Hi everybody,
Here are the link to two videos I'd like you to watch. Once you have watch them post your comments to the following question: Is the use of Educational technology taking us away from the real nature of teaching?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA1Aqp0sPQo
http://www.ted.com/talks/ramsey_musallam_3_rules_to_spark_learning#t-381128
I think that the use of educational technology is not taking us away. For me “the real nature of teaching” depends on the epoch that you are living or you are looking at. What they used to call "the nature of teaching" 200 years ago, probably wouldn't be considered that way now a days.
ReplyDeleteCurrently the use of educational technology is what is happening and it’s what is going to happen. There are some things that we’ve got to keep in mind such as the excessive use of technology in a classroom can be a distraction in many cases, at the same time if it is well oriented can bring inspiration to many students.
As Christian pointed out, an excess of technology in the classroom without a responsible person in charge will spoil students. Also teachers who relies on technology to teach a hole lesson become lazy. On the other hand a moderate use of technology can make a lesson richer on the specific studied topic and will let students interact with real context not just for social networking but also for building learning skills.
DeleteI don´t think so. Technology is not changing the way we teach, it is a resource that we can use to enhance teaching. When we incorporate technology into our classrooms we are being innovative and aware of the advantages of using it. How much do we want to incorporate it is up to us. In my case I would use it a 40% because I am aware of the impact of this nowadays on the new generation. So, technology is not taking us away from the real nature of teaching because for me it is not an approach or method, it is a material that we can use sometimes to engage students.
ReplyDeleteNelmarie Soto
I agree with you Nelmarie technology is a resource that we use to improve teaching
DeleteTechnology is part of this current age, everybody that was born on and after the millennium can be called, as it has been suggested, Digital Natives, Generation Like and the Selfie Generation, emphasizing this generation’s deep connection to technology, so we can not avoid this reality, but at the same time we can't let go the importance of the human connection, as Rita Pearson mentioned on her TED presentation, and I strongly think she is so right, we can utilize all the best technology and have an excellent lesson plan to follow, but if we do not connect with students through empathy, enthusiasm, positive attitude and loving what you do, you will hardly have students that will learn from you. Technology is not taking us away from teaching, on the contrary is opening a world of opportunities for teaching. Information is available for everyone, but still we need the orientation from our teachers. We still have an important roll within the education process.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Yolanda, of course technology is offering us opportunities. Some teachers find it hard to use technology but I think that, as the teacher Willy said, all the teachers must know how to use it not only because is engaging for students but because they are innovating their practices in the ESL classroom.
Deletetalking about teacher´s weak points, i think they feel sometimes invaded by the amount of new technological elements that can get to take important places in classroom, and because of that, they might feel frustrated knowing that now they have to use that in class, but they were not used to. And it is a real situation i saw in US.
DeleteDefinitely, As Yolanda mentioned, that if we as teachers don't have an excellent connection, if we don't have a positive and an enthusiastic attitude in front of the class,even if we can use the best technology to teach. Probably it's not going to have an excellent result.
DeleteAnyela.
Yolanda, I agree with you completely and, yes, we can't deny we need technology today, and sometimes I think my generation is too lost in it and needs to wake up. What you say about the teacher-student connection through empathy, enthusiasm, and positive attitude is so true. Perhaps real knowledge shared by a real human voice can transmit more than a virtual topic-instructor.
DeleteI strongly believe technology isn't taking us away of teaching. Actually technology open a world of possibilities to enhance our teaching skills allowing us to be in context. We are living in a new era where new communication technology surround us. We're immerse in a continuous technological development and we shouldn't go against the flow. Nowadays we are particularly good at using technology in context. It won't replace us on our teaching labour, instead can make teaching suit better in a changing world, when more than ever the guidance of a tutor is pretty necessary.
ReplyDeleteThat is completely true, Neyla, more than ever there is need of guidance from a tutor because, of course, you can learn everything from the Internet by yourself nowadays but the experience and the "human contact" could not be replaced. This is more relevant than ever when, students or learners notice, they may have not get all of what they are trying to understand or when they have questions about the topic or want to know what happens with such and such subject in "real life" or real interaction. This could be a really interesting topic in specific classrooms or subjects.
DeleteYes, JuanPa. Another thing is that young people are expose to technology since their early years, that mean they grow up watching, listening, reading and just absorbing a vast variety of info that most of the time they can't even process due to the amount and also due to the lack of orientation from adults (parents/teachers). So they probably end up misunderstanding it and using it wrong. I don't intend to say we're masters and have the last word about everything, but as teachers we need to develop the thought skill and the judgement capability of the students, so that they will be able to decide what is correct and what isn't base on their own beliefs.
