Class Reflection:Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society

The role of the teacher has always been to prepare students for the future.  In the teacher- directed classroom of the past, teaching the content areas would be sufficient.  As technology continues to emerge and students enter the classroom as digital natives (Laureate Education, 2008) it is up to teachers to develop their own technology skills to be on par with their students.

For students to succeed in the 21^st century teachers need to change the way they teach to include digital literacy, critical thinking, problem solving and collaborative learning. We need to move away from teacher-centered to learner-centered classrooms. I take with me from this class, the knowledge of how to integrate technology using Web 2.0 tools and make the transition necessary to better  prepare my students for forthcoming opportunities and the future workforce. Since taking this course I have learned how to set up a blog, a class wiki, RSS and learned how to make a podcast. I have introduced these web tools to my students and we have already used the wiki in a class project.

I will continue to broaden my knowledge of technology usage to increase student success by continuing to take Master’s classes in Integrating Technology in the Classroom through Walden University and take any and all technology workshops that will be made available in my school district or county. I will also not be afraid to ask questions and learn from my students or colleagues in their area of technology know-how.

Within the next two years, barring any unforeseen circumstances,  I hope to incorporate projects that involve student collaboration on wikis, blogs and podcasts.  During this school year I created the class wiki and had students post to it. In the future, I would like to see students working together to create and design the class wiki, and incorporate the use of podcasts and blogs into some of my lessons. I would also like to brainstorm with the students at the beginning of the year on how they think these web tools can be used in the classroom.  Additionally, I would have students use the Website Evaluation Tool to work in groups to assess different websites for their design, content, technical elements, and credibility (Miners & Pascopella, 2007).

Since completing my checklist from week 1, I have changed my answer to several questions.  I now can say that I promote the development of leadership and technology skills in my students and colleagues. I also design instructional activities that require student collaboration to accomplish a joint task.

As we move further in the 21^st century and advancing technologies shape our lives, it is our responsibility as teachers to be at the forefront in learning and incorporating whatever comes our way into the classroom so that students will be primed for the future.

References:

Miners , Z. and Pascopella, A. (2007). The new literacies. District Administration Journal. October 2007.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Debate: Digital natives vs. digital immigrants?  Baltimore: Author.