Technology is everywhere we look. I think back on my first years of college and how every assignment was on paper. Now, only 6 years later, the majority of our assignment can be turned in electronically, are more technological in content and require us to have a comfortability with the use of technology. It is truly amazing how technology has grown in such a short time span and how it continues to grow every second.
This picture made me think about some past teachers I have had. Their reluctance to give technology a try was very clear. They didn't know how to use it, didn't want to learn and didn't care what others thought about their stance. I believe this stubborness to technology is due to fear. Using this stuff can sometimes be like swimming through quicksand. It can be scary, but I don't think that this is a reason to shy away from it. In fact, I don't know that teachers now really have an option to say no to technology. Our students are so in tuned with this resource and we must use this engagement to benefit their learning. Technology can be frightening, but it doesn't have to be impossible. It is all based on the perspective we as teachers choose to take.
1 comment:
Now think of it from this "old lady's" point of view....when I was in high school, an electric type writer was high tech. In college a color screen meant your blinking square was orange and not green and floopy discs were actually floppy and not really discs. I could send papers written on the campus main frame to be printed at the central hub to be picked up. One girl had a word processor - which was an oversized typewriter with a little screen that did spell check. Oh how times have changed.
It was quite the culture shock my first time back in to a classroom. Cel phones, iPods, etc all competing with the professor to hold the attention of the students. I still look at technology as the double edged sword. The laptops in the Shoreline School District are a great tool and they help even the playing field for students who may not have been able to afford one. On the other hand, when the teacher is at the front of the classroom, they can not see what is really on the screen on the students' laptop. From my vantage point at the back of the room, a good 30-40% of the students are not doing what they are supposed to be doing.
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