This week's focus-The future of technology, and more importantly, how does that affect me as a teacher?
First and foremost, I think the reality is that technology has advanced at a scary rate over the last 10 years. To just think about what is slowly disappearing (floppy disks, CD players, etc) and what is rapidly growing (iPod, Blogs, mySpace/Facebook) makes me think that today's teacher has to be immersed in today's technological world. From my standpoint, I see a lot of resistance; there are a lot of teachers out there who are more than happy to let "next year's teacher" deal with it. On top of that, there's the reality that kids are exposed to things that teachers aren't, and might not have any clue what to do. How can a teacher prepare a class to do a podcast if they have no clue of knowing what it is?
The main thing that worries me is that we may spend so much time prepping for items like this when the next wave is approaching. What to do? Part of me isn't sure; I want my kids to be aware of everything that they can do, but how can I build onto the future when I don't know what the future holds? I remind you, iPods didn't exist when I was in college, and I graduated in 1997! My, how things have changed...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
Though the content and curriculum has not necessarily changed - just how it can be presented or tools to engage students are changing. You will know which to apply and when. Don't confuse glitz with substance.
But, from your standpoint, have you seen examples of schools jumping all over the latest technology without knowing everything about it? I'm cool with using technology, but I've witnessed districts invest a lot of money into equipment that sometimes isn't utilized because there aren't enough people trained in it.
Bryan I share your concerns with preparing for instruction that may be outdated before you ever get to present it. Sme of our students will be ahead of us in their techn. usage, but most won't and we owe them the opportunity of exposure. Even if what we are doing s not the laest and greatest, if it's getting them actively involved and engaged in the learning we've been successful.
Post a Comment