What would my 21st century classroom be like? I imagine myself years from now teaching High School biology in a manner that incorporates technology with hands on instruction. Computers are certainly a very useful tool in science that allows animation and stimulating games that are excellent to aide a student in grasping the very complex world of science. Cellular respiration or transmembrane diffusion is very difficult to explain in words in a manner that is easy to understand for all students. However, tools such as interactive animations can make even the most complex subject matter seem simple. As a science teacher, I feel I need to use a balance of technology and tactile learning to provide my students with a full understanding of the world around them. While computers are excellent tools, they can not tell a student how something feels or smells or tastes. Dissection, tactile manipulation and viewing live specimens is just as vital to a biology student as the computer is. That is why my classroom will be a balanced learning environment. I will incorporate several learning strategies to ensure that my students are fully prepared and engrossed in the subject matter.
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What I Want My Students to Know
I would like my students to know that biology is very important to helping us understand the delicate balance of nature, the complex systems of life and that through our understanding, we are better able to survive as a species. Understanding the role that organisms play in every aspect of life is vital to developing methods to preserve our planet as well as to maximize our own ability to thrive in an ever changing world. Understanding the way your body works leads to knowledge that can help maintain health and wellness as well as extending our lifespans. Medicine, vitamins, anti-venoms, all kinds of useful compounds that make our everyday life better come from a deeper understanding of the world we live in. I want my students to be excited about learning and to understand that they can always achieve their goals through seeking knowledge and understanding. Life is a lifelong classroom and learning never stops.
What I Want My Students to be Able to Do
I want my students to be able to complete assignments and to study my lectures but, I also want them to be able to challenge each other with questions and to respond in open conversations. I want students to question me and to seek outside information that will always keep me on my toes and striving to stay up to date with the newest information.
Methods of Education
It is my desire to incorporate short lectures with computer activities that reinforce the information that has been presented. Using the information they have learned , I would then like to design fun and safe hands on exercises that allow my students the opportunity to then apply that knowledge in a laboratory or field setting. I would like to use technology like Pearson lab's Mastering Biology, internet sites that show links of video taken from select topic of lecture from the university level to give them yet another perspective, and then have them create their own presentations to demonstrate their understanding and to allow them to express themselves through class conversation. I believe it is vital to allow the student to be interactive as much as possible to maintain focus and to feed their interest in learning. I want my students to teach me as well to keep my eyes open to change and to grow with the years so that I do not become a stale drone of the educational system. Through a bond of human and technological interaction I believe that a teacher can inspire a desire to learn more about the subject they teach. Krissy Venosdale's blog "Venspired , actually makes a lot of sense to me. Encouraging students to believe in themselves, to always seek knowledge from our peers, and to never stop learning is the key to being a positive influence on our young people. I must admit that Sugata Mitra's perspective of the future of education frightens me. Computers can never replace the social experience of school or the human element of an inspiring teacher. Obesity is already a huge problem, imaging a world in which our children spend their whole day in front of a screen. There must be a balance of both the human and the technological aspects of education. It is up to us as future educators to be inspirational to our students to allow them to think on their own while guiding to the answer. We must allow them to learn to question everything even ourselves. In closing, I truly hope that we do start a revolution in education. We must do away with the drones of the past and move forward with teachers that want to be there that desire to inspire our youth and are willing to use this age of technology as a tool of understanding and not a crutch to make our jobs easier.
"... and to study my lectures..." Why lecture? Isn't "doing biology" a better way to learn? In your first and second paragraphs you make a good argument against lectures!
ReplyDeleteMitra's experiments frighten you? The kids using the hole in the wall computers had no "social experience"? Really? How can you argue that?
"[T]he human element of an inspiring teacher" is necessary for learning>? I have never had an inspiring teacher (in the sense that you mean that) teach me anything about technology and education. Yet I would argue I have learned a lot about technology and about instruction!
Our main goal as educators is to be inspirational? Really?
"Obesity is already a huge problem, imaging a world..." Did you mean Obesity is already a huge problem. Imagine a world...
You try to make an argument with two extremes: sit in front of a computer using technology or what? Sit in a class and listen to a lecture? There is not much difference between the two in terms of activity. Why not think active learning versus passive learning? Technology can be a part of both approaches. My preference is for active learning!