Blog #1: Technology in the Classroom

What influences teachers and students to use technology in the classroom?

From the teacher perspective, the influence to use technology comes from administration and the desire to reach students in a way they will understand. Administration encourages teachers to use as much technology as they can to help students learn how to use it. Also, digital books, homework, and other resources are more environmentally friendly and may also be less expensive. Teachers are pushed by this and a desire to reach students in a way they will not only enjoy, but also understand. In such a technology driven society, students not only know how to use most technology, but enjoy doing so. From the student perspective, using technology in the classroom is easier and more convenient, and much more enjoyable. Instead of carrying around many books and notebooks, students instead have a laptop (whether it is their personal one or a school provided one) to do their work on. Also, many students prefer typing and online books to physically writing and hard copies of books. Gen Z, generation of students in school now, has grown up with advanced technology, and it is a way of life for them.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is an organization that has a set of standards for both students and teachers, helping them maximize their use and implementation of technology in education. One ISTE standard I find very meaningful is the learner standard (the first educator standard). The standard reads:

1. Learner

· Educators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others and exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning. Educators:

oa. Set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness.

ob. Pursue professional interests by creating and actively participating in local and global learning networks.

oc. Stay current with research that supports improved student learning outcomes, including findings from the learning sciences.

 I have always viewed teachers as people who are continually learning. Goal setting is also a big thing of mine, and I think setting goals for the exploration and integration of technology is valuable. I think the part of this standard that is most appealing is the exploratory aspect of it. There is no incorrect way to do it, and I think that brings lots of room for growth. Out of all the ISTE standards for educators, one that seems a little bit out of my skill set is being a leader (the second standard). The standard reads:

2. Leader

· Educators seek out opportunities for leadership to support student  empowerment and success and to improve teaching and learning.  Educators: 

oa.  Shape, advance and accelerate a shared vision for empowered  learning with technology by engaging with education  stakeholders. 

ob. Advocate for equitable access to educational technology, digital  content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs  of all students. 

oc. Model for colleagues the identification, exploration, evaluation,  curation and adoption of new digital resources and tools for  learning. 

While I am very much a leader in other situations, when it comes to technology, I’d rather take calculated risks and have others tell me what to do. While I plan to advocate as stated above, modeling and shaping technology use in the classroom is a bit out of my comfort zone now. Overall, I think the standards are all very valuable and reasonable. If both teachers and students can rise to the challenge of actually implementing these standards in their educational careers, we will be one step closer to modernizing and restoring education to what it should be.

A common term often used to describe Generation Z kids, children who have grown up in an era of advanced technology, is a digital native. Being a digital native is to be one who is comfortable with technology and can use it well because of the age they were born in. A digital native isn’t necessarily one who can use technology better than a digital immigrant, but one who has grown up around it. Digital immigrants, people who haven’t grown up surrounded by the advanced technology natives have, tend to be unfamiliar with technology and how to use it. Most of my teachers have made common errors with their technology of choice that any of their students could have fixed— in fact, I would go as far as to say that most middle school students could fix it. It caused a lot of disturbances in their teaching— students laughing, using the time it took to fix the error to chat with friends, and overall loss of focus on the material. Not only that, but it seemed to be slightly embarrassing for teachers to know that they made a mistake most students could fix.

One of the biggest reasons education is failing in this country (as stated by Marc Prensky) is because educators have not put technology into it. Kids are not learning the way they do best, and it is our job as future educators to fix that.

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