For my final blog of the summer term, I would like to tackle the following question: What seem to be important questions to be asking yourself as you consider the place of technology in your teaching?
Foremost, I believe the student-factor to be the most significant concern when thinking about the place of technology in the classroom. Students bring with them to the classroom a technological base that will mostly likely surpass that of the prior year’s students. With an ever-growing number of students embracing the Internet, surfing through cyberspace, and virtually chatting with people from around the world at earlier ages, the classroom that considers the occasional PowerPoint presentations the best implementation of technology will quickly send students into boredom. Teachers should constantly look for ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. Many of the technological teaching practices, today, include blogs and wikis, which both foster excellent collaborative learning. With a heightened perception of the capabilities of students in the classroom, teachers can encourage students to use technology as a tool to supplement their learning.
Second, I believe teachers should ask themselves how willing they are to become learners, sometimes alongside their students. When teachers begin integrating technology into the classroom, they will most likely experience unforeseen troubles, but if these teachers can comfortably approach the education-technology veterans in the field (through their blogs or wikis), stress can be avoided. Teachers can, and should, help other teachers. We are all in the same battle, the battle against ignorance. As teachers begin to use technology in their classroom on a regular basis, problems will become less frequent, but the first steps are going to be difficult – learn along the way. Be open to the possibility that you might have a student who knows more about virtual social network than yourself, it is okay.
Fellow teachers, we should look to technology as a friend. The friendship between teacher and technology will be representative of most other friendships. There will be smiles; there will be hardships; there will be laughter. Technology can become a great friend, but first, we must believe its potential.
1 comment:
Kevin
I think you are wise to not only consider your future students' interest and skills with 21st Century Technology, but also that you are willing to learn from them and along side of them. I think this is a wonderful thing for a teacher to model, that learning never stops, even for teachers. I think students appreciate being able to share their knowledge and that even a teacher is constantly learning. I think your attitude and outlook on "teacher as learner" will really help you connect with your students. Jeff and I feel our class is a constant learning experience for us, we are always trying new tools (some work, some don't) and methods of integration. While we know it can be much more "risky" to try new rather than sticking with the ones that have always worked, we think it is important for MACers to know that we need to change and adjust as our society changes. Even if that means falling on your face once in a while. At the very least it is a learning experience.
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