When educators talk about technology, most of the time educators think of computers or tablets. When a school first gets computers or tablets for their building, many think, "YES, now we have technology for students to use." Over the past year I have seen this first hand. When my building became a 1:1 Ipad school many teachers thought that by putting an Ipad in a students hands, they were integrating technology. This assumption and inaccurate information by teachers is a reason why most students skill go to a class to use technology and why it is not integrated properly.
Integrating technology into the classroom can be challenging especially for older teachers to think about. Technology can really be anything such as engineering a bridge, using a video introduction, or writing a letter to pen pals. Integrating technology does not have to be complicated but does need to enrich the instruction rather than just thrown in. When technology is integrated in the classroom, students can be given a voice to share ideas and help promote student curiosity. I use technology to promote collaboration, communication, and global learning. I do most of my integration of technology by connecting to the world by writing blogs, Skyping with other classrooms, or by having professionals speak to students about their career field.
I was very interested in Kevin Robinson's TED Talk especially when he spoke about how most school cultures have fallen into the belief that testing is more important. I see that within my building as well. Technology integration should not fall to the waist side when testing or assessments arise. I understand that technology integration can become harder to put into plan during this time; however students still need to express and share their ideas with the world. Teachers need to become more facilitators in learning and let students take charge of their learning.
When using technology, teachers need to also understand the risks that come along with using the internet; being ignorant is not an option for a teacher using the internet within the classroom. All teachers that use the internet, need to teach about sources and how to identify what is a good source and what is fake. In Alan November's article, Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning, he mentions that teachers need to be learning as much as students. We are living in a digital age where kids can catch up to our learning about technology twice as fast as adults. However many students do not understand that not everything you read on the internet or hear on the news station are true. Research is a skill that many students need to learn how to do on the internet to comprehended that now all articles are true statements.
Overall technology is slowly becoming integrated within the classrooms because teachers are starting to see the impact of student learning with the use of integration. Teachers need more professional development on technology, not just how to use it, but how students can explore, collaborate, and communicate using technology within the classroom. As more teachers get comfortable becoming a facilitator of learning, classrooms will become more of a supported learning environment.
