Week 1.2
Do you speak digital?
If you are one of those people who says, "I'm computer illiterate" or "I don't have any time to learn new technology" or "it's always worked my way"...my response to you is..."stop searching for excuses! Your students need you to be adventurous and take risks." You don't have to be an expert by any means but you have to be willing to take a chance. It is so important that our students feel like we are taking an interest in the world that they have become accustomed to, which very much includes technology. Your students may even jump at the chance to teach you a thing or too. You should embrace their willingness and their excitement to be a part of the learning/teaching process.
People who are scared to try new things, have PowerPoint presentations that look like this...
Don McMillan's Life After Death by PowerPoint http://www.youtube.com/watchv=lpvgfmEU2Ck&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Why are some teachers afraid to integrate new types of technology into their classroom?
There are a few reasons I think educators are reluctant to integrate new technologies into their classrooms. First, a lack of knowledge and familiarity with technology plays a large role. It's human nature to focus on and teach things that are in our comfort zone and we feel highly knowledgeable on. However, we will never develop professionally if we do not leave our "comfort zone" and learn new technologies and appropriate uses in our classrooms. Education goes both ways, we teach our students and our students teach us on a daily basis whether we realize it or not. We modify instruction based on the needs of the students by observing and learning what helps them. We can all benefit from learning from our students. Another reason educators are reluctant to integrate technology is fear. Fear of backlash from administration, other teachers, or parents. "what ifs". What if this happens while using the technology that you introduced? Education, knowledge, and proper research should eliminate or diminish these fears. Knowing the benefits of using certain technolgies and teaching students the appropriate use is powerful. We should not let these factors inhibit us from using technology, we need to take responsibility in educating ourselves to be able to educate our students and prepare them to become good digital citizens.
ReplyDeleteJen - I have to agree with you that so many teachers, and so many people for that matter, are very fearful to step out of their comfort zones. Teachers who have been teaching for years have a curriculum in place that has been working for years and they don’t want to change it or add anything to it. It is like the saying, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” Stepping out of the comfort zone only allows for growth within our profession and will only benefit our students. I also have not really thought really hard about those teachers who may be in “Fear of backlash from administration, etc. That is a very insightful thought and I guess I can see that those who are not risk takers may not use technology because of this reason. Thanks for sharing; I really enjoyed your comments. Kate
DeleteJen, you make a valid point when you say that teachers are afraid to integrate technology because of fear. It makes sense that teacher would be a bit afraid to use new technologies because they never know what other people will really think especially if something does happen. But, if the teachers do their research and perhaps even take classes on the new technologies they plan to use they will be better prepared to discuss the technology to peers as well as handle any problem that may occur.
DeleteI think it would be great if we could teach ourselves to use these new technologies but there are still going to be some people out there who will not even try because they believe they will not be able to do it. I believe more teachers would be willing to learn new technologies if their schools offer classes to teach a whole group. -Melissa R.
Oh ladies! Absolutely! People are definitely fearful of what they don't know or understand. They also assume it will be too time consuming or difficult. But I also believe teachers need to advocate for themselves better! We need to be better about requesting professional development from our administrators and making them understand that the londer the technology sits...the more money goes right out the window. Maybe that will get their attention!
DeleteThe easiest way to integrate new technologies is to be, essentially, okay if they don't work. As long as teachers give new and sometimes scary ideas a try, then they are truly putting themselves in the shoes of their students. Oftentimes we forget that we are exposing our students to new, stressful, and overwhelming information on a daily basis yet we expect them to comfortably acclimate and apply this knowledge. We should revert our expectations of our students to ourselves as we explore the great and sometimes overwhelming technological practices available to us. The greatest risk is to never take one!
DeleteMichael,
DeleteWhat a great statement and a wonderful way to look at this. Why not use students as our teachers as they get excited about teaching us something and knowing more than we do. I teach high school students so they already think they know everything anyway, right?? LOL
I actually encourage my students to stump me and to come in with questions from their readings etc. and give me homework by asking me things that I don't know. They love it.
Tina
I am happy that you blogged about something like this. It's so true that many people fear technology- I know, I was one of them. However, when my school couldn't pay for professional development, I realized that I was just going to try it anyways. It's really neat to see the kids interact with the same technology as you. They truly teach me something everyday. If I am trying a new thing and forgot where to navigate the next step, the students will try and do it with me. We all learn!! I have grown tremendously because my fear has left and now I am open to try new things! Now, I want to learn about all the newest technolgy out there and try to incorporate them in my everyday teaching.
