During week 5 learning experience I came across a statement that got me thinking:
“Technology is change the experiences we have and this may change the the content or knowledge that we need”.
The article goes on to provide an example of a year 2 maths lesson which teaches students how to count change. But it asks how often do we actually use change? I work in a retail store and the vast majority of our customers pay by eftpos. This is a clear example of how technology has changed out practices and how teaching needs to reflect changing experiences.
This got me thinking … is teaching students to handwrite, the old faithful pen and paper, that important any more. I know being able to write is an important social function but I mean how often do we actually write with pen and paper. I record my lectures notes by annotating the PDF lecture slides. Most students in the classes I have taught on practical experience use their computer to takes notes. I was astounded by the amount of students who do not even bring a pen to school.
Is handwriting an outdated learning experience?
Similarly, Alice in her blog talks about getting rid of handwritten maths tests as with online tests available she thinks they are outdated. I know this would save in marking time as the technology is able to automatically generate the results so I can see how it would be beneficial for the teacher.
I am interested in hearing your thoughts.
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