Why do you feel you need to be integrating/infusing Information and computer technology into your curriculum?
Being able to critically use technology and information from the digital world is the new basics. If someone is not able to use technology, or in the least being critical about information coming from the digital world, someone will take advantage of them. It is not sufficient anymore to function in the 21st century to only use reading, writing and talking. Everything important is done through computers.
Starting from advertisers who will sell the world, either using billboards, or every place they can find people. Knowing how media works and how to be informed can help someone greatly to take better decisions about what to buy, how to buy it (cash, credit) and the effects of our daily actions. Even if someone would like to use very little technology, knowing how to protect oneself from fraudulent people is a blessing.
What we see from young people is that they are highly motivated to use technology. Students bring iPods, cell phones to the classroom and would rather use their technology than what the typical teacher has provided. Instead of fighting the current trend, by preventing technology in the classroom, it might be more efficient to use it for learning. Young people use what they know and what they are provided with. They may not know the implications of their new gadgets nor how else could be done with technology. Technology is not going away. Should we let advertisers teach the students or should teachers take an active role in teaching the students? It is also a lot easier to work with the student’s trends than against it.
Digital citizenship means knowing how to behave online. For example, students need to know what are the effects of posting unflattering pictures of themselves online. What seems cool today and shared with the world may not seem so cool when future employers check what they have done online. The digital trace is permanent. Knowing how to secure passwords, how to protect your information is also important. Students (and adults) need to know proper code of conduct online. It is much easier to find and prove online bullying than to see it in the playground. There is always a digital trace.
Advertisers will sell games that may teach doubtful values, which take a lot of students’ time. There is a lot more to technology than playing games and using cell phones. There is a need to understand the functioning of computers for future careers. Students can be taught with programs adapted to their needs the basic of programming which is quite useful for computer science and engineering. There is a need to understand how to do business online. I have NO idea how to do that but I am sure students can be taught the basics of online marketing as well. Art, movies, music is also done with computers. Students with this ability would be quite motivated to use computers to express themselves. Scientists also use computers. It can be done to collect data, analyse data, map information, and develop models of current understanding. All of these fields share information online which is another area of expertise.
Sharing information online has its own problems as well. Sometimes information is inaccurate and plain wrong. Students need the critical thinking tools to be able to analyse information, see the sources of information, being able to compare, being able to see what is missing in order to make sense of the world. They need to compare and share knowledge with people of other parts of the world in order to make see the effects of what they do, and what other parts of the world are affected by decisions here. Many people, even people with degrees, think that people from other parts of the world, say Africa, are not able to self-reflect, analyse critically or be educated. Many people search ONE search engine and will believe the first website that comes up, whether it is true or not. Well, Madame, I read it online!
The role of the teacher is to make sense of everything that is online with students.
There is no doubt that we need to be in touch with the digital world. As an elementary teacher I feel blessed that the digital age has not yet had a huge impact on my students and BYOD to school. At a recent staff meeting we discussed the issues of responsibility and respect with rather expensive digital devices at school. In grade 1-6 are students responsible enough to have expensive equipment at school. Are there parents that would be willing to sign a waiver taking FULL responsibility for their child(ren) adn their devices e.g., netbook, iPad mini at school? Very few I think. Then comes the equity issue, what happens to those students who cannot afford a device like that iPad mini?
You raise an interesting point. In the primary school, which parents would allow their students to bring expensive devices to school? In general, I find that my students are very motivated when we use technology, either in the computer lab or in the classroom. Since it was announced at our board that students were allowed to bring their own device in the classroom, I have allowed students to use their device. It turns out that several students in late primary already have devices with them (grades 5 and 6). In previous years, since devices were not allowed in the classroom, I used to spend time telling students to put away their devices. Now, I can tell the students to use their devices for purposes I intended. Some parents send students with iPads, ipods, cellphones with Internet access. I was quite surprised at the extent of the parents’ generosity. Some other parents refuse to send devices to school with their children but we can certainly share all the computers/devices we have in the classroom. Our school will soon have additional devices that can be used in groups.
An iPad mini can be quite expensive but an iPod touch, more modest in price, can do a lot of the same important things: access to the internet, taking pictures, record voice, several applications are similar and work on several platforms.