I am part of the generation who has grown up with technology at our fingertips and I admit that I am truly a techno. geek. I love this stuff, I want to try and learn about everything. I believe it is part of my job to know, understand and be able to utilize the latest technology in my classroom.
My students have grown up with even more at their fingertips and simply embrace the new technologies without question. They may not be technology experts or understand all of the wonderful tools at their fingertips, but they don't make excuses for their lack of knowledge. They simply say things like, "well, then show me how it works."
Unlike our students, adults tend to excuse their lack of knowledge and understanding of the latest technologies. Not only do they choose not embrace the technology for themselves, they fight their students utilizing it to enhance their learning experience. If your not sure if you are one of the these technology crushers, look around. Is technology part of your life, your lessons and your assessments? If you answered no, then please try to learn for the benefit of your students. If we don't embrace these new tools, then how will our students manage to compete with their global counterparts. Computers are not typewriters, they are amazing machines that allow a user to literally hold the world in their fingertips. Information is shared in real-time and conversations are held across continents. When our students go into the business world they will be expected to know how to find, access and utilize information to find solutions and disaggregate data. Typing a word into Google will simply not suffice, they need to know how to narrow their search results, verify information and post it for the world to see.
If we as educators don't give them these skills, who will? Isn't one of our goals to help our students be life-long learners? Am I way off base? Post your responses letting me know what you think.
2 comments:
My first blog!
No Jenn, of course you are not off base, you are right on. Teacher's need to lead the way, not try to figure out what the students are already doing. With all the technology that exist today, we should also be teaching all of these task not just in the physical classroom but expanding globally and reaching students everywhere.
Okay, I am feeling geeky now:)
I whole heartedly agree! I just finished reading a blog on Fischbowl dealing with this same issue entitled "Is It Okay to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?" It is not O.K. to be technologically illiterate and it is even more wrong to brag about that illiteracy. I like Karl Fisch, our Key Note speaker from the 21st Century LEARNER Symposium, Alan November and many others agree that teachers should be knowledgeable users of technology who are creating new and innovative ways for students to become global learners and global thinkers through authentic activities and assessment in our schools.
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