Journal Entry
for
October 8th, 2001
Journal Entry
for
October 8th, 2001
Date: October
8, 2001
Science, Technology, and Society Topic of the Week:
Impact
of Human Technology on the Environment:
Bill Moyer Video-Earth on Edge
Educational Technology Topic of the Week: The
Connected Learning Community
Science, Technology, and Society Topic Position:
Impact of Human Technology on the Environment
In today's day and age, everybody seems to focus much time and attention on the, almost daily, advancements made in technology. However, as viewed from a video in class today, technology is not necessarily helping matters. Now, please don't get me wrong, the world has benefited greatly from most of these technological advancements, but unfortunately, there are times when what is easier comes before what is better.
As emphasized in our classroom video, people in the world need to take the time to actually look around them and see what has to be done in order to keep the world going- not just in five years, 20 years, or 50 years, but to keep the world going hundreds of years from now. One farmer was talking about the power of his peers, and advertising. It is not easy walking away from what your peers are doing, but this particular farmer has looked around at his farm, and at the world as well, and he sees that changes, be them big or small, need to be made if this world is going to keep up with its environment. Of course he wants to buy machinery and chemicals that make his job easier, but looking at the big picture, unlike his neighbors and a vast majority of the worlds' population, he understands that the big tractors and such are just not practical for today's environment.
How often do you look at the soil and think, "Oh, maybe I should not dump this on the ground, it is not good for the soil?" My guess is not very often. However, this farmer, from the video, has realized that the less tilling of the soil, the fewer fertilizers going in to the ground, and other simple things he does, actually have a positive effect on his land. His yield has not changed, yet he has noticed a significant change in his soil and land. As mentioned before, it is tough to walk away from the norm of the neighbors, and all of the advertisements, simplifying life, however, life does not become simpler by taking the "easy" way out of things. In actuality, taking the easy way now makes it harder to come back later, and this is not just pertaining to farms either.
Similar observations have been made in South Africa as well. What has always been taught to people, "plant trees, they are good for the environment," is not holding so true in some parts of the world. South Africa is starving for water, because the trees of the land are soaking up a majority of the water before it can get to the streams. Like the farmer, the people of South Africa, are realizing that what has been done for years, what has been taught as the right way to do things, is not really beneficial now. Just like the fertilizers and large amounts of soil being tilled are not necessary, all the trees, mostly exotic ones, in South Africa, are not serving any purpose for the people.
Personally, I feel people, myself included, need to start looking at the long term condition of the environment. It is time to focus on how technology can get us out of this bind of polluting, aggravating, and damaging our land. The primary goal should be everyone working together on this, because the outcome is going to effect us all. It is time to stop taking the easy way out while we have the option, because pretty soon, we are not going to have such an easy way back in.
Summary of Educational Technology Topic:
The Connected Learning Community
With all of the advancements in technology today, it is no wonder many teachers and schools, worldwide, are adapting their curriculum to fit the changes. Children are traveling to far away places without leaving their seats, they are communicating with other students countries away, and boring old subjects are looked at with motivation and enthusiasm, by both the student and the teacher. Why such great opportunities? What is it about the school allowing these students to actually enjoy learning?
The use of technology, mainly computers, in the classroom is enabling children to become interested in what is being taught. They are able to go above and beyond a text book, or a worksheet, because they are given the opportunity to actually create and pursue their own ideas. Teachers become involved in what everyone is doing, parents are able to see the progress their children are making in school, and each individual student is able to go beyond the limits he/she is able to in a text book.
However, like many advancements in technology, there are some disadvantages to the use of technology in the classroom. In many cases, families are unable to afford such technology in their homes. This often makes it difficult for parents to communicate with their child's teacher if there is not access to E-Mail from home, therefore, limiting the amount of interaction done between the teacher and parent. Also, going along with that idea, this is a very expensive way to teach. Not only does it cost the individual family, but schools as well. Technically, there should be a computer for every student if that is going to be the main method of teaching in the classroom. This can get extremely expensive, especially for schools with a high poverty level. Finally, the need for teachers to learn this technology well enough to be able to teach it to their students is a factor. Teachers have such a strict curriculum to follow, and such tight guidelines to get everything completed, it makes it difficult for teachers to take the time to learn the material. They could do it over the summer, but honestly, how many teachers are going to give up a portion of their summer to learn this new curriculum? Though there are many advantages to teaching with computers, many things have to be considered before a decision is made.
