6A Gia Prezioso- Response to Cassandra Guerrieri

Discussion Questions- Prezioso Response to Guerrieri

Cassie, you have a wonderful and relevant topic that I think all teachers and educators can relate to. Technology is not going away (we wouldn’t want it to) but there are positives and negatives to having it so readily available. This year I’ve put a cell phone bin on the desk by the door, so that as soon as students enter it goes there and is no longer a distraction, so I am not a stranger to the cons of technology. Your insight on the pros as well as the cons throughout your paper are eye-opening, helpful, and interesting. I enjoyed reading your work.

1. Based on your experience in the classroom and working with children of all functioning levels, how do you think that the increase in technology is helping your students and what about it hurts them?

There is no doubt that technology is a wonderful resource and can be very useful in the classroom, however, it is a double-edged sword. For as many times as technology has helped my students, it has also distracted them. Fighting the battle against cell phones, laptops, and other technology, like iPads is a battle already lost. Instead, utilizing those tools as resources for assignments or rewards for positive behavior are how I cope best with the increase in technology in schools. There is so much useful information that can be accessed so readily by a smartphone, that almost all secondary students have, that it is best to just use what is available to your advantage. Technology makes it easier on the students and more convenient to access information for both students and teachers, but because it does make it easier on the kids, it also creates a learned helplessness. When the technology isn’t accessible, they don’t know how to or don’t want to put forth the necessary effort to complete work without it. In addition, internet and technology use must be closely monitored due to the vast amount of inappropriate ways in which phones and social media can be used.

2. Based on your experiences in the classroom and working with children of all functioning level what do you think is the number one problem with the increase technology for these individuals?

Based on my personal experience in the classroom, I think the largest issue with technology is how uncontrolled it can be and the distractions that accompany its usage. At any given time, if not closely monitored, students can be on inappropriate websites, social media, and just simply using the technology in the wrong way. The internet creates a convenience to access so much information, and as a result makes it easier for students to practice academic dishonesty and share information. In addition to this, the increase in technology has created a constant distraction in the classroom. Almost every secondary student has a cell phone, brings it to school, and wants to use it every second of the day. It distracts students from what is going on in the classroom, outside of their digital world, and takes away from their education.

3. What do you feel is a possible solution for those families who do not have the means to provide the appropriate technology to children at home that they receive in the classroom?

I feel that the appropriate solution is for the teacher to make those accommodations for the student and not hold their family’s financial situation against them. In my classroom, we use a set of laptops provided by the school when we need them. The majority of my students have access to this technology at home, but for the few that don’t, I make arrangements with them to come in before or after school, and if that does not fit their schedule, they are able to use the technology in class. A child’s family situation is not something they can control, so I feel that it is inappropriate to hold them accountable for things they cannot help. Additionally, as their teacher, and as a human, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are sympathetic and understanding of their situation and are willing to work with them in order to help them be successful, regardless of the resources they have at home.

4. In your opinion, after reading this paper, what do you think can be done by the educator to help hinder future meltdowns within the classroom about the children’s desire for the use of some technology, such as iPads and computers?

In my opinion, the technology should be initially introduced as a reward for doing something positive, it shouldn’t be something they are used to having from the start or that they feel they have the right to. If the technology is being used for a specific academic task, rather than just for enjoyment, it is less likely that the student will have a meltdown when that task is complete. In order to avoid meltdowns, make the guidelines for when and how often students are able to use the technology and be sure to stick to those rules. Eventually, the students will get into a routine and know what to expect. Some meltdowns are inevitable, but doing these things will help to make them less extreme and less frequent.

5. What training do you think most educators do not receive when it comes to regulating technology in the classroom?

I think that most educators do not have a plethora of training in regulating technology in the classroom. From my personal experience in undergraduate school, we were taught to avoid allowing students to have it all together. Now that I am in my own classroom and have so much technology available to my students, it would be a shame to waste it, but I would strongly encourage close monitoring of such use, in order to avoid issues. I would assume that technology regulation training would be becoming more and more widespread as it becomes more and more relevant in the classroom.