21st Century and Beyond!

As I reflect back on what I've learned in the Technology for Teachers course, I continually come up with one conclusion: the teacher makes the difference.
Some districts are blessed with IWBs in every room, a laptop for every student; while others are struggling for simple supplies like textbooks. The question has repeatedly risen of when, how, why and if technology should be incorporated into classroom lessons. If it is available, and used properly - sure, why not! However I feel that such an emphasis has been placed on technology that the schools which are without must be feeling like they're left in the last century. This is not so! Creative, educated, well-rounded, dedicated and driven teachers can reach students on a blackboard just as well as on a whiteboard! What every district needs is quality teachers who hold high standards for themselves as well as the students.
The skills that are most valuable, the ones which should be stressed no matter the technology available, are: cooperation, self-discipline, collaboration, inquisitiveness, self-esteem, determination and the understanding of what knowledge and education provide for a lifetime.
While working in the last class, we spent over half of a class period with students working on their laptops. I did not have one. By the simple lacking of this expensive piece of technology I felt inadequate, cheated of the lesson time, ashamed, frustrated and embarrassed. I believe this could be a problem with students, especially those in their younger years where self-image and psychological development are whirring at high intensity within students. Technology can be embraced, but with caution to never allow it to alienate a student. If at my age and life experience level I felt such strong emotions (to the point where I had to step out of class for a moment), I can only imagine what that student who is poor but happens to have an apartment in a high income district feels when compared to other more privileged students.
It is because my professor stressed so greatly that interaction with students is key, rather than the technology itself, that I felt like I could teach any class - no matter the income level of that district.
So it is a rather curious thing, that in a technology class, my belief in the quality of the teacher, not necessarily the gadgets he/she uses, it what makes that teacher one who will have the greatest impact. It is true that we need to develop globally competitive students, but the essence of being prepared and competitive in the world market is what is inside the student, not what they can manipulate with their fingertips.

The Knight on a White Board

With all the emerging technology available today, it seems there is a great push to incorporate these tools into the classroom learning process. Studies claim that use of technology such as whiteboards (Smartboard, Promethean, Luidia and so on) can raise students anywhere from 10-30+ percentile points through their use.
What must be stressed is that this new way of interactive learning cannot replace the value of the teacher. Simply because a teacher enters a room and turns on the whiteboard does not make him/her the teacher of the year. As with any tool for learning from the past, the lessons must be assembled in a student friendly way. There is little argument that the writing of lines is a less than adequate teaching method because it does not engage the student. Likewise, simply running through videos, charts or using praise generating activities on a whiteboard still does not engage the student.
The teacher must put time, thought, creativity and skill into the preparation and presentation of the lessons. As throughout the history of teaching, the information must be explained, explored and examined. No matter what new technology comes our way, the effectiveness of the lessons still rest on the responsibility of the teacher.

Immigrants to a Digital Nation

In my college speech class I recall one rule cited over and over: know your audience. We may not think of ourselves as such, but teachers are public speakers - perhaps even more so than politicians. Teachers affect lives; every day, all day teachers are guiding and instructing. One would not expect an intro level physics course to get into the nitty-gritty of quantum theory, so, why then, would teachers feel it is unimportant to know their students? Those K-12 learners that are entering the classroom each day are digital natives, having grown up in a world of technology, instant and complete immersion, and continual entertainment. Knowing this about the student audience, teachers must assimilate into the digital society and understand the thought process of these students. Gone are the days and practices of when I was in school: computer lab periods to play Oregon Trail on a 8" floppy discs as a reward for work completed, videos as the only alternate to lecture as a style of teaching, pagers and pay phones to organize after school plans, typing class, and using correction rolls on the typewriter to submit formal paper assignments. It may be even a good measure to poke fun with our students about the "days of dinosaurs" when technology was merely a blip on the radar screen and fax machines seemed like futuristic technology. The fact is, however, that though we come from a different age, a new one has dawned. It is our responsibility to keep pace with both technology and our students. Through technology symposiums for educators, continuing ed classes, and knowledge share groups teachers can incorporate elmo's, digital story telling, text message polls, animation and countless other methods of engaging our digital native students.

21st century skills

The five common themes from the assigned videos are: engage students, modern students embrace and rely upon technology, to meet the potential in students teachers must be knowledgeable in the potential presented by current technology, the race in civilization is no longer one about arms but rather about arming students with tools to meet global demands, and using technology to help students create, visualize and understand concepts is the new signature of 21st century teachers. Teachers today need to know and understand the 21st century skills which students are coming to class with. These skills are based in the use and manipulation of technology to be part of the curriculum. Rather than wrote memorization or chalkboard drawings, teachers can empower students to delve further into lesson content using a variety of technological tools from texting on cell phones to designing a virtual model of a Mars space station. These methods of learning keep students interested and give them every opportunity to excel in their education. If video games are more entertaining and interesting than lessons, which one are students more likely to spend time on? In the rapidly passing decade which began the 21st century, technology has advanced by exponential leaps and bounds. Technology goes beyond simple slide shows and now includes an array of visual experiences from news footage of events to virtual breakdowns of the alternate possibilities. By presenting the "what-ifs" in a format everyone can share, conceptual thinking in students can be enhanced. What I'm curious about is how school districts are encouraging teachers to take time and learn the latest technological tools. For teachers at the bottom of the pay scale, or those worrying about getting pink-slipped, where is the motivation for personal time and expense to be spent learning these skills? Finally, I would love to see a study published on students in top performing colleges and universities and how many of them came from tech-heavy high schools.