I really enjoyed the presentation on Joseph Weizenbaum. I find it quite amazing that someone of his intellect for programming and artificial intelligence also was quite fearful of the technology taking over humanity. And though this sounds like a plot from a science fiction movie, truth is far stranger than fiction.
This may not be trending but this is a belief that many people share and not by just individuals who fear or do not know how to use technology. There are many of us out there who believe that technology is advancing far faster than humans can learn it. By the time everyone buys an iPad ver.1, iPad version 2 is on the market. The result is techno garbage polluting landfills and a generation of people who have lost the ability to communicate in a social way.
Weizenbaum's fear was similar in that he felt AI technology would take over human judgement. Technology should never make important decisions for humanity because tech lacks wisdom and compassion and can only respond within a logical program. Decisions can be calculated but choices cannot. How close are we to HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey?
As technology specialists we can never lose sight of the human element behind technology.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Love of the Game
To say I love gaming would be an understatement. I can never get enough of it and I always feel when I talk about it or present information about gaming to a class, I never quite say enough. The teacher in me always searches for ways to connect my love for games to anything in the curriculum and therefore when I approach a game, even when it’s for fun or relaxation, my mind attacks it as an educator. Quests become strategic ways of getting students to think about a goal. Game controllers are really ways students can improve visual and motor skills. Leveling characters or environments become ways for students to experience success, develop persistence and understand ‘ownership’.
When I see statistics in battlegrounds, I see math. When I see simulations, I think PBL. When I experience MMORPG, I think of Social Constructivism and scaffolding. Good games take the best educational pedagogy and weave them into environments where kids become active participants in their own learning. When I think back to Monopoly and Stratego and the archaic board games I played as a child, I think about the things I learned. And I learned so much more in those situations than I did in the classroom.
I’d like to think that as educators in the 21st century, we can enhance the learning environments of our students by tapping into their worlds. Not all games are classroom worthy but some are screaming for attention by the educational community. Monopoly gave me a better understanding of basic economics than any book or teacher ever did. Games provide the missing link of providing a meaningful learning environment that all teachers struggle with because of state standards relating to testing and the absence of enough time in the day.
When I see statistics in battlegrounds, I see math. When I see simulations, I think PBL. When I experience MMORPG, I think of Social Constructivism and scaffolding. Good games take the best educational pedagogy and weave them into environments where kids become active participants in their own learning. When I think back to Monopoly and Stratego and the archaic board games I played as a child, I think about the things I learned. And I learned so much more in those situations than I did in the classroom.
I’d like to think that as educators in the 21st century, we can enhance the learning environments of our students by tapping into their worlds. Not all games are classroom worthy but some are screaming for attention by the educational community. Monopoly gave me a better understanding of basic economics than any book or teacher ever did. Games provide the missing link of providing a meaningful learning environment that all teachers struggle with because of state standards relating to testing and the absence of enough time in the day.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Pet peeves
This week’s posting focuses on my question about proper use of the computer lab. As we discussed and defined pedagogy in last week’s class, I am always haunted by the image of the computer lab teacher using modules like Reader Rabbit or Learning First as the keystone of their curriculums.
Computer labs should be used as an extension or a tool of the classroom and not a drop off point for mindless activities with no connection to the whole school curriculum. I cringe at the thought when I hear computer teachers say they simply put primary students on Reader Rabbit or ‘teach’ powerpoint without a connection to the classroom or information literacy.
Labs cannot exist in a vacuum and only computer teachers can stop that from happening. It involves stepping out of the lab and connecting with the rest of the faculty, knowing what they can do, want to do and encouraging their collaborative spirits. This process does not happen overnight but with time, structure and planning, a good technology curriculum can be developed throughout the school.
How does this connect with pedagogy? I’m a firm believer in Social Constructivism and placing a child in front of a module without some guidance is neglectful to say the least. We as technology leaders have to take an active role in our students’ engaged learning, guiding them through exploration and discovery. We cannot be a drop off point. It’s just unaccetptable.
Computer labs should be used as an extension or a tool of the classroom and not a drop off point for mindless activities with no connection to the whole school curriculum. I cringe at the thought when I hear computer teachers say they simply put primary students on Reader Rabbit or ‘teach’ powerpoint without a connection to the classroom or information literacy.
Labs cannot exist in a vacuum and only computer teachers can stop that from happening. It involves stepping out of the lab and connecting with the rest of the faculty, knowing what they can do, want to do and encouraging their collaborative spirits. This process does not happen overnight but with time, structure and planning, a good technology curriculum can be developed throughout the school.
How does this connect with pedagogy? I’m a firm believer in Social Constructivism and placing a child in front of a module without some guidance is neglectful to say the least. We as technology leaders have to take an active role in our students’ engaged learning, guiding them through exploration and discovery. We cannot be a drop off point. It’s just unaccetptable.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Meaningful Learning
My reflection this week pertains to our discussion on “meaningful learning” last week. As we analyzed and tried to define what ‘meaningful learning’ is, I couldn’t help but wonder how many of us actually practice it. How many teachers actually create environments that contain all the prerequisites we listed that defined meaningful learning?
