Reflecting on Technology

            When the year 2009 came to a close, I was an educator teaching in the 21^st century; now two months later I am striving to be an educator learning to incorporate 21^st century skill development and technology into my teaching repertoire. As a child I was surrounded by technology, three gaming systems, tapes and compact disks, two televisions, a computer, and high speed Internet. This constant access and technological stimulation labeled me, according to (Prensky, 2001), a digital native – one who has grown up using technology. As a digital native I eagerly set out to try these new pieces of technology assigned through applications that I had yet to incorporate regularly into my classes. While I had used blogs in my American Literature class, I was able to create a podcast and a collaborative wiki (as opposed to the wiki storage space that I previously developed). In addition to developing my technology skills, I have altered my approach to technology in the classroom from simply using the technology to doing something differently such as a speech with a PowerPoint component to doing something totally different (Thornburg, 2004). For example, I want students to engage in an academic discussion beyond school walls through blogging or to share ideas and resources to complete a project on a wiki. In addition, I am acknowledging that I do not need to know everything about the technology to use it in class. There will be struggles and challenges that will need to be overcome. At times, the best resource to solve these problems is my students. By giving students ownership over the technology that they use in their educations, they can help teach me to use it in a variety of different ways.

            Due to the need to teach 21^st century learning skills, I need to stay current with the most recent research and technology available to educators and students. I will continue to subscribe to educational resources through RSS feeds. Currently I use Google Reader to bring new information to my laptop. I can peruse the provided technology resources that are pertinent to my teaching. I will also participate in educational blogs such as The English Companion Ning to collaborate with educators on topics of technology. This interaction enables me to see what has been successful for other educators. Furthermore, as an educator, constant collaboration with peers within my building will help bring my teaching, my school, and my students into the 21^st century. We can, as a collaborative group, develop ways to use technology to do different things.

            My classroom and teaching – the area that I have most control over – must continue to develop 21^st century learners. In order to do this, I plan to shift my teaching to one of a facilitator of learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). My students enter my classroom having access to knowledge through technology. I need to show them how to withdraw the appropriate and accurate knowledge to apply it to their learning. For example, since my school has a class set of iTouches, I plan to have them investigate areas of interest connected to the literature that we are reading as a class. They may also, through the use of a wiki, create collaboratively a hyperlinked text for a more in-depth understanding of literature. Another goal in which I will seek to achieve is to integrate technology that enhances composition. My students are digital natives who revise essays as they write them. They type, delete, change a word choice, delete, add a phrase, delete, type a few sentences and repeat the process. By giving them opportunities to write essays and complete assignments on the computer, they are able to use the skills that they have developed since childhood. Once these assignments and essays are completed, they are able to submit them online through either Google Documents, where I will make comments and revision suggestions, or a blog, where their answers and responses are shared with their peers. I realize that this hinges on regular lab time or permanent lab availability so I have already placed a request, having spoken with a fellow educator with a lab in his room, to pair his prep time with my class period. I hope that our schedules can accommodate this change.

            Technology is pushing us to do different things that we have never done before. I look forward to finding new and innovative ways to incorporate technology into my curriculum and to share my discoveries with my colleagues.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society, “The changing role of the classroom teacher: part 1” Baltimore, MD.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Database: Proquest Central Database. Accession Number:1074252411.

Thornburg, D. (2004). Technology and education: Expectations, not options. (Executive Briefing No. 401). Retrieved February 25, 2010 from http://www.tcpdpodcast.org/briefings/expectations.pdf