I think one of the biggest problems we, as teachers, will face in the upcoming years is the constantly changing atmosphere of education. Even though changes in education are slow in their implication in the classroom the education world is still changing constantly. There are always new techniques for teaching, new learning styles that must be addressed, and most importantly the increasing usage of technology. Instead of being stuck in the cycle of not wanting to change, just like our teachers and our teacher’s teachers did. I believe it is time for teaching in the everyday classroom to change, we must stay updated on the newest research and ways of doing things.
This Educational Technology class has already opened my eyes to the ever changing world of technology for the classroom. To my knowledge I did not have a single teacher who utilized technology effectively in the classroom. I had some teachers use powerpoint or the smart board but never anything more than that. I now realize that this has hurt my potential of being “technologically savvy.” I do not know near as much as I should about even the simple things like Powerpoint because I was never taught about those things. So, now imagine how much further behind our students will be if we don’t integrate technology lessons into our classroom.
This integration will be most effective when integrated into all subject areas. There are an unlimited number of tools available for students and teachers to utilize in the classroom. Besides being an effective and up-to-date way to teach the curriculum, new “web-based tools” contribute to the “eight Cs” of education and can enhance learning. The “eight Cs” are: communication (allowing the students to express what they think to a large audience), collaboration (the ability of students to expand on their own knowledge with the help of their peers), connectedness (being able to expand the classroom outside the four walls), community of learners (learning becomes more personal and students take more responsibility), convergence (higher thinking), contextualization (using technology to combine subjects), cloud computing (efficiency), and cost-free. All of these elements help teachers not only be effective in the classroom but it can also help us meet our students where they are at, and right now that is a very visual and technological world. (Solomon, Gwen)
Solomon, Gwen. Web 2.0 how-to for educators. Washinton, DC: International Society for Technology in Education, 2010. Book
I like your point on how education is changing and as teachers it is important to embrace that change so we can equip our students for a new, tech-driven world. I agree with you that we as teachers can't get into a rut of "not wanting to change", but rather we should use technology to enhance our students learning.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are numerous ways to include technology in the classroom. I think that if we are to bridge the gap between how we were taught and integrating more technology, we have to be the ones to teach not only students to use technology, but also other teachers how to use technology more effectively. Otherwise, some students will only know powerpoint or the smartboard. How can we get teachers to learn it if they don't want to change?
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