I am sure that my title caught your eye.
Yes, I teach 6th grade. Yes, I understand 6th graders are very smart, capable, and intelligent. Yes, I believe in them all.
No, I was not expecting my team’s students to be able to make it through county blocks to find porn, rap music, lyrics, etc. on our computers.
My school has a 1-to-1 laptop ratio and we also have iPad carts. We are very fortunate and I am so thankful for every piece of it.
What I have found out though is technology is a double-edged sword. If the students get the slightest bit bored, they will find porn. Or rap music. Or lyrics. Or really disgusting pictures of the Black Death that they will paste on your white board. Or a picture of your favorite animal, an elephant, getting speared.
Students must be engaged. ALWAYS. People outside the education realm think that if you just hand students technology then they will be engaged. This truly is not the case.
Technology must be incorporated in a meaningful, intellectual, and engaging way that will truly allow the students to excel. ENGAGEMENT with technology is the key. I hope I can continue learning more ways to make technology even more engaging.
That title made me laugh out loud! I taught middle school as well and know exactly what those little tricksters can get into when disengaged and left to their own devices. When our county went 1:1, I saw so many teachers make the mistake of just putting the kids on the computers and expecting the engagement and learning to happen through some sort of electronic osmosis…..it just doesn’t work that way, as you so eloquently pointed out. Students must be taught how to use the technology to engage themselves in academic learning, inquiry, collaboration and communication. They already know how to use the computers for EVERYTHING else under the sun…especially those things that are not as productive or mind expanding. Very good points in your post.
You are hilarious, but so right. We have to keep our students engaged at all times and reading your post makes me thankful I live in the world of kindergarteners!!!
Love the honesty and the reminder for us to stay on our toes.
You sure do know how to get our attention, Lauren. Thank you for a wonderful, thoughtful post.
Amneris
This is so key for middle school! But it’s always been this way. Back in the day it was dirty limericks being passed around on loose-leaf. Now it’s a little more graphic, is all. You’ve just got to find a way to be more interesting than the penises, quite frankly.
Its not just the kids who find that stuff…a routine search for sputnik turned up a stripper in pasties on my big screen and my trying to show the artwork “piss Christ” to make a point about censorship probably scarred a teenager for life! If i can find this stuff by accident/bad karma or whatever it stands to reason students can find it on purpose. It is def. a fine line to walk to use technology for good instead of evil.