Technology Applications
What are the two main technology applications and uses that influence this characterization of today's students?
Justice,
I agree that in your field innovation and critical and creative thinking are more important than memorization, however, in every content area there is an amount of memorization and it is important to encourage students in that as well.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Dr. Reynard,
In the fields I teach (Web Development, Programming and Business) I don't see a need to memorize as much as know where to find the information you need to complete the project. Many times with repetition you will start to memorize common procedures. One place I do think memorization is still needed is in elementary school when learning math principles especially multiplication and basic addition and subtraction.
Wayne how do you make sure that the information received on the Internet doesn't hamper what you are teaching in class? For instance, if students see an incorrect procedure that could harm the vehicle in some way.
Theresa,
The resources are vast as you say and students as well as instructors can benefit from that. Students can also, of course, be taken off task or follow through with resources that are not legitimate academic or professional sources - this is where the guidance and input of instructors is vital.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
One of the main technology applications that influence students today is of course the internet. Suprisingly it is the websites on the internet that actually grap the attention of my students. You tube is a major influence for teaching. You can learn just about anything on that website.
Jacquilin,
Yes, when we see things in print, we tend to believe them :) The challenge is great for instructors to guide students and to train them to recognize legitimate sources over bogus sources.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I would say that depends on the student. Students that are fresh out of high school depend more on the Internet and mobile technologies. Older students, even those that are very technically aware I find are not as drawn to mobile applications. But there is a downside to this, I have found that younger students generally accept almost anything that is posted and do not have an awareness of what is a valid source of information. I have also found this is older students who do not have a lot of experience with the Internet.
There are a lot of factors for this here but I would say that instant demand for technology is one of them - students want things 'now' and are used to it because of all of the technology that is out there today. They, for the most part, are not very good at just 'waiting'. In addition, they want it to be very much like a real classroom so having demos, video, audio, is another area in which online instructors have to be able to provide well in.
Greetings!
In reading some of the posts here, I see lots of references to cell phones. Yet, I think from a broader perspective - we are getting to where the "device" does not matter. Whichever device people are using (PC, phone, tablet, Google glasses, "smart" TVs, etc.), it pushes back to cloud-based technologies and applications. These apps are successful when they provide quality content and utilitization (for instance, real-time access to data).
So, I think "apps" themselves have democratized the ability to collect, integrate and share data in ways that weren't available in the mid 2000s. It's enabled a democratization of software development too.
Similarly, online content sharing/communication tools (beyond the traditional "social media" definition) have enabled people to change the way we communicate. During the Boston Bombings, as a native of Massachusetts, I had friends that were reporting what was happening in the manhunt faster than it was appearing in news channels. Overseas, we see how the Arab Spring movement has been largely driven through these new communication channels. Tools like Skype -which is not a "social media" site - have changed the ability for families to connect.
This instant access to content/data and new tools for communication support the nomadic student characterization presented in this module.
Thanks for asking!
Rick
Edward,
Very true and great examples! Information can be quickly accessed and quickly modified/edited without much hassle these days :)
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I am involved with the technology application at its fullest. Teaching a manufacture program my students are carrying their laptops 24/7. They need it to work on their self studies,accessing a vehicles scan data,finding manufacturers specs and procedures.Without the internet and wireless functions we are almost useless, but since I'm from the service manual era we keep the good old paperbacks around. It is amazing when the students have use them. They keep looking for the start button, just kidding! I do notice why we have gone to the electronic age. To have the students guide , manufacturing repair manuals, which could be 3 to 4 seperate manuals and not to mention the scanner, dvom, labscope, etc.
I am thankful for the elctronic age and maybe some of you have forgotten the shelves and shelves of manuals we had to store and order.Now at the click of a button i can get the updated versions. Sure their are items out there that are suspect, but with the networks we have established over the years it is nice to have that at our finger tips and the students.
The student can be at their own learning pace and maximizes their potential. I like the new nomad of the 21st century and keep it coming.
Suzanne,
Yes, Internet and mobile technology options have revolutionized and continue to challenge how we do things...
Dr. Ruth Reynard
The two main technology applications and uses that influence the characterization of today's students are cell phones and the internet.
Students in today's classrooms are multi-tasking on a continual basis. Often they are engaged in dialogue that is focused on other aspects besides a multi-faceted approach to the concepts in the course. Nevertheless, they do switch gears to provide some attention to the chat discussion.
As an instructor, when I call on students to respond to a question or to offer some comment on the current concept, I notice that it sometimes takes more than one request to get a particular student to respond. Most will state that they were busy with children's demands or with a phone call or with fixing dinner, etc. as if multitasking were acceptable behaviors. This is a symptom of very demanding lifestyles but also of a perception that learning can be achieved through osmosis. :(
The cell phone is ubiquitous and the internet offers a quick and easy access to information. Unfortunately, internet resources such as wikis or web blogs are not always verifiable resources.
Suzanne
Dariusz,
Interesting point about textbooks. Why do we still use textbooks?
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Just as many others posted on this forum, the students in my U.S. History class almost always use the internet to conduct large portions of their research. While we all know how beneficial the internet can be to conduct research, there are negative aspects to this habit as well. The students in my classroom have access to a very good textbook. However, I find most students will ignore their textbook, which is their best and most authoritative resource, opting instead to use the internet to find information on a given subject. I suspect this is because many students believe it is more convenient to browse the internet then it is to read a textbook, even though out textbook is digital. This is an unfortunate effect of the digital nomad phenomenon.
Mary,
Absolutely! I was actually born in the DRCongo and look foward to many such collaborative connections between students and "worlds".
Dr. Ruth Reynard
The two main technology applications that influence students of today seem to be the Internet and the mobile phone. Both allow the student access to information at any time and any place. There is no limit to when and how students get information.
My sister just returned from Zambia and one thing that amazed her was that everyone, including kids, had mobile phones. Imagine a course in Humanities where you are blogging with students in another country asking them about their real world experiences.
I do think wireless technology, pads and smart phones, have had the greatest impact on today's students.
I hope that traditional educational boundaries will continue to blur. What I mean by that is I teach literature. Reading an "old boring book" is a challenge for many students.
But the old book must be read, but when students can access a hyperlinked version to "get" the references or picture galleries, videos and the like, that old boring book comes to life.
I gave my students an online hyperlinked version of Polidori's The Vampyre (1819). Feedback from students was great. They got immediate help with the "hard bits," and it was right there at all times.
And as I teach my students, a book isn't created in a vacuum. Writers are responding to what's going on around them. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth when a new king came on the throne, a Scottish king who had written about witches. Old Will was a canny business man. We learn about witchcraft in the 17th century thanks to video. We see versions of Macbeth in the new Globe in London. Literature comes alive for students right in the palms of their hands.
Oh dear. Can you tell I'm a true believer?
Thomas,
I agree...we have more really exciting changes soming soon :) Simulations will also morph into hollograms etc. Great!
Dr. Ruth Reynard