ReplyDelete-Melissa S.
Hopefully, we can do that this semester! I'm certainly looking forward to sharing everything I know. I also expect to learn a great deal from all of you.
DeleteMelissa S, you make a wonderful point. I find that, at the very least, one of my students knows how to get me out of a "technological bind." In fact, one of the jobs in my classroom is "I.T. Coordinator." These students help with our blog, website, and SMART Board. I find that students who may not be the most engaged in our traditional classroom are the most vocal in our digital classroom. I enjoy that the students understand that classrooms no longer have walls...now if I can only get the adults in education to feel that way!
DeleteWhat better way to empower our students than to learn from them!? One of the most humbling experiences for me as a new teacher was when a sixth grade student posed a question that I was unsure of. She was rather excited to have "stumped" me because it's instances like this one that give teachers a more "humanistic" quality. (Not to worry, I did find the answer for her :) The reality is we don't know everything - especially when it comes to the dynamic nature of technology. Using our students to navigate the seemingly tricky world of technology helps us to improve our craft and certainly increases their notions of self-efficacy.
Delete-Andrea
There really are many teachers out there in all different levels who are still using the boring old powerpoints. I will have to admit that yes, I have done my share of boring powerpoints. Recently I learned of the program Prezi that is slowly taking the place of powerpoint. At first I was afraid to use it because I was convinced I was not going to be able to figure it out and make it actually work. I am one of those people who get nervous over the little things like whether or not a document will open in front of a class. What this comes down to and one of the major reasons I believe teachers do not want to integrate technology in the classroom is they do not want to look dumb in front of their students. Good teachers in my opinion understand that they do not know everything. They believe that they are going to be constantly learning and even learning from their students.
ReplyDeleteMelissa R
Always learning...I think that is the fun part! I will even go as far to say, that is probably why we become teachers! We love learning! Whether it's for us of our students. I know you work with the little ones but they appreciate when thier teacher looks silly or doesn't have all the answers. It might even be comforting!
DeleteBTW...good for you, trying out Prezi! I'm proud of you! It is not easy taking on a new project like that and surviving with all of your sanity. Congrats!
When I started using new Web 2.0 resources, like Prezi in my classroom last year, the kids were so excited. It made them want to learn how to do it. When your students see you trying new things- it makes them motivated to learn even more!
DeleteMelissa S.
I've never used Prezi, in fact it's the first time I'm hearing about it! Is it similar to powerpoint? I'll have to research it-Rubi
DeleteThis is so true, Melissa! That's what I love about education though is that we are constantly learning new things!
Delete--Diana
I have encountered many teachers that are reluctant to use technology in their classroom. I have heard many teachers state that they just don’t have time to spend learning something new. And in many ways I can understand their reasoning. If you are not techno savvy, the process to learn new things can take a while. And even if you are techno savvy, it still takes a while to learn a new program, understand how you are going to use it and then be creative on how you are going to incorporate it into your curriculum. For a teacher that has been teaching for a while and has a full load, this can be time consuming. But as teachers it is our responsibility to continue to learn and grow within our profession. In today’s world students are novice on technology. Technology is their world and those teachers who have the fear of technology need to understand that this is a great way to connect and engage their students. I had started to use technology more and more in my class and have noticed a tremendous difference in the student’s engagement. I had several students that were not on task during assignments and by the use of interactive technology tools, these students are performing at a higher level. We can learn technology from our students and we need to embrace that. Kate
ReplyDeleteLetting down your guard and allowing your students to become part of the process can have amazing outcomes!
DeleteNicely said, Kate! Likewise, I find that teachers are discounted for their work because outsiders assume that we repeat what we do from year to year. All of you secondary teachers out there must have heard at some time or another, "You are SO lucky! You get to repeat the same lesson multiple times in a given day! Any teacher that stands by his/her craft, will be the first to admit that no two students are exactly the same, let alone an entire class. Therefore, effective teaching requires learning on the part of the educator.
DeleteTechnology, then, cannot be ignored in a classroom setting if teaching is going to reflect the needs, interests, and personal circumstances surrounding students. When working with people everyday, who are dynamic by nature, it's a disservice to our students and to our profession if we fail to respond to changing circumstances. Our students are surrounded by technology on a minute-by-minute basis when they text a friend or google an unknown topic. If we have any hope of competing with all of these mitigating factors, then we must "plug into" technology as well.
