Talking About My Generation

"What technology would you like to see intergrated into the curriculum? How would this technology be helpful or beneficial to the classroom?

-labtops
-labtops
-cellphones
-more t.v.
-a car
-ipods
-xbox
-labtops
-labtops
-myspace

This is just a small sample of the answers that rangout in response to the above question. The difficulty came when students were asked to follow-up with the second half of the question "How would this technology be helpful or beneficial to the classroom?" Labtops was obvious, students would have easy access to great informational resources at the simple click of a button. The negatives seem just as obvious, the cost is big, students would have access to great classroom distractions at the click of a button, and the possiblity of theft or damage.

Cellphones was a much more interesting conversation. Students were creative with their responses. Students suggested that we use them similiar to the radio d.j.'s text your answer into your teacher for morning warm-ups or even school wide competitions.

I'm not sure where we can go with this idea, cellphones as an aid to education, but I think the important thing is to recognize the significance they play in our students' lives. Like it or not our students are tech savvy and like to use that technology to socialize.