Now What?

Now what? That is the question. It is almost too difficult of a question to answer to be honest. This is because technology is never ending, and it continues to evolve. As this course is coming to an end, technology continues to develop, change and grow, and just like us as teachers continue to develop, change and grow. We are always learning, especially involving technology because there is ALWAYS something new we can learn. This is exciting. I can say that I have learned a lot in these past few weeks. I have learned so many different aspects of technology and how I can integrate it into my classroom in a positive, engaging and beneficial way to aid students in learning. My eyes have been opened to many different aspects of technology and I want to continue to learn and grow in my knowledge. I by no means know everything there is to know about technology, however, I can say with confidence that I have learned a lot, and am more confident in using technology in a classroom than I was 4 weeks ago. So little time, yet so much learned. Now that I have the information, I have experienced some of it, practiced some of it, now the question is how do I apply it? That will all come with time, I hope. Change comes with time, and time comes with change. 

Tablets as Books?

 I’ve a new found love for reading the newspaper. As I was eating my Sunday lunch, sitting next to the fire, I was reading the local newspaper.  There was such simplicity in reading the newspaper as a hard copy, instead of reading it on a tablet or laptop. I was reading about different issues occurring in our surrounding area, and suddenly, I saw an article in the very corner of the page, it had to do with education and math. The article caught my attention, but as I was reading the article, I thought about how much our society has lost the simplicity of things because technology has consumed us. I stopped reading, and started writing. Maybe I have more of a negative vision of technology than I should, which I hope will change by the end of this course and as I acquire more information about technology and learning.

I thought about how a lot of students are reading books on tablets instead of actually reading the book hard copy. Isn’t there something so special about physically holding and flipping the pages while reading the book? I think so. Some of my fondest memories of elementary school were having my teachers read books to the class. I can’t even imagine teachers reading books in front of the class from a tablet. However, I do think that most teachers today still use many books in their classroom, which gives me a little bit of ease. I wonder if sooner than later, all of the books that we use in our classrooms will be in electronic copies, and students will not know any different than to read a book from a technological device. This thought is a bit scary for me. I hope we as teachers can live on a little bit of legacy with reading hard copy books in school to our students. It’s special for us as teachers and for students. 

What If?

What if as a teacher, I decided to not integrate technology into our classroom? Would it be looked down upon or would it be encouraged? This is a question that has been pressing on me for a while. I sometimes wonder if technology is almost so expected that we are unable to function in a classroom without it. I do see the benefits in technology in the classroom, don’t get me wrong, however I also think that there are benefits in not using technology. This may be looked at as “old school”, but who defines learning anyways? Are we just integrating technology into the classroom because that’s what our generation is use too, and since kids are so use to having it around that we think it can enhance learning. Where did the simplicity of learning go? Is it gone, or is it just harder to see? Do we have to search deeper to find out how children in our generation learn? I may completely be missing the whole idea of this. My thoughts sometimes seem scattered when it comes to using technology in the classroom or not using technology in the classroom. 

Standards. What are they anyways?

I found both the International Society for Technology in Education and the Essential Conditions for Leveraging Technology for Learning both very important documents. I read over both of them a couple times, noticing that I read through them very quickly. I slowed down, reading them again, and noticed that it is so easy to skim over documents like these because we tend to see them a lot. My thoughts when I first opened the documents were not very positive. I re-evaluated my thoughts, and began to dig deeper into these documents. The simple statements that I read over are seemingly very intriguing. I read over them again. All of the points seemed very important to me and I tried to sort through the ones that are most meaningful to me. I narrowed it down significantly.