DeleteI believe this is indeed an interesting point and one we, as future teachers, would all do well not to lose sight of. I am sure in the coming years we will see new technology the likes of which we can barely even comprehend at this stage. While technology will evolve exponentially, it's use must always be kept in check, or "on a leash" lest it overstep its bounds, interfere with its own objective and create stagnation. As a teacher we will develop the skill of discernment and moderation, to allow technology to assist in paving the way where successful and to refrain from implementing it where it's use is negligible, or even counterproductive.
DeleteHi everybody,
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy to see how you agree with the fact that technology plays a very important part of our life nowadays. We, educators, need to use technology rationally and to adapt it to our classes as another tool for learning. having this blog for instance is a great way of getting to know a little more about the way you guys think which sometimes is impossible in class.
See you around
Hi Willy
DeleteNow that you mentioned "having this blog for instance is a great way of getting to know a little more about the way you guys think which sometimes is impossible in class". It's amazing what we are doing right now, it brings you closer to your students and finally I agree with this " technology plays a very important part of our life nowadays" and I think that it is going to have a bigger impact in our lifes the during next couple of years
Of course not! I am one of those who firmly believe that technology, and specifically internet, has brought us a literal "world of possibilities".
ReplyDeleteWe should never discourage the use of Internet but instead, give our students the right tools, the right information and the right precautions so they can freely discover by themselves what they want to know and what we want them to know so there could be room for real curiosity and further exploration. Of course you need to balance the structure of your lessons so you can "boost" in a proper way the use of specific technologies in the classroom and outside of it, as for example: I would like to let them use their cellphones to look at definitions, images or grammar, and if I have the tools, I would also like to teach them with real videos of non-educational material, so they can relate to real accents, idioms and cultures.
The possibilities to implement learning at home with technology are endless and a really good way to make our students feel a little more comfortable with homework and encourage them to learn outside the classroom.
I agree with you on all of points that you have brought up and it actually leaves me with not much to say other than that '' technology is the future so embrace it''
DeleteHello Juan,
DeleteI think your description is a perfect example of how technology should be looked at, although, it does have its down falls, i think its safe to say that technology has taen a tur for the best, helping us and the word to progress more and more every day!
For me, technology will never take us away from teaching. it is true that every day is getting stronger but we still control it, and it is what it is: "a tool". If we look at the past, since the very first moment of human knowledge acquisition, the way that we´ve been transmitting our thoughts and ideas is through human interaction, and there is no way for technology to replace that kind of human process. For example a mother identifies what her baby is crying for, by details that sometimes she doesn't even know, and she achieved it, because of the constant interaction between them. On the other hand there is no machine or technological element, to teach perfectly to a human how to do that.
ReplyDeleteWe have to be careful the way we use technology, because there are still many things (and tools) that technology has not been able to defeat but i´m happy we have technological elements such as games, apps, devices and others so we can make easier and happier our students learning process.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that technology is taking us away from the real nature of teaching, What I do believe is that the way that teachers teach is changing a lot, because right now we have a bunch of differents technological resources that helps to teach in a different,interactive and interesting way. Also I think that in a long term the teachers are going to be useful in minimum way, because the using of technologies are increasing day by day, and it is a reality that people have been creating a disconnection with human contact., that 's something that you can see just comparing the past and our present. So it's not taking us away but it's changing the way of teaching.
ReplyDeleteAnyela.
I do not think that technology is taking us away from the real nature of teaching, What I do believe is that the way that teachers teach is changing a lot, because right now we have a bunch of differents technological resources that helps to teach in a different,interactive and interesting way. Also I think that in a long term the teachers are going to be useful in minimum way, because the using of technologies are increasing day by day, and it is a reality that people have been creating a disconnection with human contact., that 's something that you can see just comparing the past and our present. So it's not taking us away but it's changing the way of teaching.
ReplyDeleteAnyela.
Hi Anyela, I too believe that the way teachers teach is changing a lot and we have to keep up, people will learn be it with the traditional ways or modernized ways with the use of technological resources. Yes, I feel it is a real problem that people have been creating a disconnection with human contact because of the excessive use of technology, that is why a line has to be drawn and make sure there is a balance.
