To put it simply, technology gives me a lot of anxiety. Sure I can get on facebook without a problem, do research or upload pictures, but ask me to make a blog or start a discussion forum and I become completely anxious and nervous. Ask me to make a movie using imovie and I’ll stare at you blankly and ask: “How do I do that?”.
In my New Media class on Thursday, we discussed why this feeling of anxiousness happens to most people when technology is brought into the equation. I mean my generation we should be able to use technology with ease. Shouldn’t we? Personally I think my peers and I feel so anxious when technology doesn’t go our way because we are not used to not having our work done before class. We know the routine: Get assigned homework, do it, get assessed. But with technology, it doesn’t always work out to our advantage and we could end up going to class unprepared.
Campbell’s article, “A Personal CyberInfrastructural, discusses how technology, could be beneficial to students and make for many teachable moments for both students and teachers. Campbell says, “In building that personal cyberinfrastructure, students not only would acquire crucial technical skills for their digital lives but also would engage in work that provides richly teachable moments ranging from multimodal writing to information science, knowledge management, bibliographic instruction, and social networking.” When technology is brought into the classroom, students can experience so many new ideas and can start creating their “online lives”
Furthermore, Campbell discusses a digital facelift in which teachers bring technology into the classroom for students to learn about. But as teachers, we must do more than just show students what to do with technology because this in fact does not benefit students. When thinking about facelifts, we think of a painful experience that some people go through to better their appearance. By only showing students how to use technology and not fulling integrating it into the classroom, students will not benefit and therefore only makes the teacher look better. It is important to scaffold for students how to use the technology you showed them and then have them create their own blogs or discussion forums that they can make their own. Let them “personalize their lockers” as Campbell says.
On one final note, I believe that it is never too late to teach technology. The question of “is it too late to teach technology” was asked during Campbell’s discussion. Personally, I think it is never too late. Yes, it would be beneficial for students to learn as early as elementary school how to use certain technologies, it is never too late to learn. I am 20 years only and am just learning how to make blogs and use twitter. It’s a learning experience for me and when I’m a teacher, I want to be able to show my students how to use the technologies I use. I want use to all learn together.
For for information about Gardner Campbell’s article and discussion click on these links:
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