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I saw a recent quote by Bill Gates. We all know he has spent a fortune trying to figure out what works in education. He recently said that technology does help the motivated student. But the problem is we have too many students that are not motivated.
I teach chemistry, technology for a chemistry room is not a chromebook. Technology would be spectrophotometers, chromatograms, FTIR's, etc. These are instruments that a person would use in a real chemistry lab in industry. Do I have a room full of those, no. So I call BS on administrators for even thinking they know what technology is.
I taught chemistry for years. We used computers regularly.
For a high school chemistry student, a computer is a much more practical use of limited resources than a spectrophotometer. Those tools might be of more use for an AP chemistry student, but for a first year chem student, computer wins every time.
I suspect we are going to have a fundamentally different opinion on the purpose of a class like first year chem, because even though I am a research scientist, and my current students still use chemistry every day (we do a lot of research on ocean acidification) I acknowledge the fact that the typical chem student, in the typical high school does not need to emulate industry scientists in order to learn the foundations of chemistry. Now if you are a STEM magnet, with a specialty that would be supported by having that sort of technology that would be a completely different story.
But a computer is a gateway to beginning to learn about chemistry as an entire field of science that a single spectrophotometer or gas chromatograph would not be. And, the cost of a classroom set of chrome books is a fraction of the cost of a single piece of the equipment you mentioned above let alone enough for an entire class.
ITA. Somehow I don't think you and I are getting any of this in the near or distant future. They just gave us new ipads that we share on a rotating basis. I haven't figured out how to do a chemistry experiment with them yet. I suppose we could do virtual labs but, IMO, that is a step backwards from real labs.
iPads work as much more portable and shareable computers that allow students to use sensors for real titrations, have spectrometer abilities, measure, record, and graph almost anything from pH, conductivity, gas pressure and so on. So instead of installing computers at each lab station and the subsequent cost, a classroom set of iPads can be shared among several lab rooms.
Track changes is not what I am talking about although it is exceedingly useful for other things. Revision history is NOT track changes.
I'm not sure what version of Word you're using but mine does not have a revision history to look at. When I googled this, there was a note that I'd need access to the entire library to use revision history. My students send me their final copy. This year, we're using a new plagiarism scanner and students will submit their work right to the scanner and I can grade them in the scanner too. No more hours spent cutting and pasting their documents into the plagiarism scanner.[/quote]
It works on any version of Word since 2003. And you only need access to your library once you download the file.
I am sure you are now going to claim you students are writing permissions that don't allow it, but we have gone down this path before.
Nonsense. He has invested a fortune in figuring out ways to capture educational market share for his company.
I have yet to see any peer reviewed research saying our kids are learning more or better because of technology but we keep pushing it as the savior of education. What it is is the padding in Bill Gates' wallet.
Having heard the man speak on several occasions, I do believe that he believes he's improving education but as a teacher, I just don't see computers as improving learning. They have that potential but they are also a huge distraction from learning. If a student is bored with what is being done, there are just too many sites to go to. I dread computer lab days because of this. On computer lab days my role is reduced to internet nanny. My experience is that students are more likely to use a computer to cheat than learn. They don't write papers anymore. They cut, paste, shake and edit every 5th word with a thesaurus to get past a plagiarism checker. If I let them do something like use a spread sheet to make a graph for a lab I get 50 copies of the exact same graph (one person does it and the others get a copy). Ditto for writing lab procedures. I would love to remove the computer lab from the school but don't let my admins hear me say that. I'm supposed to embrace technology.
We now have a class set of chromebooks in every class in my high school. We are expected to use these and we will be tracked to see how much time our students spend using the chromebooks.
All we hear from administrators is technology this, technology that. We had a seminar on google sites and google classroom. They want the kids on computers all the time.
Curious if other districts around the country are doing the same.
Personally, I like technology. But not just for the sake of technology. I feel this is the beginning of trying to get rid of teachers and just having online curriculum and hiring aides to manage the class while students learn online.
I think they are missing the most important part of teaching. Inspiration. I think most people have had a teacher that has influenced their lives. Computers will never be able to do that.
It's the best argument for homeschool I've heard in a while.
iPads work as much more portable and shareable computers that allow students to use sensors for real titrations, have spectrometer abilities, measure, record, and graph almost anything from pH, conductivity, gas pressure and so on. So instead of installing computers at each lab station and the subsequent cost, a classroom set of iPads can be shared among several lab rooms.
Got budget for sensors? I don't. While ipads CAN be used with sensors for the things you describe, you have to buy the sensors. The ipads alone are more of a distraction than a help.
