But are we meeting these standards in our schools? Schrum and Levin state that "our current educational system is not adequately preparing our students for the kinds of jobs and lives they are likely to encounter in their lifetime" and I can't argue with them (pg. 7). True, in most schools now there are some teachers like the teachers in this course, who are excited and committed to incorporating technology into the classroom. However, in those same schools there are always teachers who still run a classroom like it is 1969. This is not to say that their teaching is not engaging and effective, but they are not meeting the technology standards in any way. Even if the students in these classes are getting a wonderful math or social studies or language arts education, isn't their education incomplete? Our jobs no longer involve simply teaching our content areas. We are now involved in a more complicated purpose of preparing students for using out content areas on the 21st century.
As the standards imply, studying any subject in high school and college now involves the use of technology. Working in almost any career today involves, at the very least, basic understanding of computers and the internet. Teachers should be considering the technology standards in their regular planning in order to be sure that they are helping their students be ready to take on whatever comes next. What kind of accountability is in place for teachers who do not regularly consider using technology to improve their instruction?
I found this interesting video on Youtube made by a fellow teacher!
Your blog really resonated with me. The standards are very important and clearly state what every child should know. However, sadly I agree that many teachers are not doing enough to implement technology in the classroom. I honestly think this class that we are taking is crucial in terms of how and why technology needs to be implemented in the classroom. I think that all universities should mandate this type of class, so at least incoming teaching professionals have the background. I think the biggest problem, however is educating the teachers who are already in the schools.
ReplyDeleteKash,
ReplyDeleteI agree on the fact that teachers should be integrating technology into their lessons whenever possible. I predict that in next few years all of the standards will be listed from an interdisciplinary point of view. For the ten years that I have been teaching, I know that I always incorporate the other subjects into my classroom. It is critical that my students know that I know more than just "math" and all of the subjects are equally important. I feel that by using technology the transition from one subject to another subject can be more natural for the students to understand. Personally I do not incorporate technology just because it is listed as a standard but it enhances my teaching and my students learning. Unfortunately, Becca points out how many teachers do not share my practice of including technology into their lessons.
Kash,
ReplyDeleteYou're right; this class has really made me think about the technology standards too. I know that I was not using much, if any, technology in my teaching. That was one of the reasons that I took this course. I wanted ways that I could bring in technology and to acquire some confidence with using technology. This way, I would bring it into my teaching. One thing that I have learned is that with all of the technology on the Internet that is free, you really don't need to have smart board or some of the other software, it's on the Internet for you to use. Of course, being that there is so much available, you just have to tap into it and you have to have time to explore it. More teachers need to become aware of the many tools available to them. When I have talked to fellow teachers about some of the tools that we have been learning about,they were very much unaware of them. Even some of our technology teachers had never heard of Animoto or screencasts. That just baffled me, they were our technology teachers. Oh my!!!
Hi Kash!
ReplyDeleteYour blog looks great!!! I love the idea of integrating multimedia into language arts. There are many engaging and effective tools out there to help your students. TED talks are a wonderful tool for teachers and students. I find that the speakers are highly qualified and very well prepared! It's great knowing that only the "best of the best" are chosen to perform online presentations.
I understand that as an educator, we need to wear many hats--whether we chose to or not. In the long term, your experiences subbing and teaching in various grade levels and schools will help you become a better and stronger teacher.
Thanks for sharing!!!
-Katie