Teaching in the 21st Century: The Need for Change
Since some of us have already taken the Classrooms for the Future professional development, some of us are taking the course now, and some will begin the course in a few weeks, I thought you might want to share your reflections from the readings and assignments.
Laurie, Sue, Reuben (Sue's student teacher), and I have been enjoying the face-to-face blended study version of the Act 48 course. We've had an opportunity to learn what our colleagues think of the new ways of thinking, learning, and teaching. We've been able to bounce ideas off each other and really consider how the 21st century skills affect our students and us.
Larry, Pam, and I are in the same study group for the Wilkes version of the course, and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading their postings. Pam and I met last Saturday morning at Fairview's Coffee Station and had an chance to talk to each other about these same concepts. I really enjoyed the company, the discussions, and the coffee! I know, however, how difficult it can be to schedule face-to-face meetings. It's nice that we have some digital options.
I created this blog as part of a training session back in November, but haven't posted anything new to it since then. I'd like to offer the blog to you again as a place to share with your colleagues the reflections that you have shared with your online peers for the CFF professional development. I'm finding those from my class quite intriguing. I'd love to read your postings and continue to meet informally to talk about how we're changing what we do in our classrooms.
I'm going to start with posting the Technology Reflection questions for the course. If you'd like to comment on the topic, scroll down to the comment link and add your entry. You could simply cut and paste from your course work, you could modify your postings, or you could generate something totally new. If you don't want to comment, but you'd like to view what the others have posted, read on.
Technology Reflection:
1. Are you a digital immigrant or a digital native?
2. How are you and your students using technology in similar ways? In what ways does your use differ?
3. Why do you think your students' use differs from your use?
4. What opportunities exist for you to use technology in order to better meet student needs?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
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2 comments:
I’m a digital immigrant who has been visiting the digital world for about twenty years. I’m an immigrant trying to be a bridge, though. Anyway, once a visitor, always a visitor. I might be able to use the tools well, integrate them into my classroom, and appreciate them to an extent that I cannot imagine working without them; but the tools are not part of my natural element. For my students and a number of my colleagues, however, the technology we use today at work and at home are integral parts of their environment. The tools are the trees in their forest. For me, these tools are man-made things that just look like trees.
My students and I use technology in several similar ways. We construct documents to communicate to others. I create assignments and activities, and they use technology to create their responses. We create images using screen shots and other digital photographs to develop presentations and tutorials to help others understand. We record our voices and sounds to communicate, to entertain, to teach, to learn. We post files to share with others in our class or our school.
On the other hand, my students use the technology to play, to relax, to communicate with their family and friends, to share with the world, and to listen in on and watch what the world is saying and doing. They post to blogs about diverse topics, join chats to talk about issues from the most mundane to the most complex, and upload and download videos to share and watch.
My personal use of technology differs. I use the telephone to talk with my family and friends, or I communicate face-to-face. I’ve only recently started to use Skype to chat in text or video with co-workers. I do not entertain myself playing online or video games; I read, talk, listen, walk, and ride to find entertainment. I use technology for work. I think I'm changing, though, and it's a little freaky.
I think my students’ use differs from mine because they have grown up with technology as a part of their immediate world, their playtime, their learning time, their entire environment. I have developed my use of it slowly. As new software and equipment was purchased by my district, I learned how to use it and integrated it into my classroom lessons or management. I looked through the help features and other tabs and found ways to make that software work well for me, my colleagues, and my students and their families. But it’s still a tool, to me, no matter how cool it is.
I am a digital immigrant and I am not sure if I'll ever reach the status of becoming a digital native. Like Pam, I use these tools everyday. However, they are not part of my natural element. At home I do not have access to high speed internet and honestly, I have to admit it's somewhat nice to know that I am not connected 24/7. My home is my vacation away from technology.
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