Placid Pools
Folks are excited about social networking tools. As teachers move to use these technologies, it forces a re-examination of what constitutes quality teaching…it forces us to rediscover the value of mayhem, the value of technologists as mischief-makers. As an experienced, veteran mischief-maker, I would be pleased to ban technology that is used in support of any of the following activities:
- Integrated learning systems like Plato, SuccessMaker, Compass Learning in situations where children go one-on-one with the technology.
- Tutorial software to drill students
- Edutainment titles—a la Reader Rabbit—that engage students for skill drill.
- Mis-use, or overuse, of diagnostic tools that constantly assess students where they are, then prescribe a learning path for improving their academic achievement.
- Internet as a “research” tool unaided by information problem-solving approaches such as the Big 6, FLIP IT!, KWHL
- Web-based publishing where the teacher does the work of publication, not the student (e.g. the teacher types up all the student writing because they want to correct students spelling/grammar errors before publication).
Instead, I would encourage the appropriate use of social networking tools in schools enable us all to receive the gift of mayhem. As Gregory Baum (Man Becoming) observes…
Some things precious to man can be produced by will power or merited by personal effort, but the important things just happen to a man. The profound things in human life are always gifts.
As disruptive as social networking tools are, they bring us into contact with each other so much more. They allow us to engage in dialogue, share and RECEIVE ideas in multimedia formats. This is the gift of mayhem, of havoc and disorder…in our ordered classrooms, placid ponds of passive procuration of knowledge, disruptive technologies should stir up a ripple.
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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure