Blog Post #3

"It's Not About the Technology"

In this post Kelly Wines I believe accurately states the role technology should play in a 21st century classroom. We hear constantly about the importance of making our children technologically literate and it often seems the technology aspect takes precedence over the education side. Technology should be used as a tool to further enhance education, not as the method for teaching. Teachers need to challenge students to think and learn for themselves and then back that learning up with technology. Technology can be so useful in many situations but often technology can only be as smart as the person using it. A student could look up all the facts and information in the world, but knowing how to apply it is a different story. So at the end of the day, it is not about the technology. Technology is extremely important in today’s world but it has to be viewed as a resource to advance education, not education itself.


Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Karl Fisch expresses in his post the importance of technology in education today. He clearly states that he believes technology is a tool and not the end all of education. But, he also feels that in order to be an effective educator in the world today it is essential to be technologically literate. Technology underlines almost everything we do in society so it is important that we understand and are able to effectively use technology. Now I do believe his claim that being technologically illiterate is the same as not being able to read or write 30 years ago is very extreme. I have stated before that I believe there are people who are still very effective teachers without the use of technology and I will continue to stand by that. I believe they could be overlooking a great resource, but they are effective teachers none the less. Now, if a teacher is not able to read or write they would be incapable of educating. I do believe technology is much more important in today’s classrooms, but do not believe it is even close to being as important as fundamental skills such as reading and writing.


Garys Social Media Count

If anyone doubts how much people rely on social media in today’s world, you must check out this page. The majority of people, especially in the United States are linked in to some sort of social networking whether it be Facebook, Twitter or blogging. Instead of viewing these networking opportunities as wastes of time, we need to use them as a resource. I feel so often these sites get linked into the “video game” conversation. What I mean is that many adults think kids are wasting their lives sitting in front of a screen when they could be learning or being productive. A way to fix this is to make “sitting in front of a screen” part of learning. It is important to meet students where they are at. And they are all on these networking sites. These sites offer students opportunities that never previously existed such as meeting kids from other parts of the world which in the growing global world, is extremely important.


A Vision of Students Today

This video offers a glimpse into what many students feel about the modern day classroom. The fact is clear that technology is a crucial part of most student's lives. And this trend does not appear to be changing any time soon. Students are spending more time and energy on social media than they are in the classroom. Teachers and administration have to do a more effective job of reaching out to students and engaging them in different ways. They will not be able to reverse the trend social media has started so they must try to use it to their advantage. Allow students to use the resources that the modern world offers. Now that I am not suggesting to get rid of classrooms and teachers because there are things that cannot be taught across a computer screen. But technology can be used to motivate and inspire students. It can offer them a way to use what they enjoy doing to achieve a greater understanding of what they need to learn. It seems sad that we have these resources but we continue to fail to use them.