Vision - Technology in Education

I believe that Technology has had, and will continue to have, a significant impact on education.  The innovations in technology have been changing the way that teachers teach and students learn.  Technology has provided students with new opportunities to learn and also has defined how they learn.  Technology is having a positive impact on how material is presented to today’s learner.  It is enabling different styles of teaching, changing curricula and spawning rich forms of online exploration and collaboration.  Online learning is growing at a rapid pace as well.  The technologies we know now will change and may even come together at a progressively fast pace.

What it will mean to be an educated person in the 21st century?  This is a question that may not be able to be answered at this time, but schools need to improve their teaching methods to include technology so it prepares today’s students for the workforce that is using the latest technology.  These technological changes will change the skills and knowledge base of today’s learners and what will be the future workforce.  These changes will have a significant effect on education.  Over the next several years, more improved technologies will allow greater specialization in curriculum and teaching methodologies than ever before.  Technology has improved education and given rise to a generation of students who have never known life without a computer or the internet.  Technology can be such a useful tool in teaching.  Having teachers use technology will benefit them if we want students to understand and retain the information. 

The use of technology in school classrooms has evolved throughout the years, and has become revolutionary in changing the way we teach and learn. Our classrooms should no longer be confined to four walls and a few teachers who are considered to be experts in knowledge. Our classrooms need to keep up with a changing society and a new world that is dependent on technology. As students graduate, they need the technological skills needed to thrive in a world in which technology sets the pace.  Society expects the school system to produce functional citizens who have the skills to gain profitable employment, and not be a drain on the system.

In less than a decade, computer use progressed from programming classes for a few of the better students, to literacy classes for all students, to the integration of computers and other technologies into the curriculum. Now, there is a goal for educators to use technology as a tool in efforts to teach more effectively by using a variety of strategies to meet different needs in a diverse classroom. This will take training and commitment to keep up in the areas that change quickly, but the benefits to teachers and students are greater than the effort it will take to stay informed; computers increase productivity of students and make learning a fun experience. They help students become better problem-solvers instead of just rote learners.  This goal must be achieved by educators and will be extremely important in the next several years as education changes dramatically.

The use of technology in the classroom is changing the way that the role of the teacher is viewed.  Teachers have always selected the materials that students are to study, and then they present the material, and then give tests to evaluate how much the students have learned.  The teacher plays the role of an expert in the classroom as all learning decisions are made for the students.  Computers and other technological devices have supported a trend where teachers are viewed as motivators, challengers and critics as students lead the way and choose what they want to learn.  The teacher becomes a different kind of leader as the student takes on responsibility for his or her own learning.  Students are now experimenting in simulated worlds that are realistic; students learn first-hand about the consequences of wrong decisions and are becoming strong in solving problems.  We are living in a changing world and our schools must keep up.  Rote learning is no longer enough; students need more to have a successful life in a technological world.  The importance of technology in learning should never be disregarded, and it should be available to all students.

Teachers in the future will probably play more of a facilitator role rather than the expert transferring all of the knowledge.  The abundance of resources and relationships made easily accessible via the Internet is constantly challenging us to reconsider our roles as educators.  Learning will improve if teachers accept the fact that their students may learn in a different fashion than traditional learning and use the current technology to create opportunities for learning.  Teachers now and in the future have to realize that this generation, and future generations of learners need to be stimulated and would benefit from using technology to engage them while learning the material.  In the future, people will expect to be able to work, learn, and train whenever and wherever they want.

Today’s generation of students have grown up with technology all around them and have absorbed information using these technologies.  The result of this constant contact with technology has caused the younger generation to think and learn differently from the older generations.  This generation of learners is digitally stimulated and learns in different ways.  It is our responsibility as educators to realize that if our students know, use, and learn with this technology, we should be implementing it into our classrooms.  Our students definitely absorb information differently than generations before them.  Today’s technology has provided them with instant access to information by clicking a few buttons and it is readily available to them.  It is everywhere in today’s society and the younger generation has a need to use it constantly.  It is their main form of communication.  Educators need to bridge the gap between themselves, and what they know about the technology, and the students and their knowledge of technology.  Teachers need to accept technology and learn how it can enhance their curriculum and improve student learning at the same time.  This blending of both worlds will result in a more engaged learner.

Most people would admit that the technologies that exist today are far better than in the past.  The technology should not drive the curriculum, but it should complement it.  Our students definitely absorb information differently than generations before them.  There will be a larger amount of different types of technology available and used in the classroom over the next decade. 

 
I believe that students today have a need for technology and learn in a different way than previous generations due to changes in technology.  I feel that students can still learn in the same way that previous learners have, but the methods don’t have to be the same all the time.  A consistent blend of traditional and technology-enhanced learning is possible.  Today’s generation of students have always had the technology readily available to them, so they don’t really know a different way to access information and use it to increase their knowledge.  Our roles as educators are always changing.  The content may stay relatively the same, but how it is communicated to the students will have to continue to be evaluated and changed so they can be engaged and still be able to process the information.  If how they learn is changing, our role as educators needs to change so the learner benefits.  The ability to share information is instantaneous in today’s technologically rich world.  Education needs to embrace these different forms of technology and use them to increase student involvement, change the way students absorb information, and to improve the overall learning environment for the student.

Online Solution for Microsoft Office

ThinkFree has a word processor component called Write, a spreadsheet component called Calc and presentation software component called Show.  They are all compatible with the Microsoft Office programs.  This free online software is a great substitute for students who may not have one or all of the Microsoft programs at home to use for school work.  As a teacher, you can feel comfortable assigning a research paper, PowerPoint project or even a Science lab write-up using a spreadsheet by allowing students to start their projects in school on our computers that have the Microsoft Office suite.  Students will be able to complete these types of projects (and more) at home with online solutions such as ThinkFree.  And remember, it is 100% compatible with Microsoft Office.

