world are missing out on important life skills that our students learn more about everyday. I also appreciated the talk about how "teachers spend a great deal of time telling students what they need to know to do well on tests," but written tests do not assess students on high levels of understanding. As teachers, we should be digital role models for our students. We should help them develop the skills that will be necessary for the workplace of their generation. This is so much more important than teaching to the test!!
These statistics made me very sad. Why are we letting this happen? Educators need to step up and learn the technology that is out there for us so that we can close the gap. We need to be able to relate to the students that are in schools right now and not the types of students that were OUR classmates when we were in school.
Chapter 6 tells us what we need to do as educators: JUMP IN. What are we waiting for? I think it is great that UAB requires Ed. Technology as a class because we are learning what will help us relate to our students the most. There is a huge difference in the way we learned and the way students are learning in present time. Why do we expect what we learned to be able to translate into their learning? It can't. We desperately need to change something. Change is mandatory.
There is a huge disparity between real life and “school life” for children in the digital generation. Even the younger teachers are having a hard time keeping up because the technology is simply not available in the classroom like it is at home. While the new generation needs the same technology and experience in the classroom as they do at home, it is important that we don’t lose some of the “non-digital” aspects of a good education too. Some of the traditional parts of school such as problem solving (without the use of google) and social skills are still necessary for well-rounded development. We just have to figure out a way to combine technology with traditional skills to keep it interesting and relevant to this new generation of children.
Chapter 6
This chapter seemed all about getting acquainted with the internet. I do all of the things that the books suggested for ways to get to know the digital generation, but I don’t feel like I am a part of it. So even in my twenties, I feel a bit of disconnect. Besides playing on google, ebay, and itunes, what are some ways to ‘embrace’ the new generation? Taking this class has shown me a ton of new things that I was unaware of- including getting on twitter (which I had vowed to never do). Bringing the interests of the students into the classroom with online chats, blogs, videos, etc. is definitely something that every teacher should be able to know how to do and do it effectively.
Chapter 5
ReplyDeleteAn Impending Tragedy
I thought it was interesting that this teaching style that is dated and not connecting with our students today, pertains to our young fresh out of school teachers and not just the older teachers who have been out of school for decades. Young teachers today are still being taught on the traditional approach to teaching. So I guess where does the change begin???? It’s a vicious cycle.
It was overwhelming to find out that one-third of students and half of minority students drop out of our education system before they complete high school. The fact that most students find that most of the schoolwork that they encounter today is completely meaningless is a tragedy. We have to have a drastic change and make the instruction and content more meaningful.
Chapter 6
It’s Time to Catch Up
Children today don’t need the same skills and information that is currently being taught based on 20th century ideas. Kids today are more equipped to understand that they are way ahead of their teachers in the understanding of what they need to learn. Teachers have to create Velcro learning so students are engaged and ready for life-long learning.
After reading the list of activities that the book suggested for teachers to become more exposed to the digital environment, I actually felt a little less behind. The list included activities that I do on a regular basis. The problem is I do all those things in my daily life, but would not necessarily feel completely competent in being able to incorporate them in my teaching. I feel I am behind in the implementation. Hopefully this class will expose me to some ideas on how I can successfully do this.
Melinda Evans
Chapter five was very adamant about the tragedy at hand. I was shocked to read some of the statistics about students dropping out of high school, but I was most surprised about 12th graders who view school as having no relevance to their lives. I can't imagine feeling this way! Perhaps the author of our text is right in suggesting that this is due to a lack of communication and understanding between teacher and students of the digital generation. If we are to make them realize how much they NEED to be in school, why it is important, how much they will learn, etc, we must adapt our teaching styles to relate to their digital skills. Chapter six goes into detail about the benefits of these skills. It provides suggestions for teachers to accumulate similar skills such as playing a video game while listening to music. Some might say this is an extreme measure, but it is simply a way to understand our students! Isn't this the goal of every teacher?
ReplyDeleteI had not made the connection between the drop out rate of students and the teaching gap with the digital generation, but it makes perfect sense. Students are not only bored and disconnected, but they are made to feel like the skills they do have are inferior to the skills required to learn in a text based classroom. Students that drop out early miss out on the higher order thinking skills and cognitive skills that they develop in the higher grades. This leaves them unprepared to handle our complex world.
