Did You Know?
I have seen other videos like "Did You Know?" (such as "A Vision of K-12 Students Today" which I have embedded below), however the numbers showing the increase of technology usage never ceases to amaze me. In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz Judy Garland utters "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore..." and I see how that might come to mind as we encounter new and unfamiliar situations. This is certainly true for educators today as they face the prospect of teaching millennial students in ways that will engage these digital natives, school administrators as they determine how to evaluate the use of new technologies and their impact on teaching and learning, and for school board members as they make decisions on funding technology for our schools.
New and emerging technologies appear on what seems like a daily basis. Over the last few years, the buzzword has been Web 2.0. I have heard many ask "Exactly what is Web 2.0 and could it have a place in the 21st-century classroom?" Just as Dorothy felt excitement, anticipation, and fear as she stepped out of her house and into Oz, we might feel as if we are in a different world when faced with the prospect of evaluating the use of new and emerging technologies. Our task as teachers today, as we “move on down the road” is to explore various applications, and their pedagogical potential, in the world of Web 2.0.
We will have to find ways to engage students differently than our teachers did us. Our students are very adaptive and have been around computers and technology all their short-lived lives. However, they will have to be trained to use a mouse and/or a keyboard since most have been handed tablet devices and as of yet we still need to use those two things. Texting is also something that has kind of derailed us a little since students use abbreviations, like IDK for I don't know. Other than a few caveats we really won't have to do much to prepare them for 21st Century learning, they are living it every day. What we will have to do is begin letting go of the control that we think we need to have in the classroom. True 21st Century learning is about having more student-led activities and tasks while the teacher becomes more of a facilitator. That is sometimes an anxious place to be, but if we can just let go then we can allow students to develop.
Not only will letting go of control be a challenge, but funding is a very big challenge schools and districts are going to have to find creative ways to absorb. There will be not only the cost of equipment and infrastructure, but we are going to need lots of professional development for teachers. Colleges are still cranking out teachers from a 1960 cookie cutter. There are those that push for their teacher candidates to have some technology training along the way, but I don't feel it is where it needs to be compared to what statistics from things like "Did You Know?" show us are actually happening around the globe. Teachers are going to have to be trained to incorporate technology, student-led classrooms, and project-based learning if we want to keep up with those around the globe.
I believe that someone can be an awesome teacher and not use technology. However without the use of technology in the classroom, students are back to relying on one source (i.e. the teacher) for information. In a 21st-century classroom students need to become global learners and problem solvers. They need to collaborate not only with those right in the same room, but they should have opportunities to collaborate with students across the planet. Will students still learn without a teacher using technology? The answer is yes. Will students without technology do as well as those who experience technology-driven classrooms? I would have to say I don't believe they will.
I have seen other videos like "Did You Know?" (such as "A Vision of K-12 Students Today" which I have embedded below), however the numbers showing the increase of technology usage never ceases to amaze me. In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz Judy Garland utters "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore..." and I see how that might come to mind as we encounter new and unfamiliar situations. This is certainly true for educators today as they face the prospect of teaching millennial students in ways that will engage these digital natives, school administrators as they determine how to evaluate the use of new technologies and their impact on teaching and learning, and for school board members as they make decisions on funding technology for our schools.
New and emerging technologies appear on what seems like a daily basis. Over the last few years, the buzzword has been Web 2.0. I have heard many ask "Exactly what is Web 2.0 and could it have a place in the 21st-century classroom?" Just as Dorothy felt excitement, anticipation, and fear as she stepped out of her house and into Oz, we might feel as if we are in a different world when faced with the prospect of evaluating the use of new and emerging technologies. Our task as teachers today, as we “move on down the road” is to explore various applications, and their pedagogical potential, in the world of Web 2.0.
We will have to find ways to engage students differently than our teachers did us. Our students are very adaptive and have been around computers and technology all their short-lived lives. However, they will have to be trained to use a mouse and/or a keyboard since most have been handed tablet devices and as of yet we still need to use those two things. Texting is also something that has kind of derailed us a little since students use abbreviations, like IDK for I don't know. Other than a few caveats we really won't have to do much to prepare them for 21st Century learning, they are living it every day. What we will have to do is begin letting go of the control that we think we need to have in the classroom. True 21st Century learning is about having more student-led activities and tasks while the teacher becomes more of a facilitator. That is sometimes an anxious place to be, but if we can just let go then we can allow students to develop.
Not only will letting go of control be a challenge, but funding is a very big challenge schools and districts are going to have to find creative ways to absorb. There will be not only the cost of equipment and infrastructure, but we are going to need lots of professional development for teachers. Colleges are still cranking out teachers from a 1960 cookie cutter. There are those that push for their teacher candidates to have some technology training along the way, but I don't feel it is where it needs to be compared to what statistics from things like "Did You Know?" show us are actually happening around the globe. Teachers are going to have to be trained to incorporate technology, student-led classrooms, and project-based learning if we want to keep up with those around the globe.
I believe that someone can be an awesome teacher and not use technology. However without the use of technology in the classroom, students are back to relying on one source (i.e. the teacher) for information. In a 21st-century classroom students need to become global learners and problem solvers. They need to collaborate not only with those right in the same room, but they should have opportunities to collaborate with students across the planet. Will students still learn without a teacher using technology? The answer is yes. Will students without technology do as well as those who experience technology-driven classrooms? I would have to say I don't believe they will.