Here is one example. One of my students recently showed me how with Microsoft Word one can enter in information and a parenthetical citation and Works Cited page will be automatically generated. I teach my composition students how to do parenthetical citations, and how to compose a Works Cited page, and most of them are unfamiliar with this feature in Word. Hence my dilemma - do I continue to teach them as I have been doing, making them think, use the book or the Purdue OWL online website, or do I teach them the feature in Word, that creates it for them? Or do I use some combination of the two? I'm undecided. A student still must enter in the correct information in the correct places, and find the correct MLA version.
Example number two involves Google. When a student doesn't know the answer to something, he or she 'googles' it. I use Google myself, quite often in fact, but I'm afraid that my students are not aware of all the other places one can find information -- books, libraries, other people, reliable websites.
One last example, for now, is the GPS. My husband bought us a GPS for Christmas. I pride myself on my ability to read a map and find my way to places I've never been, and my sense of direction is usually good. But I have used the GPS, and I must say, I like it. However, I don't depend on it. I still have directions, through mapquest, or a person, or a map, and I use it to make sure I'm going in the right direction, in the vicinity of my destination.
This is part one of my philosophy. For part two I will write about why I have chosen not to open a Facebook account or use a Smart Phone. I'd love to hear about your philosophy of technology. Or if you don't have one - why not develop your own!
These are interesting questions. Another issue is that researching online becomes a "time suck" as one thing leads to another. I agree that firsthand experience (away from gadgets and computers) is important, and in many ways more rewarding (i.e. figuring out the directions rather than relying on the GPS to order you around). I'll have lots to stay about part two.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, share the original way first so that they are aware of all the possible ways they can achieve their goal. The way they want to do it, depends on them of course. I'm sure the easiest and most convenient always comes first. It's always good to be armed with the old, tried and tested way of figuring out directions or solving a problem. Word can always fail anytime and what are you gonna do if that stops running and you need to provide results? Exactly :) I admit I am a huge consumer (understatement? haha) of new technology but lucky enough to grow up learning the basics and doing things the old fashioned way. No harm in letting the young generation still learn the old way things are done even if they might be obsolete. Which reminds me, I think I should show Jeriel how we used to listen to music on cassette tapes LOL
ReplyDeleteYou are so right Ronnie. The difference is we who are older, maybe over 30, learned how to write without a computer, and get places without a GPS. But the young people today are learning everything through technology, and are sometimes lost without it. Just this morning I couldn't unlock my car, - the unlock button on the key didn't work. We were frustrated and about to call AAA. Then I thought, shoot, why don't I just unlock the door the old-fashioned way, by putting my key in the lock on the door. Of course it worked, and all we needed to do was jump the car - dead battery. Lesson in point - learn the old fashioned ways, and use the new ones when you want. Thanks for your comment!! And I have some cassette tapes you can borrow!
DeleteStudents tend to get frustrated when you teach them something they think they can do in less than half the time on a computer (Notice I said "think") It becomes tough for them to really listen because of technology sometimes. I think what might work best is to meet them half way. Show them how to do it on the computer but then explain to them what each part of the works cited page means. Then you can grade them more tough because they are using a computer. My philosophy with technology is don't let it run your life. It's just a tool that we can use. An expensive and intrusive tool at times but still just a tool. Some of it is unnecessary but other parts of it is useful. I think we can pick and chose what is most useful for us and let what's not useful fade away into the sea of forgetfulness (whatever happened to laser discs anyway?).
ReplyDeleteI agree Brendan - that's a good way to look at it. I guess I'm overly careful with not letting technology get too intrusive in my life. It's part of modern-day life, and it's not going away, so we have to figure out how to use it, to incorporate into our lives, in ways that are helpful. Thanks for your comment!
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