Wired Bodies in the Wireless Classroom

So, basically this chapter is about teachers who try to “do school” just like they have always done school, but that doesn’t really work when students have been given such powerful tools as their own personal laptops with internet access.   I felt like I could really relate to this chapter because I teach in a high school that pushes the use of technology in the classroom, and yet monitors and restricts its use much like the teachers did in this chapter.  In many cases, as the words of these teachers were shared, I felt like somebody was talking about the dangers of rock ‘n’ roll.

I felt like many of the issues that were discussed could have been solved by the teachers starting off the whole technology initiative by asking students what it would look like if they were getting their work done…and what would not be good to do if they are trying to be productive students in a culture of excellence…blah..blah…blah.  It sounds cheesy, but that actually works.  What are the ground rules?   Also, some monitoring would certainly help.  Some older teachers might need an in-service on how to look at the extra tabs to see what the student has pulled up besides what he or she is working on…and how to tell if they have pages minimized….which isn’t really a big deal, unless they are looking at porn.    

Here are a couple of statements that really got me:

• “They’re in their own little chat…they have their own little chat room basically,” says Barbara, a teacher who’s trying to protect her girls from online predators.  Wouldn’t it be much better to teach the girls how to be safe online?  It’s not like the only time they’ll ever get to use the internet is when YOU the teacher have set up a little “play pen” for them to chat in.  Come on!  They already have “their own little chat room”….it’s called the classroom!  Geez Louise!     
• Barbara goes on to give an absolutely ridiculous excuse about why computers are so horrible, saying, “You know you have all this clicking sound all over the place in ways that you didn’t when people were just taking notes on a piece of notebook paper…. It changes the dynamic of your classroom.”  Oh, heavenly day!  Not clicking noises!!!!!  >.<   She goes on to say how important it is for girls to verbally articulate and defend their ideas, but I feel like girls have plenty of opportunities for that, and not enough opportunities to write (type!) defenses of their ideas.

This chapter reminds me of a fact that I’ve had to learn over and over in the classroom.  Students come to us with so much more knowledge and skill than we give them credit for, and then we construct this tiny little box for them and expect them to grow.  It’s a sad reality. 

This chapter can certainly be applied to English.  I will use these teachers as examples of what not to do. ;)