I’ll start with the International Society for Technology in Education. I think it is so important for teachers to be given standards to abide by, but I also think it is important for teachers to bring in their own standards that they have acquired for themselves. The first standard that caught my attention was to “Model Digital Age Work and Learning”. This standard discusses to demonstrate fluency in technology systems. This caught me off guard. I do not feel equipped with skills in demonstrating fluency in technology. But, I do think it is extremely important. Does this just take time? Will it get easier? It also discussed collaboration with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student’s success and innovation. I’ve seen this in my placements, where teachers, on a daily basis are communicating with parents via e-mail, or even directly during a lesson through different programs on the iPad. This was extremely new for me, and it took some time to get use to, but I really see the benefit in doing this. It helps parents, students, and the community stay connected. The second standard that caught my attention was to “Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility”. I think all of us could talk about this point for a while, and I think we all understand how crucial it is to advocate, model and teach safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology, as well as promoting and modelling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. Right away, I thought of cyber bullying. This issue is so relevant in school classrooms today. As teachers we need to recognize that this issue will only get worse if the students, teachers and community members are not being educated on these concerns.

When reading the conditions for leveraging technology in learning, there were four in particular that caught my attention. The first being ‘shared vision’ which includes proactive leadership in developing a shared vision for educational technology among all education skateholders. I think it is so important for teachers to be able to share their resources with one another. It’s all about learning, and continuing to learn through others as well. The second being ‘equitable access’, which includes the robust and reliable access to current and emerging technology and digital resources with connectivity for all students, teachers, staff and school leaders. I particularly like how it discussed connectivity in this condition. A school is one big body, therefore, connectivity is crucial. The third being ‘ongoing profession learning’. I was thankful when I read this condition because as technologies are always changing and evolving, it is important to have technology-related professional learning plans and opportunities with dedicated time to practice and share ideas. And lastly, ‘student-centered learning’, which includes planning, teaching and assessment centered around the needs and abilities of students. I think it is vital for teachers to take into account the different needs of each student, and make sure the method of learning, whether technology is involved or not, is in fact, meeting the needs of the student.

As much as I appreciate the standards and conditions that were presented to us in these documents, I think it is also very important for teachers to bring their own standards and conditions into their own classroom. Every classroom, every teacher, every student is different, therefore, it is important to figure out a unique and engaging way to incorporate technology into the classroom learning environment in a safe, positive, and cooperative manner. 

Iron Sharpens Iron.

It’s always interesting when asked to introduce oneself. I seem to never know what to say or how to present myself in only a couple sentences. How do you portray your whole character in only a few sentences? That is the question. My name is Kristen. I am a fourth year Bachelor of Education student. I am studying psychology, sociology and of course, education. I have a big heart for teaching overseas and reaching children, and families from small villages that are extremely poor. I would love to share what I have learned and bring it somewhere that will take it for what it is, where things might seem less complicated per say. I often wonder if we just need to slow down, and take life as it is. Stop the busyness around us, trying to keep up with technology, new trends, and new ways of doing. But how do we just stop? We can’t. There are constant changes occurring everywhere. Focusing on the classroom specifically, how are we as teachers suppose to keep up with curriculum, new trends in classrooms, new teaching styles, and being our own self in the midst of all that? How do we develop a character that reflects our own being, yet are constantly bombarded with new ways? How am I ever supposed to be me as a teacher? The answer is not stopping, but slowing down. Realizing what matters in life, realizing what matters in the classroom to help our students learn to the best of their ability. Having an open mind to allow students teach me instead of me always “teaching”. This is profound, simplistic learning. Iron sharpening iron.  

            I chose to take technology in the classroom because I am very interested in how technology can enhance students learning. I understand that generation Z is going to involve a large amount of technology in the classroom. This is a frightening thought for me. Confidence regarding technology is at ground zero. I would love to learn more about how technology can be used successfully in the classroom, and gain confidence in using my resources. I read an article on using technology in the classroom, where teachers are anticipating students receive a new smart phone to help enhance their learning. This is to teach students about computational thinking and data science in high school. It states that smart phones offer individualized learning opportunities. More, importantly, it states that kids think that the devices are cool. Automatically, I am closed off to this notion. I am worried that the future generation is going to be incapable in having person to person interaction with other people. Open my eyes and mind to new ideas. 

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