A Paperless Class

Are paperless classes a reality?  I think they can be.  There are many colleges and universities moving towards paperless classes and for more than just the reason of saving money on books and other printed materials.  Just because the class is paperless doesn’t mean everything is online.  The class can still meet and face-to-face teaching and learning can still occur.  This method of organizing a class can allow the students’ work to be more interactive and include links to websites, graphics, and sound clips.  Teachers can correct or make comments to their written work using the Comment feature in Microsoft Word or other online editing features.  I think the teacher can still teach and would have to plan ahead and have all of the materials organized in a readable format for the students to be able to access at any time.  The online communication piece may be a learning experience for a teacher.  If they are using a site like Blackboard or Moodle, etc. the teacher would have to learn how to use these technologies comfortably before the class begins.  Students would have access to the material all of the time which would be very beneficial to them to have that flexibility.  I feel that the students would have more involvement in the course if they were able to access and publish work online during a class.  I don’t think having a paperless class diminishes the learning environment.  I think it promotes it and involves the students more.  This type of classroom can blend both online learning and the traditional classroom setting environment and can be successful in doing so.  As students are involved in this type of classroom, they not only improve their comfort level, but they expand their collaborations with others and build their own learning networks.  It provides them with a unique learning opportunity which I believe is going to become even more common in the next few years.

Here is a link to Melanie Wiscount's website - I saw a presentation by her at the 2012 PETE&C Conference in Hershey, PA.  She runs a paperless class: 

http://www.melaniewiscount.com/

Big Shifts

One of the “big shifts” written by Will Richardson is “Many, Many teachers and 24/7 Learning.”  This is defined as a major change in education due in large part to the internet and the Web 2.0 technologies that exist today.  Teachers today have far more access to other teachers and content area experts from around the world because of technology.  A teacher can be more collaborative with these people and bring them into their classrooms for students to gain knowledge from.  Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis, video conferences, Skype all contribute to a teacher’s ability to communicate with experts and colleagues from around the world.  This collaboration cannot only benefit the students, but the teacher can interact with other teaching professionals to share and learn from.  Teachers also have access to many sources because of the Web.  There is endless amount of information available on the Web and today’s web tools allow for a collaborative learning environment.

A teacher has to be affected by these changes in the Web.  They are not doing their students justice if they just stick with the textbook and fail to bring in outside resources.  The Web will only continue to grow and be more massive with the amount of resources and information available that educators can use to complement their curriculums.  Teachers can start small and begin to bring these Web resources and technologies into their classrooms and watch how they develop into collaborative teaching and learning environments.  They must realize that this information in always available (24/7) and is being accessed by millions each day.

A Challenge to Connectivism

Here is an entry from a wiki (http://spring12-bce-02.wikispaces.com/Group+B+6-A-1):

Are there parts of the theory which you find confusing?
Kerr (2006) says that "networks are important but haven't changed learning so much that we need to throw away all of the established learning theories and replace them with a brand new one" (A challenge to connectivism). Kerr lists three criteria for a good learning theory, including the requirement that it should result in learning reform. Connectivism does not lead to learning reform, however, because its language is too generalized. In addition, Kerr finds the connectivism theory lacks credibility, as a result of misrepresentations of existing theories, such as constructivism, behaviorism and cognitivism (A challenge to connectivism).

I agree with this notion that challenges Connectivism.  I am not 100% sure that Siemen is actually providing a learning theory.  It is more of his personal view of learning in today’s society.  His view tends to represent how students develop their learning skills.  I also agree that this theory is too generalized and lacks credibility.  His theory is suggesting that students learn in different ways and that teachers should teach differently to adapt to today’s learner.  I do agree that if how students learn is changing, our role as educators needs to change so the learner benefits.

Skype in the Classroom

Recently I had the opportunity to Skype with an educator from the Owen J. Roberts School District.  I thought it was beneficial to share our ideas on using Skype and to collaborate on a project that we are working on.  I have used Skype previously to communicate with others on professional education topics.  I have also used Skype to make international calls from Scotland to the US over the summer.  We used it to communicate with classrooms in another country and we also used it to communicate with one of our teachers who was out on leave.  I believe that the students greatly benefited from these experiences.  The students would never be able to connect and experience this type of collaboration without the use of Skype (or a similar tool).  Using this type of technological tool in the classroom can be very valuable.  I would like to set-up more collaborative “meetings” with other schools so both of our groups of students can experience this technology and learn from each other about specific topics of study.

Features of Skype – http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/features/

Skype in the Classroom - http://education.skype.com/

50 Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom - http://www.teachingdegree.org/2009/06/30/50-awesome-ways-to-use-skype-in-the-classroom/

Photography Podcasts

I just came across this Photography Podcast.  Just one of the useful podcasts from iTunes that we can use in our classrooms.

Jeff Curto’s Camera Position #94 – How to do vs. What to do Podcast – iTunes

This podcast, along with all of the other ones created by Jeff Curto, can be used in a High School Photography course.  The Photography and/or Art teacher could use the podcast to support information presented by the teacher.  It expresses how to do certain tasks and what and when to do it when taking pictures.  Mr. Curto talked about shutter speed, camera techniques, using Photoshop and tips to look for when viewing current photographs from master photographers.  He stressed to the listener to try and learn from what and how they took pictures.  Mr. Curto does have an entire series of podcasts focusing on how to do certain creative techniques of photography.  I did not have a particular subject area to look for when searching for a podcast, but I came across this series in iTunes and thought that it would be useful to our Photography teacher at school.  All of Mr. Curto’s podcasts are available through iTunes and also his website.  Here is the link to the Camera Postion 94 podcast:  http://www.cameraposition.com/archives/736.