Some answers are summarized since it was a telephone conversation. Any direct quotes will be in quotations.
1. How do you use technology in your daily routine? How about social media?
"I use my phone for an alarm and to check the weather." Nicole states that she mainly uses texting to keep in touch with friends and her soccer team. Also, to keep track of homework.
2. I notice you didn't mention social media. Do you use it?
"I use Instagram, but not often, and I don't use Facebook. I don't use social media as much because I don't like the drama . Social media is a big part of our reputation in schools and can be as much a bad thing as it is a good thing." I found this to be a very mature response for a teenager and also surprising to see a refusal of social media.
3. How do you use technology in the classroom?
"My English class uses it for assignments every now and then that are important parts of our grade".
She says that media devices are allowed by some teachers and not by others. So it seems as if there is no uniform policy on the matter.
4. If you had to do research, do you prefer internet or print books?
"I would choose the Internet, because you can find more specific information for the things you want, rather than having to dig through words in a book . Plus the Internet gives you multiple sources all at once that you can choose from rather than having a lot of books you have to look through yourself".
I found this quote to be very interesting because it refers to what we have read in the course. Nicole sees how the internet provides quick and concise information.
5. Do you check to see if the information is valid?
"Teachers tell us not to use Wikipedia , and when we do , we look at the ".com" ".edu" and stuff like that"
6. When you do online research or read articles online, do you consider that "reading" just like you would a print book? Or do you think print books have more validity? (* I wasn't sure if she would understand the question at first)
My thoughts:
This interview was fascinating due to the unexpected responses. Although I wasn't surprised to see how little technology was used in classrooms or the lack of policy towards it, I was surprised by the way in which Nicole wants to use technology in the classroom. She explains that she prefers to use a device as an organizational and research tool for the convenience. However, she wants final products to be more traditional like in "paper and pencil". I think that before including technology in the classroom we should survey students because maybe they aren't as open to it. I even recall asking my students once if they wanted to use iPads for an assignment and they didn't!
Nicole seems like she uses her phone for more functional reasons such as: an alarm clock, checking the weather and as an organizational tool for her homework. Although she uses her phone to stay connected to friends she typically avoids FB and other social media outlets. I also agree that this is very mature for a teen, but then again some teens prefer not to use social media and are just fine without its daily use.
ReplyDeleteI find that most teens prefer to use the internet for research since information is literally at your fingertips and a click away vs. looking through traditional books. I found some similarities between Nicole and the 17-year-old I interviewed who also specifically stated that she would rather submit her work via paper and pencil form. The teen I interviewed also stated that she would rather not use technology in the class because it took up too much time. You made an interesting point when you stated that it is a good idea to get student thoughts on technology use in the class before technology is fully implemented. Teachers should definitely be well aware of student preferences.