Jan
11
2008

“On! On!”

My son recently turned two, and even at this early age he sees the world in a simple duality – “on” and “off.” When presented with something new, his little hands turn the object over and over while his eyes carefully examine the surface. If he can’t find a button or a switch, he lifts his head up toward me, and with a voice that combines the tone of both a request and a command, he says, “On! On!”

His behavior caused me to ask some questions about the circumstances in classrooms today.

  • Are students “on” in classrooms today?
  • Have we turned students “off” by continuing to instruct in the same manner we were taught?
  • Have we turned students “off” by choosing to ignore the technologies that are a part of their daily life?
  • Are students waiting to be turned “on” by teachers who embrace change, both technological and pedagogical?
  • What might happen in classrooms if we did turn them “on”?

I will write about some of the factors that influence effective classroom technology integration in future posts.

About the Author: Darin Wagner

I am a high school teacher and technology integrator.

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