Jul 9, 2007
Lesson 10 - Another Perspective
As I listened to the Allen November podcast with Dr. Zhao I found myself nodding to myself in affirmation, and smiling a lot. Most of these things Dr. Zhao talked about we have also talked about. How do we get teachers to integrate technology more into their classrooms? Things are getting better, but teachers are still feeling overwhelmed with the thought if they feel they aren't "techy" enough. Also I think they feel that it is just another thing they have to incorporate into the day. Yes, we want the students to be connected to the world, to learn about different cultures and pass on our learning and cultures to the world, but we need reliable sources "out there" to collaborate with. Contacts, (few and far between) seem excited at first, but in the end we just don't seem to be able to "get it together." I like the idea of having the students take on line courses, but.......not everyone is connected at home, or have permission to use the Internet. I know these are all important. I think about how we can accomplish these things all the time. In the end I know that in time, things will change. They always do.
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3 comments:
I agree, I think people are overwhelmed and sometimes don't feel techy enough - I think that is where we come in by guiding them through the process a few times and showing people that it isn't as difficult or foreign as they thought. Of course, there are always a few die hards that just refuse to give it a shot no matter how much we offer to help...
Maybe if teachers see it as part of the curriculum and just not another thing on their plate it won't seem as daunting.
I also feel that we are sometimes limited by parents who see the internet as a bad influence, or teachers who say, "I'm not a computer person." It could be that comments and perspectives such as these are simply a result of fear. Perhaps if school staff members who are technologically literate continue to produce great projects, (like your wiki!) the fearful ones will begin to see some value in the digital world.
Denise,
You made some good points. I am worried as I embark on my Journey Across America with my students that we will have difficulty finding people willing to connect with us. I also worry that with all of the requirements I face when teaching, this project will become a juggling act. Let me know if you have any advice.
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