{"id":4765,"date":"2015-06-07T09:00:56","date_gmt":"2015-06-07T15:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/?p=4765"},"modified":"2015-06-06T15:43:09","modified_gmt":"2015-06-06T21:43:09","slug":"scythe-vs-weed-whacker-does-tech-in-the-classroom-help-or-hinder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/06\/07\/scythe-vs-weed-whacker-does-tech-in-the-classroom-help-or-hinder\/","title":{"rendered":"Scythe vs Weed Whacker: Does Tech in the Classroom Help or Hinder?"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p><a href=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2015-06-06_14-22-26_wm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-medium wp-image-4771 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2015-06-06_14-22-26_wm-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"2015-06-06_14-22-26_wm\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2015-06-06_14-22-26_wm-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2015-06-06_14-22-26_wm.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nWe are having a conversation on one of the lists I&#8217;m on about the use of technology in the classroom. A colleague of mine who is not really in favor of tech in schools said that tools do not make one competent, they allow one to compensate for a lack of competence. His position was that technology displaces other things because it is simpler, or cheaper.<\/p>\n<p>One of the metaphor examples used was this terrific video that pitted a man with a weed whacker against one with a scythe.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gsfIHiBB6xE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This video made me go right out\u00a0and\u00a0sharpen my scythe&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>Then I used it.<\/p>\n<p>HOWEVER, being a big fan of <i>appropriate<\/i> technology, I would still use my weed whacker around the trees, and in rocky places, and places where the ground is uneven, and up against the steps,&#8230;..<\/p>\n<p>I will grant that it can be true that tech can\u00a0allow one to compensate for a lack of competence, especially if people are trying to avoid having to become competent at something. The scythe\/weed whacker metaphor struck a chord with me.<\/p>\n<p>I have BOTH a weed whacker and a scythe. (How many people can say that these days?)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4767\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2007-09-17_14-12-53_001_wm-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"2007-09-17_14-12-53_001_wm\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2007-09-17_14-12-53_001_wm-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2007-09-17_14-12-53_001_wm.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>I have a farm. In order to make the most appropriate use of the tools available to me, I actually need <em>additional<\/em>\u00a0competence. Knowing about the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of tools and knowing when to use which one requires considerably more competence than knowing how to use any single one of them &#8211; regardless of how &#8216;techy&#8217; that tool is. New tools can add to our competence &#8211; they don&#8217;t need to displace it.<\/p>\n<p>Contrary to popular opinion, rural life is far from simple, and it has taught me a great deal about the importance of competence in many things, as well as the importance of retaining competence with &#8220;old fashioned&#8221; techniques and technologies.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.<br \/>\n-Robert A. Heinlein<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I am\u00a0a big fan of <i>appropriate<\/i> technology.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s stick with the scythe vs weed whacker metaphor for a bit longer and see what that might mean.<\/p>\n<p>I have a small farm, so I don&#8217;t have large combines or hay-making equipment, but I *do* have several acres of &#8220;lawn&#8221; and several more of hay &#8211; all of which need cutting, and ALL of which can be used as feed for one or more of the farm animals we have here. Not wasting it is important to me.<\/p>\n<p>Some years ago, we bought a riding lawn tractor. Did it allow us to compensate for some lack of competence in cutting the grass some other way?<\/p>\n<p><b>Nope.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In fact, it has added to my set of competencies for dealing with large amounts of grasses.<br \/>\nIt DID allow us to cut a much larger portion of our 3-acre lawn in a much MUCH shorter time.<br \/>\nWe STILL use a small gas-powered mower for some places (and now that we have more time, we have found several new uses for it).<br \/>\nWe STILL use a non-electric push mower for some places.<\/p>\n<p>We also use the following (ALL for cutting various kinds of grasses in various kinds of places):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>grass clippers<a href=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2012-08-17_10-43-11_wm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4768\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2012-08-17_10-43-11_wm-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"2012-08-17_10-43-11_wm\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2012-08-17_10-43-11_wm-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2012-08-17_10-43-11_wm.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>hedge clippers<\/li>\n<li>weed whackers<\/li>\n<li>scythe<\/li>\n<li>my hands<\/li>\n<li>horses<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Did\u00a0gaining more competence with a scythe teach me\u00a0to use a mower, or vice versa?<\/p>\n<p><strong>You Bet.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gaining more competence or expertise with a scythe teaches me more about its possibilities and limitations. If I pay attention to WHY I&#8217;m using it (rather than betting caught up in the wonderfulness that is the scythe), then I can also come to understand the task, which in turn can help me to be more competent with the mower. I understand what I am mowing &#8211; IOW<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>the task becomes the subject and the tool, merely an object.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s how it should be with technology too.