It is
unrealistic to think that in this day and age you can be successful without
being technologically proficient, no matter what career path you follow. This is no less true in education. Current programs require students to take
(and pass) technology classes about incorporating technology into
instruction. This means that the
“newbies” coming out of programs have the first steps and tools they need to
bring technologies into the classroom.
However, they should not be the only ones with these skills and
insights. This technology proficiency
should be mandatory for all teachers, support staff and administrators in
schools.
I add
administrators to the list intentionally.
While they do not have classrooms of their own in which to implement
technology, they are the heads of their schools/districts. As such, they need to provide the example and
the leadership they wish their teachers and staff to show.
More and
more of the state and national standards are moving to include technological
components. Beyond this, there are
specific technology standards on their own that districts are requiring. All of this makes perfect sense; our job as
teachers is to prepare our students to be successful and productive in the real
world, a job we would be failing at by ignoring the importance of
technology. However, we can hardly
require our students to care about and show proficiency in topics which we are
ourselves unfamiliar with. The chain of
technological proficiency needs to start at the top. There must be a leader (an administrator) who
stays relevant and current and enthusiastic about technology implementation,
which is passed to the next level (teachers) who incorporate technology in
learning and encourage its use, and finally comes to the end of the chain (the
students,) who investigate, learn and utilize these technologies. However, if there is a break in the chain
others must pick up the slack.
While
technology has become an ever present aspect in our lives, including teaching
and learning, it is also a moving target.
There are constantly new advances and new ways of using the tools at
hand. Therefore it takes many people,
making a conscious effort to stay on top of developments, to effectively and
appropriate make technology an active part of the teaching and learning
process.
Here's a cute little video that I think sums up much of what I have been talking about in my blogs/what we have been learning about in class:
I love your chain analogy and honestly I think you are absolutely right that we all need to be in sync in that sense, but I also think that's half the battle. For students, they know more than most adults do. Trusting students to show you new ways to create slideshows and virtual anything is scary, but honestly they know more than we do just by pure experience and exposure. So I think admins especially like you said, need to know (not necessarily master) what the possibilities are to and to support them after their own investigations and experiences with them.
ReplyDeleteOh! And I totally agree with your point about technology being important across all fields. I know a construction company owner who thanks God for his droid every day because he can look at blue prints and exchange emails with his clients in a matter of seconds. Its crazy
Hi Kristen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the video, and I agree 'this is just the beginning!'
Cheshta
I like the video that you posted. I remember being very excited to use an overhead projector in my student teaching class. haha.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point that although we have the job to support and lead our students in appropriate use of technology, we need the same kind of support and leadership in our use of technology. It is important for administrators to be knowledgeable about what is being implemented in the school. This helps for all educators to be on the same page and agree on what the purpose is for introducing technology in the classroom while knowing that their implementation is approved and supported. If the overarching goal is not clear, then the different teachers of the different classrooms are aiming for something different, which may cause a kind of bump as children move from class to class, or from one grade to another.