This folks, is my first experienc with Blogging. Watch out, I'm breaking out. I am looking forward to casting off my staid old ways of doing things and jumping in and joining the 21st century and its technology. In our first night of class I was inspired by the discussion on how far behind teachers are compared to other professions in regard to technology. In the past I, like others have been resistant to make the change to welcoming using technology in the classroom except for the obvious research and word processing. I think I somewhat resent the intrusion as a teaching device. Let's face it...I like being up in front of a group of students giving me rapt attention as I dispense sage wisdom and entertaining information. After all, I am part avid learner and part "ham" enjoying my captive audience! How could I pass that off to a bunch of wiring and plastic, bells and whistles?
Recently, I taught for a day in a math class at a middle school. It was a self paced computer based course. As I wandered around seeking out who I might bring into the light of understanding in math, I began to think about my feelings about technology as teacher. One of the struggles with teaching is meeting the needs of all the learners in the class. There are learning styles to deal with and developmental levels. Different students have different strengths. Very few students are ever in the exact same place of understanding at the same time. How can a teacher be what each of these students needs? In short, one teacher cannot. That is the fact that we have to wrestle with. And if one of us is not capable of meeting the needs of all of them, then what does a teacher do? Do I teach to the strongest link in the class and hope the others will rise to the challenge? Do I teach to the weakest link and hope the stronger learners in that subject will find something to stave off the boredom and ensuing mischief. Do I hope desperately for enough parent volunteers for consisitent ability group work?
Well, walking around the lab watching the students do their independent work, paced to their own speed and learning needs, I had a paradigm shift. I began to see the computer and appropriate programs as that army of volunteers willing to give each individual student the one on one attention they need to really learn efficiently and well. I can't be there to walk each student through individual paths of learning, but the technology we are developing for the schools can.
The question that remains is this; Where do I fit in between the technology and the child? Am I now a glorified babysitter who makes sure the students are safe and on task, in charge of being the last one out to turn out the lights and lock the door? Am I a resource for one on one tutoring when the student still doesn't "get it"? Maybe I'm obsolete altogether.
Some of these questions remain to be answered both in the community of teaching and learning and in my own heart and mind. One thing is certain though, and that is that technology is here as a viable tool to help our students learn and will be here for a long time to come. I can embrace it and get really effective in using it so that I relish technology as a pivitol partner in education or I can fear it and stay stuck being forced to use something that I put up with and wish would just go away. I have changed my tack and have decided to head into the wind of change. I have a long days journey to travel until I will be competent and able to really enjoy using technology. A destination is never reached though by a traveller that refuses to leave the port. I no longer want to be resistant to the change in education. I want to learn all I can about technology and it's uses in order to be the best teacher I can be for the benefit of the most students.
What are your thoughts on technology in the classroom. Are you afraid...very afraid?
Congratulations on blogging! We'll be doing much more talking about technology in the program, and looking at tools very different from the "kids staring one-by-one at an electronic worksheet" model that was close to what you saw in that lab that day.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about your reactions to the many many ideas about teaching that were introduced in the first chapter of your book this week. If you're curious about technology, for example, how could the amazing resources on the internet support some of the things that Ayers wrote about in this very packed first few pages?