Leslie Moller’s analogy of static versus dynamic technologies using the difference between following a recipe to prepare a meal versus comparing several recipes and tweaking the recipe to make it your own was insightful. She said “If you cook a meal, perhaps reading several recipes as a starting point, but through experimentation you create your own creative recipe by blending and blending and adding ideas you borrowed from previous cooking attempts, you are able to create a new dish” (Laureate, 2008). Reading that analogy guided my reflection on where I am on the static-dynamic continuum as it concerns technology. In my personal, professional, and academic life, I like to try things out for myself. I am a kinestic and visual learner – so what I see and do, I learn and retain. I have created my own way of doing most things using technology, and encourage my adult education computer students to do the same. Even if one makes a mistake, it can be corrected and leads to better learning with the ingenuity it sometimes takes to correct a mistake. I tell my students, “As long as you don’t pour water on the CPU, you can’t break the computers.” This encourages them to try, practice, and develop their own style as beginning students of technology. I do read instructions, but only after I have tried ad nauseum to figure something out on my own. I get a sense of accomplishment when I learn how to use the latest technology with no or minimal help from instructions or others. I consider myself to be on the dynamic side of the continuum scale, and it is exciting to see myself reflected in Moller’s writing.
Reference
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Static and dynamic technologies: by Leslie Moller Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/14936/CRS-WUEDUC8812-3730064/8842_M5_Paper.pdf.
AJ,
ReplyDeleteI wish there were more teachers who guided students to experiment with technology. I feel that teachers, especially those on the static end of things, fear the possibility of the students being more competent with the technology than the teacher. Although it was not an easy chore, I realized in my second year of teaching that it can be very motivational for the students to develop a sense of pride by "showing" the teacher and other students how to use various technological resources. Teachers could easily move from static to dynamic by incorporating technology into instruction by allowing students to experiment with the various innovations.
I can recall my first attempts of using Glogster in classroom instruction. I had never used it but I walked through a tutorial with the students using the LCD projector so they could see that practice makes perfect. The more we use resources the more comfortable we become using the resources. If we don't take the initiative to try new things, we will never be truly "dynamic".
Great post!
~Laura
Thank you for your comment, Laura. I have sat in training, workshops, and classes and been bored to death. If I'm not actively doing something during those presentations, I can't keep my eyes open. I remembered that when I started teaching, and since I'm teaching computer classes, it is fairly easy to incorporate technology into my lessons. What I have tried to stay away from is lecturing and letting students watch apathetically while I demonstrate everything on the projector. I encourage them to try on their own computers what I am teaching or demonstrating on the projector. In the past several years that I've taught these computer applications classes, I've learned any number of things from my students. That's saying something, I think.
ReplyDeleteHello AJ,
ReplyDeleteI know that our class is about Distance Learning, but I think everything centers about good instructional practices whether you teach adults, high school or early childhood. Good instruction matters. You explained very well how you learn and what the research has shown about active participation and student-centered instruction. I work with elementary aged children, so this article really caught my attention, especially because it spoke of a highly respected researcher in the area of teacher quality...Linda Darling-Hammond. Here is the link:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/11/09/how-to-teach-young-children-in-the-digital-age/
It talks about the need for teacher preparation programs to incorporate training that acknowledges how digital-savvy children learn. I think that we will see lots more with dynamic tools happen when our digital native population of teachers is then trained on how to use the tools. If schools do not have EXTENSIVE training programs to build teacher's skills in technology, they can never be expected to use the dynamic tools that they don't understand. It's going to be critical that the next generation of teachers be very prepared and savvy.