When I stop to think about technology and its impact on all of our
lives, I am amazed by how much it has evolved and changed even over the last 10
years. When I went off to college, my
peers and I all had computers, cell phones, and some of my friends even had
myspace. We used the internet to find
information and to communicate via e-mail, but we also still went to the
library and searched through the stacks for books and scholarly journals to do
research.
The students that are entering college now, not only have laptops and
cell phones, but their cells phones have the internet, and they also have
tablets, e-readers, and Facebook. I
wonder how many of them even know how to look up a book in the card catalog, if
they had to find an actual book in the library.
By the time the grade 3-5 students that I currently work with go off to
college, how will things be different?
Will there even be libraries full of books anymore, or will everything
be only digital? All of this technology
has made more and more information so much accessible. Will having all of this information at their
fingertips enable the next generation to be more knowledgeable, or will it
decrease their desire to learn and discover on their own?
I think that the positives that come with technological advancement
outweigh the negatives in most cases, but it’s important to keep in mind how
quickly it is evolving and changing the way they we live our lives. I think that schools and educators do need to
evolve in order to keep up with our students in the 21st Century.
It is amazing how quickly technology is evolving. I remember being so excited when 'Computer Class' was added as a special when I was in elementary school. We learned how to play Oregon Trail and type final drafts of our writing projects. We had brand new computer labs! Now, students are playing online games, watching video clips, and listening to online stories everyday in class. Instead of relying on the computer lab, most classrooms have at least one classroom computer. We have iPad carts, interactive whiteboards, and SmartBoards. There is so much technology it is impossible to keep up with it all. The students are able to suck it all in like a sponge!
ReplyDeleteIt really is amazing how far technology has come! I didn't even have computers when I was a kid, which my own children can't even imagine! I, too, am curious about how students will be learning, and how I will be teaching, when my current 2nd graders get out into the workforce.
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting to think about how quickly technology changes, thus changing our lives. I remember in high school waiting for my mom to get off the phone so I could plug the phone cord into the computer and "dial up" for about 10 minutes to get the internet to connect. Now it takes less then a second to get online and I personally have three different devices that are all internet accessible. Everything is so instant! It will be interesting to see what new technological advances are made when these elementary students are entering college.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to think about how far we have come in terms of technology. I think back to the first "car phone" that was bigger than any cordless phone we see now. I think schools have a hard time keeping up with the fast growing world of technology; however, the kids seem to have no problems!
ReplyDeleteYour comment about libraries made me nostalgic! My first job was working at the Holliston Public Library. I wanted that job just so I could use the machine to check out books. I loved that "thunk-thunk" sound that machine made when I put in each card. That was the technology of the day back then!
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