Week 1: And So It Begins...
Reflecting on the Intro
As I reflect on the first class of EDU 585 I keep thinking about why we use technology in our teaching and why it is so important.
As I reflect, I recall one of the convocations my school district had a few years ago. At the convocation there was a guest speaker, I cannot recall the name of the man but he was known for conducting talks all around the country. During his presentation he showed us many different types of nanotechnology that is currently being developed now and will be introduced to the world in the very near future. He showed us technology from nano bots that are used to fill in holes/cracks in concrete to technology that will allow persons who are deaf/hard of hearing to hear the thoughts of those around them (or something to that effect!).
At the time, some of these things struck a cord with me, I kept thinking "wow! this is really happening, this is the future of our world." After he had finished his presentation he left us with just one thought...."consider this, imagine your job now is to teach, but not to teach content necessarily; but to teach in a way so that one day your students can create the next generation of technology."
During this convocation, this was only one of many points made that really stuck out to me. Another point made was that we are teaching students now and preparing them for the work force, however, what we need to remember is that we are preparing students to enter jobs that do not exist yet. We are teaching students to enter the workforce but not knowing what jobs they may fill.
So as I reflect on our class, the why we teach with technology has become more clear for me. It is important to teach children with the technology we now have to help prepare them for their future...to provide a foundation for them that helps them in the future, where they will be at the forefront of creating new technology.
With that being said, I do think it is important to teach students about technology and use it in a way that promotes dialogue, discussion and cooperation among students instead of using it in isolation. By promoting discussion among students it presents ways to incorporate much needed social skills and problem solving skills that are just as important for future student success.
