Aug 24 2012: In reading these comments I hear my fellow teachers who speak about themselves as opposed to the students that they teach. We are worried about how technology gets in the way and how it separates us from other human beings. We talk about how it becomes a problem in my classroom because, "They won't listen to ME!". What makes you think that they were listening in the first place? Why is it that we decide, "If I can isolate my students from the world and make them listen, they are learning. How long do you think that they will retain that knowledge? "Long enough for the test, I hope", is what I'm sure some are saying. True understanding of a concept comes from relation to the information, analyzing it, synthesizing it, and being able to apply it. How can a student relate to what you are teaching them if you are forcing them to learn the way YOU learned. Just because we "have always done it that way", doesn't mean it is the best way. As I have heard a speaker say, why are we teaching the classes of 2013-2026 for the job market of 1980? I'm sure some of you reading this will state that "I'm not convinced". To be completely honest, you are not the one that needs to be convinced. Your time is over. Our students are convinced. Our world is convinced. Our top corporations are convinced. Quit trying to hold the world back to make you comfortable, because all you are doing is a disservice to your students. In closing, I would like to know how many people wrote a hand-written letter in the last five years? How about a college essay? How about the comment that you made on this site? Thank you for considering my thoughts.
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A comment on Conversation: Using technology... you're humanizing the classroom? I'm afraid...not at all