I finally made it back to the continuation high school. It's been a while.
English class. Their assignment was online. (This is becoming more and more common. I think it's a good thing. And since I can fix the majority of the issues that crop up, I'm good with it.)
The assignment had them reading an article and an excerpt of the U.S. Constitution (yes, really), and then they had questions to go along with their reading. It looked to be a pretty straightforward assignment.
So, I was surprised to find the students Googling things. No, they weren't looking at random sites. (Well, they did do that, too.) No, they were Googling the questions to the assignment.
Um, why? The answers to the questions were in the reading. And the reading was part of their assignment.
"But I couldn't find it," they complained. Funny, I found the answers while looking over their shoulders and skimming...
Well, there's a reason they're at the continuation high school...
Scares you for the future, doesn't it? So many people who couldn't function if the Internet went down for a day and they couldn't Google why.
ReplyDeleteI've often wondered about the use of computers and testing at school. I guess the future will tell us what these kids are learning and how they are putting to use what they learn.
ReplyDeleteThis wasn't a test. A lot of what they do is good for what they'll need in the workforce. But there are some who will always look for the shortcut.
DeleteThey don't want to have to think about it. It's much easier to copy and paste from Google.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your other commenters. Mindless copy and paste. It's scary to think about. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteYup. But keep in mind this was the continuation high school. They've already demonstrated that they don't expend much effort. And on the bright side, not every student did the copy and paste thing.
DeleteEasier to google the answers than read the assignment. Its right there easier to spot. I fear for the younger generation. They won't have the research tools we have to search out the answers. You just google anything and you can find the answer in sometimes less than 5 seconds.
ReplyDeletebetty
The pursuit of education comes mostly from the heart and anyone can do it to any extent that they desire. A degree makes sense to have in context of our society, but it doesn't necessarily mean that a person actually got educated in any way other than learning how to scam the system. It's sad that so many students pursue the degree without really getting much from it that enriches them personally.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Yes, this is true. There are plenty of students who are only interested in the final outcome of a grade and a diploma. They don't care to get the learning along the way.
DeleteWas this class civic or american govt. Now I wonder if they had to contact elected official on something. I did in high school and still every so often I will contact my elected official if feel the need to...
ReplyDeleteNo, it was English. I know, I was surprised, too. The 11th graders now get (in this textbook that's only on a trial run) a unit on readings from the founding of the U.S.
DeleteI think this highlights why having computer access in the classroom makes students lazy. I get sick of constantly having to check what they're looking at on their laptops. The poor schools without laptops seem to have much more hardworking kids IMO.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the assignment. I've seen some great projects that the computers only helped.
DeleteI reckon that's pretty clever, but only cos I hadn't thought of it.
ReplyDeleteIt was clever the first time I saw it in a math class (where they needed the help to solve). When the answers are right in the reading, however...
Deletesmh I think maybe less technology in the class could be a good thing sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI guess it is too bad they weren't able to find the answers in the text- but kudos to them for looking for another way to get the answer and still working towards the goal! :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
Kids really don't like to take the time to read. They want the answers spoon fed to them. Google is quicker than reading.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, you've hit it.
DeleteIt's amazing how dependent we're becoming upon Google.
ReplyDeleteThere are times when I'm totally grateful for Google. And then there are others...
DeleteSad times. I'm kind of glad I grew up in the eighties. Well, not that I'm exactly mature. ~grin~
ReplyDeleteI once had a kiddo ask me what I did with my phone in class when I was in high school. It did not compute with her that there were no cell phones when we went to school. LOL
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