My comment to a post - claiming that technology is making the current generation stupid.....
Nice post. What you are saying is so true. And so sad. But I think for a different reason.
Obviously basics, especially in the early years, need to learned and practiced.
And obviously technology can be misused, and make the user brain dead, if it's purpose is solely to get an answer.
The beauty of tech, when used as a tool to enhance learning, is that it allows the learner to spend less time on mindless (yes mindless) calculations - and more time on the big picture, what's really going on in a situation. ie: what am i looking for,...how did i find a solution,...does my answer make sense,...and what would happen if i did this.
I would much rather a student makes sense of math than perform it. Calculators allow the user to zoom out of a situation for context and relevance.
Your first sentence - that because of your generation's dependency on technology, "they are not actually learning what they are being taught." I believe using tech - in the right way - is what allows the learner to learn as opposed to memorize.
Keeping perspective:
1) Re-emphasis of our first thought - basics should be learned in early years - that's part of what you use to make sense of things, ie: estimation uses simple multiplication..
2) Some people's passion is math, sounds like you have that passion. Bravo to you. Math is beautiful. You can become like your prof - diminishing the use of tech for the love of the math. But that doesn't mean using tech and math combined will yield less than amazing results. Any tool can be misused. That's not a good reason to abandon it. Make sure your kids/you can explain what the calculator is doing with each use. Make certain they realize at times that hand calculations are much faster and more efficient.
The sad i see in your writing isn't that kids can't multiply double digits on a whim, but that they fail to see the beauty and use of math because they have minimized it to getting the right answer.
A way to tell if you're using tech right,...are you asking - did i get the right answer?...or are you asking... why/how does that happen...what if i did this....is there a pattern here?
Math's beauty is in simplifying/explaining complicated things. Let's not limit the places we can go - let's not abandon that simplicity, by glorifying things such as memorization. Obviously basics, especially in the early years, need to learned and practiced.
And obviously technology can be misused, and make the user brain dead, if it's purpose is solely to get an answer.
The beauty of tech, when used as a tool to enhance learning, is that it allows the learner to spend less time on mindless (yes mindless) calculations - and more time on the big picture, what's really going on in a situation. ie: what am i looking for,...how did i find a solution,...does my answer make sense,...and what would happen if i did this.
I would much rather a student makes sense of math than perform it. Calculators allow the user to zoom out of a situation for context and relevance.
Your first sentence - that because of your generation's dependency on technology, "they are not actually learning what they are being taught." I believe using tech - in the right way - is what allows the learner to learn as opposed to memorize.
Keeping perspective:
1) Re-emphasis of our first thought - basics should be learned in early years - that's part of what you use to make sense of things, ie: estimation uses simple multiplication..
2) Some people's passion is math, sounds like you have that passion. Bravo to you. Math is beautiful. You can become like your prof - diminishing the use of tech for the love of the math. But that doesn't mean using tech and math combined will yield less than amazing results. Any tool can be misused. That's not a good reason to abandon it. Make sure your kids/you can explain what the calculator is doing with each use. Make certain they realize at times that hand calculations are much faster and more efficient.
The sad i see in your writing isn't that kids can't multiply double digits on a whim, but that they fail to see the beauty and use of math because they have minimized it to getting the right answer.
A way to tell if you're using tech right,...are you asking - did i get the right answer?...or are you asking... why/how does that happen...what if i did this....is there a pattern here?
I hugely applaud your thinking out loud. The more transparent in your thinking, the more you embrace the true essence of learning. Best wishes.