-Andrea
I agree, as teachers they should take into account that learning is a process, your never stop. If they are not computer savvy this is a great way to learn from students, at the same time the students can boast their self confidence by taking a leadership role. If teachers are afriad of learning new things, hoow do they expect students to learn new things, like new vocabulary words or math problems..
DeleteL.Bunker
Very true! Though I must admit I wish there were more opportunities for teachers to learn more about technology. It is hard to teach the students of the 21st century when as educators we are not up-to-date with the ways of modern society.
Delete-Chelsea
Technology, when utilized properly in the classroom, has the potential to transform students from being the "receiver of knowledge" to actively constructing knowledge. This is a complete paradigm shift from the initial framework of education, whereby teachers were the sole experts and students were simply expected to absorb the information imparted upon them.
ReplyDeleteHaving previously taught in a classroom with a SmartBoard and a set of netbooks, I have found that technology promotes student collaboration, engagement, and participation. Something as simple as asking students to diagram a sentence on the SmartBoard, sparked excitement! This can certainly be a challenge for teachers who may be less inclined to hand the "reigns" over to their students, so to speak. It seems to be, then, that technology has the potential to be the great equalizer of education, by allowing teachers to individually address the needs of specific students while also making students' accountable for their own learning.
-Andrea Rosenfield
Accountability is so, so important. Kids will "own" it...if they can be part of the learning process.
DeleteLast semester, I student taught at West Middle right up the street from St. Joseph and I was so excited when my cooperating teacher had a SMART board in her classroom. I was excited to see how she was using it, if she used blogging in her classroom and how she was able to incorporate technology into lessons. Only to find out that she was trained a few years back and never really incorporated the SMART board into her classroom. Therefore, I chose to base all my lessons using the SMART board because I wanted to show the students how it was an interactive tool for teaching and learning. I realized how engaged students were while we were using the SMART board. It felt great to introduce this to the students as well as refresh my cooperating teachers experience with the SMART board.
ReplyDeleteI am excited to be able to continue learning about other means of technology and how to incorporate them into the classroom.-Rubi
That is pretty brave! I commend you greatly for taking a chance and having a little faith. Technology can truly benefit our students and create excitement in our classrooms. Good for you Rubi!
DeleteAs many have mentioned above, the use of SMART boards is a vital component to the technology available in a classroom. However, it should not be treated as the only or most important vehicle in our 21st century classrooms. My biggest goal integrating technology into the classroom is to ensure that A) all students have a voice B) all students create and synthesize knowledge C) is easy and fun to use. I find that the SMART board and its software are sometimes treated as a glorified whiteboard (a waste of $2400 in my eyes). Getting the students to actually use technology should be the administrators' and policymakers' goal. I am looking forward to this class because of the collaborative learning aspect with new and curious colleagues, all of whom either are or will be fantastic 21st century educators. I find too often, that technology is still not used in classrooms the way it should be because other educators and administrators are scared. But isn't the way to conquer a fear, to face it? Education should be about the students ALL the time, and, at least in this poor guy's opinion, the integration of technology in the classroom has to do with the adults in education. For heaven's sake, at least give teacher access to YOUTUBE!
ReplyDeleteHope I didn't scare anyone off. Teach On, Be Strong!
Michael C.
This will be a great group to learn from and with throughout this semester. I hope everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas and thoughts on how technology can improve the learning environment for many of their students. Hopefully your enthusiasm will rub off on some of your co-workers.
DeleteI feel that technology in the classroom is a great way for students to learn. The use of computers and smartboards is hand on that the srudent will feel that they are in control in what they can use to learn. There are so many different programs for students that are interavtive and will give student oppportunities to learn from one another and even play different roles. For example one student can feel like a leader when they are using a kind of technology or program, some can express themselves through wrting interactive books, recording their voices. Intergrating technology is teaching students different ways to navigate in the world of learning.
DeleteL.Bunker
Very true, Michael. SmartBoards are often used as an alternative white board, yet they're novel, so we automatically praise their usefulness.
Delete-Andrea
Michael I agree with you "that technology is not used in the classrooms the way it should be" The school I work at has very limited resources-we have difficulty accessing academic websites-even just for research and planning purposes, and forget about being allowed access to YouTube. Even with those setbacks I notice not all the teachers I work with use the technology we do have access to when developing instruction. I try to incorporate what we do have availible to use as much as possible: projector, Powerpoint, Xcel, etc.
Delete-Anna Grabowski
These posts are well written! It's interesting that we talk about the SmartBoards in that way. Michael, you summed it up beautifully by saying, "Glorified whiteboards," because in most cases that is how I see them utilized. I believe it's because many people don't know how to use them or have had enough professional development. I feel that if more PD was given (granted money is always an issue) that teachers would start coming out of their shell more to try new things!
