Question #1
Papert asks the following question following his parable of the time traveler from 100 years ago who lands in an operating room, as well as a classroom, and sees two very different levels of advancement:
"Why, through a period when so much human activity has been revolutionized, have we not seen comparable changes in the way we help our children learn?"
"Why, through a period when so much human activity has been revolutionized, have we not seen comparable changes in the way we help our children learn?"
- I personally feel that this is a difficult question to answer because my answer tends to change depending on how you view "change". In regards to students with disabilities, I feel there has been significant change within the classrooms over the past 100 years. In the past, students with disabilities were discriminated upon, deemed unintelligent and denied the learning opportunities available to typical developing students. However, as technology has continued to advance it has produced numerous devices to aid and allow students with learning disabilities to reach their educational goals. Such devices include and are not limited to; PEC's boards, switches, audio books, wheel chairs, laptops, microphones, hearing aids, cochlear implants, etc. These devices support and allow students to reach their educational goals by assisting in the learning process and promoting interactions with their peers. Also, as technology has continued to develop professionals have been able to better understand specific disabilities and how they affect a students learning. This in turn, has allowed educators to adjust their lessons to fit the needs of all students.
- However, when looking at this question from a second viewpoint I can agree that there has been no change within classrooms. Although there is a vast supply of technological resources, many educators are reluctant to use these tools to their advantage. Instead, they are sticking to their comfort zones and traditional methods of teaching, which signifies to students and parents their reluctance to embrace change. I feel that in order to be the superior technological county we wish to be then technology should be available in every aspect of learning. However, due to high costs this can be somewhat difficult to accomplish. It's disheartening to see our education system viewed as a means to make a profit which in reality is actually failing to educate our students. The goal of education is to promote the academic development and success in all individuals, however due to policy restraints increasingly more students are falling through the cracks. Government officials are left in charge of creating education policies which I find quite absurd, when in reality only a few of these officials have educational backgrounds. The standards created by goverment officals is one reason I feel that there has also not been change within the classrooms. Teachers are under a considerable amount of stress because of the standards of learning and passing rates, which in some cases tend to influnce their employment. As a result many teachers teach stricly from the assigned curriculum and have students rely on memorization as a means of comprehension measurment. In reality, students truly are not learning. There is less and less time available to truly explore a students interests, creativity, and critical thinking skills. Which I strongly believe is depriving students of healthy learning experiences that will affect them for the rest of their lives. I feel that in order to see change within classrooms then there needs to be change in policies before it is too late, specifically in regards to No Child Left Behind.
Question #2
"Papert seems to believe that video games are particularly educational. What have been your personal experiences with video games? In what ways are your feelings about the value of video games the same or different from Papert’s?"
- I think video games can be extremely beneficial to a students learning, however it depends on the context in which they are used. I feel that if used appropriately then they can teach students learning is "fast paced, immensely compelling and rewarding." However, I feel that too often video games are not used appropriately both inside and outside the classroom. The minds of young students is similar to a sponge and instead of focusing on violent video games I think there needs to be more educational, creative, critical thinking, and role playing games available. Especially since video game programs can be adjusted to meet the needs of the individual student. For example this past spring I was placed in a Kindergarten room at EastMont and they used a particular reading program for all students, even ESL learners. Skills were assessed prior in the school year and adjusted towards each students needs. There has been great success with this program, however there was frequent server issues with the program, which was quite frustrating. If you think about it, would a student be more motivated to practice and learn sight words and mathematical facts through interactive computer games or work sheets? As technology continues to develop I think it is important we embrace both the needs of our students and technology.
Question #3
"In trying to teach children what adults want them to know, does School utilize the way human beings naturally learn in nonschool settings?"
- I personally disagree. Outside of a school setting students learn through curiosity, explore their interests, question certain ideas and embrace what they are truly passionate about. However, I feel in schools children are deprived of this freedom due to the standards of learning. Teachers are faced with the pressure to teach students a specific set of material in order to pass assessments, which many government officials believe is the correct way of learning. Due to these restraints there is limited free time within the classroom and students are forced to learn a predetermined set of curriculum that I personally feel restricts learning.
Question #4
"After Papert’s story about sleeping giraffes, he mentions the possibility of the creation of a Knowledge Machine. The book was published in 1993. Do you think the Internet is the Knowledge Machine Papert envisioned in the early 1990s? If so, does it work the way Papert envisioned?
Question #5
"How would the introduction of Knowledge Machines into the School environment compromise the primacy with which we view reading and writing-that is, children’s fluency in using alphabetic language?"
Assuming the Internet, as it exists today, is the Knowledge Machine Papert envisioned, how would you respond to this question?
"After Papert’s story about sleeping giraffes, he mentions the possibility of the creation of a Knowledge Machine. The book was published in 1993. Do you think the Internet is the Knowledge Machine Papert envisioned in the early 1990s? If so, does it work the way Papert envisioned?
- I think that the Knowledge Machine can be seen as our modern day internet. Technology has produced us with one of the greatest tools available today, computers and internet. Through their finger tips and a quick click of the search button students have a vast amount of information available to them. In years past this was unimaginative, but it has completelyy revolutionized learning in schools. Students are able to learn what is going on in other countries in a series of seconds while sitting in their computer chairs. The internet has been extremely beneficial to students learning, however I feel that we have grown to depend too much on their internet and expect it to always be there. But what happens when it's not? There's times when the power is out or a computer may not be available, how does on react? In panic, I know I'm quite guilty of this all the time I freak out when I can't "GOOGLE" a question. This is causing students to lose the ability to think critically and problem solve. The internet is a great resource to learning, however how effective can it be when you aren't really learning for yourself?
Question #5
"How would the introduction of Knowledge Machines into the School environment compromise the primacy with which we view reading and writing-that is, children’s fluency in using alphabetic language?"
Assuming the Internet, as it exists today, is the Knowledge Machine Papert envisioned, how would you respond to this question?
- Reading and writing are essential to fluency in the alphabetic language. That being said, I think it is critical that these skills first be developed through experience and traditional methods until the skill foundation has been established. I feel that it is critical for students to read holding actual books instead of reading off a computer screen and actually write using pencils and paper instead of typing. The internet and computers are tools which can assist in our learning, however in order to further develop fluency students need to start with the basics. Computer programs can reinforce these fluency skills, however through sticking to traditional methods you are able to ensure the students are actually learning the skills.