After reading several of the discussions about the good and bad of technology, I am surprised how many people believe that technology in the classroom is going to be the down-fall of our youth. Has the technology of the white board caused student learning to plummet? Has DVD use the classroom sent learning out the window? Has the transition from the ditto machine to the laser printer ruined the student's right to a good education? One discussion talked about taking classes to learn technology but complained that no one taught him when to use the technology. People, people, people when does it become your responsibility to seek out ways to use the new technology you are learning. When do you take ownership of technology, not as its slave, but as its master?
We, as teachers, are always updating our lesson plans, why are we not explore new ways to deliver those updates. As teachers, we should be modeling life-long learning, but when it comes to incorporating technology, for some, the will to learn just stops. New and changing technology has been here since the dawn of time; make the leap from I won't to I will.
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2 comments:
I have to agree; I think we are responsible for using technology, where applicable, as a better delivery mechanism for our students. What makes "technology" inherently evil? Only the way we use (or misuse) it. It's only a tool.
I think technology is a wonderful thing. For the purposes of this comment I will limit technology to computer technologies. I think computer technologies have been a great tool for helping teachers present information quickly and easily. I do believe that new technologies bring about changes that some people find problematic. One of our fellow students pointed out that his students didn't know how to find books using the card catalog at the library because they were so used to digital searches. It is examples like this that leads some individuals to label technology as bad. I believe that new technologies should be implemented, but where possible, old skills should still be retained. Instead of swapping one skill set out for another, more modern skill set, maybe exposure to both skill sets are important. I realize that some old skill sets become obsolete when the technology attached to them die out, but some are worth keeping. We should strive to keep those skills, as well as invite new technology in school.
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