Comments on: Learn not be engaged in technology

By: Jeff S.

Jeff S. — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 01:54:08 +0000

I used to think the word “engaging” was overused…about 15 years ago during my undergraduate work. Unfortunately, the English language consists of only so many words that can be used in its place. In most instances the word is used, educators are implying that is learning is taking place, not forgetting about it. Education is full of words that are overused…”panacea” being another one, but due to linguistic limits we are forced to constantly regurgitate them.

I firmly believe the most learning occurs when students are…oh how do I say it…ummmm…involved…no…interested…no…ahhh…engaged. See what I mean?

By: Betty C.

Betty C. — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:59:41 +0000

This is a very thought-provoking post. I have college EFL students working on a “social-media connected writing project” right now. They are definitely engaged, but it’s not like learning is necessarily happening with a magic wand. As it turns out, I think it is more of a chance for them to practice the skills they have than acquire new ones, although certainly some vocabulary acquisition is taking place.

I have no regrets about the project, which is taking up only 6 class hours of their 90-hour English curriculum, but I am also glad I limited it to that. THe project could easily have been drawn out much longer, “engagement” included…but with how much extra learning?

By: BASGVSU

BASGVSU — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:24:17 +0000

This is a really great point. I hear other teachers talking about engagement as if that is the end instead of merely the means to an end. If students are focused on the technology, they may not be learning what we want them to learn.
Twenty-five years ago I sold life insurance, and my agency was one of the first in the area to use laptops to present the product and calculate values for the policy proposal. Very often people were dazzled by the technology, but completely uninterested in buying what I was selling. However, I probably could have sold my laptop a number of times!
Similarly, students should not be so “engaged” with the technology that they miss the lesson that is being presented. Tech should only support the lesson, it should never BE the lesson, right?

By: Blog Post 2 – Technology to increase learning « Teknowledgie

Blog Post 2 – Technology to increase learning « Teknowledgie — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 02:08:33 +0000

[...] his blog, Education with Technology Harry G. Tuttle, Tuttle recently posted “Learn not be engaged in technology.” An example of what he [...]

By: edtechceo

edtechceo — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 02:02:44 +0000

I agree with your post. So many students become so enthralled with the process of using technology, that they forget about the learning. However, I believe the same thing happens with teachers as well. They often get so caught up in the next “neat thing” that they forget the reason for using the technology. When I use technology in my classroom, I make sure that I can assess what the students learned, not just what picture they found. By looking at what new connections they are making in their knowledge, that’s where teachers can see real learning though technology taking place.