Technology, Bloom's Revise taxonomy and Prensky

When I started teaching the district asked us to attend more technology inservice  during the summer break. They stress to put technology into our lessons. In my teacher evaluation form the principle would have a section for technology in the class observation. More and more we see that schools getting on board with technology. They see that it is not only the future but a wonderful resource to teach our students and prepare them for the workforce. 

The older people that were not born with a cell phone on their hands find it odd with so much technology.  Honestly, we cannot escape it. We have to dive in or else we will be dinosaurs. Marc Prensky’s article  "Listen to the Natives" deals with this issue. He states people who are not use to utilizing technology  are out of touch with children of today. Technology is how our children learn and communicate. In Kathy Schrock's Guild to everything" article shows us how technology can be implemented in student learning for best practice. She gives names of IPad apps teachers can use for any specific category in Bloom's Taxonomy to help with cognition. This knowledge educators can utilize in the classroom or for homework assignments. It only gives you a guild to use and not an only tool by which teacher must practice as Prensky claims. 

How wonderful, in Bloom’s Revise Taxonomy by Schrock's guild, it breaks technology  into different categories to use in apps to teach for comprehension. An example in the Schrock's Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy is found on YouTube video where a class draws pictures in there computer of what they infer from the chapter of the book they are reading, whereby it helps cement their understanding. The teacher was around to help guide them as they got deeper understanding.  

 Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy  with technology is keeping up with today’s students. If you walk into a classroom today, you can find a kindergartner utilizing an IPad for  letter recognition and phonics. A fifth grader utilizing Wikipedia to do research on a historic person and a college student utilizing google map to discover where Mark Twain once lived  for his literature class. Every students engaged and acquiring understanding through the use of technology.  Marc Prensky makes his assertion that technology is where teacher should go to teach any subject because it's how children can only be taught today. Prensky holds a degree from Harvard Business School and is a designer of games for learning, as strongly stresses on his article. His argument is clear  that schools much change to meet the children of today and technology is the only thing schools should use. 

No one can deny that technology is changing the scope of learning and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy is an asset for the educator. It is a valuable resource librarian's can use to make the argument of why she is purchasing a certain app. It can be a point of reference to justify why a certain app is needed in the library/school or to engage them in a skill.  Although Pensky stresses that technology is the only means for our students to learn.   Pensky's claim is far fetch of cognitive understanding. A child learns in different ways, as Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence identifies. Gardner is a PhD., professor of Education of Harvard University, his theory states that all children have different ways of learning  and it is all depending on their intellectual strength. He asserts educator's to employ different means to teach and not use one specific thing to meet  all the student's needs.  

 In David Jonassen's book  “Modeling with technology: Mind tools for conceptual change” he addresses the importance of utilizing technology programs as a mind tool to enhance memory, make deep connections, and help the student with problem solving. Technology should be used as a tool for acquiring learning. An example that proves his point is in  a YouTube video   called “Teaching for Tomorrow: Flipped Learning,” about a science teacher who posted his lectures on YouTube for the students who were absent not miss out on the information on his lectures. Soon he notices that not only were his students who were absent seeing it but the “challenged” students were watching it too. They would watch it over and over again. His entire class changed because in school  he would go straight to the experiments being that they already understood the subject. Also he lets his students choose whether to take a paper and pencil test or  technology to show what they understood from the subject. In the long run it help with his differentiated learners. This teacher saw the importance of using technology as a tool.

  

Author Nicholas Carr who wrote “The Shallows” makes a good argument by which  technology is not allowing people to make deep connections. We are bombarded with information he says from everywhere. What we are reading goes from temporary memory to only by erase permanently because of technology distractions. In a student of today there is the cell phone, television, and IPad all begging for his attention. A student can be studying from his IPad but also getting texts from a friend distracting him of what is important. When a student is reading or studying they should put away all distractions and only concentrate on one thing at a time or else it will not be a permanent memory.

As future teacher librarians it is critical we know all the facts about technology and how children make deep cognitive connections.  Technology makes things easier and proficient but it also can be a distraction. Educators should use it as a tool. We need to keep up with the new technology and be knowledgeable of any new apps or technology gadgets for teaching. We have to implement it in our classrooms and in our lessons for "today’s students".  However using one thing to teach all things can be bad. Just because the children love to use technology for everything it does not mean it can be used as all means for learning.