Journal 3

Greenhow, C (2008).Who are today's learners?. Learning and Leading with Technology. Sept/Oct, 16-17.

Today's learners are kids that are using technology in school and at home whether they are well off or low income. They view technology as a indispensable tool for entertainment, communication and education. This doesn't mean they are super savvy on the computer and that teachers need to be afraid. But the middle school aged children they interviewed expressed a need for technology to be meaningful and engaging in the classroom. They also thought that restrictions needed to be loosened up so they could use all forms of technology, such as mobile computing and user provided sites. It was interesting to learn that students communicated more through chat rooms and instant messaging than emailing.

Questions:

What technologies are my students using and what are their skill levels?
The first rule to remember is to not make assumptions about what students are using or how good they might or might not be. In order to answer these questions we must talk to our students and have them show us individually where they are at. Otherwise, what I see students using are ipods, cell phone and different forms of gaming. The skill level is all over the place.

How do I need to use technology to motivate and engage my students?
It needs to incorporate the things they are using outside of the classroom plus exciting programs to further them in life. I like the idea of using digital games to help the students feel like they are experiencing the ideas being presented to them, making for a deeper comprehension. It's important to find different ways to learn new information rather than rote style learning which isn't fun for anyone.