"Learning with Technology"

There have been some great inventions over the past century, and many have changed the rate of learning and absorption of knowledge. Computers and calculators are two that come to mind, enabling individual students to gain access to vast amounts of knowledge and do high level math that was previously impossible. However, often times as a culture we get bogged down in the details, rather than focusing on the "big picture". Using technology in the classroom as an example, we sometimes bounce from one new tool to another, and think that the new invention will revolutionize the way that students are taught. Tools are only useful if the person holding them knows how to use the instrument in the wider context of a specific goal. We need to remain focused on the goal of education: to equip students to critically think and analyze new concepts.

One of my favorite classes in graduate school was a business ethics course. The teacher handed out i-clicks at the very first class, as she talked about the reciprocal nature of ethics. I had never worked with an i-click, but they did not seem cutting edge, and seemed as advanced as a cordless phone. The teacher was commenting that as a stand-alone discipline, ethics have no power. They need a person to bring the theories and values to life. That is where the i-clicker came into the picture:

http://www.edudemic.com/classroom-technology/

The teacher turned on a video of two men in a room with a closed door, and one man explaining to the other about a stock tip that he had heard from a "inside source". The silent man then asked if this was public information yet, and was told "Don't worry about it...you are gonna get rich!". The teacher then put up a slide that asked what the questioning man should do:

-Inform the authorities
-Walk out of the room
-Tell the man to drop the subject
-Ask more questions
-Buy the stock

We quickly answered on our i-clicks, and the responses were then displayed. The class was empowered. We were able to engage with the material because we were able to voice our opinions; essentially we had become a part of the democratic process. Even more important, everyone had to participate, not just the people who enjoyed the spotlight or speaking in front of a group of people. A debate ensued as people began to dispute the results of the survey. Critical thinking had been sparked, and in part because of a small piece of technology called an i-click.