DeleteOn this topic I see two extremes. On the one hand I see those who swear by the use of technology and believe in it so strongly that they let the pendulum swing too far and let the focus divert away from where it should be; facilitating good quality teaching. On the other hand there are those who are so against technology that they refuse to acknowledge it for what it is, may argue that it is "pushing us further away from nature" and consequently frown upon, and harshly restrict it's use in their teaching. As with many elements of teaching, a balance is necessary. We cannot discount the merits of technology and the positive impact it has on learning; it is unquestionable. Nor can we embrace it so strongly that we forget the fundamental importance of human interaction and beyond this the entire rationale that exists for learning a language in the first place. As teachers we must be aware of a danger that exists, a danger that we could begin to use multimedia and other technology too heavily in the class as a crutch to assist us with our teaching, in a way that does not contribute positively to the learning of our students, whether we do this consciously or unconsciously. We must also learn, however, to endorse the use of technology, use it judiciously, and thereby take it by the reins in order to harness the full power it has for the benefit of our students.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, Omeed. There are two extremes that should be avoided, especially when human interaction is so important for our development as human beings and as learners and teachers. The human "contact" in the teaching experience is what makes possible the transmission of knowledge -we should see education as a mutual relationship- and the assesment of a student-based teaching that takes into consideration the personal and emotional situations of each learner that shape their condition as a student. There's also a special factor in the knowledge transmision through human interaction that is almost impossible to mimic in digital scenarios. You may call it a sort of "feeling" or "vibe".
DeleteNo I don't believe technology is taking us away from the real nature of teaching. I feel we as teachers have to evolve as like the world around us is evolving as time goes by. We shouldn't just reject technology and stick to the old traditional ways of teaching like for eg; using just a blackboard and maybe some text books to teach, we should welcome the wide range of technology that is at one's disposal and use them to enhance our teaching to make the learning process for our students more interesting, easier and get them more involved. I feel we can and should use educational technology, as long as it is not excessive and there is a balance so the human interaction is not lost.
ReplyDeleteWell I think that technology isn't taking us. Away from real nature of teaching, because the human being will never be replace.times change and we have to embrace those technological advances and give it a good use for teaching, nowadays we can get information from the Internet anywhere at any time and that's great but sometimes we need somebody that teach us and help us how to use technology in a good way in the learning process. That's is our job as a teachers take that technology and use it to improve the way we teach
ReplyDeleteI believe that technology is playing a vital role in everyday life as we know it. It is something we cannot escape or past by even in the classroom, there are many opportunities for the teacher and students to gain a wealth of information related to teaching and studying. The evolution of teaching is changing forever as we know from the pencil to the tablet, who would have ever guess that. The students nowadays were born with technology at their finger tips, they use their cellphones to study to them it is just a daily routine. i guess for me the technology is here to stay, some love it and some love to hate it.
ReplyDeleteIs the use of Educational technology taking us away from the real nature of teaching?
ReplyDeleteABSOLUTELY NOT!
Although technology has adapted and changed the way of teahing, its more than certain that it has not been for the worst, i think that as Educational Technology advances more and more, oportunites are created all over the world to facilitate students, children & adults the posibilities to expand not only their languaage knowledge but their knowledge in general! In therms of teaching technolgy has been on of, if no the best thing that has happened to education, Thats not to say that, teaching is made imposible without technology, but simply acting as a facilitator!
Luis Velasquez
I think technology is an excellent tool to be used in everyday life, including education. The development of the digital technology has allowed human kind to extend their knowledge and capabilities to brand new limits, which in turn has created the most overall educated society that has ever lived. Technology makes knowledge and information available for almost everybody. That makes production and development of even more knowledge possible and needed. Following those ideas I'd say technology is a great resource for learning and teaching, because it is not only easier to access but most of the time entertaining and interactive, creating a more engaged and deeper experience for both students and teachers. As students are involved in language education at a young age, it is also a tool they're familiar with. They have used it and ejoyed it before and that makes the assignments appear less strict and tiresome.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, it is important to mention that in order to benefit from technology it must be used in a proper way. The material must be "filtered" and controlled by the teacher and the topics and activities must be pertinent and relevant to the learning process. The task should be done in a digital environment that doesn't encourage distractions and requiere students to focus and make an effort, while challenging them to develop new abilities and a sense of commitment.
I think there are great contributions made by the speakers in each video that could really work together to benefit the learner and the teacher. It is true our hyper-connected 21st century is seeing a cultural and educational revolution, and we are all eager to take part in a global conversation that requires us to possess diverse and mixed skillsets, or even careers. By using technology in creative ways, individuals get to adjust their educational and communicational needs to their personal lifestyles and not the other way around. Educational technology is a modern-day commodity that allows us to determine when and where we learn and that’s why it is so popularly embraced as a way of learning. I don’t think technology should take the place of formal classes, lectures or lessons, although I don’t see it as a threat I think it is useful in the sense that it gives the student the option to personalize the learning process to a certain degree. Technology can be fun, but it can also be distracting. I think teachers can be in charge of promoting mindful, moderate and relevant uses of technology that students ignore that can really benefit them. Technology is there to make our lives ‘easier’ but easier is not always better. I consider formal, real-life lectures and lessons of supreme importance and they should continue having as much, if not more, importance as technology does today.
ReplyDelete