I can count on one hand with fingers left over, how many teachers actually created that environment for me in my long academic career. Yet those two wonderful teachers made such a difference in my life that 30 years later, I remember and reflect. The hallmarks of meaningful learning create such a profound influence on the student that to provide anything less in the classroom is negligent. Think about the incredible effect we as educators could have on a generation of learners by creating meaningful learning environments. If I just had two, what would the achievement implications indicate if a student had 20 or 30 throughout their lifetimes?
Let’s not fall back on excuses either. I hear teachers complain about their students constantly. ‘This generation is lazy, disrespectful and apathetic…’ These comments were made about my generation and probably about the last one as well. Adolescents are adolescents and it’s our job as adults and educators to fine tune our way into their culture, plug into their interests and synthesize our creative energies into a modern curriculum. Ipods and video games are not the problems, just like rock n’roll and roller skating parties weren’t the problems plaguing my generation. Mark Twain had relevance and profound wisdom in a high school Lit class in 1983 because of a teacher who created a meaningful learning environment to a group of ‘lazy, disrespectful and apathetic’ teenage girls by tapping into what was important to us.
Whether we teach in a self-contained classroom, or a departmental specialty subject, the use of technology is a way to connect and make this generations’ learning meaningful and unforgettable.
I can count on one hand with fingers left over, how many teachers actually created that environment for me in my long academic career. Yet those two wonderful teachers made such a difference in my life that 30 years later, I remember and reflect. The hallmarks of meaningful learning create such a profound influence on the student that to provide anything less in the classroom is negligent. Think about the incredible effect we as educators could have on a generation of learners by creating meaningful learning environments. If I just had two, what would the achievement implications indicate if a student had 20 or 30 throughout their lifetimes?
Let’s not fall back on excuses either. I hear teachers complain about their students constantly. ‘This generation is lazy, disrespectful and apathetic…’ These comments were made about my generation and probably about the last one as well. Adolescents are adolescents and it’s our job as adults and educators to fine tune our way into their culture, plug into their interests and synthesize our creative energies into a modern curriculum. Ipods and video games are not the problems, just like rock n’roll and roller skating parties weren’t the problems plaguing my generation. Mark Twain had relevance and profound wisdom in a high school Lit class in 1983 because of a teacher who created a meaningful learning environment to a group of ‘lazy, disrespectful and apathetic’ teenage girls by tapping into what was important to us.
Whether we teach in a self-contained classroom, or a departmental specialty subject, the use of technology is a way to connect and make this generations’ learning meaningful and unforgettable.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Lead, Follow or Get Out of The Way
Something struck me as we discussed curriculum during our last class session. As educators first, our focus must primarily center on meeting state standards and the curriculums designed for our schools. Yet as technology leaders in our fields, we must also stay abreast of all emerging technologies. It is not enough to know how to turn on a computer and modulate student learning. As tech experts, we must continue to ‘upgrade’ our own knowledge base.
To understand these technologies and be able to integrate them builds student trust in our abilities as tech leaders and fosters motivation to learn in environments that activate student interest. To fall stagnant would be detrimental to us and our student population.
Yet, technology is evolving so fast and furiously that I wonder if it is even possible to understand every facet. Realistically, I believe it is possible to keep a finger on the pulse of change. Instead of trying to understand each new piece of technology that is invented we can educate ourselves on its existence and the exposure it will create to our student population. Technology educators should be harbingers of integrated technology curriculums, bridging the digital classroom divide with advice and expertise. We also need to keep in touch with our students, their interests, motivations and culture. One cannot exist without the other.
It’s not easy being a leader but within education, we have no choice. As the internet, texting, chatting and game play evolve into faster paced technologies, we need to continue to learn and teach at the same time. A perfect metaphor for our multi-tasking students who will one day take our places.
To understand these technologies and be able to integrate them builds student trust in our abilities as tech leaders and fosters motivation to learn in environments that activate student interest. To fall stagnant would be detrimental to us and our student population.
Yet, technology is evolving so fast and furiously that I wonder if it is even possible to understand every facet. Realistically, I believe it is possible to keep a finger on the pulse of change. Instead of trying to understand each new piece of technology that is invented we can educate ourselves on its existence and the exposure it will create to our student population. Technology educators should be harbingers of integrated technology curriculums, bridging the digital classroom divide with advice and expertise. We also need to keep in touch with our students, their interests, motivations and culture. One cannot exist without the other.
It’s not easy being a leader but within education, we have no choice. As the internet, texting, chatting and game play evolve into faster paced technologies, we need to continue to learn and teach at the same time. A perfect metaphor for our multi-tasking students who will one day take our places.
