Should technology be used in schools?

Should technology be used in schools?

What an interesting topic for teachers...It is very controversial and there are many different opinions but I believe teachers should take the time to read about this topic and do some extensive research regarding it. Even though the majority of schools in South Africa are in rural areas and do not have the luxuries other schools such as for example some private schools have, we should still consider it.

Yes, great idea
Technology should be allowed in schools because the world is now ran by technology. The future will be ran by computers and we need children to grow up knowing how to use the computers to keep the world going. Banning the technology will cause some children to drop out quicker, schools are becoming more and more boring; which is harder to stay awake then. My nieces use I-pads at school to help her with her math and reading, she is now reading at a 6th grade level and only in 2nd grade. (Anonyms).

Technology should be allowed at school for student
I think student should not be allowed to have technology at school because they would get distracted by the technology they have because they well not get the task done that the teacher have gave them And well not get a good education in their life. As students should not be allowed the phone, ipads, ipods, as well as other thing unsuitable things for school but the school should supply technology for us kids to search major thing such as looking at things back from way back and even around the world . Plus technology is a lot of money these day some are up to 1 thousand dollar's plus your parents have other things such as buying food paying school fess and other priority with that much money. (Cassidy).

Technology in school should be allowed.Allowing technology in school will benefit children and teachers. Technology provides children with the skills that they will need later in their future. However, many schools don’t allow technology. Because of this, students are unable to learn their skills in the age that is supposed to be learned, according to research done by scientists. Also, it will be easier for teachers to teach with more technology in school. It will save a lot of paper for the environment too. Allowing more in school will teach children responsibility and technical skills.(Anonyms).

Technology: It's a Good Thing
Technology is necessary in today's educational setting. The working world, which school is preparing our students for, operates largely on technology. Factory procedures are coordinated with technology. The use of technological robotics is becoming more and more common. Even communication operations are advancing technologically by leaps and bounds. Our students need to learn as much about technology as they can to find a place in today's world. (JohnDeere1953).


How Should Schools be Using Tech to Teach?

Classroom technology in the 21^st Century extends far beyond calculators and overhead projectors. Today’s kids use the internet to track down information and share their research with kids across the world via blogs and wikis. In some ways, teachers are just keeping up with their students when it comes to using the internet.

At home, kids use the Internet to find information and communicate with friends. A 2007 National School Boards Association study found that 96 percent of students who have access to the Internet have used social networking (blogging, instant messaging, and online communities). What are they talking about? The answer may surprise you. The majority (59 percent) talk about education topics, from schoolwork to college applications.

But being internet-savvy isn’t the only skill that our kids are going to need to succeed in the 21^st Century. “Problems are getting so much more complex,” says Ken Kay, president of the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills, who says that teaching kids “how to analyze and solve problems is the most important thing we can do.” Along with problem solving, 21^st skills include collaborating, synthesizing information, communicating, having a strong work ethic, and being aware of global cultures and perspectives, all while using technology.

So far, technology education isn’t making the grade. Today’s kids are familiar with text messaging, email, Google, and Facebook, but can they find information online, use it to create a database, and solve a real world problem? And how much do they really know about global perspectives?
Parents want to help their kids develop real-world skills, from technology to global awareness, but where to start?

Read more regarding technology in our 21st Century classrooms:
http://www.mathopenref.com/site/techreasons.html

Bibliography:

http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-technology-be-used-in-schools
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Tech_in_Schools/

Picture:
https://www.google.co.za/search?q=should+technology+be+used+in+schools&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=RrZyUqXJJ4XX7AaZ9oDoDA&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1607&bih=756
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Tech_in_Schools/

Visual literacy in education

Visual literacy in education develops a student's visual literacy - their ability to comprehend, make meaning of, and communicate through visual means, usually in the form of images or multimedia.

History of visual art:

Images have always been involved in learning with pictures and artwork to help define history or literary works. However, visual literacy in education is becoming a much broader and extensive body of learning and comprehension. This is due to the integration of images and visual presentations in the curriculum as technology and the increasing availability of computers.

Traditionally, in education in particular, the conventional approach was that young learners acquired conventions of print which made each student a discursive learner. As we have recognized that there are multiple learning styles which better suit some students, some are text oriented, others are visual, kinesthetic, auditory, or a combination of two or more, developers of educational materials have adapted and made use of new media and technology. In 1989, there was a call for new curriculum in social studies, which was uniquely suited to bringing visual information to educational programs by introducing map reading skills, charts and graphs for analyzing data, primary source visuals from the period ephemera, and paintings, sculpture, architecture, objects of daily use, and other evidence of material culture that is the archive from which historians draw their information about past and present cultures. Materials that were embraced for their visual energy, authenticity, and characteristic interest to engage students were prepared by a research and development group named Ligature, whose design director, Josef Godlewski, a teacher of graphic design at The Rhode Island School of Design, brought to what is now the accepted integration of visuals with text that we see in print and media basrd learning programs.

What are the different elements in visual art?

1. Color – this includes the name of the color for example orange, the intensity of it in other words the brightness/dullness of it and the value of the color.
2. Form – this is three dimensional and encloses volume.
3. Line-continuous marking on a surface for example a pencil drawing or a wire outlines.
4. Shape-enclosed space
5. Space-distance or area between, around, above or within things.
6. Texture-surface quality or “feel” of an object for example roughness, smoothness etc.
7. Value is the lightness pr darkness of a color.

 

 

 

 

What are visual arts?

