Erin
Your topic and my topic are super
similar! Technology in school communication is really interesting because we
are currently in school and as technology develops, it is becoming more
prevalent with our studies. My question for you is: Based on your conclusion
that there is a technology gap between teachers and students, are there any
steps that can be taken to close this gap? If there has not been enough
research done on this yet, what do you think is the first step that should be
taken to close this interpersonal divide and why?
Thank you for your thoughtful questions Erin. I also
commented on your blog and yes our topics are very similar, as they both have
to deal with education. To answer your question, yes there are things that can
be done to close this gap. First, this gap is present mainly due to the age
difference between students and teachers, which is something that cannot be
changed. Also the rate at which new technologies are being introduced to
society is faster then ever before. This can also not be changed by us. But
what can be done to help close this gap is by having schools provide their
teachers with new technology as it comes out. Most classrooms are consistently
a few years if not more behind the latest technological trends. There has not
been a lot of research done on what could be done to help improve the
technological skills of teachers, but by having new technologies available to
teachers it would give them the tools to be caught up with their students. This
is because teachers as individuals are usually not behind the technology trends
as they are well equipped with smartphones, tablets etc. It is more that the
schools as institutions are behind the eight ball when it comes to technology.
Lars
In our world education is the key to our development as a
nation. With other countries such as China repeatedly outscoring our youth on
exams, it seems to be a waste of our resources to have our technology used for
communicational purposes. Do you believe this to be true? Or do you believe
that we are using our technology in school in the most beneficial manner?
Lars thank you for your question. It is always important
to compare our education system to the rest of the world. China is a good
country to compare us to because it is a very similar country to the United
States in terms of world powers. Just because China is repeatedly outscoring
our youth on exams doesn’t mean that the use of technology in American
Classrooms is holding us back. In fact, according to Katie Lepi who has done
extensive research on US vs. Chinese classrooms and she has found that Chinese
schools are more likely to integrate technology, students spend more time on
technology per day, and teachers are more tech savvy compared to Americans.
(Lepi, 2013). With that said one could argue that American schools need to use
more technology and better integrate it into classrooms. So in regards to your
second question I don’t think that American schools are using technology in the
most beneficial matter. I don’t think so mainly because it seems like most
schools have out of date technology in the classroom. Because of this students
are using the latest and greatest when they are at home but when they come to
the classroom they are told to use technology that they haven’t used in years.
Lepi,
Katie. (2013). How
U.S. And Chinese Classrooms Use Education Technology. Edudemic Connecting Education & Technology.
Grace
In your literature review you talk about emailing your
professor to talk about sensitive subjects in class. I was curious if the
ability to use technology to communicate with teachers and students through
technology is causing a decline in student's ability to participate in
face-to-face conversations with their teachers and overall with their peers?
Thank you Grace for your great question. I also commented
on your blog and thought you did a very nice job with your project. I would say
that because of technology it allows students who wouldn’t normally participate
in class a way to voice their opinions to the teacher. Everyone learns
differently and everyone has a different personality so some students who may
be bright and have great ideas don’t have the confidence to voice their
opinions in class. Technology allows these students to have their voice heard. This
way students who are naturally more shy than others do not get punished on
their final grade for poor participation. I do believe that students who
traditionally participate in class are turning to emails and other CMC to
communicate with teachers because it is easier for them. In this instance
students are participating less in class because they know they can just email
their questions to the teacher after class. So technology and CMC can be a
double-edged sword for students. It allows shy students to have their voice
hears but also gives students who usually provide conversation in class another
way to ask their questions.
Ryan
What is your opinion of the topic of communication and
technology in college classrooms such as ours. Do you believe technologies used
correctly in this setting, used not enough, or used to much?
Thank you for your questions Ryan. I think you touch on a
very important topic especially because we are in the midst of college right
now. We know better than anyone else how technology is being used on college
campuses because we are the data points that researchers are looking at. We are
living the life of a college student who interacts with technology on a daily
basis. I think it is very important that colleges use technology every way
possible because the reality is that upon finishing college nearly everyone is
going to have a job that uses technology. Nearly every profession is
capitalizing on the advancements in technology. Because of this it is so
important to have ample experience with technology in college and before. I
think every college can do a better job of incorporating technology because
technology is always changing and there are always new apps and products out
there that are designed to make us more effective and efficient. Denison does
use a lot of technology but compared to other schools that I know people at
Denison is on the slower end of technological advancements. For example many
schools use smart boards while Denison is still in the projector phase. However
Denison does to a good job of making technology available to us on a daily
basis.