Blog Post #3

It's Not About the Technology

Mrs. Hines made a lot of good points. When teaching it really shouldn't be about the technology. I believe that it should be a tool that teachers use but not teach students completely. Some students do better going to a classroom and interacting with the teachers and students.

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Karl Fisch created a list that I believe is a great guideline for teachers to go by. I believe that this will lead teachers to become really successful and I would recommend that all teachers read over these standards:

1. All educators must achieve a basic level of technological capability.
2. People who do not meet the criterion of #1 should be embarrassed, not proud, to say so in public.
3. We should finally drop the myth of digital natives and digital immigrants. Back in July 2006 I said in my blog, in the context of issuing guidance to parents about e-safety:
"I'm sorry, but I don't go for all this digital natives and immigrants stuff when it comes to this: I don't know anything about the internal combustion engine, but I know it's pretty dangerous to wander about on the road, so I've learnt to handle myself safely when I need to get from one side of the road to the other."
The phrase may have been useful to start with, but it's been over-used for a long time now. In any case, after immigrants have been in a country for a while, they become natives. We've had personal computers for 30 years, and I was using computers in my teaching back in 1975. How long does it take for someone to wake up to the fact that technology is part of life, not an add-on?
4. Headteachers and Principals who have staff who are technologically-illiterate should be held to account.
5. School inspectors who are technologically illiterate should be encouraged to find alternative employment.
6. Schools, Universities and Teacher training courses who turn out students who are technologically illiterate should have their right to a licence and/or funding questioned.
7. We should stop being so nice. After all, we've got our qualifications and jobs, and we don't have the moral right to sit placidly on the sidelines whilst some educators are potentially jeopardising the chances of our youngsters.

After reading this I hope that our teachers will go through there career following these guidelines.


Gary's Social Media Count

I was amazed after looking at Gary's chart. So many people are active in technology and can do it through laptops, phones, ipads, ipods, and so much more. It's so convenient because you can carry these items around with you throughout the day. It seem as though almost every person is involved in technology in some kind of way.

A Vision of Students Today

This video is showing how students don't take education as serious as they should. I believe that a lot of students are in college only because of how society pushes going to college after high school is the best thing you can do. They are wasteing time and money that it takes to go to school, fees, books and so much more. I hope that this video makes students want to strive in whatever they do, especially in education.