Author: Catherine Cooper 
Date: October 7, 2009 9:18 PM
Like a lot of you, I am also taking the Learning Theories class along with this class. This week's reading on motivational learning was really interesting to me. I think perhaps that some teachers may be so excited or feel so pressured to use the latest and greatest technologies that they overlook what they have to personally offer their students. Teachers can be great mentors to students as they share with them their life experiences and select engaging learning activities that help them find life application to what they are being taught. I think just having a verbal discussion with students can be very meaningful for them and technology might just get in the way.
Cathy,
I like your word "mentor" when your refer to teachers. I also agree with your last sentence that "just having a verbal discussion with students can be very meaningful for them and technology might just get in the way."
Sometimes, technology distracts students' attention from what they are supposed to learn.
Your comment reminds me a classical example in Chinese culture. There was a very famous enlightened rabbi called Hui Neng in ancient China. One day, a Buddhist nun holding a Buddhism scripture wants to consult him. Hui Neng told her: "I can not read the characters. If you can read the scripture for me, I'll interpret it to you." The Buddhist nun was so surprised and asked: "You do not know a word. How can you interpret the profound Buddhist scripture?!" Hui Neng then raised an example for her. He said: "I'm now using my finger to show you the moon. But, if you can see the moon by yourself, you don't need my finger to point it to you at all."
I love this story. It's very meaningful and interesting. However, a large amount of people are doing lots of researches on the little "finger", its shape, color, dimensions, weight, structure, etc.. But they forget the moon.
I think this little story is a suitable example to your comment, too. The meaning of the existence of technology is to serve and assist teaching, however, when teaching and instruction can be done by the simplest way, "technology might just get in the way".
I like your word "mentor" when your refer to teachers. I also agree with your last sentence that "just having a verbal discussion with students can be very meaningful for them and technology might just get in the way."
Sometimes, technology distracts students' attention from what they are supposed to learn.
Your comment reminds me a classical example in Chinese culture. There was a very famous enlightened rabbi called Hui Neng in ancient China. One day, a Buddhist nun holding a Buddhism scripture wants to consult him. Hui Neng told her: "I can not read the characters. If you can read the scripture for me, I'll interpret it to you." The Buddhist nun was so surprised and asked: "You do not know a word. How can you interpret the profound Buddhist scripture?!" Hui Neng then raised an example for her. He said: "I'm now using my finger to show you the moon. But, if you can see the moon by yourself, you don't need my finger to point it to you at all."
I love this story. It's very meaningful and interesting. However, a large amount of people are doing lots of researches on the little "finger", its shape, color, dimensions, weight, structure, etc.. But they forget the moon.
I think this little story is a suitable example to your comment, too. The meaning of the existence of technology is to serve and assist teaching, however, when teaching and instruction can be done by the simplest way, "technology might just get in the way".
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