Read the article at this link: http://21centuryconnections.com/node/469
Are we still teaching in the 20th century? Are you as frustrated as the author of this article? Do you think we need to mandate technology use? How are you doing your part to move education into the 21st century by integrating technology into your classroom?
23 comments:
It is a fact that the teaching world has to adopt technology as much as possible in order to make proccesses more efficient. Once teachers learn to embrace technology they will find their jobs will become much easier and their time will be better spent. Perhaps schools should mandate that technology be used more. The principals should enforce the use of technology in the classroom. Over time it will be more natural for every teacher to use the technology. It is very important for schools to have workshops and provide technology education to help the teachers, esp. the senior teachers who might not be as familiar with new forms of media.
Technology saves time, which is something teachers could never have enough of. Technology makes lesson more lively and fun, which is the key to motivate students in class. Technology allows creative presentations of information, that makes the school learning experiences more enjoyable. Yes, I think we should mandate technology use in every school.I would love to have a smart board in my future classroom.
-Jenny Chen
I do not think that we need to mandate technology use; however, teachers should be encouraged to use it at first until they get comfortable. If schools want teachers to use technology all the time, they should take the time and the money to educate the teachers in how to effectively use technology. If teachers are educated on how to use technology, maybe they would not be hesitant in using it all the time. I plan to learn how to use technology effectively in order to use it in the classroom. I know if I learn to use it, then I will not be hesitant in using it in the classroom. I know that if and when I use technology the lesson will and are more interesting.
angella s.
I agree with Kanyarat that we need to educate teachers in using technology, so they are not afraid to use it. I also agree with her idea of schools giving workshops to help all teachers, especially the senior teachers who are not accustomed in using it.
Angella S.
I agree wtih kanyarat. I think that once teachers use technology, they will become that much more comfortable with it. The time spent using technology is a tremdendous help for both the teacher and students. The teacher can free up a lot of time by being comfortable with technology at their finger tips.
Katie
At my school, we are adopting more and more mandated technology. When we hand in our plan books each week, we have to highlight each time tech is used. This is a great way for teachers to at least TRY to incorporate newer systems into their lessons.
Unfortunately, however, our principal limits technology use as a communication tool. Emails are prohibited. Until the administration gives us permission to use communicative technology, it is an impossibility. I can imagine this isn't an issue at my school alone.
As said in many of the posts, teachers never have enough time in the day. The use of technology in the classroom and for teacher and administrative use, can only help by making things happen faster. I agree with kanyarat who said principals should enfore the use of technology in the classroom. Since many of the elementary classrooms today are inclusive, using technology to teach lessons makes the lesson more interesting and adaptive to all learning styles. I also agree with the fact that all teachers should be educated in the proper use of these technologies in the classroom. Such as blogs, powerpoint, and smart boards. The newer teachers are all educated with these teaching tools but we need to educate the teachers who have been working for years to ensure poper learning tools for our students.
-alexandria
Technology definitely saves time for teachers, secretaries, and principals throughout the day. It does help with attendance and report cards. It is also helpful to partents to see the progress of their children so they can help to improve throughout the semester. The school I work at is very technologically advanced because it is a school specifically for physically disabled children and the benefits of technology are amazing.
Erin C.
This article is true in that we have to keep up with the changing times. It is the 21st century, computers and technology are the wave of the future. The article provided evidence of how much has changed in the past ten years. This is true and as educators we need to keep up with the changing times. Therefore I agree with the author that sometimes the use of technology in the classroom needs to be manadated. We need to keep up with the ever changing technological world we live in specifically in the world of education.
I agree with melodyinwords that the use of technology in school should be mandated. Technology does save time. It also provides fun activities for students. Finally I would also love to have a smartboard in my classroom in the near future.
I agree with Kanyarat that we need to train teachers in the use of technology. It is true that once they are more comfortable with it, it will become second nature. I also agree that they should that teachers use technology more often. This is due to our ever changing technologically advanced world.
I agree with Jenny technology saves time. Using the computer to take attendance has saved time instead of collecting the attendance sheets from every teacher. I know at the high school in my district students ids are scanned as they walk in the building.The school has the ability to check the students id at any time to see if the student is in the right class. Still many teachers at the high school level in my district are not using technology in the clasroom. More money, workshops and incentives should be made to for all teachers to use technolgy in the clasroom in the high school. Rob C
I particularly liked Erin's comment regarding saved time, not only for teachers, but also for support personnell and administrators. Spending less time on mundane, albiet necessary, tasks such as attendance gives members of a school community more time to focus on new and inventive programs for students.
