Teachers in today's society must keep up-to-date with the new advancements being introduced within their schools. Teachers and students use technology in their classrooms for various reasons. The important reasons that come to mind is that times are changing, collaborative assignments are popular, and general engagement of the student. First, as times are changing, schools are adapting to the norm. This norm is iPads and tablets that are considered aids to classroom learning. Second, these iPads and tablets allow students to communicate online and work on assignments together. At a younger age, this assignment can be viewed as a spelling game and at an older age (middle/high school level) this could be a joint science fair project, etc. Lastly, the teacher cannot successfully teach unless his/her students are actively participating and engaging in the lesson. These tools simply add as a resource within the classroom. As times are changing, these advancements are the norm and influence the overall use in classrooms.
The ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) produces a set of standards that foster the use of technology within classrooms to further enhance education. The standards differ for educators versus students. As a prospective educator, the standard explained as "learner" is what is most meaningful to me at the moment as technology is every changing and we will need to continue pushing ourselves. I love a good challenge and a great way to stay focused is on building networks with colleagues. I think that this would further enhance accountability in a work setting. I am concerned about the "designer" standard as it requires an educator to use their own innovative strategies to enhance learning via technology. Although I know I am capable of this, I fear not being creative enough for individualized designs.
As a product of the iPad generation, I agree with the label "digital natives" for today's youth. When I am out to dinner with my family, my younger cousin unfortunately never lifts his head from his Nintendo or iPad. When I was his age, I had a Nintendo D.S. yet I was NEVER allowed to use it unless all of my homework was completed and my chores are done. It has become so normal in our everyday life, similar to adult's cell phones glued to our hands. As a digital native, my teachers had no idea how to use Smartboards or projectors in the classrooms. I recall students laughing and refusing to help as it postponed learning in class. For the future, I think that we will continue to have a technological gap for the future generations. It is just important to do our best to keep up-to-date as it is our only option. As teachers, we must learn their language.
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I really enjoyed the fact that you made a personal connection in your blog post in order to better connect with the reader. I was also concerned about the designer standard, but hopefully a part of this class will focus on teaching us useful skills to navigate that.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! I also remember being excited for the time we had to use the smartboard in class because it always look my teachers half the class to turn it on. I think teachers from our generation won't have as much trouble.
ReplyDeleteI also remember the fumbling mess that was bound to happen to my teachers on days where the smartboard was used! My younger math teacher was ALWAYS on point though, with lessons that always seemed to integrate it in just the right way (with different colors to label parts of equations and such). This is the kind of future I see, and it is a promising one! Technology itself is neither good or bad; it is up to us to define its utility.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your view on building networks. As humans we are bound to make mistakes and not have all the answers which is why it is important to have a network of peers and colleagues you can fall back on if you ever need an answer or help understanding something.
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