Chapter 3 The technology skeptics' argument: rethinking education

• How does this reading impact your thinking about technology's role in teaching and learning?
• What will you do differently as a future teacher as a direct result of this new thinking?

The typical questions are being asked but this chapter gives me a vastly different response than my previous posts. Overall, I am a technology supporter but this chapter brought up some valid points. For example, the budgets of schools keep getting cut and technology is expensive. To truly implement technology the way people are theorizing should happen, the ratio of computer to student should be 1:1. Many students can not afford computers at home, and to have each student have one would coast the school a lot of money.Another point that I strongly agree with is classroom management. I know if I have a computer in front of me, there a about a billion websites I would rather be on than school sites. That means immense amounts of distractions for students too. I can only keep my eyes on a few students at a time, and then the rest of the class can get distracted. I will have to develop techniques to keep the students interested in what we are learning and working on. This chapter was not as much about how technology is bad, but rather how it will not take over the classroom. Teaching will still be the central form of education and learning via computers will be a side note. I liked how the chapter also mentioned that learning by assimilation with alter with the introduction of technology to more hands-on learning. This kind of learning for children of today's society appears to better get their attention. Teaching will be changed by technology, but it won't become completely technology based. 

One thing I am worried about it students getting faulty information from the internet. Many students don't understand how to correctly distinguish between valid and invalid websites.They may believe the information I am teaching them is false if they find alternate information on the internet. I think I will probably keep a blog where students can get resources that I find valid for their research. I like the idea of using training programs on the computer to help with the mass skills tests such as the WKCE.Although, I am not saying i approve of tests like the WKCE, but tests online can give them an idea of what something like this is. Students will experience lots of tests like this through their schooling career. I also want to make sure not to make too much of my classroom activities with the computer too uniform. I want to make sure each program is good for each student. It is too easy to mass produce an activity, but in today's classrooms there is so much diversity, students need more individual help.