Module 14 Discussion: What Has Changed?

As I read through Module 14 the following stood out to me, because I believe we have come full circle and this still rings true.

"Research on learning has demonstrated that students understand best, remember ideas most effectively, and think most incisively when they feel personally responsible for getting meaning out of what they are learning instead of waiting for the teacher to shovel it in."

I have been teaching for 23 years, in years past my students would come in and be willing to actively learn, ask questions, have debates, and challenge the material. Now a good number of my students just want to be “spoon-fed” so they can regurgitate the information and move on. The question I get asked the most is “Is this on the Test?”

I am for technology, I taught technology to elementary students. However, the amount of information at our fingertips should make us more inquisitive, but I do not think it has. Since we can get answers in a flash, I believe we do not retain as much. Students are more impatient; therefore, it takes more to keep them engaged. Unfortunately, classes have various levels of learners, it is very difficult to maintain them all engrossed in the lessons even when differentiated.

Our district provides all students with some form of technology, they are also allowed to take it home. Often time my students are using the speech/dictation function to research and write their assignments. They are not typing; they are not attempting to spell the words correctly as they know the computers will do it for them.

This school year has caused me to reflect on the use of technology, I will be implementing changes in my classroom.

We have yet to discuss parents’ effect on learning, I had a parent request for that their child be excused from an assignment simply because the child did not want to complete it.