Tuesday, December 07, 2004
I KNEW IT!!
OK - you'll need some background information before we get to the good stuff
First, I taught for quite some time in an upper (upper upper upper) middle class suburban school district. For our puroposes, we'll just call this district WDM.
Second, WDM loved to toss around the term "Technology." Technology Teams, Technology Audits, Technology Training, Technology Plans, and Technology Everything
Third, WDM really used the phrase "technology" as a synomym for "Computers".
Fourth, WDM annually requested that I write out my year long "Curriculum Map" and include how I would be intergrating "technogy" into my rehearsals. (I listed my piano, my tuning fork, pencils, and the school stereo). My principal thought it was funny (and appropriate). The technology corridnator got angry and told me to use *computers* in my beginning orchestra rehearsals.
Fifth, computers don't scare me (although they seem to scare a lot of teachers). I would have happily incorporated a computer into my rehearsals *IF* the district had musical software/hardware. But they didn't. And I refused to take time away from the important stuff (making music) to do a dumb computer assingment. (The sole purpose of which, I think was just to justify the computer teacher's job).
All that, just to highlight this wonderful article: (that says I was brilliantly ahead of my time!!!
A new study reports that students who were heavy users of computers did worse in school than those who were not. "From a sample of 175,000 15-year-old students in 31 countries, researchers at the University of Munich announced in November that performance in math and reading had suffered significantly among students who have more than one computer at home. And while students seemed to benefit from limited use of computers at school, those who used them several times per week at school saw their academic performance decline significantly as well." [more]
VINDICATED!!! Article via ArtsJournal
OK - you'll need some background information before we get to the good stuff
First, I taught for quite some time in an upper (upper upper upper) middle class suburban school district. For our puroposes, we'll just call this district WDM.
Second, WDM loved to toss around the term "Technology." Technology Teams, Technology Audits, Technology Training, Technology Plans, and Technology Everything
Third, WDM really used the phrase "technology" as a synomym for "Computers".
Fourth, WDM annually requested that I write out my year long "Curriculum Map" and include how I would be intergrating "technogy" into my rehearsals. (I listed my piano, my tuning fork, pencils, and the school stereo). My principal thought it was funny (and appropriate). The technology corridnator got angry and told me to use *computers* in my beginning orchestra rehearsals.
Fifth, computers don't scare me (although they seem to scare a lot of teachers). I would have happily incorporated a computer into my rehearsals *IF* the district had musical software/hardware. But they didn't. And I refused to take time away from the important stuff (making music) to do a dumb computer assingment. (The sole purpose of which, I think was just to justify the computer teacher's job).
All that, just to highlight this wonderful article: (that says I was brilliantly ahead of my time!!!
A new study reports that students who were heavy users of computers did worse in school than those who were not. "From a sample of 175,000 15-year-old students in 31 countries, researchers at the University of Munich announced in November that performance in math and reading had suffered significantly among students who have more than one computer at home. And while students seemed to benefit from limited use of computers at school, those who used them several times per week at school saw their academic performance decline significantly as well." [more]
VINDICATED!!! Article via ArtsJournal