Preparing Students as Technology Leaders

As a future teacher, it is inspiring to think that I can send children into the world exited about learning and prepared as leaders. In a video I recently viewed, "Digital Youth Portrait: Nafiza", Nafiza is a student that is confident with technology, and leading others in the same direction. Her teacher has taught her and her peers to use programs that make learning interesting and allow them to explore. They learn how to make videos that are relevant to curriculum by adjoining many programs together and thus helps them to use technology through exploration.

Nafiza is not just an engaged student, but a student that is empowered. By letting her explore she is interested in technology and willing to learn and lead. She takes what she has learned and also carries the passion into daily life. I feel that as a future educator it is important to encourage exploration as a form of learning and collaboration between students. Letting peers help other peers, is an effective way to reach students that may not be getting the help that they need. This collaboration reinforces concepts that may otherwise be lost. Nafiza is learning skills that will prepare her for a future job and life in the midst of this technology boom. She will be able to apply concepts learned in the classroom in her life ahead. This I believe is the reason for teaching.

Fuzzy Line Between Technology Use and Overuse

The facts and statistics presented in this video are over whelming.What has become part of our everyday (Youtube, Twitter, Email, even Computers and Cell phones) was invented in my lifetime alone. When my dad was in college, a computer took up the entire basement of his engineering building. It boggles my mind to think about. The ways that we communicate, advertise, buy, sell, trade and navigate is all dependent upon some form of computer.

This video got me thinking. If all this has happened in such a short amount of time, what does the future hold for us? Will computers, not medicine, be curing our worlds diseases someday? Will we all be flying to work like the Jetsons? If Obama can raise millions for his presidential campaign on a social networking site, will computers someday eliminate the need for face-to-face contact all together? I am an advocate of technology and advancement, but at what point do we draw the line between use and overuse?

Technnology Integration and Exploration Creates Life Long Learners

This response pertains to "Shifting Ground" by: Chris Lehmann-

Technology has become intertwined in most students lives (cell phones, facebook, etc), but is not truly utilized in the classroom. Smart boards are a popular tool many teachers rely on to demonstrate and interact with their class. However, this bit of technology is useful in "engaging" students, but does it inspire inquisitive attitudes and give students the tools they can utilize for future learning?

Lets pretend that we are students sitting in a fourth grade classroom. Our teacher is standing at her smart board, using a pen to correct a document projected up on the screen. We are interested because we have never seen someone use this before! The pens can write on this board and be erased without ever making a "real" mark! We are interested in every feature. Now you and i are starting our Freshman year of high school. Smart boards are old news, and our boring algebra teacher has just corrected the eighteenth problem of our test on it. We are texting each other back and forth under our desks about the dance on Friday.

This "teacher centered" style that a smart board has, is not delving into the vast resources technology brings. If we only teach students how to manage the tools we have today, then we are selling them short. Type writers were once cutting edge, but today are dead. As an education community we need to focus on "Empowering" our students, not just engaging them.

I believe"empowering" students is to give them curiosity and confidence to explore new technology and not shy away from the unknown. As teachers we have the ability to use any tools within our limits to do such things. Children and teens are already spending much of their free time texting, on Facebook, gaming on the computer, etc. If we play on this natural inclination and ability, children can explore the wealth of knowledge that is available. Inspiring an inquisitive attitude and willingness to learn is what leads to knowledge, and teachers with technology can empower children to do that.

By teaching students to use the internet and everything it has to offer, they can explore and become part of a global community. If they explore, make up problems, and find a solution, then they can become "empowered". If i only "engage" them, and do not allow students to come up with solutions, they wont take hold of what is at their disposal and be life long, enriched learners.

Hi my name is Annie Harmon. I am a student at the University of Montana. I will be using this Blog for C&I 306 class reflections.