I've been having "blogger's block". There have been so many interesting things going on in the world of learning technologies but the block got the best of me. I know we have talked about this issue time over but I am beginning to think of effective and appropriate learning technologies that should be made available to our classrooms. I think of everything from technologies that students bring into class like personal computers to the overhead projector etc. I will focus on "student-provided" technology.
I always think of learning technologies and its application or diffusion into developing or emerging communities (I don't know what we are referred to these days). I think of my future classroom in my home country, we are having class in one of the computer labs or all my students have their own laptops (as in becoming the case today)...how do I keep my students focused on the activities happening in class? It is one thing to send your student out of the class when you catch them texting or reading the newspaper (my blood boils over when I think of someone doing that) but how do you control the student doing everything but paying attention? What are your experiences? Is there a technology that lets the instructor/facilitator control the computers in the classroom or monitor personal computer activity (and this monitoring only happens during classtime so technically I would not be invading anyone's privacy). What can we do?
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While there is software available to monitor computers in a lab setting, I'm not sure there is anything similar when students bring their own laptops.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the answer is to plan our class meetings in ways that engage students and require attention. Even adults are tempted to "wander off" during lectures!
I say don't let them bring their computers to class. If the class is in a computer lab, have the computers only equipped with what you want the students to use. If you'll be teaching them to do something with the internet, I think some wandering is inevitable unless they're busy with class-related activities.
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