EDCI 320 Ch 2

"How a person learns a particular set of knowledge and skills, and the situation in which a person learns, becomes a fundamental part of what is learned." This statement holds the strongest message of this chapter. This statement alone poses the question of how shall a teacher teach a subject so students obtain the highest level of comprehension of the information and be ability to apply the knowledge in the future. This chapter also makes numerous references to the need for teachers to use technology in their classrooms and that teachers will need to understand and teach students how to use technology. The books definition as reiterated in class was that Technology is: any device or systematic technique that improves the quality of life.
Further in-depth in this chapter we get into the discussion of such organizations as NETS-T. As described this and other organizations put standards and restrictions requiring teachers to uphold a certain understanding of computer based programs that may be incorporated into the classroom. From my experience I see a contradiction within the use of the word technology by definition as it is used pertaining to the regulatory approach of such organizations. This does not improve the standard of living for students or teachers. I do feel that teachers should have a strong knowledge of teaching practices but to impose regulation. Increase the cost of public school systems to pay for these organizations to impose their regulations. Put the money back into the schools that we can teach more efficiently. Instead of stripping the budget to create unnecessary jobs that intern create more jobs to find out why the schools are not teaching to standard.
I also object to the idea of taking class time away from the subject to teach a student about PowerPoint. Teachers should be willing to offer assistance for minor questions. A math teacher is there to teach Math and a computer skills teacher is to teach such classes as PowerPoint. That is why schools have full classes dedicated to teaching PowerPoint. Teachers should have a great understanding of multiple intelligences and that different students learn at different rates and by different means. Turning on a youtube video and having a PowerPoint may aid in a presentation to address some of these need of the students but fall far short of being a means of teaching.
What am I as a teacher suppose to get from a book that is filled with generalized statements, poor grammar, run-on sentences, and constant references to regulatory restrictions with no insight into how to apply techniques to improve the lives and education of my students?