In this chapter Wagner discusses how students in the technology era learn differently from how they did in the past so it is necessary to teach them differently too. He describes how outside of school adolescents are multitasking and always connected, receive instant gratification, learn through multimedia and connection to others, learn through discovery, and learn by creating. Then they come to school and are sometimes just lectured at and instructed to do problems out of a textbook. I agree with Wagner that since there is this substantial disconnect, students are bound to be unmotivated in traditional classes. One huge aspect of how students learn is using technology; thus we need to be using technology in our classrooms, and not just as a fun extension to the text every once in awhile. We should let students discover their learning about be creative by using technology on a daily basis in the classroom. I also think this is important because in the majority of careers they will have to use technology constantly. I also think that student learn more by discovering the concepts rather than being told them through a lecture or textbook. In my Integrated Math class students investigate concepts with group members. They have a much higher depth of knowledge than I had when I learned these concepts when I was in high school because they build their own understanding of them. One of the only concerns I have about the way Wagner suggests that we motive students is that this type of creative and discovery learning takes much more time than lecturing to students. In a education system based on teaching the standards and preparing students for standardized test, using technology to encourage student to learn the way they want to may be unrealistic. It seems to be a double edge sword; we teach to the test and kids are not motivate to learn, we give students the freedom to learn the way they want and we may not cover all the material on the standardized tests. However, I do think that it is possible to find a happy medium and incorporate elements of this style of learning and teaching into the current curriculum.
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AuthorMy name is Brooke and I am a teacher candidate in the CSUSM credential program. I am currently long-term subbing Integrated Math 1 and Math 180 classes at Vista High. Archives
May 2015
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