New York, NY – Do you remember ever feeling hesitant to raise your hand in class, unsure of your answer, worried you might be embarrassed?
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New devices, now being tried out in some New York city schools, allow kids to participate in class electronically. Each student has a remote and every student can answer a question.
If you raise your hand and get the answer wrong, nobody could laugh at you. If you plug it in nobody knows what your answer is. It costs between $2000 and $3000 to outfit a class with the software and remotes.
Beyond the class participation issue, teachers say using these devices gives them immediate feedback about how kids are doing, and whether they grasp certain concepts.
Should yeshivas and elementary schools participate in such a concept?
this is the most ridiculous thing
between email and texting people and specifically are children are not being taught and are not practicing basic communications skills
They should read the article about people not having enough money to put food on the table and put their money to better use.
School is supposed to prepare the student for the real world.
A good teacher can tell if a student is not listening or not keeping up with the regular class.
Do me a favor, It looks like in a few years we wont have to talk to eachother anymore, silent wolrd, evertyone will just be too shy to talk so they will use this new stupid device! ugh!
I wrote anonymous June 4 6:51 PM
I gladly accept the advice and input of a Teacher, Teachers deal with this everyday and some have education and experience that I do not have.I also do not think that anybody knows everything, even in their field. For those non-teachers comments, some of them do not understand shy children.
A shy child will open up naturally once he/she experiences success. The environment we have in a typical school makes a shy child leary of risking raising their hand because thry might be wrong.
Most kids grow up and out of this themselves, this might help it go easier or sooner for some kids.
the most important thing yeshiva taught me is not be embarrassed, these kids will come out afraid of the in your face world. it might be good for the classroom but in the long run the kids will never become adults. it might make them better bloggers, but this device does not belong in the classroom.
This is ridiculous. Why not just let the kids stay home and take online courses while you’re at it? The human interactive aspect of school is an integral part of the educational experience.
8:56 PM – I agree with you! Raising your hand and speaking the answers (even wrong ones) encourages debate. Not all answers are a yes or no, they require discussion. If a child fears embarrassment or humiliation, they need to get over it and the sooner the better. A teacher should try their best to not permit other students to laugh or say a derogatory thing if someone provides a wrong answer. The students shouldn’t be talking out of turn anyway. Easy for me to say (not a teacher) – but I know teachers find disciplining students more and more difficult with angry parents and potential legal problems due to discrimination or harassment accusations. We do not need more technology; we need old fashioned full attention and RESPECT. If you think this gadget is great, then I guess the next great innovation will be a robot instead of a teacher, and just hire someone to police the classroom.
No way! Next thing you know, you won’t even need teachers in the classroom. Technology will do the job. What’s happening to good old teacher-student interaction. Let’s get back to teachers teaching children, and children interacting in class. Children need social skills for life, and they’ll never get that from some gizmo.
I would need more info about how this works. You see, none of you thought of the fact that as a teacher I am standing up there in front of the room trying desperately to engage my students in human conversation which is becoming extinct in their lives. This will distract them and give them something more to play with. Many of you do not understand the issues. I am battling cell phones, ipods, and pd’s every single day. I use technology as much as possible to teach my subject, but I feel that my students need human interaction with all its challenges more than they need a technological device to engage. Sorry. I’m actually one of the good guy teachers and I’m not on board.
Some ‘good teacher” focus on the good studnnts, it is a very easy and understandable trap to fall into. The poor or shy students need the help just as much.
No matter how good the teacher is it is very hard to help a child that is shy or afraid to answer because he/she might be wrong. That is the best part of this device.
I expect someone to say that the real world is not as benign and this would be a crutch but I really think that getting confidence in his/her achievements while in a safe setting can set a path for a child to break out shyness.
A good teacher shouldn’t need this, but should encourage students and elicit answers from all students the old fashioned way.
I am in my 50’s but I remember my elementary school days well. I think this is a brilliant us eof technology because it;
1, allows shy students to participate without risk,
2, Lets the Teacher know if the mode of teaching is working,
and
3, can also keep track on whether the teacher is having the class involved.
4, It can also document kids that are chronically not listening and cooperating in class or kids that can not keep up in a gegular class.
I expect some Teachers will not like technology like this but I think it is great.
For those that feel that a shy kid will not improve hiding behing a gadget, I respectfully disagree. I think once a kid tries (with no risk) and succeeds he will be less shy.
I think thi sis so brilliant that there will be funding fo rthese concepts.
Isn’t the tuition high enough already?