Blog Post #10

I believe this cartoon is symbolic of technological devices. It is hip and cool to have up-to-date devices and such. But our world did come a long way with the use of pencil and paper. It does not matter how new or advanced a device is. If the user cannot or isn't motivated to use it, the device is worthless. Though technology has opened up a whole new world for us, I won't criticize the pencil. A lot of inspirational ideas begin on paper.


Scott McLeod
Scott McLeod is an inspiring blogger, author, and professor. He is a leading academic expert on K-12 technology leadership issues. He is the founding director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE).

I enjoy a good sense of sarcasm in writing. McLeod's poem in his post Don't Teach Your Kids this Stuff, Please? exhibits just that. At first, I thought it was composed by an instructor at South. I'm kidding. But seriously, I know several who are against any type of technological devices in the classroom. For the reasons listed in McLeod's post.

I side with Mcleod in his argument. I appreciate that education is changing and technology is beginning to shape the classroom. Ignoring technology and relying strictly on traditional books, pen, and paper simply won't cut it in today's world. Though I believe these items have their place, technology enhances the learning process and our way of living. Students need an audience when writing. Writing for a teacher and writing for the world require very different skills. Social networking and blogging allow students to learn to accommodate their audience and adjust their style accordingly. However, I also agree that today's technology has dumbed down some writing skills. The use of text speech and auto-correct has played a role in hindering spelling, grammatical, and mechanical skills. I can say that when I was in school, there were no computers in the classroom. My work was done on paper. Therefore, if I didn't know how to spell a word, I had to look it up. Through looking it up, I learned how to spell the word because I didn't want to have to thumb through the dictionary to look it up again.


John Spencer
John Spencer's blog Adventures in Pencil Integration is an enjoyable and entertaining blog. His post Why Were Your Kids Playing Games? is a dialogue between a teacher and a principal. The teacher played a game with his students that was engaging and exciting for the students, which resulted in fun learning time. The principal is set on following the rule of "no games." He focuses on drilling memorization rather than engagement. The principal cuts the teacher off several times when the teacher tried to explain the concept of the game and how it enhanced learning. Though rules are to be followed, the rules should be student centered and geared toward enrichment. This dialogue is the perfect example of the school hierarchy and how it limits teachers and students.

Spencer's post Capturing Reality is a real eye opener. Through dialogue, the post tells a story of a man that refuses to take pictures. He says to take a picture removes him from the moment he is trying to capture. This post made me think about how technology definitely has two sides. On one side, it helps us to produce more mementos and socialize. On the other, it takes us away from the moments the mementos are from and takes away from personable socialization. I often feel bad because my boys' scrapbooks are not up to date. Majority of the pictures I take of them are sent to Facebook in a mobile uploads album. While I was working on this post, my five year old came to me and asked me to play. I wonder how many smiles on our little ones' faces we miss due to staring at a screen. I know technology is a wonderful thing, but the time it takes out of our day adds up to be a lot. How many people do you see on vacation playing on their phones, neglecting the family and friends that are present with them? Technology is grand, but for every upside there is a downside.

Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to play a good old fashioned board game with my baby boys. And as much as I would love to share their wonderful smiles with the world, I'll be greedy and keep tonight's to myself. No devices allowed.