I have allotted a couple of days for the Speak Up report to digest. To be honest, i needed the extra days. My inital reaction to this was...."AWESOME!!!" I have grown up with technology starting with my first video game of "Pong." I graduated from Pong to the commodore 64 and then the now defunt Atari 2600 (the god father of gaming consoles). I know that technology has played a profound role in my education, indeed my life. So when I read Speak Up, I felt like technology would be an incredible tool to support learning into the 21st century. This was my inital thought process. We live in a consumer driven world where currency is measured by convenience. If its not "Now" its simply not worth it. And considering technology's constant advances the dollars required for said technology become less and less each day. If a child has a cell phone, why not incorporate that into his/her learning experience? My 13 year daughter has a tablet, cell phone, Xbox, casio keyboard and a DVD player. Doesnt everyone have such "simple" mainstream devices??? Well, the answer is No, not everyone has these items. What's worse is that my thought process is now placing a value judgement on those who are left out of social networks because they lack the financial prowess to obtain technology. In a more clandestine example....How many of us had to pay for our own text books in a public school? So why are we asking students now-a-days to purchase an Ipod, smart phone or Mp3 player to support their curriculum? And what about those left out....what are they supposed to do?
This is a great segueway into the two charts I found most engaging on a personal level. Both of these charts will definitely challenge me to find the best means to support my future students. Out with the old perrinialism and in with the progressivism, social reconstructionism and exestenialism! Consider Essential Elements 3: table 3 page 22 of 27 and Parents' perceived value of the use of games for learning. 76% of the parents poll expressed the idea that incorporating games into the lesson plan appeals to different learning styles. I am ALL about trying to support many different learning styles as we all know that children dont all learn the same. As a child I was marginalized and often questioned about my capabilites until tests and test scores (both were culturally biased) appealed to my educators. 76% of the parents also expressed that gaming increases student engagement. The number one job for an educator is to stoke the curiosity of a learner. The number two job is to create an environment where the student is comfortable participating in. And the number three job is to insure that the student receives opportunity to participate. Lesson plans utilizing game plan do all of this and more.
The second chart that caught my eye in the Speak Up report was Essential Element 2: Un-tethered learning figure 8 page 13 of 27 and Parents' willingness to purchase a mobile device for their child to use at school. 62% said they were likely, these are not the parents and children I am concerned with. Its the 11% that say its the school's responsibility and the additional 16% that said they are unlikely to purchase a mobie device for their child to use at school. What do we when the learning is divided by economics? will we have classes that are for kids with cell phones and classes which have children who are without cell phones? I have spent some quality time at a middle school in the last year and have seen first hand how technology has become an obstacle for others to overcome. As an example, my daughter has a cell phone that is much like a living symbiotic organism. She communicates with all of her friends via texting 16 hours of the day. She receives social invites to parties through this device. She has noted on several occasions that those who dont have cell phones and do not receive texts typically get left out of social events. Technology becomes a means to segregate by. If this is happenbing in a social context it will certainly be done in an educational environment regardless of the teachers incredible capabilites. For me, i draw the line here. If the school will not provide a digital text/canvas/messaging device then it certainly shouldnt promote its use as a viable solution to future education opportunities. Again, I never had to pay for a textbook while in k-12 (unless i lost the one issued to me by the school library)!
