Yes it is the third week of classes... Yes, I did not post anything last week. Let us just say that it is better that last week is over and this week has indeed started. ( John was sick last week).
But there is some good stuff that I would like to talk about from my paperless journey from within the swing of school. I have come up with some very interesting questions that I would really like your feed back on as far as what you think based on where you are in life.
My biggest question is: Does the implementation of technology in the students hands disengage the student or does it allow them to add new tools that will help them in the long run with the class?
If that was kinda confusing let me going into why I am asking this question. I was able to take notes during class and add annotations such a links for site mentioned in class and diagrams that I could get offline and from there was able to make notes on the diagrams themselves. I was very excited about this and was in the process of showing someone. I finished my show and tell and the first comments was "So that allows you to completely disengage from the class" I really didn't know how to respond... I was actually at a loss for words. I as a student didn't see it as being disengaged at all. I was very excited that I was able to have such a productive class that I would be able to have great notes and sites to go to so that I could see all this great stuff. But after thinking about it I was able to see where this person was coming from. I did have to go online to go to the sites that were being discussed, removing me from the class for a few minutes. But I would very much so like to know what others think about this?
Well for right now I am going to say that that is it. Please let me know what you think I will also be posting comments on twitter and facebook if you would like a day to day update on what is going on. The username for twitter is thechanger42.
Hope to hear from you soon.
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I just watched this absolutely stunning educational video:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html
so I’m coming at this topic with that in mind.
I think to the extent that you talk with others about your online research as you’re doing it, and/or to the extent that you share it with the group afterward, it further engages you with the class. If you do neither of those two things, however, then it disengages you from the class, although that might actually be offset by your personal growth at having discovered something worthwhile that you can then later apply in the world with others.
Another question (that Linda Bartelt came up with) is whether engagement is a real-time (synchronous) experience. (We think it is.) If it is, then it’s obviously best shared in the moment, during discovery. If not, then you can essentially delay class engagement without watering it down.
Linda and I just discussed this, and I have decided, as a result of your post, to write in my future syllabi an invitation, for any students who elect to use real-time electronic research in class, to openly share their discoveries and insights in real-time with the rest of us. That way, they can not only discover new things about the topic, but they can also teach the rest of us what they’ve found, and they can also stay engaged with the class, all at the same time. So thanks for the prompt to do that, which resulted from your insights. Cheers!
There is no simple answer to your question Elizabeth and like most questions the answer is contextual. For some classes this is a wonderful asset. For content rich courses that include relational material from many sources, it may be more important to concentrate on the integrated presentation of your professor. I could have really used this technology in a geography course I took many years ago. But in Sedimentology and Stratigraphy any diversion from the instructor would have resulted in missed connections. These were not connections that could be found in a text book or even a dozen. This was the distillation of a 40 year career. Any moment of diversion would have deprived me of that rich perspective. It provided a scaffolding that has lasted a lifetime. So for that class it would not work. For others it may be the best thing going. I say use it for what it does best and use it in moderation. My bias though is to listen to the instructor. Be receptive to all he or she has to offer. Record the lecture if that helps, and then explore to your hearts content with the recording when you have greater flexibility and less danger of missing what the lecture has to offer.
ReplyDeletePerhaps not so related: It is also still important to experience the subtle, sensual, experience of contact with nature devoid of technological connections. Such contact can be one of the most mind expanding experiences you can have. But the mind is growing from within and seeking the subtle cues that help us to understand the Universe we live in. We certainly need to get back to that environment from time to time at least for perspective.
I just watched that video John. That was probably the coolest thing I have seen since I learned about superposition in Quantum Mech. Thank you so much for sharing the link
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