Technology and Education Critique

Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

I don’t feel like I’ve learned much from this subject. In the discussions, it seemed like everyone was saying whether or not they were a native or immigrant. They were just reciting thoughts that have been said before (who the natives are and who the immigrants are).

The video game discussions were interesting, and there seemed to be good arguments for both sides (if video games are educational or not). My view on video games has been slightly influenced by this discussion. I used to think educational video games were a good thing, but now I’m wondering if students really do learn anything from them or not. If students are playing educational video games, are they missing out on other important learning opportunities? They play enough video games on their own; so maybe games in the classroom isn’t necessary. Students should be focusing on other learning skills in school.

Education Evolving---Tech Savvy Students

I liked the responses in this subject. Everyone was sharing his or her thoughts and experiences with technology. I liked how a lot of people were reflecting on their own habits when using technology. :)

It appears that overall we feel multitasking can be a good idea at times, but not when it comes to doing schoolwork. Students today might be more tech savvy, but it’s not always in the best ways. They might be reluctant to ask for help and will try to figure out how to do something on their own (which doesn’t always have good results). As a future educator, I’ll have to do my best to keep up with the new technology that develops. I think students will probably always be a step ahead of educators just because they have a lot more free time than adults to play around with technology.

Learning with Laptops

I’ve never seen laptops used in schools, so I was interested to see what people had to say from their experiences. It sounds like students do gain skills from using the laptops (not just computer skills but social skills too). But as others mentioned there are negatives too. For example, laptops have shorter life spans and are more prone to breaking. Wouldn’t it just be easier if we stuck to computer labs?

Teacher Views on Technology Integration

This subject was kind of hard for me to follow. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not a teacher (or have experience yet working in a school), but I had trouble following/understanding everyone’s input in the discussion. Maybe this will make more sense to me later on. (For example, someone mentioned the constructivist teaching method, and I’ve heard of the constructivist method but I don’t remember what it is).

Two Perspectives of Technology Integration

What I’m getting from people’s reactions is technology is only effective if it’s used correctly in education. We also shouldn’t use every technology that gets created. For example, someone pointed out laser discs. This technology never became popular. So educators need to figure out which technology will enhance learning. If the technology is never going to be used then it’s just a waste of money, time and space.


Overall, I learned a few things in this Technology and Education topic. I can’t really pinpoint what I learned, but many of the comments have given me some things to think about that I’ve never really thought about before. I’m assuming most of the people here are educators, and it’s interesting to hear about their experiences. I can’t think of anything that I would change to improve this discussion.