Journal 6

McClintok, S. (2011, June/Jully). Student voices for change. Learning And Leading, 38(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-august-2011.aspx

In McClintok's article "Student Voices for Change", she discusses and provides examples on the importance of both technology in the classroom, and what students have to say about it. She gives examples of student's sharing how technology has helped them to become better students. Specifically, McClintok discusses how technology in education has influenced students at Van Meter community school in Iowa. This school has a one to one laptop to student initiative in place for grades 6-12. The teachers of this school have been given many chances to discuss educational transformation and edtech, but believe that they are not the voices that need to be heard in regards to it. They feel that the students voices are the ones that should be heard and should stand as examples of the benefits of Edtech. So that is exactly what they did. The students were able to speak to the Iowa house senate and education appropriations committee. Students from grades 5-12 all spoke of their experiences and resulting educational transformations by doing things such as creating blogs, youtube channels, or creating other impressive works which showcased their proficiency in technology and education. All of the examples were met with praise from the lawmakers and they pledged to do everything in their power to assist the furthering of educational transformation through technology in the classroom.

1) Are the student's voices the ones which should be used instead of the teachers?

I definitely think that the student's voices should be the ones which are heard and should stand as examples. While the teachers do play a large role in creating the chance for the students to excel and transform their education, the students are the ones who do it, and act as living proof. Along with this, while the teachers could talk about the implementation of the lessons and the results, I think it is much more powerful and real to actually see and hear the students discuss on a personal level how it has helped them. Clearly the lawmakers seemed to agree.

2) As an educator, do I see myself pushing for things such as a one to one laptop to student initiative?

As computers become more common place, I can absolutely see the benefit of it. Every child having access to a laptop or a computer is a great resource and gives them all a chance to become comfortable with emerging technology and apply it to their learning. However I also see the other side of things. For one, we cant always count on technology. Things breakdown, the internet stops working, files get lost etc. Even if this never happened and computers worked perfectly, that still does not mean that every child has access to one at home. This would mean that any work done on a laptop or computer in class would have to be strictly in class work only. It would not be fair to start an assignment in class but require it be finished at home. So, if used with consideration, laptops for every student can be an amazing resource, and something all educators should push for.