"The Right Technology May Be a Pencil"

I agree with the stance of Mary Beth Hertz, who is the author of the Edutopia article The Right Technology May Be a Pencil. This ties in closely with my previous blog about calculators. Often times we are so accustomed to newer technology that we forget about older methods that work just as good. Students are always amazed to find out what the true meaning of technology is and a pencil is very much technology. I don't know about some educators, but giving my students instructions to take notes sometimes seems as if I'm speaking a foreign language. I've even had some to comment about the amount of writing done in a computer class but that's because the wave of technology has eliminated a lot of the basic skills older generations were taught in school. Often times, students want to jump right into starting a project but I have to remind them that it is a process called planning or drafting. So even as a computer teacher, I still use storyboards, two-column notes, exit tickets, one sentence summaries, manual proofreading activities, and other written activities in the classroom--all of which reinforce basic literacy skills. While some tools may come and go, the pencil/pen never will. Even when technology malfunctions, you can always count on the pencil/pencil as backup. I learned this valuable lesson just this school term when my lab was down for renovation the first three months of school. So we had no choice but to turn to paper and pencil to keep instruction flowing. Without the computers, I was able to keep learning meaningful and engaging but I must admit I sure am glad to have computer access now. :)