Technology allows students to flourish

Technology is a great way to allow students to become leaders. Every child that walks in to your classroom, has a certain set of skills, that other kids do not possess. It is imperative that we allow students a chance to hone those skills, so that they can become more successful. The traditional way of teaching does not work with todays kids. This generation is used to instant access and instant feedback. I honestly think the problems with teachers is, we take to long to get them the relevant information. Think of it like a DVR, we record TV shows so that we won't have to watch commercials. To our students most of what we say are commercials to them, they only want to know what is relevant. When we lecture, most of what we say is irrelevant, so our students turn us off. We have to engage students at their level, if we want to be successful teachers. As teachers, we have to be entertainers. No longer can we say, I am not comfortable with technology, we have to embrace it, and allow it to flourish, so that our students will flourish. How will they flourish you may ask? Students will become more independent, they will learn to self manage, and in a group setting, they will collaboration and leadership skill.


My discussion Post

By watching the videos this week, it has only confirmed my belief in implementing technology. Our students have so many hidden talents, and we as teachers need to give them an opportunity to shine. I find in education, to many teachers want to be the holders of knowledge. In other words, some teachers believe that they should be the students only source. I personally tell my students that I do not know everything, if there is something I say that you don't agree with or believe, please feel free to look it up, and report back to the class. The learning ball needs to be in their court, if it is, students will go much further than we will take them. May favorite quote this week " very rarely do students look at instruction manuals, just give them the tools and get of their way" (Edutopia 2009). This quote meant a lot to me, because I see it every day. When students are allowed to create and design with technology, they will use creative ways to improve technology. This is one of the things, I have been emphasizing in my classroom. Students have been given free reign on using technology when it comes to creating presentations.
Using differentiation in learning will inspire more students to do things that they have not done before. An example of this was the young boy in the Kansas technology rich classroom videos. The father of one young boy said, "He doesn't enjoy reading, he doesn't enjoy writing, but you give him that technology and let him shine a little bit, and now he is showing leadership skills he never showed before" (Schooltube 2009). This is why UDL is so important, we can not find out what skills our kids possess, and the students will not be able to hone the skills they possess, if the teacher is the primary holder of knowledge


Edutopia.org (nd). Digital Youth Portrait -- Cameron. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-cameron-video
Schooltube.com (nd). Kansas Technology Rich Classrooms – Partnership for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from http://www.schooltube.com/video/36743/Kansas-Technology-Rich-Classrooms--Partnership-for-21st-Century-Learning-Summit-Video#