<\/p>\n<div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-4765'><a class='like' href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(4765);\" title='Like' ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-likes\/images\/like.png\" alt='' border='0'\/><\/a><span class='text'>1 person likes this post.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class='like' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(4765);\">Like<\/a><\/div>\n<div class='unlike' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.unlike(4765);\">Unlike<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>We are having a conversation on one of the lists I&#8217;m on about the use of technology in the classroom. A colleague of mine who is not really in favor of tech in schools said that tools do not make &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/06\/07\/scythe-vs-weed-whacker-does-tech-in-the-classroom-help-or-hinder\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9,81,351,24],"tags":[389,395,110,53],"class_list":["post-4765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational-technology","category-information-technology","category-nature-animals-urbanrural-life","category-teaching-learning","tag-educational-technology","tag-information-technology","tag-rural-life-2","tag-technology"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Hsb6-1eR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3656,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2013\/07\/28\/10-truths-about-educational-technology-amplify\/","url_meta":{"origin":4765,"position":0},"title":"10 Truths About Educational Technology | Amplify","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"July 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This is a great list. I've taken the liberty of recopying it here. 10 Truths About Educational Technology | Amplify. 10 Truths About Educational Technology By Randy Rodgers I am one of the many educators fortunate enough to work in the space of educational technology. It\u2019s hard for me to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/10-truths-about-educational-technology_730_411.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/10-truths-about-educational-technology_730_411.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/10-truths-about-educational-technology_730_411.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2007\/08\/13\/i-am-an-ed-tech-heretic\/","url_meta":{"origin":4765,"position":1},"title":"I am an Ed Tech heretic.","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"August 13, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Thank you Freeman Dyson. http:\/\/www.edge.org\/documents\/archive\/edge219.html#dysonf \"In the modern world, science and society often interact in a perverse way. We live in a technological society, and technology causes political problems. The politicians and the public expect science to provide answers to the problems. Scientific experts are paid and encouraged to provide\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5441,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/08\/27\/tech-or-no-tech-in-the-classroom-the-debate-continues\/","url_meta":{"origin":4765,"position":2},"title":"Tech or No Tech in the Classroom? The debate Continues.","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"August 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Came across this:\u00a0Why I\u2019m Asking You Not to Use Laptops \u2013 Lingua Franca - Blogs - The Chronicle of Higher Education. I suspect it is because we are starting a new school year that this topic is popping up a lot. There was a discussion about it in my department\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/laptops.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6347,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2016\/10\/10\/new-book-choosing-and-using-digital-games-in-the-classroom-a-practical-guide\/","url_meta":{"origin":4765,"position":3},"title":"New Book: Choosing and Using Digital Games in the Classroom: A Practical Guide","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"October 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I am thrilled to announce that my book is now available. This book is full of lists and practical advice on how to use games in the classroom. It takes you from the theories that underpin both learning and teaching with games to the practical application of these theories. There\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4743,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/07\/04\/what-schools-must-learn-from-las-ipad-debacle-wired\/","url_meta":{"origin":4765,"position":4},"title":"What Schools Must Learn From LA&#8217;s iPad Debacle | WIRED","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"July 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"What Schools Must Learn From LA's iPad Debacle | WIRED. Just catching up: this is from a few months back. We dealt with this back in the early 90s when our oldest was in school. It's sad, but not surprising that things haven't changed. WHEN LOS ANGELES\u00a0schools began handing out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Computers&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/computers-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/470797712a-1024x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/470797712a-1024x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/470797712a-1024x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/470797712a-1024x1024.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4883,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/06\/29\/7-ways-to-use-games-in-the-classroom\/","url_meta":{"origin":4765,"position":5},"title":"7 Ways to Use Games in the Classroom","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"June 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"There are many ways to use games in the classroom.\u00a0Games can be used as: Content -\u00a0The content of the game directly addresses some curricular need. Example\u00a0-\u00a0In this case the game is being used as an example of or an artifact that supports what is being taught. Inspiration -\u00a0Games can be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/ID-10055340.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4765"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4781,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4765\/revisions\/4781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}