I'm not sure what version of Word you're using but mine does not have a revision history to look at. When I googled this, there was a note that I'd need access to the entire library to use revision history. My students send me their final copy. This year, we're using a new plagiarism scanner and students will submit their work right to the scanner and I can grade them in the scanner too. No more hours spent cutting and pasting their documents into the plagiarism scanner.
It works on any version of Word since 2003. And you only need access to your library once you download the file.
I am sure you are now going to claim you students are writing permissions that don't allow it, but we have gone down this path before.[/quote]
Care to give instructions? I cannot find a revision history on any of the student papers I looked at in Word. Obviously, I'm not looking in the right place. Could you please tell me where to find this? I'd like to see if it works. I have a feeling it won't because the internet article I found on this indicated that I would need access to the library where the previous versions were stored.
Here is what I found on microsofts website regarding revision histories:
"If a list or library on your site tracks versions, you can view version history for items or files, providing you have Read permission to the list or library. The version history contains information about when the item or file was changed, who changed it, and information about what was changed. In libraries, the version history might also contain comments written by the people who made changes."
and
"Note If you do not see the Version History command, your list or library may not be tracking versions."
So, I've opened a student's paper, how do I see the revision history? Without access to the library where the previous versions are saved? I see a "compare side by side" option under view for comparing two documents (but I only have one) and I see track changes on the review tab but students can turn that on and off. I don't see a version history command but that is probably because the student emailed me just the last version and I don't have access to the computer they wrote the paper on to view the library IF version tracking is active on that computer. I do not have access to the list or library where the document is stored. I have a document submitted to me electronically by the student.
Edited to add, I definitely cannot use this with student papers. I figured out how to see my own revision histories (but it doesn't have the actual changes. Just the date and identity of the person making the changes so I'm guessing my computer is not set up to track revisions.) on my computer. I would need access to the computer the paper was written on and that computer would need to be set up to track revisions. I don't have that. I have the paper the student emails to me.
Last edited by Ivorytickler; 09-13-2014 at 05:08 PM..
I have yet to see any peer reviewed research saying our kids are learning more or better because of technology but we keep pushing it as the savior of education. What it is is the padding in Bill Gates' wallet.
Having heard the man speak on several occasions, I do believe that he believes he's improving education but as a teacher, I just don't see computers as improving learning. They have that potential but they are also a huge distraction from learning. If a student is bored with what is being done, there are just too many sites to go to. I dread computer lab days because of this. On computer lab days my role is reduced to internet nanny. My experience is that students are more likely to use a computer to cheat than learn. They don't write papers anymore. They cut, paste, shake and edit every 5th word with a thesaurus to get past a plagiarism checker. If I let them do something like use a spread sheet to make a graph for a lab I get 50 copies of the exact same graph (one person does it and the others get a copy). Ditto for writing lab procedures. I would love to remove the computer lab from the school but don't let my admins hear me say that. I'm supposed to embrace technology.
Again, do you just make stuff up?
The volume of research on technology in education and computer based technology in particular goes back to the mid 80s at least.
One example of the hundreds of thousands of papers on google scholar on the topic.
Bayraktar, Sule. "A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction in science education." Journal of research on technology in education 34, no. 2 (2001): 173-188.
Technology can and does improve learning. It is not a pancea to all of the educational problems, but it is absolutely a valuable tool and it is disturbing in the extreme to see teachers pretending it isn't a useful tool and making up statements like the one bolded.
It works on any version of Word since 2003. And you only need access to your library once you download the file.
I am sure you are now going to claim you students are writing permissions that don't allow it, but we have gone down this path before.
Care to give instructions? I cannot find a revision history on any of the student papers I looked at in Word. Obviously, I'm not looking in the right place. Could you please tell me where to find this? I'd like to see if it works. I have a feeling it won't because the internet article I found on this indicated that I would need access to the library where the previous versions were stored.
So, I've opened a student's paper, how do I see the revision history? What tab do I find this under?[/quote]
ROLFMAO
I wouldn't help you in anyway, in any situation, EVER. You couldn't pay me enough money to assist you.
But that does not remotely change the fact that it is possible. The same way your statements about plagiarism checkers are plain old wrong. As well as your statement on research on the benefits of computers on student achievement.
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ITA. Somehow I don't think you and I are getting any of this in the near or distant future. They just gave us new ipads that we share on a rotating basis. I haven't figured out how to do a chemistry experiment with them yet. 
I suppose we could do virtual labs but, IMO, that is a step backwards from real labs.
