In a recent blog post on Edutopia, Mary Beth Hertz discusses the necessity of technology in today's educational setting. One aspect that I loved about her post was that she discusses what truly is necessary for students in their future. She mentions that tech tools and gadgets come and go and that these are not the critical element of student learning. In reality, it is much more important that students be able to navigate through multiple operating systems, be able to find quality information online, and be able evaluate online sources.
In today's constantly changing technology world, I couldn't agree with this more. The cutting edge tools of today will be obsolete in a few months or a year, so students need to be flexible. As long as we equip them with the basic tools to be able to work with multiple programs, they will be able to navigate their own way through new things that arise.
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What Tech Tools Should Be Required Knowledge for Teachers?
This is a very interesting perspective. I agree because I see how starting technology instruction at Kindergarten makes such a huge difference in preparing students for the future. At this point students are ready to start navigating computers. To say they are fearless is a compliment. Most students are willing to try something new, follow directions and continue building on their skills. It just can not be put into many parts. Small chunks, review, reuse the skill in a new way helps them develop confidence to be flexible. As technology changes, so too must our students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you wholeheartedly. It is not about teaching students how to use new operating systems / technologies. Rather, it is about teaching them how to think critically, evaluate critically, reason critically. That is why turning over education to gaming devices is not the way to go. Students have to learn how to think effectively on their own.
ReplyDeleteMy point is this: I was raised at the onset of the technological revolution. I didn't send my first email until I was a freshman in college. I have turned out just fine. The reason is is because I was taught how to think by my teachers. I was taught how to read critically, reason, and write effectively. I didn't have all the technology and I am doing pretty well adjusting to the changes that have happened.
Likewise, most of my colleagues are the same way. Thus, if we teach students how to think critically while interweaving some technology into the education process, then I think that those students will do very well. If we hand over everything to technology "because the kids love it," we are making a drastic mistake and will not be helping foster critical thinking within our students. Critical thinking has to be done by the individual, not the machine.