Technology has got to go (from the classroom)

"....we must reconceptualize the teaching of literacy (as many teachers and researchers have been imploring us to do for years), and we need to do it quickly."

     I agree with this statement completely in maybe some different ways that the author didn't mean. When I was younger, I used to love reading books. I was good at it to, I was reading at a freshman reading level in 6th grade. But, with technology, I feel as if technology has just taken over my brain in a way. It's much harder for me now than ever before to read and fully comprehend what I'm reading. Technology is great, yes. However, I think that in the classroom, we should go back to the basics. No chrome books, no ipads, as little technology as can be. This will help improve literacy in the aspect of writing as well because students will have to hand write papers/essays again and that will improve their writing skills rather than having a computer do it for them.

     The SAMR model when it comes to technology and literacy can be useful in some ways though, just don't depend on it. For example, a student could have a speech class and needs to practice their public speaking because there are certain movements that her teacher wants her to avoid. So, she needs to apply what her teacher told her in some way. So, in order to execute her performance perfectly, she will make a movie or a video of her practicing her speech. This means, that she used an application called "Explain Everything." This application ensures that she does not stutter during her speech. So, technology outside of the classroom can be helpful yes, however it should be limited and not depended on when inside the classroom.


      To an extent, I have changed my mind about technology in the classroom, but, I still feel as if it should be used less than it is today. For instance, I do not agree that children should to ANY kind of testing on the computer, especially PARCC testing. However, after using the MindMeister application today, I feel as if using technology to improve literacy while writing isn't necessarily a bad thing like I originally thought. I really like how easy it was to use and to organize your thoughts but also how quickly you can change them too. It teaches students to be organized, especially when they might not know how to do it themselves. It also takes quite the load off of the teacher as well. For instance, while a student is completing this virtual mind map, the teacher can go in and put in subtle, but very powerful clues to help improve the student's writing. So, as compared to when my first post, I do change my mind, but I do change it to only an extent.