Comments on: Watching Teachers Change with the Introduction of New Technologies http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2007/04/16/watching-teachers-change-with-the-introduction-of-new-technologies/ Intellagirl Ponders the Possibilities Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:46:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: John Krueger http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2007/04/16/watching-teachers-change-with-the-introduction-of-new-technologies/#comment-11144 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 22:39:01 +0000 http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2007/04/16/watching-teachers-change-with-the-introduction-of-new-technologies/#comment-11144 I agree. I know that smart boards can be great. They are wonderful tools. But I am concerned about whether we might place too much emphasis on them and lose our focus on bigger things. The well-funded districts will be the first to provide them to their students. It will take years for them to be available to all schools. And in the end they are something that you would use for only a short segment of class. I am much more excited about SL than about smart boards. Not trying to criticize...just my two cents. I agree. I know that smart boards can be great. They are wonderful tools. But I am concerned about whether we might place too much emphasis on them and lose our focus on bigger things. The well-funded districts will be the first to provide them to their students. It will take years for them to be available to all schools. And in the end they are something that you would use for only a short segment of class.

I am much more excited about SL than about smart boards. Not trying to criticize…just my two cents.

]]> by: Mike http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2007/04/16/watching-teachers-change-with-the-introduction-of-new-technologies/#comment-11142 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:37:11 +0000 http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2007/04/16/watching-teachers-change-with-the-introduction-of-new-technologies/#comment-11142 I think SmartBoards, while useful in certain situations, can be very dangerous for teachers. They reinforce a pedagogy we are trying to escape: the teacher at the front of the room transmitting facts at the students. Used correctly (i.e. the teacher has been given a lot of professional development on not just the technical aspects but also best practices for supporting instruction), the SmartBoard can be a very interactive and engaging technology that supports active student learning. Unfortunately, too frequently this isn't the case. And for what it's worth, I think that what has made this product so successful is not the board itself but the Smart Notebook software, which takes the whole PowerPoint motif and makes it more dynamic and interactive. I think SmartBoards, while useful in certain situations, can be very dangerous for teachers. They reinforce a pedagogy we are trying to escape: the teacher at the front of the room transmitting facts at the students. Used correctly (i.e. the teacher has been given a lot of professional development on not just the technical aspects but also best practices for supporting instruction), the SmartBoard can be a very interactive and engaging technology that supports active student learning. Unfortunately, too frequently this isn’t the case. And for what it’s worth, I think that what has made this product so successful is not the board itself but the Smart Notebook software, which takes the whole PowerPoint motif and makes it more dynamic and interactive.

]]> by: Kellie http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2007/04/16/watching-teachers-change-with-the-introduction-of-new-technologies/#comment-11140 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:00:14 +0000 http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2007/04/16/watching-teachers-change-with-the-introduction-of-new-technologies/#comment-11140 I am curious, what would you suggest to a teacher who is using technology to teach technology? I have a product that is web based training on different topics (A+, Word 2003, Dreamweaver, etc...). The training has the information to teach, but as a teacher, how can I implement it in my classroom successfully? I am curious, what would you suggest to a teacher who is using technology to teach technology? I have a product that is web based training on different topics (A+, Word 2003, Dreamweaver, etc…). The training has the information to teach, but as a teacher, how can I implement it in my classroom successfully?

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