Allow me to write for a moment or so about something that
has been bugging me for the past few weeks. It’s something that Felicia mentions in this blog post and
something that was reinforced when I read this. And it’s something that I’ve definitely touched upon before.
I am petrified that technology is actually helping us to
create dependent learners.
There. I said
it. Disagree with me, please! Tell me I’m wrong because I want to be.
We are using the internet to help children get answers, not
find them, as Felicia writes.
Isn’t that also what we’re asked to do in the digital story project? Dependent learners are given a list of
resources that hold their hand through the process. Independent learners are given an objective or a task and
then they do it. Oh, you don’t
know how to use iMovie? Figure it
out by trial-and-error and playing around with it for yourself. That, I think, is why my generation and
the generations that have followed find tech so intuitive. We figured it out for ourselves. Nobody taught us. Our parents, by contrast, have to be
told how to do something and they don’t actually LEARN it – they LEARN to ask
us. I SAY NO! What my mom needs to
learn is how to find the answer…NOT GET THE ANSWER! Instead of calling me or my
brother, she needs to take on the inquiry task herself. If she did, she would be much more
likely to remember the answer…even if it takes longer to FIND it than to GET
it. If you can’t figure out how to
do something on iMovie, then find a tutorial yourself. Ask the internet yourself.
Like I said, this was reinforced when I read this. Did anyone else notice that about HALF
the sites were no longer available?
That’s the internet for you, folks! That’s why it’s important not to be GIVEN resources, but to
be comfortable FINDING them. There
will always be something to replace what goes missing, but if you can’t find
it, it won’t help you. So I say,
instead of telling your fourth-graders to get answers on a certain website,
give them an objective/task (webquest) and have them do independent
research. Not only are they
discovering content, they are learning how to learn. That’s as authentic and independent as it gets. And then they won’t shut down when
their go-to website does.
Ciao!
Yes Megan, I had the same worries when I read Felicia's post. I've found that in third grade having my class work in partners when trying some new technology out helps with their inquiry and independence. So they are not truly independently working, but they don't come and ask me for each step. With each other they are learning how to learn. My class is working on a webquest about the Solar System with a partner. I hear the comments and suggestions being shared. I witness the problem solving. They are also completing an individual project at home. Both projects will be presented. For each project I will have them complete a self reflection. I will compare the reflections and see which way they preferred to work...
ReplyDeleteindependently or with a partner. I will share pictures and videos after their projects are complete. By the way...I hate when I click on a site and I get that 404 Error message, how irritating!!!
I can't wait to see the pics/videos! And yes, 404 is the worst. Haha, look at this picture: http://www.collegehumor.com/picture/6709346/error-404-room-not-found
ReplyDeleteMegan, I totally understand where you are coming from. My fourth graders are so dependent on me, and getting their answers in the snap of their fingers. We are currently working on state web quests in which the students are grouped together with 4 other students and they are completing research on a specific state in the southeast region of the united states. Although they are in a group, each individual student has a specific job and they have a role to play. One student I each group is the illustrator, one student is the recorder, one student is the researcher, and one student is the organizer. By giving each student an individual role to play, they are being assessed by their ability to complete their role as well as their ability to work collaboratively as a group. I have only been teaching for 3 years now, but I feel that this year my students are much more dependent learners than independent this year and at any moment when I ask them to explore or infer or even imagine, they have a very difficult time doing so. I believe it has to do with the digital changes that have been implemented in society. I, as an educator offer my students many different opportunities for discovering and exploring in ways in which they are accountable for their own learning. They have come a long way this year, but I firmly believe that with the new CCSS standards being put into place and enforced, we will notice that students will develop into more independent learners as the new standards involve more in depth learning and performance based assessments! :-)
ReplyDeleteI think things are evolving and in today's schools, we have to teach kids how to explore and imagine (in addition to inferring), when in earlier ages, that was not needed. But I think the key is teaching them how to explore and imagine in a way that promotes their independence! I love the group roles, by the way. I was in a 5th grade class today and they were working on a group project, but often lost direction and got off-task because they didn't have those roles!
DeleteMegan, I laughed out loud when I read what you wrote about your mother! Mine is the same way--if she doesn't know the answer to some random computer or web-related question, she either calls my brother (who's a programmer in his spare time), me, or my sister. What's that old saying? "If you give a man a fish he eats for a day, but if you teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime"? or something along those lines. And, yes, I was really irritated that many of the links embedded in that document are no longer available. I totally agree with you, and thanks to Felicia for posting such a relevant article.
ReplyDeleteThat quote sums it up perfectly.
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