The Defense of Technology in education

1. Gabriela Luebeck The Defense of Technology in education

2. The Nature’s of Today’s Learner • According to the article Teaching the 21st Century learner that came out of the 22nd annual conference on distance learner. There is mounting evidence that today’s traditional students – those born after 1982- have a different relationship with information and learning than do previous generations, as a result of their access to the Internet and computer-enabled technologies. Diana Oblinger, Vice President for EDUCAUSE, summarized this research in her description of these students, known variously as “Net-generation” learners, “Millennial Students”, “Generation –Y”, and “Digital-Natives”. By age 21, these students will have spent 10,000 hours playing video games, sent 200,000 e-mails, watched 20,000 hours of television, spent 10,000 hours on the cell phone, but less than 5,000 hours reading.

3. The Nature’s of Today’s Learnercontinued • According to the Teaching the 21st Century Learning Article “a 21st Century Learner tends to be a multi-tasker that uses sound and images to convey content whenever possible. Text , the primary medium of traditional academics, is tolerated only when the technology does not (yet) support something better.” • 21st Century Learners relay on chat acronyms and emoticons to communicate. • Chat acronyms ROTFL “Rolling On The Floor Laughing” • B4, LOL, BFF, POS, CUL8R • Emoticons • ;-) >:-( • The 21st Century Learner uses the Internet as the universal source of information.

4. How is technology being used by this generation of students • Students use technology in a variety of ways: • 1. to communicate with friends • 2. to stay informed • 3. to socialize and become part of social groups • 4. to prepare for test • 5. for entertainment • 6. to check facts • 7. To Cheat • 8. to create, down load, or listen to music • 9. to video tape

5. How can technology be used to address the multiple intelligences of students in the classroom • Technology can address multiple intelligences in a variety ways. • Designed of websites that contain curriculum that is interactive, meaningful, and tied to the standards (addresses Logical and Mathematical, Spatial, Musical). • Blogs, offer a forum for students to discuss questions that pertain to curriculum and may address the Linguistic, Intrapersonal, and the Interpersonal student. • The Naturalist intelligence may be addressed through Blogs, and websites that offer applications that have to do with science and/or environmental topics (investigation). • Creating projects that contain music and graphic design may address the Spatial and Musical student. • It is possible to create lesson plans that are technologically based, that cover the academic standards, and at the same time address multiple intelligences.

6. Traits of the “Net Generation” and the role that technology plays in their world • “Today’s learners are digitally literate, mobile, always on, experiential and social. They crave interactivity, are good at reading visual images, have strong visual-spatial skills, tend toward parallel processing and inductive discovery, llok for fast response times which leads to short attention spans.” • Technology is an integral part of students in the 21st Century, and it is used in a multitude of ways with a variety of purposes.

7. Benefit of Technology in Education • According to the Planning for Neomillennial Learning Styles suggests that the following may emerge as cross-age learning styles • Fluency in multiple media, valuing each for the types of communication, activities, experiences, and expressions it empowers. • Learning based on collectively seeking, sieving, and synthesizing experiences rather than the individually locating and absorbing information from a single best source. • Active learning based on experience that includes frequent opportunities for reflection . • Expression through nonlinear, associational webs of representations rather than linear stories. • Co-design of learning experiences personalized to individual needs and preferences.

8. Evaluation of the use and role of technology in modern education • The use of technology in the classroom is increasing, however there is a lot of room for growth. • At present, too often instructors design and deliver “one size fits all” content (PFNLS). Students are consider passive recipients of content. • Change need to occur in the classroom.

9. The Other side of the argument • The other side may present the following argument: • 1. Monetary implications; it will be extremely expensive to provide a wireless environment. Multipurpose habitats (moving beyond the computer lab). Augmented reality; experiment with virtual environment and intelligent context. Mirroring; finding virtual environments that are able to provide immersive experiences. • Professional development (old habits die hard). Faculty will need; • 1. co-design, developing learning experiences students can personalized. • Co-instruction: student guided instruction • Guided learning-by-doing- participatory simulations. • Assessment beyond tests and papers.

10. Works cited