Mainstream Classrooms
The picture above was created by John T. Spencer as a mock of the PC-Mac commercials. Its purpose is too make fun of mainstream technology, there high cost, and impact on society.
Learning is Not a Game
In Mr.Spencer's post he uses dialect to bring attention to the idea that hands on experience helps student learn, understand, and apply concepts. In the post the a principal criticizes John for allowing his students to play games in class and demands him return to using standard memorization method to prepare the students for exams. Mr. Spencer insist that his students are not playing games in his classroom. Instead they are using interactive material that allows them to better understand the material.
In Mr.Spencer's second post he brought up something I have personally never thought of. He recalls a thing called Pen Quest that one of his teachers took the class on often. He remembers it to be somewhat fun, yet looking back it seems silly and pointless. This leads him to the question: what if the things that I set up for my students just became silly waste of school time in their eyes as they get older. My answer to this is purpose. It is so important that we as teachers make sure that we know the purpose our lessons have. Every moment is an opportunity to teach. If we are not mindfully using our time with a definite purpose. Students will look back a think what they did in our class was silly.
Technology is Killing the Students
Scott McLeod writes a laughable pled in his post asking everyone to stop teaching their kids to use technology so he's kids will come out more successful. McLeod mocks all the dangers and waste he hears people say about technology. He does this because he understands that if students are taught to effectively use technology to their advantage. It would become a tool not a fear.
