This book was of particular relevancy to me because I’m in
the older part of the app generation. I
remember my first iPhone, generation 3, it was revolutionary. No longer was it necessary to print off
directions from MapQuest, no longer was it necessary to wait for the local
forecast every 10 minutes on The Weather Channel, now you could do everything
at your fingertips by clicking an icon. As with all technologies, with
pros, come cons. My generation has
become rather narcissistic posting duck lip selfies on Facebook, or Instagram
in hopes of getting likes to feed our egos, we find ourselves with hundreds and
hundreds of followers, yet those superficial “friendships” still leave us
lonely, and increased anxiety due to seeing everyone’s perfect seeming social
media lives. On the flip side, the app generation is more open minded and
accepting than others before, there’s so much potential for creativity (there’s
an app for that!), and individualism is flourishing.
Me, being in the older part of the generation, use an app
every few minutes. Regarding our students, their entire lives have been framed by apps. They know how to use all these apps for
social and fun reasons, what we, as educators must do, is teach them ways to
put some of these apps to use for them to increase their content
knowledge. It can be a challenge, especially
with a content area like math. Sure, we
can find some app that drills them with math facts, but ideally we find some
way to use these apps to facilitate higher levels of learning. Some way to add the play back into
learning! It all goes back to the
pickle, which as time consuming as it may be to create, I truly believe is the
answer. If we utilize all the
technologies these kids have we will be amazed at some of the things they can
create!
"There's an app for that!" Oh my goodness, my teacher friend practically brainwashed me on the recess bench with that phrase! It became a funny joke, but was true enough that I purchased an iPhone that year. (She's also the one who showed me what Facebook was all about. At that time you still had to sign up with a university email!) I've always been an extremely curious person, and it's served me well since education has changed so much in the past ten years. I enjoy "playing" with technology, but this book made me stop and reflect about how much I'm app-enabled vs. app-dependent. Technology over the decades can be blamed for many things, and it's no different in modern times. We have to stay educated, stay aware, and take responsibility for the welfare of the younger generations. We can't lose the ability to think for ourselves, make decisions, and survive without a screen! It's up to us to determine if we are using the tools to enhance life, or if we are letting the tools control our lives.
ReplyDelete"It can be a challenge, especially with a content area like math. Sure, we can find some app that drills them with math facts, but ideally we find some way to use these apps to facilitate higher levels of learning."
ReplyDeleteSo true, so true. Tell me when you locate the Apps and techniques that do just this.
I know I need to learn more about the Apps available, but the ones I am aware of seem to be mostly of the "skill/drill" type. I agree that, as we learn more about designing, as opposed to just planning lessons, Apps can play a role in involving students in their learning.
Yes! It does always come back to the PICKLE. If we want students to move away from the issues identified in “The App Generation”, then we must move the students in that direction. In a way, the skills provided by the PICKLE are the antithesis of the characteristics described in “The App Generation”. Students should be able to solve these issues.
ReplyDelete