Ben Grey asked me if I’d be willing to respond to his recent post entitled “Why Technology.” I tried to do so in today’s podcast, although I don’t think I broke any new ground or said anything I haven’t said before. (Such a ringing endorsement, huh?) #
Bud the Teacher
Inquiry & Reflection for Better Learning
[...] listened earlier (and am now re-listening) to Bud Hunt’s podcast “Why Technology?” as a response to Ben Grey’s article “Why Technology?” at Tech and Learning. Bud [...]
I think the bigger question may lie in more, why we chose what we do when teaching (and teaching with) technology? Do blogs promote citizenship and democracy, or the fact that we can make unsubstantiated clams? Are we simply advertising google, yahoo, or AOL? What are students getting out of these things that they couldn’t get any where else? Why does a teacher need to be in the room if we can just plop them on the Internet and tell them to go? Students have the world on their Iphones, and we expect them to sit in a classroom, why? What are we giving them, and are we using the best tools at our disposal to get them what they need? The whole paradigm of school has shifted, and we need to make sure we are still giving the students what they need. Chosing the right technology and skill is essential.
[...] started here and continued here. Here’s my 2 cents. Why Technology: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1) [...]
When I hear the question, I think it’s the wrong question (albeit asked for the right reasons). Here’s the comment I just left on Ben’s post:
I’m late to this conversation, but I agree with Jen Wagner’s comment about not liking the question (while very much liking the thinking going on around the question).
I would pose two different questions we need to address first.
1. Why learn?
I think a discussion around this might help with what you’re trying to get at.
2. Why should your district continue?
I think leaving off the last five words of your question is much more interesting.
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Hi Bud,
The thing that interested me in this was not what you said, but how and where you said it. This kind of Fast Podcasting, easy work for the technically literate, is now well within the technical grasp of the late majority – all those teachers whose only learning technology usage is powerpoint should be able to capture podcasts in this way. I scribbled up a blog entry on it, to exhort my own troops here a bit.
http://extraordinarylearning.blogspot.com/2009/06/fast-podcasting.html
Keep up the good work.
Robert Cosgrave
Robert Cosgraves last blog post..Fast Podcasting
Thanks, Robert. Not sure why – but your comment ended up on my spam queue. I just now noticed. Much appreciated.
Bud, I’d like to hear your thoughts on classroom lectures via podcasting. I have heard of certain univercities providing such survices. That alone, I think, raises some questions:
1. Why sit in a class.
2. Will classrooms become a thing of the past?
I’d like to know your thoughts on the matter.
Why technology? Well, because. As I articulate my thoughts I think that technology is not about the tool. Rather, it’s our way of processing what we learn. Perhaps I find that technology allows for learning in different ways and archives this learning in a more permanent way. It’s not only about digitizing the content but about producing content where the line between being a teacher and a student is blurred.
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I like the idea that we need to keep an eye on balancing content with innovative technology. Of course we could argue that we are really learning as we struggle to master the new microphone or video camera, but are we cheating our students of content. For me it means becoming more comfortable and confident with the technology before I bring it into the classroom. However, I haven’t done this. I created a Filmmaking course at my high school without ever having taken a film course in my life and it has taken me 6 years of trial and error to learn how to make short films myself and how to effectively teach it. I do feel like I’ve cheated my students because they could have benefited from a true student of film, however, I feel that my being a beginner at something allowed them the courage to be beginners at something, and they jumped right into the short film projects with an energy and fervor that I love!
Bud, I also really enjoyed your comments on “Why Technology”. I completely agree with Wendy about the importance of becoming familiar with the technology, which points to the need for districts to spend money on training and allowing time for collaboration between media specialists and classroom teachers, and classroom teachers-classroom teachers to facilitate the best use of these fantastic technologies we have available. I liked your point, Bud, about how sometimes using technology becomes like a checklist, and the technology tool is almost irrelevant, just that *any technology* was used and “integrated” into the lesson is good enough. Not anymore!! Students really need to know how and why to use a blog versus a Wiki, etc…how they are different, etc…not just be able to follow links, type in the fields, and hit “submit”. Thanks for your thought provoking podcast.
I really enjoyed what you said in this podcast but above all how you said it. I also tried to express my ideas about how I think technology is blinding people in a little post I wrote. Check it out.
http://tiagotavares.eu/blog/?p=22
Tiago Tavaress last blog post..Blind Technology
Kia ora e Bud!
I didn’t comment the first time I listened to this pod cast. With me, time for reflection has a habit of morphing first impressions.
In the interim there have been a few discussions I’ve muscled in on to do with technology, one recently on George Siemens’ blog.
A feature of technology that has intrigued me for years is the peripheral way it is often applied – that the full potential it has to offer a usefulness is seldom utilised. This veneer-like quality of how technology can be used has always been there. I draw the parallel between a well resourced library that a learner seldom visits and the applications on a computer for accessing information that are not used or poorly used by the learner.
Catchya later
I agree with @Nick McCarty-Daniels.
Currently, i am a 3th student of a IT University, and taking advantages of & learning Tech ‘re all thing we have to do. Even, in study, the teacher give us a title of book then push us to find on Google, Yahoo, just ebook because it’s convenient when play it on mobile or laptop. So, i think what we can use Tech for is more important than why we learn Tech. Just my personal point.
Jimmy