Changing Time, Changing Curriculum?

After reading the article "Backup Education?", by Marc Prensky1, I began to reflect on my own view of the curriculum and the changing needs of students. While I do think that the curriculum should change to reflect the needs of modern students, I don't think that deleting the "fundamentals" is the answer. As teachers, our job is not only to teach students what to know, but more importantly how to think. I think it's possible to teach the curriculum while incorporating the use of technology into the lessons.

As a Math teacher, I have heard the questions from students, "Why can't we just use the calculator", and "When am I ever going to use this?" I think that these are valid questions, and sometimes I do agree with them. The danger is that students have begun to trust the calculator screen more than their own logic. For instance, even if they think that their answer doesn’t make sense, they believe it to be true because the calculator said so.

The article also brought to light the rapid increase at which global communication is available. Students are constantly checking their Facebook and Twitter pages, along with many other forms of communication which allow them to quickly access their peers, teachers, and virtually everyone on the internet. I think there is a need to incorporate these forms of communication (safely and effectively) as learning tools. The "basics" can still be taught to students, while teaching them how to use this technology effectively in a new and educational way.

With regards to the changing forms of communication, I was surprised to read the question, "...should we still spend all those years teaching our kids phonics?" (Prensky, pg. 2). I do agree that technology offers alternative and convenient forms of communication, and allows for the transfer of information to a much larger group of people in a very short amount of time. However I do not agree that skills such as reading and writing should be ignored. It would be like saying no one needs to learn how to play music because they can just listen to their Ipod, or program a computer to compose. There are other benefits to reading and writing other than the necessity to transfer information. Building these skills promote brain function, as well as the ability to organize one's thoughts and sort through given information, which are crucial skills for problem-solving. Furthermore, it's important that students learn how to think on their feet, creatively and with their own ideas, without the constant access to information.

In conclusion, the resistance to new technology will eventually be overcome. I can even remember my own high school experience, when Walkmans were strictly forbidden, and cell phones were nowhere to be found. Now, I would have a hard time finding a student who is without their Ipod, Itouch, or cell phone. As a teacher, I cannot ignore these changes, but embrace the opportunity to teach students on new and different levels, and find a way to communicate with students in formats that have become second nature to them.

Marcia

Sources

1. Prensky, Marc, "Backup Education?". Educational Technology, Vol 48 No 1, Jan-Feb. 2008