Delete-Melissa S.
Thinking back on my own experiences when I was a student, I wonder how different it would have been had our world been as technology-rich as it now. Kids today have access to so many different forms of technology, and it's really amazing to think of how much they know and can do with regard to technology. I've heard many people say that they are terrible with computers, or they don't know the first thing about some of these technological advances, but I believe that as teachers, we need to adapt to our times. The world is constantly changing, and we have to at least be willing to try to change with it. Technology can intimidating, especially if it's something pretty new to you... but I like the thought of asking students to help us out! As it is, kids LOVE teaching people how to do things. Instead of fearing what teaching is becoming, why not embrace it!
ReplyDelete--Diana M
The funny thing about the first part of the post is I was thinking the same thing! When I got towards middle school we used computers more and more. We always had computer classes where we would learn to type or type up our papers. We never had anything more than this and I always wonder what education would have been like. From what I remember my teachers were still handwriting lessons on the board. I remember in high school we had over-head projectors. I can't even remember the last time I saw one of these since then! There are just so many different ways now to provide information to your students. -Melissa R.
DeleteI would never have imagined that technology would play such a big role in my life. I was most defintely the kid goofing off in the back of my "typing" class...daydreaming about how this "stuff" wouldn't apply to my life.
DeleteI agree with everyone. It is human nature to stay within a "comfort zone." I was embarrassed several times during student teaching or even during class when something just went wrong. We get frustrated and then curse the technology and then just ignore it as "it is not for me."
ReplyDeleteI cannot remember how many times during student teaching we heard during those seminars, "You have to know your material inside out. Well, if we have to know our material inside out, how can we use a technology that we are uncomforable with during that time period? I would think that would be the time to try it out.
I also agree with the comment above about expecting our students to move outside their comfort level for us. If that is the case, why not ask for help from them. Students will always know more about technology than us. My daughter still shows me things about my cell phone...things that just don't matter; but, I let her to boost her confidence. Why would I shoot her down? My dad's old partner once said, "We learn something new every day."
Thank you.
Michael Hatzikostantis
During my time in classrooms, I have found that students get most excited and hands are constantly up in the air if they are able to interact with computers or the SMARTboard. Not only do the students get to use some cool digital technological tools, but these tools allow them to actively take part in their own education. Instead of teachers telling students what they need to do or know, technology allows students the freedom to discover this on their own. In addition to this, the use of technology in the classroom introduces so many new topics that students can explore, allowing them to decide what they want to learn.
ReplyDeleteProjects are a great way for students to explore topics of their own interest and utilize the technologies in the classroom as a means of research. By combining these two notions, the students find a motivation to learn that they may not have identified with previously, now that they are taking an active role in their own learning.
-Chelsea Morrison
I completely agree with what you are saying here! Whenever I would say, "Who can come up to the SMARTboard and..." the students are nearly jumping out of their seats to participate! It is really cool to see how excited students are when they can take such an active role in their own learning.
ReplyDelete-Chelsea
This was supposed to be a reply to Andrea's post just so clarify. I thought I was fairly tech-literate but it would seem that my browser is trying to mess with me and not letting me post where I intended to...very appropriate given the context of this blog :)
DeleteI am always on the look out for interesting interactive websites to supplement content being taught. The school I teach at does not have SMARTboards or even an Ipad. So I feel very limited as to what technology I am able to use with the students. The other downside is that are computer filter has many restrictions, so even if I find an interesting online resource, it's often difficult for me share it at my workplace. It makes me sad because I always hear about how excited students are to participate in discussion and acitivites when such technology is availible. (Reading previous comments points out how "excited" students become around these tools)
ReplyDelete-Anna Grabowski
When I first started teaching I was scared of the SMARTboard. I knew it would be a good tool to use in the classroom and has many advatages especially in the math world. I can say that I was very reluctant to use the SMARTboard with very little training. What if I break it? Am I going to waste too much class time trying to figure out what to do. One day I decided just to jump in and use it. I found it to be very user friendly and I am upset I waited a few months before even trying. I think many teachers are scared of the unknowns of technology or what could go wrong during your lesson when your using technology. I have run into problems where the SMARTboard malfunctions, so we just resort to using the whiteboard (like we used to). This rarely happens though and it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I love the SMARTboard now and couldn't imagine teaching without it.
ReplyDelete- Danielle Kondratuk