-Shannon
In terms of streamlining operations in a school, I do agree with mandating technology. Examples of this could be grade reporting and attendance. With regard to classroom instruction, however, I do not think that use of technology should be mandated. For some veteran teachers, mastering the current technologies may prove more of a burden that a help. If an individual is already a master teacher, he or she should be allowed to proceed with his or her own form of instruction, providing their instruction reaches the students in a meaningful way. This is not to say that all teachers could not, in some way, benefit from a higher understanding of available technologies, but I do not think that this should be mandated.
-Shannon
This was a very interesting article. I remember being in high school and having the attendance written on paper and having someone pick it up from the teacher. When I was observing, the teacher did her attendance online and just marked who was late or absent. I think the technology has come a long way for the schools and the administration. Now, the teachers need to learn the teachnology to use with their students to assist them in learning the curriculum!
I agree with what Joanna said. Technology has come a long way in the past 10 years. It is important for teachers to learn about the technology and what technology can do for the students and the teacher.
T Malcolm
We must all grow with the time. Technology makes this world go round whether you want to believe it or not. We do benefit with the amount of time being cut in half however we still have to remain dedicated to what it is that has to get done...grades, attendance, etc. We have this luxury of the computer tracking our records but we still need to be timely with entering the data. Teachers simply need to keep up and take whatever training is available for their personal growth and benefit.
Technology is ever evolving and it is something that all schools are being forced to adapt too. Many principals and other administrators are not enforcing the use of technology in the classroom because they are not familiar with the technology themselves so they are not forcing their staff to use something that they are not. With that being said, I think that any district that brings in new technology to be used as a teaching tool should offer efficient training workshops on how to properly and efficiently and use the technology to all of the staff members. It is unfair to the teachers that these different devices are being thrown at them with unrealistic expectations and they are not being taught how to operate the units. I have been put into that situation many of times. Fortunately for me I am technologically savy and able to figure things out on my own, but many are not and they should not be expected to.
~Shikema B.
This article raises an important topic that I constantly think of, should technology be mandated more by the school districts? There is a lot of emphasis to utilize the technology as often as possible in the classroom, although it’s not directly stated by administration I feel that they take notice of who utilizes technology in the classroom and who doesn’t. However, this article discusses that as educators we are using technology often for planning and instructional support and that educators use it less for impacted student data and accountability. In the future I am curious if districts will mandate technology use in the classroom, perhaps mandating a certain amount of technology in lessons? I don’t think that technology should be mandated in the classroom. There is a lot of pressure teachers face on a daily basis to complete all that we need to do; mandating technology seems like added pressure that some less technologically advanced teachers would be bothered by. I think as time progresses teachers will naturally incorporate more technology into the classrooms. Technology has become so useful in the classroom, it almost seems impossible if it’s not used often already!
I agree with Shikema in that administrators may lack information themselves about technology, hence they can’t truly enforce or mandate their staff to use it. Although in the future I believe that regardless of this, administration will be looking to make sure teachers are implementing the expensive technology in the classroom and that it is getting good use of it. I think that districts should allow for training in technology, I know I have attended a few sessions on the smartboard and powerpoint etc. but it may be beneficial to allow teachers who are less knowledgeable about the advantages of technology to have some time to explore and learn more about how technology can be better used in the classroom
I agree with Kanyarat, yes technology should be mandated. Even if you work at an office you still need experience with computers. I also agree that the older you are the harder it is to learn and embrace technology. As teachers we need to keep ahead with the times or else the students will take over the class.
Anonymous said...
I agree with Kanyarat, yes technology should be mandated. Even if you work at an office you still need experience with computers. I also agree that the older you are the harder it is to learn and embrace technology. As teachers we need to keep ahead with the times or else the students will take over the class.
Patrica A.
This article brings up a good point and made me realize all the time teachers have obtained as a result of all the new technologies that have made our teaching lives easier. The simple task of taking attendance each day has been simplified in my school by logging into our attendance program checking the names and continuing on with our lessons. It's still amazing to me each year to see what new and innovative details are going to be incorporated into my school. Each technology has added to the benfit of the students and teachers and the success seems to be neverending, which is great news for all.
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