After the recent hurricane, I have
begun to realize how dependent we are on technology! In a classroom setting, it
is extremely important to have regular access to the internet. This experience
has caused a hiccup in most of my classes and my ability to complete midterm
assignments. I feel extremely fortunate that my professors felt that it was necessary
to extend deadlines in order to accommodate all students who were affected by
this terrible storm.
Technology has progressed so much
over the past decade and with that, so has the way teachers approach education.
The past two weeks have made me think and rethink the way technology plays into
education and what teachers can do to make sure all students are equipped to
deal with technology snafus. The Interactivity that we had to complete in
groups was extremely difficult for some to complete. I was able to finish the
assignment before the storm hit, which made it easier for me to communicate
with my group members before the storm and collaborate before the impending
loss of power. It was difficult to communicate with and help my group members
who weren’t able to complete or access the assignment until after the storm
hit. I tried the best I could to use my smartphone in order to extent the line
of communication with other members of my group, but I felt terrible about the
inability to get the assignment completed before the initial deadline due to
loss of power.
Teachers should encourage students
to attempt to complete assignments ahead of time if at all possible in light of
conditions such as a hurricane so all members are able to achieve the group’s
goal. Also, teachers should encourage and remind students to save all documents
and work that may pertain to their assignments beforehand. I know that I was
able to save all my blog posts to be posted throughout the week beforehand
because I tend to lose documents frequently. I had midterms to finish which
required me having access to online journals. It is important to remind
students of the ways students can access those documents without internet
access and show them how to do it. I was able to copy and save those articles
as word documents onto my desktop to read and respond to despite having no
access to the internet.
On a personal level, loss of power
is very stressful. I, like so many others had no access to the world outside my
freezing house. It was difficult to communicate with others. It puts into
perspective the ways in which we take advantage of the technologies we are
accustomed to. So many students weren't able to see whether they had school or not during that period of time. Our school was able to directly contact students via text message, which is a great way to communicate. I had no internet on my smartphone either, so I had to leave to find wireless internet elsewhere in order to see if I had work within my school district. Since most homes in my community had no power for upwards of 10 days, schools had difficulty opening.
It is insane how much techonology runs our lives and without it, we feel helpless. In wake of this absolutely devastating tragedy, I hope that many are able to recover. I cannot tell you how many facebook statuses I encountered of people complaining about not having internet and cable, while others are without their houses (It puts things into perspective). Technology has forced us to live in some kind of secure bubble where we feel that this is our normal way of living and we aren't exactly in touch with actual "reality." This hurricane was tragic and I hope that people will appreciate what they do have and help those who do not have much left.
You mention that it is important to have Internet access in the classroom setting but it is also very important to have it outside the classroom. We rely on technology for communication today because of all we have like computers and cellphones. Students in face-to-face classes even use technology to communicate and do work. Not only group work but individual work relies on these technologies today, too. Many homework assignments are done via the computer because they are to be typed or research via the Internet is involved.
ReplyDeleteBefore Hurricane Sandy, I set everything up on my computer--crazy, right? I loaded everything I had to read and blogs I wanted to comment on and kept them up or bookmarked them so I can pull them up without Internet access. Then, I was still able to open up Pages to type everything up so the second I had Internet, I would post my work. I was also able to contact professors via my phone even though we did not meet. However, these devices (computer, cellphone) relied on POWER! So once the power juices ran out on these technologies, that was it. I felt so helpless and I was only able to do the homework I had that involved......books! I did not realize how many of my assignments needed Internet access or access to technology in general.
However, professors understood, of course, and many of them did not have power themselves. I agree that it is important to encourage students to complete assignments ahead of time but I think it is really important to show students how to save homework beforehand. However, communication is something that students will not be able to retrieve with preparation. Once power is lost and technology is not accessible, if there is no face-to-face contact, how can there be communication except via mail (which, during storms, is probably not in service, either)?
This also made me think about students without technology. Look at how we felt without it and think about students who do not have this access. How can we incorporate technology into the classroom and still ensure that students without certain devices at home can still learn and use technology in the classroom? This can be solved by having a computer lab or taking a tip to the local library each week in lieu of a class and having students use computers for a project. I think this past storm was a testament of the significance of technology in our lives. If we rely on it so heavily to get through our every day lives, why not add it to the classroom as we see how much we use it to communicate and more?
Lauren, all I can think of the morning the storm was supposed to hit is "oh my god I need to do my homework". I woke up that morning early because I know my group was relying on me to get my portion of the project done. I thankfully finished it before the power was gone, but the idea that I need my computer and the internet so bad is almost a little bit crazy. I really feel for those who didn't have power for a while because they must have been very stressed over the work that needs the computer. Almost every single thing we do in college is technology driven. I was discussing with the class I was observing for Fieldwork what they did when the power went out and they expressed how bored beyond belief they were. Not only does school depend on technology, but it also a passing time and form of entertainment for people Tec enology plays a huge role in our daily lives.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I lost power and felt totally lost and helpless. I had never realized how much all of my classes rely on technology before! All of my Professors were understanding and altered the assignments and due dates. It was frustrating, however, because without power you cannot know that all of this is going on. Thankfully, my phone was able to occasionally load emails so I could stay updated on school closures and important class information. It was a weird feeling waiting and hoping for the emails to load so I could see whether or not I had school every day. Usually, the emails are there waiting and I can access them anytime. Suddenly, I couldn’t make phone calls, only some of my text messages would go through, and emails took hours to load. I couldn’t check the weather or turn on the news to see how the rest of the state was affected by the Hurricane.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned, technology comes with a lot of snafus! In my fieldwork school, there are always problems with printing and some students don’t have ink or even a printer, sometimes. To make matters worse, the library doesn’t have a consistent schedule, due to budget cuts, so students cannot print at school. Another problem is the cost of Microsoft Word. A student came in after school one day and told my coop that he doesn’t have Microsoft Word because it is so expensive and he has other more important things to purchase. My coop was understanding and agreed with the student, but he told him he needed to get Microsoft Word because it is required by most teachers and professors. He offered some temporary solutions, telling the student about similar programs that are less expensive or even free.
As teachers, we have to be aware of our students’ financial struggles and be understanding. I would be willing to accept an assignment via email if I knew that the student had a difficult time printing it. If a student had a computer issue, I would accept the assignment hand written, for example. I wouldn’t, however, be lenient with students who come to class without anything to hand it, unless there was a major emergency. It is important to be understanding, but also to be consistent. Of course, with Hurricane Sandy, classes were affected and teachers had to do things differently than intended. For instance, my coop, who always marks late work down to 50%, accepted all late work for full credit, due to the Hurricane.
I agree that teacher should tell students to complete assignments ahead of time when there is a Hurricane on the horizon, for example. However, students tend not to listen to such warnings! They assume they won’t lose power or count on the teacher being lenient if something does actually happen. I, personally, would give an additional day or two for the homework to be completed. Of course, if a student has lost their home, this would be a much different situation and I would work with the student to help him/her keep up in the class.