Students and Technology (Response)

After reading several of my classmates responses (Pat, Chris, Dustin, and Dennis) it is clear that although technological use in the classroom is unavoidable, there is more to teaching than technology.

Pat ended his post with the statement, "Learning starts in a classroom on the first day with a blackboard, a teacher, and students...." He and the other bloggers were offended by their supposed inability to be a remarkable teacher without technology. I personally think the internet is an invaluable source as it allows for a greater access in information, but in some ways, it lets the students off easy. Why read a book when I can go to sparknotes.com and read the summary? Dennis was correct in saying that computers don't solve the problems that WE have created for yourselves and perpetuated. Computers make life easier, true, but where is the motivation to learn?

I agree with many of the thoughts of Group B. Technology should not be used to the extreme so that students forget the fundamentals of learning. As Dustin pointed out, we, as teachers, are there to teach content. We must build the foundation of ideas and learning so that students can adapt their understanding with information they discover in the future. If we are merely teaching our students to be the same and have the same skills, not only are we doing a disservice to the students themselves, but also to the community. As a future history teacher, I want the students to know the the importance of their past and why history is something they do NEED to know. Technology can help me show them how we are now able to describe ancient civilizations more readily through various online texts and images, but actual books are important. Technology has its limits and we cannot put all of our eggs into one basket, so to speak.