Tools for the Mind

Jeremy Strong

Ed 630

Article Assessment #3

“Tools for the Mind”

By: Mary Burns

Overview:

This article talks about the advantages of high-level technology skills and the pit falls of low-level technology skill use in the classroom. We all know that technology can improve student learning, but as this article points out the technology applications must be of a higher level to really be effective. Programs such as power points and Microsoft Word are really not strengthening cognitive development, but rather developing the sensorimotor skills. In order to get students to reach the higher levels of thinking it will take more then just technology. Higher level applications that require logical and conceptual thinking can help students to get there. Just like any other teaching tool it is going to start with the teachers and the curriculum, and it is up to us to change how technology is used in the classroom. This won’t be as easy as it sounds, since most teachers receive training on how to use technology and not how to teach with it.

Reference Points:

1. “Students and teachers must become creators of information and ideas, not simply users of technology.”

2.”Technology alone cannot move students to higher-order thinking skills, but some applications are more suited for this task then others.”

3.”Its not enough to help students find and communicate information.”

4.”In addition to lower-order tools, classrooms use more robust tools, such as the internet, in such nondifferentiated ways that dilute their power.”

5.”Computers can provide transformative student learning experiences that would otherwise not be possible.”

Reflection:

The fact is that computers are one of the most useful tools for our students to succeed. They should be taught how to use them for more then power point presentations and word applications. I fully agree with the article. With the capabilities and possibilities that a computer can bring to the classroom, it is a shame that there has been so much value put on the lower level applications. There is much that can be learned from using the higher level tools to teach students and the teachers. It will start with the teacher, just like any other subject. When a teacher makes anything meaningful and useful students tend to learn more. Finding the bridge to bring upper level computer programs and applications will create this purpose and value. There seems to be a lot of talk about interdisciplinary curriculum and how important it is, and I say one of the real connections that can deepen a unit and link it to another subject is computers and their applications. These technologies are always changing and it is hard to keep up with all the tools on a computer, but if teachers don’t try students will try on their own.