It is the object that you can see visually and some of these include drawings, paintings, sculptures, architecture, photos and films. Some of the decorative arts are ceramics, furniture and interior design, jewelry making, metal crafting and wood working. The word “Arts” come from the Middle Ages, where it was known as the seven arts namely grammar, rhetoric, dialectic logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music. These were not things you could look at physically. It was also know as Fine Arts and it was only studied by people who were not laborers. After some hundreds of years past, science was taken out of fine art and only the art (as we know it) was left behind. Fine art now included dance, paint, opera, sculpture, music, literature, architecture and decorative arts. In the 20-century fine arts were divided into three divisions namely Visual arts (painting etc.), auditory arts (dance, spoken literature etc.) and performing arts (visual/auditory but it is performed).

When a child is young the first way they learn is by seeing things and through visual objects for example the animal kingdom or all the shapes and colors. When your child reaches 5 years of age their cognitive ability will develop 6 fold. How will you know if this is their left or right brain (analytical or visual)? Therefore, you need to stimulate both sides. The Left brain right brain dominance theory says that the right brains ability includes more creative and expressive tasks like recognizing faces, expressing emotions, music, reading emotions, color, images, intuition, creativity. While you’re left brains ability is language, logic, critical thinking, numbers and reasoning (Kendra Cherry). Each child needs stimulation for both these parts of their brain because they are individuals that learn in a certain way and they have different God given talents therefore they excel in different areas. Visual arts are of critical importance in the curriculum so that each child receives equal opportunity to develop these skills. Each person develops one type of thinking that they prefer above the others. If I think of myself I definitely prefer learning by seeing something visual rather than reading about the same thing. For example I see how a water turbine works rather that reading how it works. I think visual arts plays a much bigger role in a child`s life than what we make it out to be. We as educators should place more emphasis on this subject and change to perception that there is attached to children that do art. They are seen as “less intelligent” than the children that do mathematics or science.

 

Why visual art is an important resource tool

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_literacy_in_education

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fauJEloQXHQ

Exercise for teaching Tolerance

Peaceful Heroes

This activity helps students discover the tools and the heart they need to build a more peaceful world. For each student, you will need a piece of drawing paper, coloured pencils and a black marker or pen.
Post and discuss the following essential questions:

• What does “the common good” mean, and why does understanding it matter?
• Why serve? How far am I willing to go to make a difference?

Whole-Group Activity
As a class, create a large diagram for the term “common good.” Write a working definition, characteristics, examples and non-examples for it. Next, using resources in your classroom, choose a “peaceful hero”—someone who stood up against injustice with nonviolence. A good example would be Nelson Mandela and how he forgave those who did wrong towards him. Read aloud information about your peaceful hero.

Model the steps below for participating in a “Nonfiction Marathon.”
1. Fold the paper in half lengthwise and then in thirds the other way. You should have six square boxes on the paper after the fold.
2. In the first box, have students draw book covers about the peaceful hero you chose.
3. In the second box, have students write a list of questions they have about your peaceful hero.
4. In the third box, ask students to draw an illustration with a caption about your peaceful hero.
5. In the fourth box, have students write any interesting or new vocabulary they encountered while learning about your peaceful hero.
6. In the fifth box, ask students to create a diagram, chart, map, graph or time line with facts about your peaceful hero.
7. In the sixth box, have students list important facts they learned about your peaceful hero.

Small-Group/Independent Work
Ask students to choose their own peaceful heroes. Set a timer for 10-minute intervals, and direct students to complete each step of the “Nonfiction Marathon.” Walk around the room discussing students’ thoughts with them as they work.

Author’s Chair
Allow students to share their work with the class. Revisit the essential questions during their presentations. How did the peaceful hero understand the common good? Why did the hero serve? How far was the hero willing to go to make a difference? How can the student become a peaceful hero?

See link for more heroes - South African Heroes

Reference:
Link and picture -
http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/articles/overview/our-heroes
http://www.tolerance.org/exchange/peaceful-heroes

The internet as a resource tool

 

 

Today’s busy, full packet curriculum leaves little time for children to do appropriate research regarding their projects and homework. There is not even enough time for the children that fall behind in class to catch up with their peers. The OBE curriculum is structured in such a way that a child in primary school has so many subjects and therefore a ton of homework. With the countries economical status it is evident that both parents need to work to generate income for their household. This leads to many children coming to school the following day without completing his/her homework because of lack of time and assignments being crammed in. Thankfully as time passes technology expands. The Internet has become a necessity in many lives young and old. It is information and communication at one`s finger tips. Generation Z (children who are born from the year 2000 onwards up until today) uses it for gathering information for their projects, downloading games and things to watch. Whereas adults, 18 years and older use the Internet for communication purposes and getting information quickly. The Internet assists us with endless amount of resources and children need to be able to access it. Whether it is at home or at school. Educator cannot deny this resourceful tool.

 

 

See the link below that speaks about how technology impacts a child`s writing skills for the better. There are so many websites that an educator can use to teach his/her pupils how to use the Internet as well as their mobile phones safely. See link below. It is the educators` responsibility to teach children how technology work and what benefit it holds for them.

 

 

Even though 60% Internet traffic of the African continent originates in South Africa there are only 11% of the populations of South Africa that have Internet access. This has to be taken into consideration when you as educator give the assignment`s instructions.

 

  

                                

                            Percentage of Internet users increasing over the years.

 

 

 

Internet impacting a child`s writing

Safety tips for using the Internet

Bibliography:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_South_Africa