Jul

20

I’ve learned it’s OK for teachers and students to learn to use the new digital technology together

Filed Under Blogging in and out of the Classroom, Dealing With Stress, The Way I See It 

 
icon for podpress  I've learned it's OK for teachers and students to learn to use the new digital technology together [4:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (219)

I’ve learned it’s OK for students and teachers to learn to use the new digital technology  together in the classroom.   This past semester, I learned  from my students, and my student learned  from me.    I got  all kinds of positive feedback from students and parents for what  were doing in the classroom. It was amazing.

I started to think again  about my experience using technology in the classroom this past semester after reading  Chris Wood’s comment in response to David Adams post on teachers and the new technology. Chris wrote

Many teachers hailing from the traditional school of thought may be more reluctant than their more contemporary counterparts to introduce and use technological tools for education purposes in their classrooms. This can cause a problem when a mandate is passed down through a school district, requiring the incorporation of a technological tool (i.e. Smartboard). In a perfect world, the technology would be introduced only after the teacher has had sufficient training in not only the use of the technology, but also the upkeep and troubleshooting of the technology. The problem that I see developing is a reluctance on the part of these more traditional teachers to learn the new technology, making its use in the classroom a futile attempt at education.

As educators, it is our obligation to ensure that we stay informed on the different kinds of technology available to us and our students, as well as, when implemented, are fully cognizant of the tools functions and workings. When time is wasted on the upkeep of technology, time is wasted, and in our current classroom situations, we cannot afford any wasted time.

How did I cope with learning to use new digital technology in the classroom?  Actually it wasn’t that hard .  I just asked my students to help me.  I’d been blogging and podcasting for about a year and a half so I felt confidant about introducing the new class blog,  but I knew  there’d be lots of new stuff coming on line all the time that of course I wouldn’t be familiar with.  I knew I wouldn’t have time to  learn to be an expert in using all of it, so I decided to take a deep breath and take the plunge.

I told my students at the beginning of the semester that there was some new cool technology that we’d be using in class and that  since it was so new , I was just learning how to use it and sometimes I might need their help. They were OK with that. I was OK with that. I told them that teachers are life long learners and just because I’d  been teaching for more than 20 years didn’t mean I know it all. I’m always learning.

My students were very accepting of the fact that I didn’t have the technology down pat , and  because I was upfront and honest about what I was trying to do, I didn’t lose their respect.  On the contrary, as time went on   they respected me more and more for what I was trying to do and told  me they wished more teachers would teach using the new digital technology.  No one complained  that I didn’t know what I was doing.  They just helped when I asked for help and even sometimes when I didn’t ask for help. They’d just jump in whenever.

My grade 11/12 classes absolutely loved using the class blog because they were comfortable working on the computer and trying new things. If we ran into problems during class time, and we did,  I simply asked the students to complete the  work at home. It wasn’t a problem.

I never felt I was wasting time.  It’s all about quality not quantity.  It’s all about collaborative learning. It’s all about working together and problem solving- important skills in the real world, and  it’s all about showing students that  I’m a life long learner and probably they probably will be too. I’m looking forward to next semester to see what we can learn together.

Comments

3 Responses to “I’ve learned it’s OK for teachers and students to learn to use the new digital technology together”

  1. Debbie on July 28th, 2008 9:13 pm

    Bravo. No, one never needs to know it all to be an effective teacher. And yes, we should ALL be lifelong learners. I pray for more teachers like you - and that my kids will get them! Thanks for sharing your struggles and perspective.

  2. Elona Hartjes on July 28th, 2008 9:23 pm

    Debbie,
    Thanks so much for your kind words of support.

  3. Kate on August 1st, 2008 12:06 pm

    If you want to teach with technology effectively you should learn through technology yourself. I recently had no choice but to do this myself. I rushed to send in my paperwork for teacher recertification just before the due date. Sadly, I received notice that I didn’t have as many credits as I thought. I frantically scoured the internet trying to find quick, inexpensive courses accepted by my state, Georgia. I happened across KDS (Knowledge Delivery Systems.) I was able to get the credits I needed from the comfort of my own home for only $60 a course. I watched an online video, took a quiz and proceeded on to the next lesson. At the end of the course I sent in a “final” exam and was awarded the credit for that course. I was able to get the credits needed for my recertification in the short amount of time I had. Check it out at http://www.kdsi.org. My time learning through technology made me much more willing to teach through technology.

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