Worst Fears & Best Hopes Regarding Technology

Alan November says that paper is a very powerful medium, but it is not dynamic and it does not provide the sound, animation, real-time feedback, and capacity for continuous expansion of global relationships. He also goes on to say that teachers need to promote student responsibility for learning. Students must have a sense of owning the problem rather than seeing it as an assignment from the teacher. I agree with November's statements and believe students will be more engaged in learning, learn better and faster, and work more efficiently, (or should I say these are my "Best Hopes.") through educational technology.

Some of my fears that I have with students using the technology is, of course, using it inappropriately. I know the importance of net etiquette and believe that each student should be thoroughly aware of what and what not to do while on the Internet or any computer for that matter. Educating students on proper use should help to "almost," eliminate inappropriate computer use. Unfortunately, you may not be able to stop all of it, but there are ways that teachers can monitor what students are doing.

I think that addiction to technology is another fear. I think that it is a good idea to combine both technology with the real world. For example, in Colleen's Healthcare Database Project, she created a database to list all the recreational services available for the handicapped population in the area. This is an excellent idea which provided much information for her community. After collecting some information, I think it would be a great idea to physically go out and inspect the organizations in person. After inspecting them in person, Colleen could add her experiences to her database.

I see barriers all the time among teachers using technology in the classroom. Most do not know where to begin. Also, it takes a lot of spare time to plan using technology when one has used traditional methods for years. It is like starting all over again as if a new teacher. Some teachers are so afraid of technology that they come right out and say that they are NOT COMPUTER LITERATE. On-going professional development can help ease teacher's fears, but I think that we need more actual lesson demonstrations on how to use the technology with our students. Most of the professional development classes on technology is how to use electronic spreadsheets, slide shows, word documents, etc. Teachers begin to gain confidence on how to use them, but not on how to incorporate them into their lessons. Hopefully, we will start training teachers to incorporate technology into their lessons by providing examples for them to follow.

One thing that I have learned in class and by reading the text is how children are enthusiastic to participate while learning with technology. For example, I plan on filming my students taking on the responsibility of keeping our classroom clean and germ free. I told them about it and they are extremely excited. I have not actually done it yet because I am still trying to figure out exactly how I should approach this project. Here is one of my fears, not knowing exactly what I should do first. I am going to try my best and plan each part at a time. I do not expect it to be perfect and I know that there will be a lot of trial and errors, but I believe that I will gain confidence as the project continues. I am also going to allow my students to give comments and suggestions on what they think should be said and done, providing a more student-centered project. Of course, they will be the stars of the film as well. I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

Video Conferencing, Email and Sending Faxes

In Alan November's book, Empowering Students With Technology, he gives great ideas on how to incorporate technology into the classroom. One example that he gives is having students send faxes to their parents. Kindergarten students can do this. They can draw a picture and fax to their parents at work or home. I think this is an excellent idea. I wish that I had thought about it earlier. I teach kindergarten students and plan on trying it. I would love it if my son sent me a fax. It would make my day! Having that communication during the day would be wonderful. I think all my student's parents will be thrilled with it as well.

Sending emails is another way that students can communicate with others. I think it is a good idea to have an email buddy from another state or country to write back and forth to. This allows students to read what others are doing in their classes. Students can make life long friends communicating by email.

Video conferences are excellent for communicating globally. In the past, I have had two classes participate in a video conference. One was with the San Diego Zoo and the other was with NASA. The students have thoroughly enjoyed this. They were able to communicate and see the representatives by live video. The students were not bashful and were eager to ask questions. Their questions were answered and they gained a lot of knowledge. Some video conferences are free like the one we participated with NASA. There are multiple organizations that participate in educational video conferences. I plan on having my kindergarten students participate in a video conference soon. I am anxious and look forward to how it turns out.

In Michael T. Romano's book, Empowering Teachers With Technology, he talks about left and right brained students. I found this to be interesting. As the books says, in the past, the education system geared its information giving toward left brained students - using more sounds and words (lecture and books). I am glad to see that educational systems are trying to make it more even, now by focusing on right brain learners, too - using visuals and graphics. I believe that this will help increase knowledge in all students.