Reflections on Insights Gained From EDUC 6710

Reflections on Insights Gained From EDUC 6710

Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society

This course has been a wonderful learning experience for me. It has challenged me to explore new technology that I can begin using today in my classroom. Although I had never created a blog, wiki, or podcast; this course afforded me the opportunity to try something current, relevant for my students, and new for me. With the help of our class resources, my classmates, and through experimentation, I discovered tools to foster collaboration, creativity, and problem solving—all skills that my students will need in the workplace. These discoveries have aided me in seeing both the significance and the relative simplicity in incorporating tools that will help my students in learning 21st century skills. In addition, I have realized the benefit of this technology for me as I plan curriculum and collaborate with other teachers on ways to utilize these practices in the classroom.

Learning about the different distinctions and learning styles of digital natives versus digital immigrants has caused me to review my teaching to see where adjustments can be made. Knowing how today's students prefer to learn and how they excel at learning has helped me to start to review and refresh my current practices. Marc Prensky adds this observation: "Teachers must practice putting engagement before content when teaching. They need to laugh at their own digital immigrant accents, pay attention to how their students learn, and value and honor what their students know" (p. 10). By incorporating the new technology into my lessons, I have learned that students will be more engaged and motivated; and the overall effect of the activity will be enhanced. Insights on how to limit, if not entirely eliminate, the disconnect between school and work have been very helpful to me as well.

Another profound gain from this class is the awareness that the flow of instruction should change from vertical to horizontal in pattern, with students taking responsibility and ownership of their own learning. According to Richardson (2006): "The classroom of the Read/Write Web is one of seamless transfer of information; of collaborative, individualized learning; and of active participation by all members of the class" (p. 131). Activities need to be more project-based to simulate real-world applications. In an atmosphere where students are allowed to explore with technology, they begin to realize connections between school, skills, and the workplace. In my classroom, I am trying to take the necessary steps to follow this trend by planning activities that closely mimic the style and nature of work that students will be required to do on their jobs.

In order to continue learning about emerging technology and how I can use it to facilitate 21st century skills, I plan to explore educational blogs, Web sites, books, and articles that provide information, encouragement, and support. In addition, I plan to share new and relevant technology news and tips with my colleagues in order to broaden my scope and ultimately pass that knowledge on to my students.

Two goals that I have to modify my classroom environment so that it more closely matches the expected workplace are to include Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, and podcasts) into every class, and to help my students see that what they are learning is transferrable. Including the Web 2.0 tools will be a task that, although initially time consuming, is embraced by my administration and colleagues. Current classroom activities will need to be reformed to include multitasking and problem solving where students find, evaluate, and use information to make their learning authentic. In this way, teacher-directed activities can be replaced with student-directed activities. In order to accomplish my second goal of helping the students to see the transfer of skills from school to work, I plan to create activities that replicate as closely as possible the abilities and proficiencies employers will be seeking. Feedback from prospective community employers will aid me in this effort.

Probably the most surprising aspect of this class for me was the enjoyment I have had in stepping out of my comfort zone and learning something new. Although apprehensive at first, my feelings of accomplishment have been significant, and my confidence has been boosted. This class has given me the incentive to continue this discovery and make changes in my classroom that will provide my students with the skills and training they need to be successful.

References
Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the natives. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 8-13.

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.