Webfolio Implementation:
The basic idea of a webfolio is to make a portfolio of work available to people on the web. Obviously, computers and other forms of technology are needed to create this webfolio. I feel it is important for children to be able to be familiar with certain capabilities of a computer. It is pretty tough to say exactly how computer technology would be incorporated in to a webfolio because it basically is a webfolio, but there are certain features computers have to offer in order to better the process of building this portfolio.
Ways to Improve this Class Session:
I found this class to be pretty interesting. I am enjoying the movie we are watching from Bill Moyer. It is interesting to look world-wide and see the uses, or lack there of, of technology, but to also see the ways people are realizing, despite the advancements in technology, that the environment needs to be taken care of.
I would enjoy more discussion during the movie, perhaps a recap of each section of the movie. I kind of felt I needed an "assessment" just to make sure I understood what was being discussed in the video. I think a little class discussion, or even questions asked by Professor Klein during random sections of the movie would be helpful. I think points would have been made clearer if we had done this.
All in all, I feel this class went really well (aside from the lack of heat in our classroom), and I am definitely anxious to see the rest of the Bill Moyer video.
Reflection on Potential Classroom Use:
The topic of technology in the classroom, building a community, is very relevant to today's society. Almost everybody in the United states has surfed the web at least once. Granted, there are those people who have not, but a vast majority of today's people have. I think it is extremely important to implement the computers, as well as other technology, into the classroom. I feel, with the use of computers especially, children are able to research more than if they were to just go to the library and get a couple of books. Often times, a person can research and review five or six web sites in the time it may take to read a chapter of a book. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way suggesting books are obsolete, but I am saying there is more up-to-date material on the web, that is easier to access. I feel children can learn to research materials, but also explore more options than just books from the library or something.
I also feel technology in the classroom, such as microscopes, calculators, and even television, can expand a child's learning environment. A child is able to see and actually participate, hands-on, in using the technology. The use of technology in the classroom veers away from the traditional lecture style class, and allows the students to actually become the class. With society today, it is extremely important for children to become familiar with technology and its advancements, and since children spend a majority of their time in school, I think it makes perfect sense to incorporate such technology into the classroom.
Though I feel it is important to incorporate technology into the classroom, I also feel it is equally important to emphasize reading books, solving math problems without calculators, and doing some things in a traditional way. I do not mean for this to sound contradictory to what I have said above, but I do mean for it to make a point. I think it is important for children to learn more than one way of doing things in the classroom. Personally, I was taught the long way to do division problems, the boring way to research material, and the tedious way of collecting data by hand. Then, as I got older and technology became more widely used, I learned how to do the same things through technology. By learning things the "hard" way first, I really understood what it was I was doing. Later on, I realized why I was putting certain numbers in certain places, because I learned that first. It is extremely important to have more than one way of doing the same thing, and I feel technology can help in this, as long as it does not get out of control and take over.
Outside Sources Pertaining to the Impact of Humans and Technology on the Environment:
The following sources will refer you to different web sites pertaining to the impact of human life and technology on the environment. Personally, as mentioned before, I feel humans need to take a look around and not worry about the easy way out, but more so on the fact there will be no way out if we continue to take advantage of the environment.
Science, Technology
&
Society Resources
| 1. "The Negative Impacts of Aquaculture" | This site informs people of the negative effects certain agriculture methods have on the environment, which tend to be ignored. | http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/pact-ch.htm
|
| 2. "Information Technology and the Environment: Choices and Opportunities" | This site discusses the different technological advancements in this country, and their potential affects on the environment. | http://www.cisp.org/imp/october_99/10_99kelly.htm
|
| 3. "Social Effects of Technology" | This site offers an opinion in agreement to the claim that technology
is taking a toll on the environment and other areas as well. Where
I do not completely agree with all of the points made in this article,
I feel a strong point is being made.
The second site is one in which a person can get to from the site above it, however, this one focuses completely on the impacts of technology on the environment. |
http://www.rit.edu/~flwstv/techeffects.html |
Outside Resources Supporting My Beliefs on Technology in the Classroom:
I feel technology is important in the classroom, however, I also feel it is important to make sure students are not completely dependent on technology to get their work done. I feel these two web sites reflect my opinion, and I think they will be of some use if this topic interests you.
Technical
Resources
| 4. "Computers in the Classroom" | This site offers different materials for educators on how to incorporate technology into their classroom and curriculum. | http://www.ozxpress.com.au/~dmorgan/textpages/
|
| 5. "Learning in the Real World" | This site expresses the concerns of benefits and costs some people have had, and continue to have, with the increasing amount of use of technology in the classroom. | http://www.realworld.org/
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