We sat with our desks in rows. The teacher stood at the front of the room with the chalkboard behind her. We went to a table in the back of the room for our leveled reading groups. We did almost everything with pencil and paper. Most of us had mixed feelings about Library time. We were glad to get out of the classroom for a few minutes and it was fun to pick out a book; but the card catalog was a little confusing and we were all a little scared of the librarian who glared at us from behind her glasses and constantly put a finger to her lips and shushed us. Sound familiar? It’s how I remember elementary school in the eighties! But the times they are a changing! If you’ve been in an elementary school lately you’ve probably noticed some changes. Desks are no longer in rows but grouped into clusters or arranged in a big horseshoe shape. The teacher moves around, there are computers in every classroom, and blackboards have been replaced by “smart boards”. The library has changed too! They’ve got computers in there, the card catalog is gone, and although it’s still quiet it’s not scary quiet! Technology has come into our lives! Just as we do not remember a time without T.V., our children do not remember a time without computers.
Kids are learning and gathering information in new ways. As educators, it’s important that we teach them the skills they will need to use technology in their education and all areas of their lives. This can be a daunting task when you realize that many of your students may be more comfortable with 21st Cetury Technology than you are! Technology has always seemed a little foreign to me, a little too intimidating. My weakness is that sometimes I get comfortable with the way I've been doing things and when something new comes along it just seems like more work to have to "start over". Why should I do it this new way when what I've been doing all along still works? Why re-invent the wheel? Well, what I've found is that technology usually makes things easier. Once you give it a chance, once you get past the learning curve, you wonder why you didn't just embrace it sooner! As an educator, I owe it to my students to stay current on not only the curriculum and newest teaching strategies, but also on the technology and tools used for teaching and learning. In order to do this, I need to get out of my comfort zone a little. I truely believe that technology, like everything else, becomes more comfortable the more that you use it. I just need to devote more time to exploring it.
Two of my greatest strengths are organization and creativity, which really go hand-in-hand with technology! I got my first smart phone about two years ago and shortly after my husband found me writing out a grocery list at the kitchen counter. "Why don't you just put the grocery list on your fancy new phone" he said. I can do that? Wow! An organizational tool at my fingertips all the time?! You should see all the lists I have on that thing now! It's the same at school, kids who are orgainzed generally do better. If we can use technology to help those struggling with organizational skills do better in school it's a win-win situation. And the possibilities for creativity are endless! Most, if not all, lesson plans can be re-worked to provide opportunites for children to use technology. Instead of just reading about a famous speech it's now possible to listen to the actual speech via podcast. Instead of writing reports with paper and pencil, students can now create presentations using their own creativity with fonts, clip art, photography, you name it! It really makes learning more engaging for the students!
Kids are learning and gathering information in new ways. As educators, it’s important that we teach them the skills they will need to use technology in their education and all areas of their lives. This can be a daunting task when you realize that many of your students may be more comfortable with 21st Cetury Technology than you are! Technology has always seemed a little foreign to me, a little too intimidating. My weakness is that sometimes I get comfortable with the way I've been doing things and when something new comes along it just seems like more work to have to "start over". Why should I do it this new way when what I've been doing all along still works? Why re-invent the wheel? Well, what I've found is that technology usually makes things easier. Once you give it a chance, once you get past the learning curve, you wonder why you didn't just embrace it sooner! As an educator, I owe it to my students to stay current on not only the curriculum and newest teaching strategies, but also on the technology and tools used for teaching and learning. In order to do this, I need to get out of my comfort zone a little. I truely believe that technology, like everything else, becomes more comfortable the more that you use it. I just need to devote more time to exploring it.
Two of my greatest strengths are organization and creativity, which really go hand-in-hand with technology! I got my first smart phone about two years ago and shortly after my husband found me writing out a grocery list at the kitchen counter. "Why don't you just put the grocery list on your fancy new phone" he said. I can do that? Wow! An organizational tool at my fingertips all the time?! You should see all the lists I have on that thing now! It's the same at school, kids who are orgainzed generally do better. If we can use technology to help those struggling with organizational skills do better in school it's a win-win situation. And the possibilities for creativity are endless! Most, if not all, lesson plans can be re-worked to provide opportunites for children to use technology. Instead of just reading about a famous speech it's now possible to listen to the actual speech via podcast. Instead of writing reports with paper and pencil, students can now create presentations using their own creativity with fonts, clip art, photography, you name it! It really makes learning more engaging for the students!
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