It’s the week before finals, and upset about your subpar grades, your parents angrily take away all your technology, hoping the lack of so-called distractions will force you to concentrate and clutch a few last minute As.
But the question is, why is the technology always blamed? Shouldn’t we be focusing on the real perpetrator, the student? After all, all these “distractions” – Google, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, the list is endless – are nothing without someone to put them to action. In my personal opinion, technology is an incredibly empowering force in learning in a digital age.
My high school chemistry class was a prime example of the power of virtual teaching. My teacher was an avid supporter of a non-traditional classroom setting, and was constantly exploring and bringing new methods of learning to the classroom. He was an avid supporter of the “flipped classroom” model, which meant we essentially “learned” at home and “applied” our knowledge in class, and had no homework. He uploaded PowerPoints, sent us links to chemistry videos, and even occasionally made his own videos on days he couldn’t be in class. He often emailed us research opportunities, camps/programs, and articles applying the concepts we were learning in real life situations. One of his techniques to implement the “flipped classroom” model was to bring in laptops for students, which enabled us to do practice problems online during class and receive instant feedback (just as practice, not for a grade). If we didn’t understand any concepts or why we missed something, we could go up to him, and he would explain the problem step by step. Class time was essentially a free period. After all, we were not required to complete the class problems or talk to him. Many students groaned and moaned about his methods, complaining that he was simply too lazy to “actually teach”, and that he was the reason they were failing the class. A phrase I often heard floating around was “Ugh, why can’t he just teach the normal way.” I was confused by this. What did everyone mean by “actually teach”? Was what he was doing not considered real teaching? Sure, perhaps it was not the most CONVENTIONAL way of teaching, but I, for one, definitely felt like I was still learning things. Half the class supported his venture into technology, others revolted. Some students even complained to administration, calling the laptops “a waste of time” and “useless”.
As the year went on, I began to realize the ones who complained about our teacher’s teaching methods were often the ones who didn’t listen in class and depended on homework assignments to inflate their grades. They put all the responsibility on the teacher.
But the question is, why is the technology always blamed? Shouldn’t we be focusing on the real perpetrator, the student? After all, all these “distractions” – Google, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, the list is endless – are nothing without someone to put them to action. In my personal opinion, technology is an incredibly empowering force in learning in a digital age.
My high school chemistry class was a prime example of the power of virtual teaching. My teacher was an avid supporter of a non-traditional classroom setting, and was constantly exploring and bringing new methods of learning to the classroom. He was an avid supporter of the “flipped classroom” model, which meant we essentially “learned” at home and “applied” our knowledge in class, and had no homework. He uploaded PowerPoints, sent us links to chemistry videos, and even occasionally made his own videos on days he couldn’t be in class. He often emailed us research opportunities, camps/programs, and articles applying the concepts we were learning in real life situations. One of his techniques to implement the “flipped classroom” model was to bring in laptops for students, which enabled us to do practice problems online during class and receive instant feedback (just as practice, not for a grade). If we didn’t understand any concepts or why we missed something, we could go up to him, and he would explain the problem step by step. Class time was essentially a free period. After all, we were not required to complete the class problems or talk to him. Many students groaned and moaned about his methods, complaining that he was simply too lazy to “actually teach”, and that he was the reason they were failing the class. A phrase I often heard floating around was “Ugh, why can’t he just teach the normal way.” I was confused by this. What did everyone mean by “actually teach”? Was what he was doing not considered real teaching? Sure, perhaps it was not the most CONVENTIONAL way of teaching, but I, for one, definitely felt like I was still learning things. Half the class supported his venture into technology, others revolted. Some students even complained to administration, calling the laptops “a waste of time” and “useless”.
As the year went on, I began to realize the ones who complained about our teacher’s teaching methods were often the ones who didn’t listen in class and depended on homework assignments to inflate their grades. They put all the responsibility on the teacher.
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