A very interesting article that made me think about how education has changed, though I’ve not even long been out of it. I agree that schools are put under too much pressure to ‘tick boxes.’ School is about passing exams, not getting an education unfortunately. I’m sure nobody likes making or viewing PowerPoints (!) Yet, I remember playing kahoot in class and using quizlet for revision was helpful, so there are some good uses for tech… but it should not be enforced as part of a box ticking exercise. books, and writing on a whiteboard, will always be superior to screens and presentations.
I was not expecting this essay to link our current educational demise to the NCLB legislation, but once you pointed it out, I thought, "Ah yes of course, that makes perfect sense." As a younger millennial, I'm thankful to have done the bulk of my schooling before technology became so prevalent in education.
I'm also reminded of the best teacher I ever had, Cathy Reinhart. She taught freshman and AP biology at my high school. In order to take her AP bio class, you had to be invited. She evaluated all her freshman students, and, if she believed we could handle her AP class, she sent a pink slip. It was thrilling to receive that invitation, especially because her AP class was exactly the same as the college course she taught at the local community college. It was a very difficult class, but that difficulty was what made it so special. We didn't need gamification because we were all competitive with each other to see who could be the best. I learned so much in that class beyond biology. I learned how to learn, and I learned about what I was capable of. I'll forever be grateful to her, and to this day, whenever I'm learning something new, I aspire to learn in a way that would make her proud.
Thank you for this fantastic and vital piece that helped me clarify my own concerns about how to approach to technology in my classroom.
Thirty years in to teaching and I’ve never questioned my own pedagogy and planning more than these past two years. Technology in all its facets has destabilized our profession far faster than we could adapt.
Going forward, each time I plan to use a slide deck think of “hypnotizing chickens” and seriously consider how I will utilize it. The Cheney/Rumsfeld pedagogical model is not worth emulating.
David, thank you! It’s affirming to be read and interacted with by experienced members of the profession like yourself! Best of luck with your teaching next year,
A very interesting article that made me think about how education has changed, though I’ve not even long been out of it. I agree that schools are put under too much pressure to ‘tick boxes.’ School is about passing exams, not getting an education unfortunately. I’m sure nobody likes making or viewing PowerPoints (!) Yet, I remember playing kahoot in class and using quizlet for revision was helpful, so there are some good uses for tech… but it should not be enforced as part of a box ticking exercise. books, and writing on a whiteboard, will always be superior to screens and presentations.
I was not expecting this essay to link our current educational demise to the NCLB legislation, but once you pointed it out, I thought, "Ah yes of course, that makes perfect sense." As a younger millennial, I'm thankful to have done the bulk of my schooling before technology became so prevalent in education.
I'm also reminded of the best teacher I ever had, Cathy Reinhart. She taught freshman and AP biology at my high school. In order to take her AP bio class, you had to be invited. She evaluated all her freshman students, and, if she believed we could handle her AP class, she sent a pink slip. It was thrilling to receive that invitation, especially because her AP class was exactly the same as the college course she taught at the local community college. It was a very difficult class, but that difficulty was what made it so special. We didn't need gamification because we were all competitive with each other to see who could be the best. I learned so much in that class beyond biology. I learned how to learn, and I learned about what I was capable of. I'll forever be grateful to her, and to this day, whenever I'm learning something new, I aspire to learn in a way that would make her proud.
Thank you for this fantastic and vital piece that helped me clarify my own concerns about how to approach to technology in my classroom.
Thirty years in to teaching and I’ve never questioned my own pedagogy and planning more than these past two years. Technology in all its facets has destabilized our profession far faster than we could adapt.
Going forward, each time I plan to use a slide deck think of “hypnotizing chickens” and seriously consider how I will utilize it. The Cheney/Rumsfeld pedagogical model is not worth emulating.
David, thank you! It’s affirming to be read and interacted with by experienced members of the profession like yourself! Best of luck with your teaching next year,
Peter
Insightful read. Interesting to hear about your experience.
Indeed: https://amardashehu.substack.com/p/what-do-students-want-of-ai