Monday, September 22, 2008
TechnoBabble
I first entered the realm of technology within the framework of my teaching career in 1994 when an incredible program named "GradeQuick" hit the market. I just purchased my first PC for entertainment value before I started to realize how it could make my work life so much easier. I started using GradeQuick to keep track of my grades, student progress and statistical reports. Strictly administrative at first, it quickly bled into other aspects of my lessons. Creating reports, presentations and correspondence, the computer was working it's way into my everyday lesson presentations.
I started writing E-Rate grants to obtain computers for teachers at my school and by the following year, we had assembled a lab for students. GradeQuick became the norm for all teachers in my school as I headed up professional development for them. St. Mark School in Chicago became the only school in the Archdiocese of Chicago that had a technology plan written and instituted by 1997.
I was asked to join a Think Tank at Argonne National Labs through Bill Kurtis' New Explorers' programs during the summer of 1998. Twenty-five schools across Illinois took part in the first ever development of science/technology integrated lesson plans that corresponded to the New Explorer's video series. I took part in the writing and piloting of "Killer Virus" and "Travel to Twilo" wherein students took part in message boarding lesson questions, ideas, lab results and discussion with other students across Illinois. My class entered a technology integration competition in 1999 through Bill Kurtis' program and took first place producing a video broadcast on the net aptly named "The Virus That Stole Christmas". Our winnings contributed to the purchase of laptops for our school.
By 2001, I was named Technology leader by the Archdiocese of Chicago, winning the Heart of the School Award, the Archdiocese's Golden Apple. In 2004, I received endorsements in computer applications and computer science with DePaul University and the state of Illinois and went to work as a Technolgy coordinator/computer teacher at William F. Finkl Academy in Chicago.
I found it easier to work with technology as a classroom teacher than as a computer teacher, ironically. As a classroom teacher, I was able to seemlessly integrate tech components like message boarding, email, word processing and research directly into my lessons. In Chicago Public Schools, computer teachers are viewed as 'preps' or a drop off point for classes and teachers who require their breaks. I have struggled for 5 long years to rid the school of that stereotype. I work and meet with grade level teachers daily, special ed weekly and administration monthly in order to ensure technology integration is not lost on Reader Rabbit and module type activities. Teachers look to me as a guide in the tech wilderness and often ask for help when working on large class projects. Many teachers who never thought of using tech in a project have ventured into the wilderness and have emerged unscathed and better for the experience. I enjoy the wonderful rapport with them and encourage them to use me as a resource and not a baby sitter!
Most of all, I enjoy the connection with the students for whom technology has become truly seemless. I enjoy learning from them as much as they do from me.
Scroll down to view Heart of the School information!
http://schools.archchicago.org/news_releases/news_heart.shtm
I started writing E-Rate grants to obtain computers for teachers at my school and by the following year, we had assembled a lab for students. GradeQuick became the norm for all teachers in my school as I headed up professional development for them. St. Mark School in Chicago became the only school in the Archdiocese of Chicago that had a technology plan written and instituted by 1997.
I was asked to join a Think Tank at Argonne National Labs through Bill Kurtis' New Explorers' programs during the summer of 1998. Twenty-five schools across Illinois took part in the first ever development of science/technology integrated lesson plans that corresponded to the New Explorer's video series. I took part in the writing and piloting of "Killer Virus" and "Travel to Twilo" wherein students took part in message boarding lesson questions, ideas, lab results and discussion with other students across Illinois. My class entered a technology integration competition in 1999 through Bill Kurtis' program and took first place producing a video broadcast on the net aptly named "The Virus That Stole Christmas". Our winnings contributed to the purchase of laptops for our school.
By 2001, I was named Technology leader by the Archdiocese of Chicago, winning the Heart of the School Award, the Archdiocese's Golden Apple. In 2004, I received endorsements in computer applications and computer science with DePaul University and the state of Illinois and went to work as a Technolgy coordinator/computer teacher at William F. Finkl Academy in Chicago.
I found it easier to work with technology as a classroom teacher than as a computer teacher, ironically. As a classroom teacher, I was able to seemlessly integrate tech components like message boarding, email, word processing and research directly into my lessons. In Chicago Public Schools, computer teachers are viewed as 'preps' or a drop off point for classes and teachers who require their breaks. I have struggled for 5 long years to rid the school of that stereotype. I work and meet with grade level teachers daily, special ed weekly and administration monthly in order to ensure technology integration is not lost on Reader Rabbit and module type activities. Teachers look to me as a guide in the tech wilderness and often ask for help when working on large class projects. Many teachers who never thought of using tech in a project have ventured into the wilderness and have emerged unscathed and better for the experience. I enjoy the wonderful rapport with them and encourage them to use me as a resource and not a baby sitter!
Most of all, I enjoy the connection with the students for whom technology has become truly seemless. I enjoy learning from them as much as they do from me.
Scroll down to view Heart of the School information!
http://schools.archchicago.org/news_releases/news_heart.shtm
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