ReplyDeleteEven young teachers entering the classroom today have difficulty reaching the digital generation because most of their education was in a traditional classroom. This begs the question. How will we close the gap? Educators that don't understand the digital world will have a very difficult time making information relevant to today's student. We are going to have to at least try and catch up with our students fast developing skills and balance those along with face to face and text based learning that we are comfortable with. "Diving" into the digital world is scary to me because I have no idea what I am doing most of the time, but the more I use trial and error the easier it becomes to figure some things out. Thank goodness for the help button!!
CHAPTER 5- AN IMPENDING TRAGEDY
ReplyDeleteThere is a huge gulf between todays "digital learners" and their "non-digital" teachers. In the future, the way we teach and the way we train our teachers will depend on whether these students will be productive in this digital age. Instruction must be adapted, and if necessary, completely changed if we are going to produce successful learners and productive citizens.
Students today have impressive skills with technology, but the use of this technology is often overlooked. If students are to view their schoolwork as valuable, meaningful and interesting, we must connect the subject contents and skills with todays technology. Students must see that their education is applicable and worth the effort. It is our responsibility, as educators, to discover these digital tools and commit to using them effectively in our classrooms.
CHAPTER 6 - IT'S TIME TO CATCH UP
In chapter 6, the authors clearly explain that it is time for educators to catch-up. If students are going to see their education as relevant and applicable, teachers must connect the knowledge with the relevance. The "VELCRO" analogy is so appropriate. Instruction without relevance is like one side of VELCRO, nothing is going to stick! When the knowledge is married with the relevance, the learning sticks in the minds of the students. In order for this to happen, teachers must know the world of their students. They must become actively involved in technology and how to incorporate that technology into their classrooms in a meaningful way.
Chapter 5 is a huge slap in the face to educators. We have been reading about and discussing the gap, well now we see the impact this is having on our students. The statistics are overwhelming. I never thought there was a correlation between the dropout rate and the technology gap. This is quite interesting, but I do question this. The dropout rate has always been high. I can see that students don’t see a relevance of high school, but there are many factors that play into this. The technology gap could easily become a major reason for drop outs in the near future if educators do not change how material is presented. There is a huge difference in how I learned / was taught and how my students learn / how I teach. There does have to be a change from higher up.
ReplyDeleteChapter 6 was a little less interesting for me. I do work with teachers every day that often times do not understand the new children coming into our school and teach the same way they have been teaching for 20+ years. These teachers often do not understand their students learning styles and have a hard time relating the content to their students. I try to embrace technology every chance that I get. There are many teachers that are hesitant and scared they are going to break something. If a teacher is that disconnected to the digital world around them they will never be able to relate to their students. Learning must be relevant to the learner and educators stuck in old ways of doing things will loose their students in a matter of seconds.
I agree with the emphasis Chapter 5 has on the need to teach the students the way they learn best, which is through technology. If we continue to teach the same way as we always have, we will not effectively teach our students because this generation is very different from students of the past. It also makes a lot of sense that although young teachers are often comfortable with technology and are open to using it in the classroom, colleges and universities still train future teachers to teach in the traditional way. UAB, for example, pushes for technological integration into lesson plans, but the requirements of the program as a whole are minimal considering how much teachers really need this training. I also found the dropout rates and the percentages of students who are actually interested in school to be a little shocking, but that just goes to show that there is clearly gap in how students want to learn and how they are being taught.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading Chapter 6, I realized that since the skills needed to work and function in society today are very different from the skills needed in the past, it makes sense that something so foreign would be intimidating to some. However, it is important that teachers recognize this difference and not look at it as a disadvantage. Just because students learn differently and no longer have some of the skills that previous students had, that does not lessen the importance of the news skills these students possess, but realizing this requires a major shift in thinking for some.
I found the discussion of relevancy in both chapters the best explanation yet of the predicament in which teachers find themselves today.
ReplyDeleteTeachers still have information to impart, but need to find ways to deliver this information to the digital generation so that today's students will perceive it as relevant, and stay engaged in school as a result.
