Generational Issues

    My philosophy regarding educational technology is that things in schools today are very different than they were even 20 years ago. In this day and age where my third graders have smart phones, we need to be continually re-educating ourselves and be innovators on how to tap that technology potential to use in our classrooms. Technology is not one more cumbersome thing we have to squeeze into our school day. Many teachers have this mindset, especially teachers who have been in education for many years. Technology should be in student hands as much as possible. It should help us be more efficient in our instruction and engage students better. However, just because students are using technology doesn’t mean they are engaged. We need to be aware of how our students are learning as much as always. Technology is an excellent motivator for students. Reading may not be exciting for them, but reading a book on iPad is suddenly very appealing. There are so many teacher created resources using technology that allow us to collaborate with teachers from all over the world and share our ideas.

    I think that one of the main barriers of technology is lack of funding. We need money to get the technology in the hands of all the students. In a recession like we currently are, technology is not at the top of many districts’ lists. They are more focused on keeping teaching jobs, which is also important. Another barrier is stubborn people. Many teachers are set in their ways. They think technology will be more work and no benefit to them, so they don’t even try to work with it.

    In my classroom I am very lucky to have many technology resources. I use my projector and document camera every day. I could live without them, but they make my instruction much easier and better for showing the students first hand. I also use my iPad and apple tv. I am able to project very hands on games and content for my students. Like the stubborn people in my previous paragraph, I avoid technology I am not familiar with. I know it takes time to learn a new program, so during the year I play the excuse that I do not have enough time for it. However, unlike the stubborn people, I work very hard to continually teach myself new technologies, even when I don’t think I have the time, because I know how important it is, and how much it could benefit myself and my students.