The world is a small place nowadays. Nobody can escape the effects of technology. It's amazing the amount of technology that the average person carries in a pocket or a handbag. Where did pay phones go? How could anybody get lost if your phone can tell you where you are and how to get to where you have to go?
Social networking makes you accessible to everyone in the whole wide world. I think that it's our responsibility to understand the power and reach of technology, and learn how to control it. It can get dangerous out there on the infinity of the web.
Bushwire video
This video is a good starting point to open the Digital conversation. But that's all. These two men don't know that we currently have the capability to adapt web content to students needs. Every book in Broward has an online component with enrichment and the possibility of teacher created tests. We also have websites such as FCAT explorer and Florida-Achieves where content can be manipulated by teachers in order to open skills to be tested or create reports on students progress.
The main problem is old technology at schools and lack of budgets to replace it. In some instances warrantees are expiring and schools don't have enough money to fix already existing equipment.
Another big problem is teache's need to be taught how to use the technology.
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants
This article explains the difference between what the author calls "digital natives and digital immigrants". It also attempts to explain how teachers and the whole educational system should adapt in order to better serve the "natives".
I am a "digital immigrant" and at some points I even call myself "technologically challenged". Anyhow, I am trained to use technology in many wonderful ways in order to help my students achieve their educational goals. I am completely certain that I have the capability of educating them by using technology for their benefit.
Here is my analogy. I am also an American Immigrant (Born and raised in Buenos Aires Argentina). And I am, teaching America's future, with an accent. However, I can document that my students make amazing gains during a school year.
I'm making this point because I feel that the author disregards the ability of "digital immigrants". At one point he puts down MIT professors, which I believe are an elite of this country's technological wisdom.
I agree with the author in that we have to prepare teachers and train them in order to become technologically savvy. But unlike the author, I have extreme confidence in teachers and I'm sure that it is doable. You don't need to be born in a boat in order to learn how to sail. How terrible would it be if you could only speak and understand the language you were born into.
I also think that children need to learn how to read and comprehend, even if this is done with a Kindle in hand. Actually I'm one of those rare people who believes that this new generation needs to be taught more social studies and history. Some "digital natives" are so foreign to what's going on in their country, or cannot even place Paris in a map that the thought of them voting (if they can get away from the xbox for a few minutes) gives me chills.
I believe that the best thing is to create a strong partnership between educators an technology so we can offer students the best education they can get.
Five keys to unlock the 21st century and 11 resulting steps to transform education.
I enjoyed this article because I think that we need to unlock the 21st century in education by applying each one of the 5 keys. It is obvious that the world is changing much more
rapidly than education. Large bureaucracies and lack of funds make it very hard for the educational system to evolve.
We are working towards making these keys a part of our schools. Technology is becoming the hot topic in education. I can't wait to see how these new tools will enrich the
The world is a small place nowadays. Nobody can escape the effects of technology. It's amazing the amount of technology that the average person carries in a pocket or a handbag. Where did pay phones go? How could anybody get lost if your phone can tell you where you are and how to get to where you have to go?
Social networking makes you accessible to everyone in the whole wide world. I think that it's our responsibility to understand the power and reach of technology, and learn how to control it. It can get dangerous out there on the infinity of the web.
Bushwire video
This video is a good starting point to open the Digital conversation. But that's all. These two men don't know that we currently have the capability to adapt web content to students needs. Every book in Broward has an online component with enrichment and the possibility of teacher created tests. We also have websites such as FCAT explorer and Florida-Achieves where content can be manipulated by teachers in order to open skills to be tested or create reports on students progress.
The main problem is old technology at schools and lack of budgets to replace it. In some instances warrantees are expiring and schools don't have enough money to fix already existing equipment.
Another big problem is teache's need to be taught how to use the technology.
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants
This article explains the difference between what the author calls "digital natives and digital immigrants". It also attempts to explain how teachers and the whole educational system should adapt in order to better serve the "natives".
I am a "digital immigrant" and at some points I even call myself "technologically challenged". Anyhow, I am trained to use technology in many wonderful ways in order to help my students achieve their educational goals. I am completely certain that I have the capability of educating them by using technology for their benefit.
Here is my analogy. I am also an American Immigrant (Born and raised in Buenos Aires Argentina). And I am, teaching America's future, with an accent. However, I can document that my students make amazing gains during a school year.
I'm making this point because I feel that the author disregards the ability of "digital immigrants". At one point he puts down MIT professors, which I believe are an elite of this country's technological wisdom.
I agree with the author in that we have to prepare teachers and train them in order to become technologically savvy. But unlike the author, I have extreme confidence in teachers and I'm sure that it is doable. You don't need to be born in a boat in order to learn how to sail. How terrible would it be if you could only speak and understand the language you were born into.
I also think that children need to learn how to read and comprehend, even if this is done with a Kindle in hand. Actually I'm one of those rare people who believes that this new generation needs to be taught more social studies and history. Some "digital natives" are so foreign to what's going on in their country, or cannot even place Paris in a map that the thought of them voting (if they can get away from the xbox for a few minutes) gives me chills.
I believe that the best thing is to create a strong partnership between educators an technology so we can offer students the best education they can get.
Five keys to unlock
the 21st century
and 11 resulting steps to transform education.
I enjoyed this article because I think that we need to unlock the 21st century in education by applying each one of the 5 keys. It is obvious that the world is changing much more
rapidly than education. Large bureaucracies and lack of funds make it very hard for the educational system to evolve.
We are working towards making these keys a part of our schools. Technology is becoming the hot topic in education. I can't wait to see how these new tools will enrich the
educational process.