Revolution in the Classroom and in Students’ Social Lives

Integrating technology in the classroom: Pros and Cons

Students are engaged in technology on a daily basis.  Why not incorporate this within the classroom setting as well?  The video depicts teachers who embrace the latest technology.  Some think teachers have to be “entertainers, to cut through the media and capture their attention.”  Other teachers argue that technology has transformed students who cannot focus but rather have five windows open, looking for immediate answers and responses.  Rosa Porpora, an English Teacher at Chatham, recognizes the times when her students know more about the technology than she does and she allows “them to take over.”  She also agrees that today’s students have lost more focus than students in the classroom thirty years ago.

Your assignment:  Please write three to four paragraphs arguing your stance while addressing the following: 1. The use of Spark Notes and other shortcuts students are taking instead of completing the full assignment.  2. Though they state the procedures, some teachers have accepted that students will “cheat” and want immediate answers because “that’s how the outside world works.”  3.  What do you think of the effects of social networks in the school environment?