Keeping it Real
Technology can be a valuable tool and at times it can be of no use. In the kitchen I always stress the importance of knowing the how's and why's of cooking. One must know the rules before you can break the rules. I say this because no matter what technology says certain skills require technique over technology. If one cannot boil water, how do you expect the pasta to cook. Every now and then you get one student who decides to do things their way and the outcome is no where as your demo. For their critic I have them taste it before I do and have them taste it again and again and ask the same question........do you like it. Soon after realizing that they made a mistake, I will then ask them what did they learn and surprisingly they will tell you everything that I stressed in lecture what not to do. Now they have learned and earned something.
Very well said and exactly as I do in my kitchen /classroom setting. They must learn there is a time and a place for everything. I help them to understand the value of putting down their smart phone for a while and see what they are capable of doing with their own hands and mind. They seem to really enjoy this.
I agree, technology is valuable in a lecture classroom type environment. It is also effective during kitchen demos with the use of cameras and viewing screens. However, during the students cooking time, the students need to just cook and and actually do it. Looking it up on You tube on their phones is not as valuable as actually cooking the product hands on.
Agreed Pat! As with many tools there's a time and place for them. We may not want them on you tube or on their phones during their lab time even if it pertains to the subject just like we may not want their knives and took kits out and being handeled during lecture.
This is a problem that I run into at times in my kitchen. I catch them looking up youtube videos because they might have missed a step or two during the demo. I make them put it away and check their notes, or compare them to another students notes before answering their questions. This stresses the importance of making sure they take notes down.
-Gabriel
Gabriel,
I agree that this needs to be done & can be a problem, yet I think it highlights the characteristics of this generation in that it is second nature to look up the videos, it just makes sense to them.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
That is so true! Watching something being done and actually doing it are miles apart in terms of really grasping concepts in skills-based learning.
Rose,
yes, and I would say combining the watching with the doing is a powerful way to transmit the learning.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree Chef. I find that like anything else in life, a balance of technology and understanding may be the key to the success or failure of our students. I find that they learn much more if its interactive.