The vast amount of information so readily available I think makes what is already a challenge to traditional teachers, seem an insurmountable task.
The only way it seems to be able to deliver relevant information in today's world is, as Chapter 6 states, to jump into the digital world with both feet.
Chapter 5 and 6 relate back to the main idea that teachers today are not able to relate to students of the 21st century “The digital generation”. There is a lack in connection and students are not engaged in the learning process because of the teaching methods and or the content presented. Surprisingly, the authors even claim that teacher’s fresh out of college, teaching their first few years in school, their teaching methods are out of date. I slightly disagree with this statement because, even though young teachers have only been taught traditional teaching methods, they are able to relate to the digital generation better than older teachers for the pure fact that they have most likely emerged themselves into the digital era and would be more willing and able to adapt to changing teaching methods of instruction. I believe that even veteran teachers, with training and encouragement that the integration of technologies as a learning and instruction tool is a more effective way of teaching the students, would be willing to learn new tricks. While change can create uncertainty in the minds of many, I believe that the majority of the teachers in schools today have the children’s best interest at heart. It is time to catch up!!! But I don’t think that the emphasis to catch up should be just on keeping kids in school and teach them the skills that they need to survive in the world today…how about teach them the skills so they can thrive in the world today! I think that teachers are on board for creating positive changes. In a kindergarten class that I am observing this week, all of the instruction was taught directly on an interactive white board with the lesson coming directly from an internet resource purchased by the school district. No chalk board, no lectures, the entire learning session was interactive and challenged the students to scaffold before the teacher explained the material. This tells me that teachers are aware of where the interests of students lie and with the proper resources and training everyone can get on board.
ReplyDeleteKylie Hopper
Chapter 7 Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI was really struck by some of the quotes in chapter seven. My favorite was the following introduction to the chapter: "Imagine a school with children that can read and write, but where there are many teachers who cannot, and you have a metaphor of the Information Age in which we live." (Peter Cochrane) What a powerful statement! I had never considered it this way, but the author is right! Today's teachers who have continued to neglect the digital world are missing out on important life skills that our students learn more about everyday. I also appreciated the talk about how "teachers spend a great deal of time telling students what they need to know to do well on tests," but written tests do not assess students on high levels of understanding. As teachers, we should be digital role models for our students. We should help them develop the skills that will be necessary for the workplace of their generation. This is so much more important than teaching to the test!!
Chapter 5
ReplyDeleteThese statistics made me very sad. Why are we letting this happen? Educators need to step up and learn the technology that is out there for us so that we can close the gap. We need to be able to relate to the students that are in schools right now and not the types of students that were OUR classmates when we were in school.
Chapter 6 tells us what we need to do as educators: JUMP IN. What are we waiting for? I think it is great that UAB requires Ed. Technology as a class because we are learning what will help us relate to our students the most. There is a huge difference in the way we learned and the way students are learning in present time. Why do we expect what we learned to be able to translate into their learning? It can't. We desperately need to change something. Change is mandatory.
Chapter 5
ReplyDeleteThere is a huge disparity between real life and “school life” for children in the digital generation. Even the younger teachers are having a hard time keeping up because the technology is simply not available in the classroom like it is at home. While the new generation needs the same technology and experience in the classroom as they do at home, it is important that we don’t lose some of the “non-digital” aspects of a good education too. Some of the traditional parts of school such as problem solving (without the use of google) and social skills are still necessary for well-rounded development. We just have to figure out a way to combine technology with traditional skills to keep it interesting and relevant to this new generation of children.
Chapter 6
This chapter seemed all about getting acquainted with the internet. I do all of the things that the books suggested for ways to get to know the digital generation, but I don’t feel like I am a part of it. So even in my twenties, I feel a bit of disconnect. Besides playing on google, ebay, and itunes, what are some ways to ‘embrace’ the new generation? Taking this class has shown me a ton of new things that I was unaware of- including getting on twitter (which I had vowed to never do). Bringing the interests of the students into the classroom with online chats, blogs, videos, etc. is definitely something that every teacher should be able to know how to do and do it effectively.